Vancouver Island Brewing (VIB) took over the taps at Local Kitsilano to showcase their summer beers. The drink menu included Islander Lager, Twisted Stalk Blackberry Helles, Faller Northwest Pale Ale, Ukidama Lychee Saison, Broken Island Hazy IPA, and Juan de Fuca Cerveza.
I’m partial to the malty beers so I started with the Twisted Stalk Blackberry Helles. It was the perfect beer for the first warm day in April. This helles starts fruity but not sweet, finishes clean, then hits you with the bready malt taste. It would be delicious by itself and with food.
Next was the Ukidama Lychee Saison. The citrus taste from the yuzu comes through and imparts a bright, refreshing flavour. I didn’t taste the lychee at all. VIB made sure to use French yeast, which imparts a spicier taste than the Belgian counterpart.
My ongoing favourite from Vancouver Island Brewing is the Juan de Fuca Cerveza. It’s a Mexican style beer made with maize which imparts a malty, sweet toasted corn flavour. It’s tasty, it’s refreshing, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to anything wrapped in tortilla.
Vancouver Island Brewing’s signature drink is the Islander Lager. I can attest to its quality by the quantity at which I can drink this beer. It’s the quintessential lawnmower lager. It’s a beer you can drink any time with or without food, including while you mow the lawn on a warm summer morning.
Website: https://vibrewing.com/
