Canada, meet the world

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2015 (4074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every year around this time I end up writing about drinks of the world, prompted in part by leafing through the Folklorama travel guide. The two-week festival, which kicks off Sunday, is a good opportunity to taste food and drink that might not otherwise be on the radar.

But this year I decided to do something a bit different. Instead of tasting a bunch of drinks from around the world, I opted to taste a pile of Canadian drinks — beer, to be precise, mostly from B.C. — and pair them with dishes from around the world.

Now, to be clear: These beers aren’t at Folklorama pavilions. Rather, consider these pairings suggestions for your own global culinary adventures.

Cannery Brewing Skaha Summer Ale (Penticton, B.C. — $6.25/650ml bottle)

Pale gold in colour and slightly cloudy, the nose on this summer ale brings aromas of bready malt, yeast, lemon rind and honey. It’s a light-bodied, slightly creamy ale, with dough, malt, yeast, lemon rind and light herbal hops on the palate. This ale is fairly easy-going — good for the patio — and would work well with Greek fare such as souvlaki, Greek salad and/or lemon potatoes. 3/5

Prohibition Brewing Company Smuggler Scotch Ale (Kelowna, B.C. — $6.99/650ml bottle)

Medium-copper in colour and with a modest white head, this Scotch ale emphasizes caramel, roasted barley and almost whisky-barrel-like notes on the nose. There’s some weight here and a fair bit of sweetness, with gold/brown sugar, dried fruit and vanilla notes taking charge over the grainier components, and you can feel the six per cent alcohol. Try with Icelandic vinarterta — although for me to suggest anything other than coffee for the layered dessert treat is blasphemous. 2.5/5

Central City Mayor Klsch (Surrey, B.C. — $6.95/650ml bottle)

Very pale gold in colour, this German klsch-style beer has that herbal/grassy-hop note on the nose that’s reminiscent of Czech pilsner or Heineken, as well as modest malt and a slightly tinny note (despite being from a bottle). Like a German klsch, it’s crisp and peppy but never overpowering, with pleasant herbal and malt notes as well as a hint of corn. Try with German fare such as schnitzel, sauerkraut and potatoes. 3/5

Phillips Hop Circle IPA (Victoria, B.C. — $2.72/355ml can)

Medium-gold in colour and slightly cloudy, one whiff and there’s no mistaking this for anything other than a West Coast-style India Pale Ale. The textbook citrus rind, herbal/grassy things are going on here, and come across quite fresh with more modest toasted-malt notes. It’s crisp, light-bodied and hop-driven, with a hint of sweetness to the pine, citrus and resinous notes and some bitterness on the finish. Pretty classic IPA — try with an Indian chickpea curry and/or samosas. 4/5

Parallel 49 Filthy Dirty IPA (Vancouver — $2.79/431ml bottle)

Deep-gold in colour, this IPA has a slightly sweaty note to the reedy, herbal, barley and caramel notes on the nose — I hope I’m not being subliminally influenced by the name. There’s a slightly rounder, less sharp/bitter component to the Filthy Dirty than most West Coast IPAs — it’s more in the English IPA style — but the flavours come together nicely and with great intensity. Try with slightly spicier, savoury fare such as Caribbean roti. 3.5/5

Driftwood New Growth Pale Ale (Victoria, B.C. — $6.25/650ml bottle)

Bright copper in colour and with a persistent white head, the New Growth has plenty going on aromatically — there’s resinous pine notes from the hops as well as toasted malt, caramel, citrus pith, nut and anise. It’s medium-bodied and intense, with plenty of roasted malt, caramel and oat notes as well as the persistent, subtle citrus rind/pith notes. Try this fantastic brew with savoury but not-too-spicy fare — an Ethiopian platter with injera, for example. 4.5/5

Barkerville Brewing Co. Hound of Barkerville Brown Ale (Quesnel, B.C. — $7.77/650ml bottle)

Deep-reddish copper in colour, the Hound of Barkerville has baking spice (cinnamon, ginger, molasses), malt and roasted barley notes that show nicely on the nose. It’s a medium-bodied, slightly off-dry brown ale, with light baking spice notes as well as barley, malt and a Tootsie Roll/caramel component — all without ever getting overly sweet. Try with savoury but not-too-spicy Filipino fare, Chilean empanadas or Spanish paella — heck, Ukrainian or eastern European would work as well. 4/5

Fort Garry Brewing Company Maple Cream Ale (Winnipeg — $3.06/473ml can, Liquor Marts and beer vendors)

Pale gold in colour with a white head, the maple/butterscotch notes are certainly pronounced on the nose, taking charge over toasted-malt and barley aromas. It’s off-dry and creamy, with lots of the maple/butterscotch flavours front and centre and hints of candied nut, malt and brown sugar on the palate. You’ve got to like maple flavours to enjoy this, but if you do you’ll love it — try with some French-Canadian sweet treats. 3/5

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