Captain George Vancouver

Hello all,

This is my first foray into the world of blogging so apologies if this is a shoddy affair. Thought i’d do a special entry from Vancouver on an interesting beer I came across today. First though, I must agree with Craig AS about the standard of Canadian beers. Having only tried Molson and Labatts I had blithely assumed that all Canuck beer was bobbins, but how wrong I was. We have a fine selection of microbreweries here in BC, including Vancouver’s own Granville Island Brewery, as well as a number of brewpubs that serve their own speciality beers – a great idea that I would like to see more of in the UK.

Anyway, for those who don’t know, today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Captain George Vancouver, who lent his name to this fair city. He was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and the nearby Elgood and Sons brewery has issued a limited edition beer to celebrate this occasion – Captain Vancouver’s 250th Anniversary Ale. So – to the tasting!

I suspect this has actually been brewed with the North American market in mind, as it tastes like a Canadian brown ale, with a malty taste and a dryer, hoppy finish. Not a classic, but a pleasant tipple none the less. I’m not always sure what to think of these beers as they tend to be somewhere between a lager and an ale (in the British sense). It’s almost impossible to find a ‘real’ ale here – I think people would freak out if they were served warm beer that smells a bit farty. Still, I look forward to a proper ale when I eventually return to the UK.

My next post will hopefully come from Victoria, which is something of a hub for microbreweries in Western Canada – happy drinking!