{"id":30497,"date":"2022-07-06T08:54:45","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T15:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=30497"},"modified":"2022-07-08T12:20:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T19:20:52","slug":"bc-craft-beer-turns-40-toasting-canadas-beer-pioneer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/bc-craft-beer-turns-40-toasting-canadas-beer-pioneer\/","title":{"rendered":"Toasting 40 years of Canadian craft beer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\"><strong>Today, July 6th 2022, marks 40 years to the day since John Mitchell\u2019s first craft beer inspiration was launched. Mitchell&#8217;s trailblazing quest for good ale continues to educate and inspire BC&#8217;s brewers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On July 6th 1982, in an unassuming enclave just north of metropolitan Vancouver BC known as Horseshoe Bay, the first pints were pulled in a cultural and industrial revolution.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to that day, all Canadian businesses who brewed beer\u2014the world\u2019s most popular alcoholic beverage\u2014were just that: businesses, through and through. By bringing change to provincial and eventually national legislation in the early 1980s, John Mitchell and his associates kicked open the door to a modern world of creative and artisanal brewing, and ultimately spearheaded the Canadian craft beer industry\u2026a sector now populated by over 1000 passionate breweries!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The man behind 1982\u2019s seminal event didn\u2019t set out to accomplish national change, however. In fact, to his last days, Mitchell was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oG4VHnGZ4co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surprised by the growth of the industry he pioneered<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Let\u2019s roll the clock back even before the dawn of Canadian craft beer in order to learn what made this person the right man to spark radical change.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30531\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30531\" style=\"width: 754px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30531 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-754x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"754\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-754x1024.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 754w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-221x300.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 221w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-768x1043.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-1131x1536.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1131w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-413x561.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 413w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-620x842.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 620w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied-368x500.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 368w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-0-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1215w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John Mitchell (right) alongside son Edward at the Troller Pub, 1982<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a young man in postwar England, Alexander John Mitchell began his hospitality career by serving in the Royal Army mess hall and preparing meals for top brass. He eventually trained as a chef and professional waiter and, along the way, discovered a taste for well-made beer in the form of what we now call <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Real Ale\u2019. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(That term would become a rallying cry in the 1970s when UK consumers began to push back against the flavourless international mass-market lagers threatening to replace their traditional pint.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon emigrating to Canada, young John Mitchell spent three glorious summers serving at the elegant <\/span><b>Banff Springs Hotel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Heading further west, John later spent fifteen years as bar manager at Vancouver\u2019s famed <\/span><b>Sylvia Hotel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Then, in 1978, Mitchell purchased the <\/span><b>Troller Pub <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in Horseshoe Bay, and officially became a publican.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30533\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30533\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30533\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-4-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-4-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-4-SouthFraser-Supplied-300x225.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-4-SouthFraser-Supplied-500x375.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/John-Mitchell-HBB-4-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30533\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mitchell in the Horseshoe Bay Brewery designed by Frank Appleton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back then, most licensed establishments were just drinking holes; nobody thought about serving good food in a pub. Inspired by his hotel background, Mitchell set the bar higher, delivering a friendly atmosphere with good service and great food. The only thing missing was a nice hearty ale to accompany that food, since the Troller\u2019s only source of suds was one of Canada\u2019s mass-market lager brewers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1980, a work stoppage at the Big Three brewers\u2014combined with the knowledge that the world would soon be coming to Expo 86, only to discover Canada\u2019s lousy beer scene\u2014became the last straw. John set out to brew his own beer, which was a completely preposterous idea for a pub owner at that time, not to mention unlawful. You can read the famous story of how John paired with a like-minded former industrial brewer named Frank Appleton to spur legislative change and launch <\/span><b>Horseshoe Bay Brewing <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">right here in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/the-history-of-bc-craft-beer-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">History of BC Craft Beer Part I<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The upshot is that it was originally a simple quest for better quality food and beverage that drove this change.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30534\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30534\" style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30534\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HBB-Logo-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&resize=480%2C640&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HBB-Logo-SouthFraser-Supplied.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HBB-Logo-SouthFraser-Supplied-225x300.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HBB-Logo-SouthFraser-Supplied-421x561.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 421w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HBB-Logo-SouthFraser-Supplied-375x500.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30534\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mitchell\u2019s design used in Bay Ale marketing materials<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, July 6th, it is 40 years to the day since Mitchell\u2019s first inspiration, an English-style bitter named <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bay Ale, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was celebrated with an official launch at the Troller Pub. In similar fashion, a special tribute beer named <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Mitchell Signature Cascadian Dark Ale <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is being launched in a release ceremony at Surrey\u2019s <\/span><b>Russell Brewing.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The beer is a fundraiser for the John Mitchell Legacy Endowed Scholarship, which is open to students in the Brewing &amp; Brewery Operations Diploma program at <\/span><b>Kwantlen Polytechnic University<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (KPU). The KPU Brew Lab, based in Langley, is one of North America\u2019s better brewing schools, and the purpose of the scholarship is to help keep the quality of BC craft beer strong through education.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Mitchell\u2019s longtime associate John Ohler is Executive Director of the Scholarship. He remarks, <\/span><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Mitchell and I became involved with KPU Brewing School in 2017. John went to KPU on a few occasions and talked about his experiences and history in craft beer. He really loved going there and talking to the students about beer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, the beer is a collaborative effort which involved many participants from KPU. Students and alumni working at eight different Lower Mainland breweries answered the call, and a brew day was held last month with 20 people on hand to kick off the commemorative beer.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30535\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30535\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30535\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-1024x660.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-1024x660.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-300x193.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-768x495.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-1536x991.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-2048x1321.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-756x488.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 756w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-1134x731.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1134w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith-500x322.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Brew-Day-at-Russell-Brewing-SouthFraser-DaveSmith.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30535\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants gathered at Russell Brewing for a collaborative brew day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russell\u2019s Head Brewer Graham Kenny notes, \u201cIt was definitely a group effort to get everyone to come out that day, and it was nice seeing so many brewers in the building. I can&#8217;t wait for them all to try this beer. To try to recreate John&#8217;s magic as authentically as possible, we&#8217;ll be making a few casks for the launch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The beer style, Cascadian Dark Ale, was chosen for its local Pacific Northwest origins. Graham shares, \u201cThe real joy of brewing a CDA is balancing the citrus-like Northwest hop characteristics with caramel and dark roasted malt flavours and aromas.\u201d The ale sounds like a winner, and it will be available around BC for those who wish to participate in the toast to John Mitchell and forty years of BC craft beer. Learn where to find the beer at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/johnmitchell.beer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">johnmitchell.beer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30536\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30536\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30536\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Russell-Beer-John-Mitchell-with-glass-Grey-SouthFraser-RussellBrewing.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&resize=640%2C452&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Russell-Beer-John-Mitchell-with-glass-Grey-SouthFraser-RussellBrewing.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Russell-Beer-John-Mitchell-with-glass-Grey-SouthFraser-RussellBrewing-300x212.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Russell-Beer-John-Mitchell-with-glass-Grey-SouthFraser-RussellBrewing-500x353.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Russell-Beer-John-Mitchell-with-glass-Grey-SouthFraser-RussellBrewing.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The tribute beer: John Mitchell Signature Cascadian Dark Ale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thinking about how this 40 year anniversary project came together, John Ohler concludes, \u201cWhat we are all doing is the true essence of craft beer. It\u2019s a community of passionate, like-minded individuals who have a desire to honour the founder of the craft beer industry, and to continue building and growing what he started. We are honoring John and celebrating 40 years of craft beer for the same reason he opened a brewery: for the people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All because a stubborn fellow named John Mitchell felt that bland yellow \u201cfactory beer\u201d wasn\u2019t good enough for his patrons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/breweries\/russell-brewing-company\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russell Brewing Company <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/ale-trails\/south-of-the-fraser\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South of the Fraser Ale Trail<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/Cfrn0zroOlN\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">View the full celebration<\/a> recorded live by the BC Craft Brewers Guild.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30639\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30639\" src=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-1024x742.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&quality=90&webp=90&avif=80&sharp=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-1024x742.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-300x217.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-768x557.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-1536x1114.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-756x548.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 756w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-1134x822.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1134w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration-500x362.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;ssl=1 1636w, https:\/\/ef5pdbk7uqr.exactdn.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/07\/John-Mitchell-Cask-Celebration.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;quality=90&amp;webp=90&amp;avif=80&amp;sharp=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">July 6 at Russell Brewing. Tapping a cask version on the John Mitchell Signature Cascadian Dark Ale. Photo: What&#8217;s Brewing BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, July 6th 2022, marks 40 years to the day since John Mitchell\u2019s first craft beer inspiration was launched. Mitchell&#8217;s trailblazing quest for good ale continues to educate and inspire BC&#8217;s brewers. On July 6th 1982, in an unassuming enclave just north of metropolitan Vancouver BC known as Horseshoe Bay, the first pints were pulled &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/bc-craft-beer-turns-40-toasting-canadas-beer-pioneer\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":30639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[714],"tags":[],"itin-listings":[1808,2355,2411],"itin-regions":[1540],"itin-itineraries":[1565],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Toasting 40 years of Canadian craft beer &#183; The BC Ale Trail<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"July 6th 2022, marks 40 years to the day since John Mitchell\u2019s first craft beer inspiration was launched. Canada&#039;s craft beer pioneer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/bc-craft-beer-turns-40-toasting-canadas-beer-pioneer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Toasting 40 years of Canadian craft beer &#183; The BC Ale Trail\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"July 6th 2022, marks 40 years to the day since John Mitchell\u2019s first craft beer inspiration was launched. 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