Let's talk about "health-conscious" beer

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

your the first person I know of that admits to drinking Okanagan springs

Seriously though Myka, be carful when looking at the micro breweries, most are not following the law of 1516 (which only Germany has to follow) as the latest trend is putting different stuff in beer, and than god because plain old pilsner is so darn, well just plain.
Steve

No problem admitting to drinking a well crafted product from my local brewery. I find it tasty, to each his own I guess. I like being unique, but you may need to expand your horizons a bit if you've not come across anyone else but me who admits to drinking Okanagan Spring beer. The fact they added capacity recently, seems to indicate I'm not the only one enjoying it. I don't see the folks in the beer store buying OK Springs hiding their faces & rushing home to stash away the brew, lest someone recognize them. It doesn't make your list, but apparently it has some merit to folks who may know a bit about beer.

http://okspring.com/news/okanagan-sp...-second-place/

As far as the 1516 law goes, even German brewers are no longer bound by it. Read the full wiki article I linked to in an earlier post. It has been replaced by the Vorläufiges Biergesetz (Provisional Beer Law) of 1993 and although many brewers still claim to go by the 1516 law, it's mostly a marketing tool & you still need to read the label or do your research on any beer regardless of where it originates to verify the ingredients.

[Rory]

+1 on the innis & gunn! That's the kind of stuff dreams are made of!

[sphelps]

Got to side with Mike there, that 1516 law is weee a bit outdated, pretty sure it was put in place to prevent substitutions for grains and hops which I imagine at the time in Germany were quite rare and expensive. Poison Ivy among other items were often substituted for hops for bitterness and an extra "kick", this was also of course toxic hence the the law. Now a days I'd like to think we have better standards in place plus being in the prairies no shortage of proper grains or hops. I will also point out that all the beers Steve recommended wouldn't meet the 1516 law since they all have fruit in them, which I find strange. What's up with the fruity beers Steve?

I do agree that the worst thing in beer is definitely the alcohol, which would essentially trump any of the "undesired" ingredients. Ultimately if you want healthy beer then you probably shouldn't drink beer or stick with non-alcoholic but where's the fun in that.

Lastly in regards to Okanagan Springs, it's comparable to Big Rock IMO which is no prize these days either. Both make decent beer but certainly not micro brew quality. Around here I find the best beer comes from Village and Last Best, both have awesome beer especially if you like IPAs.

So Steve, next time you're in town picking up purple gas, grab some village and last best.

[mike31154]

Well, after getting my CO2 bottle back into commission for carbonation, it'll be home brew again. I have a few cans of 1516 ale in the fridge to enjoy & allow the home brew to age a bit longer. Bottom line, lists, awards, purity claims et al are fine as are recommendations, that's what the thread is all about. One bonus of this thread is that I discovered I can order a 'pig' from that little Sorrento organic brewery I mentioned in an earlier post. Don't need to wait until the next ski season to go to Long John's Pub up at Silver Star to enjoy a Backhand of God stout. They've been known to put some of their raspberry crop into a brew or two as well. Most important thing is your personal preference, if it tastes good to you, nothing else matters.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by sphelps

What's up with the fruity beers Steve?

So Steve, next time you're in town picking up purple gas, grab some village and last best.

needed a change from regular beers, can looked cool so I bought it haha. the purple gas was real good, probably the best of the fruity beers I have tried. the trick with big rock is to buy there limited runs.

the Black betty is a blackberry saison by Vancouver island breweries, and the
FALSE CREEK RASPBERRY ALE is by Grandville island breweries. both real nice on a hot day.

I do like the Lions winter ale by GIB, as well as a chestnut beer I found before Christmas, which has quickly become my favorite. I like to buy a 6 pack of something new every time I go to the liquor store. got to live on the edge and try stuff.

Steve

[sphelps]

I hear ya, I like different stuff in my beer too but more bitter than sweet. The wild rose raspberry ale is good if you haven't tried it and big rock also has a juniper berry which is also pretty good.

Mike what kind of beer do you brew? I'm venturing this way as well shortly, actually ordered a BREWHA BIAC a while back which is suppose to ship out next week