Ask a range of people what the difference is between porters and stouts and you might get as many answers as the number of people you ask. Conducting a blind tasting might be just as unproductive as the styles tend […]
Cellar dwellers: the dos and don’ts of cellaring beer
While the vast majority of commercial beers we drink are designed to be consumed as fresh as possible, some can actually benefit from some added time—provided it’s under the right conditions. Like wine, some beers can be cellar-aged to improve […]
Lager Lit: The Growler’s guide to beer books
The world of beer has never been more exciting and it has never been a better time to be a beer lover. As the world of beer continues to grow and deepen, so has the quality and insight of the […]
Brewer vs. Brewer: The Belgian Edition
The country of Belgium has long been home to one of the finest beer cultures on Earth. From the Trappist monks and their abbey ales to champagne-like barrel-aged sours, the country has so much more to offer than chocolate, Tintin, […]
Ale be home for Christmas: Questionable gifts for the beer lover in your life
Beer not only does a body good, it easily fills up Christmas wish lists for family, friends and co-workers too lazy to get to know the real you. From gun-inspired glassware and phallic-shaped cooling devices to the latest in beer […]
Fizz biz: B.C. craft breweries are going pop with craft soda
For many B.C. brewers, their love of delicious beverages thankfully extends past beer. Some breweries have tried making ciders, others are doing whiskies and spirits. And some are going in a totally different, alcohol-free direction: soda pop. And in the […]
The Growler’s totally useless guide to decoding your bottle of craft beer
If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of craft beer, read the label and wondered to yourself what does all this gibberish mean, well, you’re not alone. Thankfully, The Growler is here to help you decode the jargon. Our craft […]
Label of love: The creative world of modern beer can art
You can’t help it, I can’t help it—we all judge beers by their labels, maybe as much as we judge the beer itself. Beer labels have been around for ages: 83 years on cans, and much longer than that on […]
Gone Organic: B.C. brewers are turning their backs on GMO ingredients in favour of natural alternatives
Earlier this year, scientists at the University of California Berkeley published a research paper that documented their discovery and success in the creation of lab-constructed yeast that could mimic the flavours of natural hops in beer. Why? Well, hop plants […]
How Fresh Can You Get: The elusive charm of fresh hop beers
With the arrival of fall comes a surge of fresh hop beers from B.C.’s breweries. These special beers are available for a short window of time because they are brewed with freshly picked “wet hops” immediately after harvest. Normally, hops […]