A visit to Vancouver - Part One - Fuggles & Warlock and Barnside Brewing

My awesome beer buddies Chris and Jonny (oh and Grant) have been bugging me for years to finally visit Vancouver and surrounding area.. well last Friday, I finally did after all these years! Chris made a plan that we would stop at approximately twenty breweries in the four or so days we were there, while Jonny was hosting a beer event called the Weathered Beer Celebration. I've promised both that I'd visit them one day, and I finally booked tickets to fly right out of Brandon (with a layover in Calgary) and fly to Vancouver.. when I was tipsy at 3 in the morning. For the next few days you'll be seeing me post about the adventures I had while in the area. I hope you enjoy!


Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks - Richmond
First stop, Fuggles and Warlock Craftworks in Richmond! I arrived at the airport shortly after 10AM and Chris was right there to pick me up to start our beer adventure, it was pouring rain, a rain that I've only seen on days in the summer when there's a tornado warning in my neck of the woods.

Chris became a huge fan of F&W as soon as they opened, to the point that he ended up working there for a few years and every single time that a semi from Manitoba was about to load up beer to send to Liquor Marts and beer vendors in Manitoba, he'd text me and tell me what to expect! Fuggles & Warlock recently left the Manitoba market to concentrate exclusively on the always beer hungry thirsty local BC beer scene, not a surprise, but it was nice to have their beer again for old times sake.

During the hour we were there, we hung out at the bar, chatted with the bartender (who Chris worked with back when he was still at the brewery) and checked out the back of the brewery.

Now for the photos

I liked both of these photos so decided to keep them both

Awesome shirt!

Some lucky livestock will be enjoying this spent grain soon enough

Destiny IPA - my go-to IPA the second it entered Manitoba back in 2016

Now for their glorious beer labels on the walls in their washroom:

http://www.fuggleswarlock.com/



Barnside Brewing - Ladner (Delta)
Up next, Barnside Brewing in Ladner! As of the time of posting this blog entry, Barnside may still be the newest brewery in British Columbia but it won't be long until another brewery is opening up - they were open for only a week at the time of the visit. While I've been at a couple of farm themed breweries or breweries located on farming land.. I've surprisingly never been to a brewery that grows their own malt and hops for their products (A visit to Neepawa's Farmery Brewery & field/hop farm will come one day, it's only a 45 minutish drive from me). The first thing I got when I arrived was the overwhelming aroma of "yeah, this is definitely a farming area!" It didn't have the aroma of a beef cattle farm but more so an aroma of a dairy farm mixed with horses and wet grain from the brewery itself - to someone who's from the city, it may be a bit of a nauseous aroma but for this farm boy.. it's nice to see some farm land in the area of that city!

The interior of the brewery taproom had a vibe that I got from a LOT of breweries on the prairies - old reclaimed barn wood used to make up the interior, always a nice rustic look. The staff were inviting, friendly and were great to suggest which beers I should try. Currently, they only offer beer in flights so pints are a no go.. which to most people, that's always alright as you get to try a bit of everything, but for one gentleman who came in only moments after Chris and I arrived, he was absolutely angry and an ass to the awesome girl at the bar - thankfully he left immediately but not wanting to try some great beers out of the newest brewery in the province? Many people would love to do that!

Unfortunately I didn't think of picking up any crowlers/cans to take back with me, I really wish I did because for a brewery that's only been open for a week.. their beer was absolutely delicious. I actually said that was the first time I've ever gone to a brewery within days of their opening but in reality, that's a lie - I went to One Great City Brewing (Winnipeg) the day it opened as I was stuck in the city for a few hours with nothing to do, and I went to Malty National Brewing Corporation (Regina) the week after they opened. I told one of the staff that there was a brewery that also grows their own barley and hops in Manitoba (Farmery), she immediately went to their website and wanted to try the Pink Lemonale, which is not my cup of tea but it's quite popular here in rural Manitoba in the summer I find.

Okay, okay.. now onto the photos.

Farm. Fresh. Beer. I was just realizing that I was wearing my Barn Hammer t-shirt that very day.

I absolutely loved this map of the area showcasing the farmers of the area, I assume that these farmer names were back when the area was founded back in the day.

I don't know why this one looks like I used flash to take the pic

The hop field across the road, didn't even notice it until we were leaving

https://barnsidebrewing.ca/

Check out my other Vancouver brewery visits:

Part 2 - Four Winds and Dageraad

Part 3 - Another Beer Co, Steel & Oak and Central City Brewers + Distillers

Part 4 - Brewers Row (Port Moody)

Part 5 - Parallel 49, Andina (Closed), Bomber