What is a sunny Friday without a visit to a craft brewery or two? This day we sampled from opposite ends of the local craft brewing spectrum, both satisfying in their own way. We started at Storm Brewing 310 Commercial. This is the longest running craft brewery in the area; they began in 1994. They are known for their wild flavour experiments and combinations. We tried Highland Scottish Ale, Precipitation Pilsner, Lavender IPA (weird), Apple Pie Ale (too sweet), Imperial Flanders Sour Ale, Mango Spicy Pilsner (extremely spicy) and Vanilla Whiskey Stout. We got a growler of the latter - it was as good as it sounds!
The staff were super friendly; the environment was funky but not conducive to lingering. The smell of garbage is quite pronounced when entering the sales floor. No chairs, flights or pints are available but you can get generous free samples to enjoy while standing around. There also may be a fun, furry friend around. Parking is only on the street. They sell some good-looking steel containers - $36 for a litre and $42 for a 1.89 litre. These are better prices than we have seen elsewhere and they have a better seal than the screw cap. Speaking a containers, a chap loading up his brews had a good looking steel container that kept beer cold for an extended period. He got it from Hydro Flask in the U.S.
Our next stop was Strangefellows Brewing 1345 Clark Drive, This a slick, modern brewery. Parking is easy out front and at busy times food trucks are on hand. Flights are available as well as pints. The tasting room is large, with cool long, high tables an high stools. The number of offerings is smaller. We tried Talisman Pale Ale, The T'wit 2, Goldilox Golden, and Bayard Saison. Although all were drinkable, we didn't fill our remaining growler. I guess that says something...They have a very neat stamping station to identify your purchases.
No comments:
Post a Comment