Craft brewing has become big in B.C.–but what about craft malting? The maltster’s craft is a specialized one, comprising both art and science. The malting process involves steeping grains in water, allowing them to germinate, then roasting them in a […]
Keep your New Year’s resolutions with these non-alcoholic beers
It’s a new year, and many of us are turning over a new leaf and cutting down on our alcohol consumption, whether it’s to support our mental and/or physical health, or just to give our wallets a break. I’m not […]
Drink this: Grainbow by Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
For 18 years, Victoria’s Phillips Brewing has been at the cutting edge of craft beer in this province. Beers like Longboat Chocolate Porter, Raspberry Wheat and, of course, Blue Buck, helped change the landscape of craft beer in B.C., popularizing […]
Brewer vs. Brewer: The Victoria Edition
Victoria is the undisputed birthplace of craft beer in Canada—if not North America—but after years of innovation, the beer scene seemed to stall in the past decade. While Vancouver exploded with new breweries, new brewers and new styles, Victoria was […]
Local, not Lucky: Friends don’t let friends drink foreign-owned macro swill
I recently moved back to Vancouver Island and I was reminded of a certain geographic peculiarity upon my first trip to the liquor store. There, right as I walked into the store, was a six-foot high pyramid of familiar red […]
Craft Beer is Awesome: Black Toque by Phillips Brewing
Victoria’s Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. has been on the forefront of the craft beer movement since opening in 2001, and the re-release of Black Toque harkens back to a time when everything was shiny and new. If you’ve ever […]
BREWS NEWS: NDP launches liquor review; Strathcona turns 1, Phillips' Snowcase is back
B.C. NDP to launch liquor review B.C. Attorney General David Eby is making good on his promise to create a liquor industry advisory panel to review the province’s current liquor legislation and policies. As we first reported last month, […]