Join the revolution and share a hand-crafted beer with Joe Wiebe, the Thirsty Writer, as he celebrates the release of his book, Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries (Douglas & McIntyre, $19.95). Joe will tour B.C. with his book this summer. On Sunday, June 16, 5 p.m., he will be in Robson at the Lion’s Head Smoke and Brew Pub (2629 Broadwater Rd.) at a book launch celebration. On Monday, June 17, he will be at Otter Books (398 Baker St., Nelson) signing copies of his book between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and at 7:30 that evening he will give a talk at Mike’s Place Pub in the Hume Hotel (422 Vernon St., Nelson). The evening events on Sunday and Monday will feature a cask of the Nelson Brewing Company’s Full Nelson Organic Imperial IPA.
In Craft Beer Revolution, Wiebe documents the fascinating craft beer movement in B.C., profiling its history, the breweries themselves, the people behind the kegs and casks, and the colourful stories. The book is filled to the brim with recommendations for beer tasting tours around the province, lists of the best brews B.C. has to offer and entertaining trivia that will make beer geeks salivate.
To write this book, Joe Wiebe undertook what he called his “Craft Beer Odyssey”—a road trip around the bottom half of the province visiting as many craft beer hubs as possible. The Lion’s Head Smoke and Brew Pub was an essential stop on this trip; in his book, he describes it as “an oasis of craft beer,” which offers artisan smoked meat along with 12 taps featuring beer from breweries across the province, including Nelson Brewing, Tree Brewing, Fernie Brewing, Mt. Begbie Brewing, Crannóg Ales, Cannery Brewing and Spinnakers Brewery.
The Nelson Brewing Company is another major player in the craft beer revolution. They opened in 1991, and in 2006 decided to go all-organic, a move that created some challenges due to the difficulty in finding certain ingredients (hops, in particular). However, this movement to towards healthier, more sustainable production by brewers such as the Nelson Brewing Company has spurred a growth in organic hop production, especially in Canada and the United States.
British Columbians are embracing craft beer like never before. It may, in part, be wrapped up in an ever-growing movement to consume high-quality, local products. But there is more to craft beer than its superb ingredients. Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, writes that “craft brewing universally involves boldly flavoured beers coupled with a defiantly independent spirit.” In Craft Beer Revolution, Wiebe celebrates this independent spirit that has overwhelmingly soaked into B.C.’s brewing scene.
These events are free. For more information about Joe or his book go to www.craftbeerrevolution.
