Editors’ Picks: What We’re Drinking at Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Our fave local brews.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week has officially started, and while there are plenty of beer-themed events to look forward to (Brewer fitness competition! Block party! Crawfish boil!), there’s really only one thing you need to do: sample the city’s best brews—and we know exactly which ones you should make a beeline for.

Light Side of the Moon

This easy-sipping summer brew has got everything I love in a beer. First and foremost, the fruity factor—balancing notes of orange peel and lemon in a cloudy Hefeweizen-esque lager, without going full juice. (I’m over you for now, radler). And as local taps drift toward the hoppy, or more recently, the sour, I’m happy the folks at Victoria’s Moon Under Water Brewery are keeping things refreshing, light and undeniably delicious.—Julia Dilworth, Associate Editor

Bourbon Blood Orange Wheat Ale

If I’m going to raise a glass to VCBW, it’s going to be filled with Bourbon Blood Orange wheat ale from Bridge Brewing. To me, it tastes like summer (even in the lousiest of weather): light, clean and slightly citrusy without all that radler sweetness.—Stacey McLachlan, Executive Editor

Sour Wheat Gose

Is there anything Field House Brewing can’t do? Branding is on point (they took home the award for Best Label in our 2016 Craft Beer Awards), they have a killer front lawn (hello, new fave summer spot!), a canteen that’s serving up casual plates of margherita pizza and grilled cheese and—oh yeah!—the foundations of great beer. Call it hometown pride or whatever you will—born and raised in Abbotsford, I feel a little swell in my chest each time I spot their bottles in a Vancouver liquor store—but their Sour Wheat Gose is everything I want a summer beer to be: tart, light and refreshing.—Kaitlyn Gendemann, Staff Writer

Bottle Rocket ISA

I get teased for being a fan of the fruit beers—I’ll never say no to something with apricot, raspberry or peach in the mix—but my other go-to in the summer is Phillips Brewing Company’s Bottle Rocket ISA. It’s hoppy enough to be fresh and bright, but not so much that I regret not choosing one of my kinder, fruitier faves. And at five percent, it’s low enough in alcohol that I won’t need to take a nap after a couple with friends on the beach.—Anicka Quin, Editorial Director

Colour and Shape IPA

When the dude at the register rung up my purchase I’ll cop to being a little taken aback—$23.16 for four cans of local beer. But all the beer nerds have been raving about Superflux Beer Company (formerly known as Machine Ales) and their low production means actually finding the beer is a small victory so I grudgingly paid the absurd price. Was it worth it? It’s a beautifully cloudy unfiltered IPA, it’s not too crazy on the booze (6.8 percent) and has an initial wallop of juicy tropical fruits that’s clean and fresh. It has a smidge of petrol, which as a lover of riesling, I love. I live for IPAs and this is at the top of my heap now. Whether it’s worth the price, well, that’s between you and your banker.—Neal McLennan, Food Editor

Broken Ladder Apples and Hops

I’ve been trying to keep the beer to a minimum lately as—gasp—I seem to be slightly allergic (and by slight I mean suffering rapid-fire sneeze attacks!). But no worries, I’m saved thanks to our excellent burgeoning craft cider scene. BC Tree Fruits’s Broken Ladder has become one of my go-tos. It’s a not-too-sweet take on this fast-rising beverage, and has that hoppy tang for a hint of the beer taste I’d otherwise miss out on. Sniff.—Jessica Barrett, Senior Editor

What’s your favourite craft beer? Let us know in the comments below!