JAMES NEVISON James Nevison is an award-winning wine writer, an educator and the co-founder of HALFAGLASS. He is the wine columnist for the Vancouver Province , where his column “The Wine Guy” appears each Thursday. James is the co-author of seven best- selling books on wine in Canada, including Had a Glass 2015: Top 100 Wines Under $20 . Follow his wine musings @hadaglass.
…savour the changing seasons and follow the sage advice of local brewmasters.
S easons change. As summer wanes, evenings cool and the harvest moon ushers in fall, what’s in our glass changes, too. When it comes to beer— particularly BC lager and ale—it’s best to check with local brewmasters to see what they’re excited about for the new season. Here’s what a handful of BC brewers told us about their preferred pints, food pairings and upcoming celebrations. What’s on Tap? Just as most of us break out the sweatshirts, pants and other layering essentials for fall, brewmasters look
drop.” Porter also gets a nod from North Vancouver’s Wildeye Brewing, where founder Samantha Lindeman and head brewmaster Michael Friesen concur: “As the seasons shift, we seek out richer beer styles such as our oak- smoked porter with delectable notes of chocolate, caramel and a subtle smokiness —a perfect beer to enjoy by the fire.” For Brent Mills, co-founder and brewmaster at Delta’s Four Winds Brewing, it’s the spirit and diversity of the harvest season that have him excited: “Autumn brings such a diverse array of seasonal beers, from fresh- hopped IPAs, stouts, porters and spiced beers. But what I look forward to the most is dark lager beers, like German schwarzbier and Czech tmavé pivo .” Beer & Food Pairings for Fall Certainly, this focus on robust, fulsome flavours also conjures a move to comforting foods. Whether getting back into braising or dusting off the slow cooker, brewmasters also have a few ideas about ideal comfort food and beer pairings. For his pick, Graham With, head brewer at East Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing Company, cuts right to the chase: “Macaroni and cheese with IPA. The bold, cheesy flavours of macaroni and cheese can be balanced out by the
hoppy bitterness and citrusy notes of an IPA. The beer’s assertive character cuts through the richness of the dish, creating a harmonious pairing.” With’s ideal IPA pairing is a fresh-hopped IPA, which also honours the season—in particular, the hop harvest. As he explains, “Hops are harvested at the end of August and throughout September. Typically, the hops are dried so brewers can use them year- round. As a way to celebrate, brewers take some of the harvest and skip the drying process to create fresh- or “wet”-hopped beers. These hoppier beers tend to have a little more complexity than regular hoppy beers since no aroma has been dried off.” Hoyne keeps it classic when nominating his perfect fall food and beer pairing: “Irish stew with Irish stout. A marriage made in Galway!” And in a nod to the world’s most significant fall beer celebration, Four Winds’ Mills shouts out to Bavaria: “Gotta go with an Oktoberfest classic and say German lager, like our Hüftgold, with a warm German pretzel.” Finally, keeping things plant- based—and definitely veering back to the West Coast—Reid from Field House advocates for “Tassajara nut loaf with miso gravy. This nut loaf is so savoury and full of cheese and comfort. I would suggest everyone make this immediately. It will change your life. It would pair beautifully with a Toasted Coconut Black Lager or Salted Black Porter.”
to beers with more robust flavour profiles to blanket their taste buds.
Kevin Symington, brewer at Fernie Brewing Co., explains, “With the changing season, I enjoy more malt-driven beers as the nights get cooler.” Similarly, Sean Hoyne, owner of and brewmaster at Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing Co., explains that “as the seasons change, my personal approach is to look for something dark and rich, like our Finnegans Irish Stout” (winner of the Gold Medal for Dry Stout at the 2023 Canadian Brewing Awards). Dark beers are also top of mind for Field House Brewing Co.’s head brewer, Parker Reid. Reid suggests, “As much as I love drinking our Salted Black Porter all year long, the need to have that in my fridge kicks into high gear as the temperature and the leaves
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