Monthly archive for June 2017

Adding Lactose to Beer

Milk and sugar? They’re ingredients you’d expect to add to tea, not beer.

However, many brewers are doing just that, by supplementing their beer’s body and sweetness with lactose, a complex sugar found in milk.

The History of BC Beer Parlours

From the sawdust-floor saloons of the 19th century to the ritzy cocktail lounges that sprang up in the 1950s, the evolution of licensed premises in BC is closely tied to two things: the hotels that housed them and government control of the liquor industry.

Yet, 100 years ago the province’s liquor industry as a whole was staring at oblivion, following a referendum in September 1916 that favoured Prohibition. BC officially went dry on October 1, 1917.

Although Prohibition was overturned three years later, it wasn’t until 1924 that licensed drinking establishments were allowed again in BC.

Unique BC Craft Spirits

First craft beer, then craft spirits. BC is in a golden age for those who like to indulge. Many distillers in BC started off with unaged spirits, because something has to pay the bills. By law, whisky in Canada has to be at least three years old, so distilleries have to do more than just wait for their spirits to mature. Clear spirits are also quite popular in North America, and with the booming cocktail culture, possibilities are endless for craft spirit producers. Here are some examples of unique and delectable bottlings in BC.

Canadian wine sales are soaring in liquor stores with a 36.1% increase over last year, but pubs and restaurants show the reverse trend with a decrease of 3.6%. This trend shows that the hospitality industry is slow to follow consumers’ preference to enjoy Canadian wine, not just that produced in BC.