B.C. Beer Round Up
It was the best of times... briefly
April, 1999by Dave Preston
It's something that the British saw in the sixties and seventies, and campaigned somewhat successfully against, but now it's happening here. Big brewers are taking over the little guys. And drinkers are wondering who's next.
Just a couple of summers ago there were almost 20 fully independent BC-owned breweries in this province. Now there are thirteen, depending on how you count them.
After several takeovers, mergers and closings, and despite the opening of Wildhorse, Lighthouse and Gulf Islands breweries, there are now more brewpubs in BC. than independent breweries. There are only thirteen micros left in the province: Bear, Gulf Islands, Lighthouse, Mt. Begbie, Nelson, R&B, Russell, Storm, Tin Whistle, Tree, Vancouver Island, Wildhorse and Windermere.
The recently merged Bowen Island-Coquihalla Brewing Companies have extended that merger to include Whistler and Horseshoe Bay. Trevor Khoe of Whistler is reportedly the new President of the group and no details of changes to staffing or portfolio have yet been announced.
After a moths of financial hardship, Tall Ship of Squamish finally closed its doors and ceased production. This is a great loss to lovers of bottle-conditioned beer and their Barley Wine, Raspberry Ale, IPA and Russian Imperial Stout will all be sadly missed.
The No-Surprise of the Year award went to Shaftebury Brewing, who denied for months the idea that they were being taken over by Sleeman. The huge Ontario brewer finally stepped in and paid off Shaftebury owners Tim Wittig and Paul Beaton quite handsomely, with a rumoured $15 million, (or $6.9 million, depending on whom you speak to). This is the same company that took over Okanagan Spring, bought Upper Canada Brewing, moved the operation to Guelph and mothballed the real brewery, dropping half the UC brands in the process. They've been no less kind with Shaftebury ÷ having closed the Delta brewery, laying off the entire workforce and keeping only three of the original labels, Rainforest, Hemp and Cream Ale. Sleeman will now brew these at their Vernon plant, but for how long is anyone's guess.
Rumours of Sleemans themselves being taken over by Molson are being vehemently denied by the giant, though Unibroue of Quebec seem to be open about their plans to acquire, or build, another brewery or two, first in Ontario then in BC.
"Thanks god for BC's brewpubs," is what CAMRA Victoria is now saying, and with 15 to choose from they outnumber the micros, and are doing very nicely thank you. Two of them, Sailor Hagar's in North Vancouver and Spinnakers of Victoria, even made the top five in the country, according to a list published by Canada's daily newspaper The Globe & Mail. (Others were The Bushwakker in Regina, Le Cheval Blanc in Montreal, and the Granite in Toronto.) McCheers!
Although Nova Scotia is at the other side of this vast country, BC visitors could be forgiven for thinking they'd arrived in Scotland, and not just because of our mountains. It seems that the bars are being covered in tartan. Pushing well north of the IPA frontier, Scottish ales are making a big comeback.
Whether it's Jamieson's Scottish Ale or the powerful Scotch Ale, both at Spinnakers, Riley's Scottish Ale at neighbouring brew pub Swans, Granville Island's Scotch Cream Ale, Goode Highland Scotch Ale from Howe Sound, Highland Scottish Ale from Storm Brewing, or the Scottish-style Race Rocks Ale from Lighthouse Brewing, there's no shortage of rich malty beers. But now there's another. Vancouver Island Brewing, the fifteen year-old micro based in Victoria has just launched Wolf's Scottish Cream Ale.
"We were looking to go beyond the pale ale category, which I think is saturated," says sales manager Gerry Kyle. "The market wants sweet, whether or not they'll ask for it, and I'm pleased with this, a sweet malty ale, low-hopped, to add to our premium ales portfolio."
Paul Hoyne, brewer at Lighthouse sees this as a copy of his leading product, and feels honored. "It's flattering to us when a fifteen year-old brewery tries to copy our main product. In any business it's better to be the leader rather than a follower. When VIB tries to copy our popular Race Rocks Ale, I know we're the leader and they are followers."
Kyle doesn't see it as a copy, however, in fact he's more impressed with Lighthouse's IPA, which he's going after with his new product, already on draught around Victoria and due out in bottles by June. Bottom of the Apple Barrel
Al Piggott has sold a 49% interest in his Vancouver Island Merridale Cider company, producers of Pub Draft, Summer & Berrie Cider, and the famously powerful Scrumpy, to a venture capital group headed by Patrick Cornish of Victoria. Vice-presidents are James Price and James Brownrigg. No changes to production or the cider portfolio have been announced.
