Foodists

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Over the past handful of years the brewers of British Columbia have really stepped up their game and started producing outstanding beer that’s gaining international acclaim. Take Gary Lohin for example, the brewmaster at Surrey’s Central City Brewpub, who recently took silver at the World Beer Cup.

To celebrate our burgeoning beer scene, a collection of local brewers, beer enthusiasts and promoters have created the inaugural Vancouver Craft Beer Week. Running May 10 – 16, the week is absolutely packed with beer-related events, from brewpub crawls to beer awards to pairing dinners to… well, you get the idea.

And while yes, it’s completely and totally about the beer, well… it’s not actually just about the beer. An added side-bonus here is that there are some outstanding dinners happening at great local restaurants during that week. A sampling of those that caught my eye:

• Red Truck Beer Dinner at Au Petit Chavignol

  An evening of cheese and beer tasting led by expert Allison Spurrell and Red Truck brewmaster, Dave Varga. Delicious beer-inspired dishes such as cheddar & beer soup and beer-braised short ribs will be paired with some of the brewery’s limited releases. Dessert is a batch of warm house-made chocolate cookies with a glass of Red Truck’s Limited Release Stout.

• Driftwood Beer Dinner at Hapa Izakaya

  Hapa Izakaya and Driftwood Brewing are combining forces to showcase what happens when you combine a Norther American interpretation of Japan and Belgium. (Driftwood is one of my absolute favourites, and combine it with Hapa Izakaya? No contest, I’ll see you there.)

• Green Flash Brewmaster Dinner

  Join Brewmaster Chuck Silva and the r.tl team to enjoy a five course meal paired with Green Flash beer. Delicious, bold and flavourful beer will be paired with scallops, fois gras, suckling pig, lamb and more! Definitely not for the faint of heart.

• Cooking with Beer: A Class for Beer Lovers

  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the cooking class at The Dirty Apron, where Russell Brewing has paired up with their expert chefs to walk you through a three-course meal made with some fine local brews.

Tickets are available through the Vancouver Craft Beer Week Events page, and all tickets include food, beer, taxes and gratuities. You do the math.

Better hurry though, half of the events are sold out already, and from the looks of it, the rest won’t last long.