{"id":19132,"date":"2021-03-23T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=19132"},"modified":"2022-03-22T10:50:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T17:50:56","slug":"10-bc-authors-pair-their-books-with-beers-on-the-bc-ale-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/10-bc-authors-pair-their-books-with-beers-on-the-bc-ale-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"10 BC Authors Pair Their Books With Beers on the BC Ale Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

Writer Lucas Aykroyd surveys 10 BC authors about which local craft beers might go down particularly well with their books.<\/p>\n

Pairings are truly a matter of personal choice. Whether you\u2019re into oyster and wine pairings, cheese and chocolate pairings, or even NHL defence pairings, it\u2019s anything goes in 2021.<\/p>\n

That philosophy inspired us to ask 10 BC authors with different backgrounds and styles of writing to pair one of their books with a favourite beer \u2014<\/b> tongue-in-cheek or seriously \u2014<\/b> on the BC Ale Trail. Because… why not?<\/p>\n

Since this was utterly unscripted, two authors even picked beers from the same craft brewery. To find out which brewery, you\u2019ll have to read on.<\/p>\n

With so many British Columbians spending more time at home these days, now is a great opportunity to read a new novel, memoir, travel guide, thriller, or mystery while enjoying a pint or two of BC craft beer. Let\u2019s sample some world-class local literature and wonderful libations.<\/p>\n

\"BC
Author Angie Abdou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Angie<\/h3>\n

BC Author: Angie Abdou<\/h3>\n

My new book This One Wild Life: A Mother-Daughter Wilderness Memoir<\/em><\/a> originated with my bright parenting idea that my nine-year-old daughter and I would spend a summer working on her confidence by hiking a peak every single week.<\/p>\n

The execution of this plan looked drastically different than its ideal. A perfect beer match: Fernie Brewing Company<\/a>\u2019s What the Huck, an ale that (like my book) promises a taste of the Fernie wild. All too often in my book\u2019s adventures, I wonder What the Huck I\u2019ve gotten us into. I invite readers to wonder \u201cWhat the huck?!\u201d while drinking a What the Huck.<\/p>\n

Angie Abdou<\/a> is a Fernie, BC author who has published eight books, including <\/em>The Bone Cage, In Case I Go, and<\/em> Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"BC
Author Jane Byers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Jane<\/p>\n

BC Author: Jane Byers<\/h3>\n

Awesome Taste Hazy IPA is a fruity offering from Torchlight Brewing<\/a> in Nelson. Small Courage: A Queer Memoir of Finding Love and Conceiving Family<\/a><\/em> is my fruity memoir from Nelson. It was my good fortune to get this beer freshly made. It is best described as an East Coast IPA, a little less hoppy, a little more hazy and fruity.<\/p>\n

My book is partially set in Toronto in the hazy days of 1990s Pride Parades when the only beer on offer were Labatt and Molson products. I first tasted Awesome Flavour at Kootenay Pride, at the Queer night at Torchlight\u2019s taproom that they so thoughtfully hosted. The rainbow label makes you want to dance and celebrate. Both the beer and the book have a juicy arc with some hop and a satisfying soft finish with a big heart.<\/p>\n

In addition to co-writing two award-winning documentaries, Nelson-based Jane Byers<\/a> has published two poetry collections and a chapbook, and her work has appeared in <\/em>Grain and the <\/em>Antigonish Review.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"BC
Author Robin Esrock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Robin<\/p>\n

BC Author: Robin Esrock<\/h3>\n

Reading my book makes one thirsty for travel. Dageraad Brewing<\/a>\u2019s Burnabarian and The Great Canadian Bucket List<\/a> <\/em>are both grounded in place. Like any good Canadian, the Burnabarian is instantly likeable, easy on the palate, and makes fine company on any occasion. It is also billed as a Belgian-style table beer, although I\u2019ve been to Belgium, and Burnaby\u2019s award-winning ale is more refreshing than anything I sampled in Bruges.<\/p>\n

Having visited over 100 countries, I\u2019ve found Canada\u2019s destinations and activities to be similarly understated. Canada has far better landscapes, wildlife, adventures, food and culture than we give it credit for. We also have better craft beer than Belgium.<\/p>\n

Based in Burnaby, Robin Esrock<\/a> is the best-selling author of <\/em>The Great Canadian Bucket List and<\/em> The Great Global Bucket List.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"BC
Author Aislinn Hunter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Aislinn<\/h3>\n

BC Author: Aislinn Hunter<\/h3>\n

Green Leaf Brewing Co.<\/a> has a warm, pubby interior and a European cafe-ish exterior that overlooks the city of Vancouver\u2019s skyline and the North Shore quay where I live. All of my novels have pub settings in them, and The Certainties<\/a><\/em> is no exception.<\/p>\n

Green Leaf makes excellent brews and has been a place I\u2019ve sat with my hubby and puppies, thinking up my book. Plus, I have a fox on the cover of my novel and their tasty Wheat Ale has a fox on the can. I believe in supporting great local businesses \u2014 especially ones where there\u2019s a sense of serendipity and community, and the ability to sit outside and talk in the fresh air.<\/p>\n

Vancouver author Aislinn Hunter<\/a> has written seven acclaimed novels, including <\/em>The World Before Us, an NYT Editor\u2019s Choice book and winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"BC
Author Dietrich Kalteis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dietrich<\/h3>\n

BC Author: Dietrich Kalteis<\/h3>\n

Just like my novel Cradle of the Deep<\/a><\/em>, LoLo Stout has dark undertones with a certain nuttiness to it. Smooth, layered, full-bodied, and mysterious \u2014 both rich with character.<\/p>\n

The novel is from ECW Press, and this classic stout is from Green Leaf Brewing Co.<\/a> in the Shipyards District of North Vancouver. It\u2019s a perfect pairing.<\/p>\n

Dietrich Kalteis<\/a> is a West Coast crime novelist whose award-winning books include <\/em>Ride the Lightning and<\/em> House of Blazes.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"BC
Author Sonnet L’Abb\u00e9 (credit: Port Theatre, Nanaimo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Sonnet<\/h2>\n

BC Author: Sonnet L’Abb\u00e9<\/h3>\n

Everyone knows beer is good for hanging out with friends, and I love White Sails Brewing<\/a> for its ale room. It\u2019s a great place to meet. I\u2019ve hosted some huge poetry readings there, so I headed to White Sails to find offerings that pair well with the lyric-verse-writing life. Best beer for sitting in a comfy chair reading poetry: Chocolate Porter<\/i>. Best beer for making late-night beats under string lights: Beyond The Edge Blackberry Sour<\/i>. Best beer to reach for on stage, guitar on your lap: January Citra Tart Ale<\/i>. Best beer for staying up late, lit by the glow of your laptop, to write poems: Regardian Coffee Ale.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sonnet L\u2019Abb\u00e9 is the author of<\/em> Sonnet’s Shakespeare,\u00a0<\/em>A Strange Relief\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0Killarnoe. In 2000, she won the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award for most promising writer under 35.<\/em>\u00a0L\u2019Abb\u00e9 lives on Vancouver Island and is a professor of creative writing at Vancouver Island University.<\/em><\/p>\n