By Mathieu Poirier
Monday Magazine columnist
There’s a beer for every season, so as fall shifts to winter, and Halloween makes way for lights on trees and limited mall parking, the time has come for beers to be shared among friends at festive gatherings.
Returning for its fourth year, the Christmas Craft Beer Show at the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre on Nov. 29-30 is a perfect way to show appreciation for the amazing beers of the season, in a venue suited to the cold. This event has become a favourite way to really kick off the holiday season, and makes for a great early Christmas gift as well.
| Mathieu Poirier, Monday beer columnist |
The two-day event, running from 5-9 p.m. Friday night and 1-5 p.m. on the Saturday, has a similar format to last year, with over 45 brewery options to keep you happy, a selection of beer-paired foods to keep you thirsty, and great music to keep you entertained. Tickets are available at selectyourtickets.com, and are available at $40 per day, or as a combo for both days and 10 beer tokens, for $80.
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Another returning event this year lets fans of both craft beer, baroque music and a well-told story enjoy all three at once. Thirsty Writer Joe Wiebe, along with Pacific Opera Victoria and Vessel Liquor return with A Grand Tour of Beer on Nov. 15 at the Baumann Centre, taking attendees through a musical journey of five beer regions.
The evening will also feature performances from the Luchkow-Stadlen-Jarvis Trio as well as local soprano Ai Horton. Tickets are $40 and include five 10-ounce beer tasters. They can be purchased online at rmts.bc.ca or by phone at 250-385-0222.
The Grand Tour received such rave reviews last year that a similar event is being hosted in Nanaimo this year Nov. 8 at the Port Theatre.
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Finally, congratulations are in order for many local breweries for their success at the 2019 BC Beer Awards in Vancouver. Lighthouse Brewing, 4 Mile Brewing, Vancouver Island Brewing, Whistle Buoy Brewing and Île Sauvage Brewing Company all brought home wins, with Île Sauvage also winning Rookie of the Year.
Gerry Hieter and John Rowling, founding members of the Great Canadian Beer Festival, were honoured with Legend Awards for their contributions to the beer industry in B.C.
editor@mondaymag.com
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