An adventure in the Kootenays along the BC Ale Trail with hot springs and cold beer

One of my favourite B.C. pastimes is a good long soak in a hot spring. Summer or winter, the hot, mineral-rich water is refreshing and invigorating, especially after a day in the mountains, whether it’s spent hiking, skiing, or even just driving around a car full of screaming children.

The Kootenays are home to six hot spring resorts and dozens more backcountry hot springs accessible only by 4×4 or hiking in. The tectonic activity that resulted in the stunning mountain vistas that stretch skyward on all sides is also responsible for the abundance of geothermal activity in the area.

Last summer, my wife and I decided to explore what the Kootenays have to offer in terms of liquid refreshment—be it liquid one soaks in or liquid one drinks—roughly following the provincial Hot Springs Route. 

Naturally, this route is also home to a plethora of delicious craft breweries. The BC Ale Trail provides prospective pursuants of primo pilsners and pale ales with the Kootenay Rockies East and Kootenay Rockies West ale trails, covering dozens of award-winning breweries in the area.

As we were to discover, the only thing more refreshing than a delicious locally brewed craft beer is one you’ve had after a refreshing hot spring soak.

Canyon Hot Springs / Whitetooth Brewing Co.

Since we had our two small children in tow, we opted to focus on the hot spring resorts for this trip. Our first stop was Canyon Hot Springs, roughly in the middle of nowhere between Revelstoke and Golden, yet highly accessible given its location just off the Trans-Canada Highway. 

We pulled into the expansive RV park and resort in the early evening as the sun was setting after a long but mercifully uneventful drive up from the coast. With the children starting to get restless in the back seat, a pool break was the perfect opportunity for everyone to stretch their legs and get their sillies out.

In fact, given its location roughly halfway between Vancouver and Calgary, anyone road-tripping over the Continental Divide would be well advised to stop off at Canyon Hot Springs for an hour or two to rest and recharge.

The resort itself features more than 100 RV and campsites, as well as dozens of cabins. But we were just here for the hot springs, and like at all of BC’s hot springs resorts, pool passes are available for those not staying overnight. 

The pool facilities at Canyon Hot Springs feature a 55,000-litre hot pool for soaking up all that mineral goodness, and a much larger, 225,000-litre swimming pool for when it’s time to cool off. The water itself is sourced from a natural hot spring three kilometres away in Albert Canyon and piped into the resort at a piping hot 40°C.

We watched the sun set behind the Monashee Mountains to the west and with the greasy film of a long day’s drive sufficiently washed away, we continued on down the road to Golden, home of the award-winning Whitetooth Brewing Co.

Our hotel for the night was conveniently located directly behind the brewery, so the next day after checking out, and after a short jaunt around the picturesque mountain town’s many riverside walking trails, we sidled up to Whitetooth’s sunny and expansive outdoor patio for some wood fired pizza and some ice cold beer.

The Icefields Pale Ale went down a treat, with its sturdy off-sweet malt profile of cracker and toast, classic West Coast hop character, and moderate bitterness complemented by fruity ester notes. As we sat in awe of the sunbathed mountains surrounding us, it was hard to imagine a more delicious and refreshing start to the day.

Radium Hot Springs / Arrowhead Brewing*

An hour down the Rocky Mountain Trench is historic Radium Hot Springs, located in Kootenay National Park, as well as the town of the same name. You know a hot spring is going to be legit when they name the whole town after it.

The hot springs here have been enjoyed for thousands of years, with evidence of the indigenous Ktunaxa people visiting the springs for millennia. It was previously known as Sinclair Hot Springs, named after the leader of the Métis community that settled in the area in the 1840s, before being renamed Radium Hot Springs in 1915 after the discovery of radon in the water. Thankfully, the radioactive radon levels are very low and completely harmless, with a half-hour soak equivalent to eating about a dozen bananas in terms of radiation exposure.

The hot springs are located in the middle of a literal canyon, with the facilities jammed into either side of Highway 93. The modern facilities were first built in 1949, and while they’ve been continuously updated to current standards, they still retain a certain vintage charm.

The pools are technically part of the national park system and the facilities could not be more top-notch. The hot pool is roughly the size of a football field, providing more than enough room for my frolicking children to frolick without frolicking into folks who were not interested in frolicking. Flanked by the steep cliffs of the Rocky Mountains on all sides, you could easily imagine bighorn sheep pondering the curious hairless apes soaking below. Sadly, we didn’t see any bighorns on our visit, but a local regular soaking beside us said they were frequent visitors.

The cold plunge pool was invigorating after a long soak in the hot pool. My seven-year-old son certainly thought so, and was inspired enough to cannonball into the frigid waters, much to the dismay of the more timid guests in the tiny, ice-cold tub. After apologizing profusely, I ushered the kids to the Olympic-sized cool pool, which was equipped with swim lanes and waterslides. 

Radium Hot Springs is open year-round, and while the hot sunshine and blue skies on our visit were lovely, I couldn’t help but imagine the mountains blanketed in snow, steam rising from hot pools in the cold air. I think we’ll definitely be back in the winter. It would be a great excuse to check out some of the world-class skiing nearby, too.

After a few dozen bananas, we carried on our merry way south down the broad, expansive Columbia River valley running parallel to the majestic Rocky Mountains to the east. Fifteen minutes down the road we found ourselves at Arrowhead Brewing’s old-timey gas station-themed taproom and pulled in for a fill-up. 

*editor’s note: In spring 2025, Arrowhead Brewing was purchased by the team at Calgary’s Village Brewery and has reopened as Invermere Brewing Co.

“Invermere Brewing Co. is a love letter to the golden days of après-adventure—a time when ski lodges had wood-panelled walls, golfers walked the course, and lake days stretched endlessly into the evening with nothing but good company and a cold brew in hand.” – Invermere Brewing Co.

With a plethora of reasonably priced motels to choose from, we backtracked to Radium Hot Springs for the night feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Fairmont Hot Springs / Encore Brewing

A short 30-minute drive from Radium Hot Springs is the year-round hot springs resort of Fairmont Hot Springs (which curiously has no connection to the Fairmont luxury hotel and resort chain). While the resort boasts a ski hill, three golf courses, a driving range, mini-golf, seven restaurants and bars, horseback riding, hiking trails, mountain biking, ziplines, a hotel, cabins and cottages, an RV park, and a campground (phew!), we were here for the hot springs.

With 1.2 million gallons of piping hot spring water gushing from its source daily, Fairmont Hot Springs is the largest natural mineral hot spring in Canada.

The resort features three public hot spring pools (as well as a guest-exclusive pool), with a large, shallow warm pool perfect for the kiddos, as well as a deeper diving pool and 40 C hot soaking pool, so there was an option here for everyone. While there was no cold plunge pool, there was something even better: In the middle of the hot soak pool, a man-made geyser that poured ice-cold water. We sat next the geyser in the steaming hot mineral pool while the ice-cold water ran over our heads and shoulders, staring at the gloriously blue sky above, relaxed to an extent almost unknown to parents of small children. 

I asked my son what could be better than this, and he replied, “Fresh homemade donuts?” which I thought was rather specific. Turns out, he had spied a sign for the poolside snack bar advertising the delicious treats.

After a generous hours-long soak, I conceded that fresh homemade donuts did sound like a pretty good idea. And wouldn’t you know it, he was right!

An hour’s drive further south we found ourselves in Cranbrook hungry, thirsty and in want of activities to entertain the kids. Thankfully, Encore Brewing provided on all fronts.

Located in a converted bowling alley, Encore Brewing might take the gold medal for the coveted BC’s Most Fun Brewery Award, which I just invented. There’s five-pin bowling, a vintage arcade, skeeball, basketball, board games, oversized table games like Connect Four, live music and events—oh yeah, and there’s delicious beer and food, too! 

The kids were entertained, leaving me and my wife to sample a flight of Encore’s lineup of hop-forward IPAs and pale ales in relative peace.

The Jam Jam Sour was our favourite, a tart and fruity raspberry kettle sour with balanced acidity and lovely juicy berry notes. At 4.7% ABV, it was one of many beers at Encore that clock in at under 5.0%, much to our delight.

Encore also features a full food menu with elevated versions of bowling alley classics like pizza, hot dogs, tacos, and sandwiches. With so many delicious options, we were a little unsure of what to order, so we just kind of got everything! We’re talking soft pretzels, chilli dogs, Szechuan pork shoulder tacos, and a large pizza with Calabrese and Genoa salami, double-smoked sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella, because why the heck not.

I regret nothing. If Encore wasn’t roughly a 12-hour drive from my front door in Victoria, I would be here every dang day.

Unfortunately, Encore was so awesome that we ended up spending WAY more time there than we intended, which meant that it would be too late for us to set up camp that night at Kootenay Lake (again, no regrets). Since the sun was already setting, we instead decided to drive to Nelson and get a hotel there.

Ainsworth Hot Springs / Nelson Brewing

I’m not sure if Nelson is the steepest town in BC, but it has to be right up there. 

Once we got checked out of the hotel, we popped in to visit with some friends and let the kids have a bounce on their trampoline before going for a lovely walk around their Nelson neighbourhood of Mountain Station. The walk down to Nelson Brewing, which is literally built into the steep hillside, was easy enough. The walk back up the hill loaded with beer, however, was a workout. I really earned that Hooligan Pilsner, I told myself. Crisp and refreshing with subtle, balanced notes of cracker, spice and floral hops, it’s easy to see why nearly every establishment in town has it on tap.

As it had been nearly 24 hours since our last dip in a hot spring, we said our goodbyes and headed north out of town and up picturesque Kootenay Lake to Ainsworth Hot Springs for our mineral water fix.

While the pools at Ainsworth might be small compared to the vast facilities at Fairmont and Radium, they have something the others don’t: caves. That’s right, looping under the steep hillside is a steamy, swim-in underground cave, complete with stalactites and all sorts of dark nooks and crannies to relax in. After countless circuits of the cave loop, we had a dip in the ice-cold plunge pool to cool off and took in the view of Kootenay Lake below.  

Halcyon Hot Springs / Angry Hen Brewing

Continuing up Kootenay Lake, we arrived in the historic and absolutely adorable town of Kaslo. This tiny lakeside village is home to many things: the popular Kaslo Jazz Festival; the world’s oldest surviving sternwheeler, the SS Moyie; more antique shops per capita than anywhere I’ve ever seen… But we were here for the beer!

Kaslo’s Angry Hen Brewing was founded by Vancouver craft beer legend Shirley Warne. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, it should. Shirley is responsible for teaching many of BC’s craft brewers everything they know, including Conrad Gmoser at Brassneck, Harley Smith at Longwood, Vern Lambourne at Parkside, and the late Tony Dewald of Trading Post.

The brewery is a must-visit pilgrimage for craft beer lovers. We got a table on the sunny patio overlooking Kaslo’s historic “downtown” and Kootenay Lake below. Unsurprisingly, the beers were absolutely phenomenal. In particular, Up the Kriek, Angry Hen’s take on the classic Belgian sour, was tart, funky, complex and delightful with a balanced acidity and lovely bright cherry notes. Just a delight to sip in sunshine while taking in the beauty of the Kootenays.

As if the beers weren’t good enough, the smash burgers and Korean-style hot wings similarly didn’t disappoint, while the kids loved the housemade raspberry soda and ginger ale.

With full bellies we ventured up and over the Selkirk Mountains towards our destination for the night at the Nakusp Municipal Campground on Arrow Lake. But first, we made a detour to the scenic ghost town of Sandon. The former silver mining boom town dates back to the late 1800s, and once boasted a population of 5,000 people, making it one of the biggest towns in BC more than 125 years ago.

Today, the population is less than 10. However, a number of the original buildings remain and some have been restored by the small but dedicated group of folks that still live there. The kids enjoyed looking around the remnants of the town, including the 20-odd former Vancouver electric trolley buses that now call Sandon home. My four-year-old daughter, however, was quite disappointed that we didn’t get to see any actual ghosts (but it was nothing some ice cream couldn’t fix, thankfully). 

After a scenic drive through the West Kootenays, we set up camp in Nakusp for the night before heading out in the morning for our final hot spring visit of the trip. The Nakusp area is home to a handful of hot springs, including the rustic St. Leon Creek and Halfway Hot Springs, and the Nakusp Hot Springs Resort. However, we opted for the aptly named Halcyon Hot Springs Resort perched above the shores of Arrow Lakes, right off Highway 23, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

The resort itself was a perfect spot to spend a few hours relaxing, with a variety of pools at varying temperatures, including a lazy river and a splash park for the kids. Looking out onto the postcard-perfect mountains that surrounded us, my wife and I vowed to return in the winter when snow would completely cover the landscape.

The spring water at Halcyon is unique in that it contains trace amounts of naturally occurring lithium, which in its pharmaceutical form is a prescription mood stabilizer. So perhaps it was no surprise that with our hot spring adventure coming to close I couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of calm and peace as I looked out upon the soaring mountains and the tranquil lake below from the warm comfort of the hot springs pool. 

Mind you, hot springs and cold beers in the Kootenays tend to have that effect.

Every Pint Tells a Story

Supporting Local. Celebrating Community.

The post Hot Springs and Cold Beers in the Kootenays appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

Fresh hop beers are made with hops that come fresh off the bine, making it into the brew kettle or fermenter less than 24 hours after being picked. In BC, hops are typically harvested as early as late August through to early October, and then the race is on to get them to the brewery as soon as possible for maximum freshness.

Typically, hops are kiln-dried and pelletized to improve their shelf life. But fresh hop (or wet-hopped) beers retain more of the hops’ essential oils and volatile aromatics, resulting in a beer that is bursting with character that dried hops simply can’t provide.

Fresh hop beers are often brighter, earthier, more floral and can even feature an almost tingly sensation due to the prevalence of essential oils and acids. Naturally, beer styles that are built around hop character, like IPAs and pale ales, are generally preferred for fresh hop beers.

One thing is for sure, though, these unique beers are definitely different, and they only come around once a year, so get them while you can.

Unsurprisingly, it is best to drink fresh hop beers when they are fresh, as the volatile flavour compounds will degrade with considerable speed. Once a fresh hop beer is more than a month old, it’s lost most if not all of its magic.

Here’s a selection of fresh hop beers from across B.C. that you can find at your local craft beer store this fall:

Farm. Fresh. Hop. IPA by Barnside Brewing (Delta)

Fresh Cascade and Triple Pearl hops – with a couple of buckets of Tahoma thrown in for good measure – set the tone for the 2024 version of Barnside’s 100% farm-hopped beer. With their ’20 minutes from field to kettle’ promise, this beer is as fresh as it gets. It pours with a dark golden haze, presenting prominent stone fruit in the direction of nectarine and white peach, with citrus, grapefruit rind, and champagne-like carbonation, backed by a classic mild bitterness.

Hop Attack Fresh Hop IPA by Steamworks Brewing (Burnaby and Vancouver)

This classic West Coast IPA features assertive hop bitterness and plenty of that characteristic fresh hop tingle. Bright and lively with a sturdy malt backbone to not only support the hops, but leave the beer balanced and approachable as well. 

Green Reaper Fresh Hop IPA by Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. (Victoria)

This IPA features a massively fruity and floral nose, with massive gobs of citrus, pine and tropical fruit. Well-balanced with restrained hop bitterness resulting in a dangerously crushable beer.

Fresh Hop Extra Pale Ale by Cannery Brewing (Penticton)

Cannery’s annual fresh hop beer is based on their Muse Extra Pale Ale and this year features fresh Mosaic hops from Loftus Ranches in the Yakima Valley. The result is vibrantly fruity and floral with big hop aroma and flavours and a clean dry finish enticing you back to take another sip.

Maple Bay IPA Fresh Hop IPA by Backcountry Brewing (Squamish)

This lively hazy IPA bursts with stonefruit, citrus and melon aromas. Hazy gold in colour with a meringue-like head, notes of grapefruit, apricot and tropical fruit dominate with a lovely fresh hop tingle that will bring brightness to even the most dismal autumn days.

Sartori Harvest IPA by Driftwood Brewery (Victoria)

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Driftwood’s annual celebration of fresh hops. Centennial hops from the Sartori Cedar Ranch in Chilliwack’s Columbia Valley take centre stage here with luscious floral and earthy notes of pine, grapefruit and grass. An ample malt backbone helps support the moderate hop bitterness.

New Tricks Fresh Hop Hazy IPA by Yellow Dog Brewing (Port Moody)

This hazy little number features intensely fruity hop aromas and flavours, with juicy fruit flavours of citrus, stonefruit and melon. Low hop bitterness and a smooth finish mean you’re gonna go crazy for this fresh hop hazy. 

Wolf Vine Wet Hopped Pale Ale by Hoyne Brewing (Victoria)

Earthy notes of citrus, pine, and grass feature heavily in Hoyne’s annual foray into fresh hop beers. Malt notes of cracker and grain help round out this fresh hop pale ale.

The post Hop to It: Your Guide to B.C.’s Fleeting Fresh Hop Beer Season appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

It wasn’t so long ago that thirsty beer drinkers with a hankering for a high-test brew had very few options. Big beers were once brewed only to give drinkers more bang for their buck, and flavour was an afterthought for these “malt liquor” offerings.

The early days of the craft beer boom soon brought more options, but not many. If you were lucky enough, you might be able to find a barleywine or a barrel-aged imperial stout with a double-digit ABV—but even then, they were likely to be small-batch seasonal releases. Blink, and you’d miss them!

Today, however, there is a plethora of full-bodied, fully-loaded libations produced by B.C. breweries, in just about every style imaginable. And unlike the repulsive paper-bag brews of yore, these beers are unequivocally delicious, with bold and complex flavours that are complemented and heightened by their higher alcohol content.

It goes without saying, of course (but I’m saying it anyway): please enjoy these beers in moderation. Many are so deceptively smooth and so dang tasty that they can get you into trouble if you’re not careful.

So, with that in mind, I think it’s high time to set out on the BC Ale Trail and explore this new generation of high-test beers…

Weighty by Four Winds Brewing (Delta, South of the Fraser Ale Trail)
10.0% ABV | Triple IPA
This utterly opaque Hazy IPA has the appearance of a glass of orange juice with a dollop of meringue on top. The intoxicating aroma of mandarin orange and tropical fruit creates an expectation that this beer totally delivers on. Imagine a Creamsicle in beer form, with notes of citrus, tangerine, and vanilla. Big hop flavour and aroma, with almost no perceived bitterness and a complete absence of alcoholic heat. This beer is so smooth, it should probably come with a waiver to sign. Four Winds has done it again! Is anyone surprised? 

Entropy Series No. 31 Balaton 12° by Dageraad Brewing (Burnaby, North of the Fraser Ale Trail)
10.5% ABV | Mixed Culture Barrel-aged Quadrupel with Balaton Cherries
Dageraad has long been B.C.’s own gateway to big Belgian-style beers, and Balaton 12° is yet another in a long line of exceptional releases as part of Dageraad’s ongoing one-off Entropy series. This deep crimson-brown ale sports a sturdy, if not vigorous, off-white head (you might want to consider opening it over a sink). It’s delightfully tart and complex, with notes of cherry, dark fruit, spice, fruitcake, burnt sugar and balsamic vinegar. You’re going to want to pair this one with a lovely charcuterie plate or roasted pork loin.

Numbskull Rotator No. 13 by Lighthouse Brewing (Esquimalt, Greater Victoria Ale Trail)
9.1% ABV | Double IPA

After more than 10 years, it’s safe to say Esquimalt’s Lighthouse Brewing has their gargantuan DIPA rotator dialled in at this point. Lucky number 13 features French Barbe Rouge hops, a relatively new hop on the scene known for its aromatic red berry notes. This decidedly “West Coast” take on the DIPA pours a brilliant gold with a fluffy white head with notes of dank citrus, strawberry, Meyer lemon, kiwi, and pine, offering just enough hop bitterness to clean up the finish without puckering your lips. 

Double Dark Sour by Field House Brewing ABBY (Abbotsford, Fraser Valley Ale Trail)
11.5% ABV | Fruited Sour Ale

Field House’s Dark Sour has long reigned as one of the best fruited sour ales in the province. Despite clocking in at 10%, the absolute maniacs at Field House decided that wasn’t good enough. Introducing the Double Dark Sour, brewed to celebrate the brewery’s 8th anniversary, and boasting even more alcohol. Yet, just like the original, it still manages to keep that alcoholic warmth almost undetectable. Deep purple with a rapidly dissipating pink head, this beer features increased acidity as well as alcohol, offering tart, lively notes of cranberry juice and blueberry.

Tenth by Longwood Brewery (Nanaimo, Vancouver Island Ale Trail Part I)
9.0% ABV | Barrel-aged Golden Ale

What a way to celebrate a 10th anniversary! Longwood’s production brewery and tasting room in Nanaimo may have opened a decade ago, but this barrel-aged wild ale tastes like they’ve been brewing beer in a Belgian monastery for centuries. Likely one of the best Belgian-style beers I’ve tried all year, Tenth pours a brilliant crimson-brown with a thin, off-white head, offering notes of dark fruit, plum, cherry, vanilla, oak, balsamic vinegar, spice, leather, bourbon and funk. It’s as complex as it is impressive, and I regret not buying an entire case of it.

Eins by Abandoned Rail Brewing (Naramata, Penticton Ale Trail)
11.0% ABV | Barrel-aged Doppelbock
Naramata might be best known for its wine, but in just one short year, Abandoned Rail and its award-winning beer might be changing that perception. Eins is the brewery’s first anniversary release and it’s pretty spectacular, with bold malty flavours of dark fruit, burnt sugar, bourbon, vanilla, oak, raisin, toast, and fruitcake. The great thing about brewing in wine country is there’s no shortage of barrels at your disposal. 

Occultation by Temporal Artisan Ales (Brewed at Container Brewing, Vancouver, Yeast Vancouver Ale Trail)
11.0% ABV | Barrel-aged Stock Ale

First off: can we talk about how adorable this little itty bitty baby can is? I’m pretty sure this is the first 250 mL-format can the B.C. craft beer scene has ever seen. But despite the dainty packaging, the contents pack a punch. This beer pours so black, that Anish Kapoor is not allowed to drink it, with huge flavours of cocoa, coffee, toffee, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, and oak. It’s so sweet, smooth and rich, Occultation might as well be the Ryan Gosling of beers.

Infinite City by Small Gods Brewing (Sidney, Greater Victoria Ale Trail)
10.0% ABV | Fruited Sour Ale

Sidney’s Small Gods hasn’t been around for long, but they’ve certainly made a name for themselves in just a year and a half of existence. Infinite City is a great example as to why. This huge fruited sour ale is tart and delicious, with acidity restrained enough to not overpower the flavours of citrus, lemon, mandarin orange, strawberry, kiwi, and vanilla.   

Hermannator (2022) by Vancouver Island Brewing (Victoria, Greater Victoria Ale Trail)
9.5% ABV | Ice Bock

If you’ve been drinking B.C. craft beer for a hot minute, then you had to know the Hermannator was going to be on this list. VIB’s classic winter seasonal release has been around since the dawn of time and it still absolutely slaps. Malty, fruity goodness, with notes of chocolate, coffee, toffee and cereal grain. If there’s a Mount Rushmore of B.C. beer, Hermannator is on it.

The post Big, Bold Beers from British Columbia appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

After almost a year and a half of housebound monotony, the days seem to run together, punctuated only by excruciating trips to Costco and the occasional take-out dinner.

Thankfully, that appears to be coming to an end. With the B.C. government easing social distancing guidelines this week in the face of falling Covid numbers, we are able to safely venture out into that big scary world and talk to our fellow humans for the first time in months, and even enjoy a beer in a pub or brewery without inadvertently killing grandma.

Since this Sunday is Father’s Day (surprise!), it makes for the perfect opportunity to reconnect with family and celebrate dear ol’ dad.

But where to go and what to do? And what to get the male genetic material donor in your life?

Firstly, as a working father myself, let me assure you that the dad in your life does not need, nor want, another tie, unusable handmade mug, or “World’s Most Whatever Dad” t-shirt that they will never wear outside the house—and even then, only if they have no clean laundry.

What dad wants/needs is beer.

Dadding is a tough gig at times. Both my kids are under five, which means they’re the exact height to repeatedly make direct, violent contact with my groin while running around the house at high speed. I spend at least a quarter of my day doubled over in pain. You might think an ice pack and a jockstrap would be ideal gifts this Father’s Day, but I’d really prefer to drink the pain away, instead.

So this Father’s Day, grab some beer, check out your local craft brewery and invite the whole family.  Here are some ideas of where to go and what to get dad, even if that dad is you.

Father’s Day Crate from Container Brewing

Get dad a nice little package of goodies this Father’s Day, complete with gourmet pork rinds, chocolate cookies, and, of course, beer. Order online at Container’s webstore here for pickup on Friday, June 18.

The Dad Life by Field House Brewing

Those cheesy dad jokes aren’t going to tell themselves! Get your dad some fuel for his truly terrible puns with this box of fatherly goodness, including a six-pack of Dutch Pale Ale, a bomber of the Imperial Farmhouse Sour, a snapback dad hat and The Dad Life glassware. Order online here for pickup at Field House’s Abbotsford location. Better yet, come down to the brewery for a Father’s Day pizza and a beer for the old man, and he gets to keep the glass. Actually, do both.

Legendary Father’s Day Giveaway by Nelson Brewing Co.

Nelson Brewing has joined forces with Legendary Meats, the Nelson Liquor Store and New Grand Liquor for this Father’s Day giveaway, featuring a big ol’ tomahawk steak, a metric schwack of beer and tons of cool merch worth more than $400. But you’ve got to be in it to win it! How to enter: 1. Go to Nelson Brewing’s Instagram post here and tag a Dad or friend who would love to win a juicy steak and boat load of beer. More tags mean more entries. ⁠⁠2. Make sure you’re following @NelsonBrewingCompany and @LegendaryMeats on Instagram.⁠⁠ 3. Bonus submission for your best dad joke.⁠⁠ 4. You can also submit an entry at your local participating liquor store in Nelson. ⁠⁠5. The winner will be announced on Father’s Day.⁠⁠

Father’s Day Beer Pairing Dinner at Cannery Brewing

 Beer, food, family, sunshine—what more do you need for Father’s Day? (Or life in general, really.) Cannery Brewing’s Backyard beer patio in Penticton is the setting for this multi-course dinner by Joy Road Catering, with each dish paired with a different Cannery beer, including an Imperial Lime Gose brewed especially for the event. The menu will also incorporate beer as an ingredient in each dish, along with a multitude of seasonal produce, all from local suppliers, farmers and foragers. Tickets are $99 each and can be bought online here, but hurry because they are going fast!

Father’s Day BBQ Kit from Faculty Brewing and Nuba

 Hit the beach and fire up the barbie this weekend with this tasty collab from Vancouver’s Faculty Brewing and Nuba. The barbecue kit includes a skewer kit (with beef, prawns, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, red onions, shatta sauce and toum), a watermelon salad kit (with watermelon, cucumber, greens, lemon and olive oil), pita, roasted potatoes, hummus, and a four-pack of tall cans of Faculty’s new Tumeric Ale. Order online for delivery or pickup on Saturday, June 19, here.

Father’s Day Bundle from Barnside Brewing

 The folks at Barnside Brewing in Delta love doing everything themselves, from growing their own barley to hand-making and branding these sweet bomber bottle carriers that are part of their Father’s Day Bundle. Also includes a bomber of Paterson Park Rye IPA, an English Oat Porter, a Barnside t-shirt and a pint glass. Limited quantities, available at the brewery.

Whisky cups from Rustic Reel Brewing

The only thing dads love more than beer is whisky (and maybe their children), so check out these amazing whiskey cups made by local artist Selena Sced available at Rustic Reel Brewing’s Tackle Box Marketplace in Kelowna. They’re even decorated with a fly fishing design, for extra dad points.

Father’s Day Rib Kit from Foamers’ Folly Brewing

Foamers’ Folly has teamed up with chefs Jean Jacques Kabuya of Salt + Sear Catering to create this delicious Father’s Day special. The kit includes 36-Hour slow-cooked ribs with hot honey glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, chorizo baked beans and four-pack of Foamers’ Dad Beer West Coast Pilsner. Order online here for pickup at Foamers’ in Pitt Meadows on Sunday, June 20 from 9am-12pm.

Langley Fresh Father’s Day Gift Box from Tourism Langley

 This gift box from Tourism Langley features lets you say thank-you to dad this year and support local businesses at the same time. Featuring an assortment of carefully curated products, all sourced from the Township of Langley, including a 32-ounce growler and gift card for a growler fill at any Township of Langley craft brewery. Order online here for pickup at Tourism Langley’s office.

Father’s Day Beer Crate from Smugglers Trail

Say cheers to your special dad with one of Smugglers Trail Beer Gift Crates. Includes a $15 Smugglers gift card, a $20 Sweeney’s Barbershop gift card, house-made beef jerky, Smugglers dad cap, t-shirt, bottle opener and a six-pack of Captain Stone Lager. And when you hook your dad up with this pack, you’re automatically entered into a raffle for a 20L keg of Captain Stone Lager (plus all the necessary draft service systems, delivery and set-up). Order online here for pickup at the brewery.

COVID-19 Travel Update

BC has now entered Step 2 of BC’s Restart Plan; travel throughout the province is now encouraged. It’s time to #exploreBCnow as #newexperiencesarebrewing. Book your summer getaway now (at exploreBC.com) and let the BC Ale Trail be your guide for your next Ale-venture. Travel safely and responsibly this summer. For those outside of British Columbia, we look forward to welcoming you soon.

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The mighty Skeena is B.C.’s second longest river and home to one of the largest salmon runs in Canada, but this massive, pristine waterway is increasingly under threat from industrial development. Smithers Brewing and world-renowned First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers are teaming up to celebrate the river and raise awareness about the risks it faces.

The Skeena Seasonal Series features four different beers—Cloudwaters Witbier (spring), Sunset Summer Ale (summer), Smoke on the Water Amber Ale (fall) and Old Man Winter Wee Heavy (winter)—each featuring Vickers’ artwork on the label reflecting the different seasons on the Skeena River.

Vickers, who lives in nearby Hazelton on the banks of the Skeena River—and full disclosure, also happens to be my uncle—recently released Voices from the Skeena: An Illustrated Oral History, with historian Lucky Budd. Vickers said he sees the beer collaboration as another way to bring attention to the environmental threats posed by unchecked industrial development in the watershed.

“The Skeena is the lifeblood of the land, it’s the namesake of the Gitxsan people,” he explained. “I will use any avenue of communication to the world to spread the message that we need to protect it.”

In addition to creating the artwork for the beer labels, Vickers also had input on the names and style of beers featured. Cloudwater, for example, is a reference to the traditional Gitxsan name for the river, Xsien, which means “water of the clouds.” Smoke on the Water was inspired by Vickers’ love for smoked beers, introduced to him by a particular beer-loving nephew.

Vickers said he hopes craft beer drinkers will appreciate the importance of protecting the sacred waters of the Skeena, since “any beer drinker knows that beautiful, pure water is the basis of beer.”

Smithers Brewing is kicking off the 2020 edition of the Skeena Seasonal Series with a launch event on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the brewery, and Vickers will be in attendance to speak about the collab and why he loves and lives in the Skeena region, as well as sharing some stories about the artwork.

All four beers will be available in limited edition mixed four-packs for the night, along with cellared wax-dipped bottles of Old Man Winter aged from 2018. Vickers will also be autographing copies of the original artwork in poster form.

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