By Joyce Chua, Vancouver Foodie Tours
Funky, fruity, estery, tart, dry, and sour; these beer flavours can be under-appreciated but, this July, the fourth annual Farmhouse Festival returned to Vancouver to tease some diversity into a sold-out romp of discerning palates. If you didn’t make it to the festival, not to worry, we’re here to help you find some of the featured flavours.
Over 50 breweries and cider makers were invited to the UBC Farm, bringing their most innovative concoctions with them. From mouth-puckering to thirst-quenching, it was a field day (quite literally) for beer enthusiasts. While the majority of recipes were created specifically for the event, a handful of items are will be available for British Columbia locals. Here are 5 locals Farmhouse Festival beers to look out for:
Hailing from Burnaby, Dageraad Brewing was the proud supplier of this year’s official Farmhouse Fest beer. The Genever – a gin barrel aged saison – was a collaboration with Steel & Oak Brewing and Odd Society Spirits. You’ll now be able to get your hands on it in Dageraad’s Burnaby tasting room, while supplies last.
Vancouver’s Parallel 49 will have their Late Bloomer (barrel aged sour with cherry) and Blue Shift (barrel aged sour finished on blueberries) at their tasting room only, typically on Saturdays. Because these two beers have a fruity profile that’s quite subtle, they are a good introduction for those new to saisons and sours.
Luppolo, one of Vancouver’s breweries that’s regularly known for their farmhouse ales, sours, and saisons, will have their Albicocchina (barrel aged apricot sour) in their East Van tasting room.
The brewmasters from Vancouver’s Powell Brewery were on site at Farmhouse Fest, noting that La Belle, a gin barrel aged sour farmhouse ale, is now available in bottles at their shop, select liquor stores, and restaurants around the city. The Super Sexy Flanders, a barrel-fermented flanders red, was a crowd favourite from the event and is said to be available in 6 months at the tasting room.
Funky and fruity beers were in abundance at Farmhouse Fest, but there were several cider companies sharing the spotlight. We were blown away by Windfall Cider, Vancouver-based cider-makers that blew our tastebuds away with their Jackpot cider. Made with 100% BC dessert apples, it’s a light, sweet cider that would pair perfectly with a sunny West Coast day. Keep your eye out for Jackpot at local Vancouver restaurants like Bells and Whistles, and Liberty Wine Merchants.
See the full details on Farmhouse Fest here.
Vancouver Foodie Tours is locally-owned, walking food tour company run by passionate beer, wine and food lovers! You can experience Vancouver’s vibrant food scene through their four Foodie Tours and their online food blog at foodietours.ca.
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