After 18 months of COVID-related isolation, our slice of the world is finally able to enjoy the experience of being within shouting distance of one another, and—of course, like pretty much anything—this is a fantastic excuse to drink beer. On Friday, the Victoria Beer Society hosted Lager Than Life, a celebration of 18 lagers from British Columbia, so I went down to check it out.
The venue itself was a jarring step down from previous Victoria Beer Society events I’ve attended, with beautiful little glass sample tumblers replaced with flimsy disposable plastic cups, and the stunning locale of the Hudson replaced with a large tent in the middle of a short stretch of street in Victoria’s least attractive neighbourhood, the industrial area of Rock Bay. As far as atmosphere goes, I’ve enjoyed better while blacked out at a high-school house party. And for a $35 entry fee, with each sampler costing $1.75, it was up to the beer to make a pretty great impression.
The first one I tried was Moon Under Water Brewpub’s HOJO Japanese Toasted Rice Lager (3.8%). This is a crisp rice beer from the Victoria brewery, very dry with the barest hint of hops. I’d happily take a growler of this to the beach on a summer day, but it would be nice with sushi, too.
I followed this up with Delta’s Barnside Brewing’s Farmer’s Tap Lager (4.7%). The lighter alcohol content is belied by the stronger malt overtones, which blend smoothly with a light, hoppy aftertaste. The flavour reminds me of malt liquor, but without the kick in the teeth you get from strong beer.
Courtenay’s Ace Brewing was serving up their Spitfire Lager (5%), which I wanted to try based solely on its badass name. Unfortunately, the beer itself left far less of an impression. It has a clean mouthfeel, but I couldn’t really distinguish any flavour other than the hops, which I found immensely disappointing.
I moved into darker territory with Penticton’s Cannery Brewing’s Wildfire Dark Lager (5%). This one has a deep caramel/amber appearance, and an impressively smooth head that I usually only see on stouts. It’s very malty, with very little hoppy impression, and, interestingly, the underlying flavour reminds me more of the earthy hay scent of a farmyard than Barnside’s offering. I have to say that this one is my favourite of the evening, but tied with the HOJO. They’re like visiting fond friends on the opposite sides of the world—vastly different in character but equally as wonderful.
A few thousand miles beyond “darker territory” I ventured into “holy cow” turf, because that’s exactly what I exclaimed when I tasted Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing’s Dissimulator German Doppelbock (7.8%). This deeply dark beer will knock you into last Tuesday and make you forget that you’re drinking a lager. If you can push through the initial high ABV haymaker, you’ll find that it’s surprisingly sweet, with a rich, smoky, wood flavour. Personally, I’d like to have the same flavour in a 6% beer, where I’m not overpowered by the high alcohol content, but for those who like it strong, this won’t disappoint.
The last beer I tried was Nanaimo’s Longwood Brewery’s Independent Pilsner (6.5%). This is a very weird, strong beer that’s unlike every other pilsner I’ve ever tried, and I can’t say that that’s a good thing. It tasted like I was chewing wheatgrass, with a distinct minty taste. There was also another flavour I can’t place, but I’ve encountered it over my lifetime, probably in my nightmares, as it left me with a vile grimace. In the words of my friend Joel, “Everything else was good except this one.”
Altogether, I found that the experience of a handful of decent craft beers wasn’t enough to justify the ticket price and the price per sample, especially considering the shabby Rock Bay aesthetic of this year’s event.