“one of the better west coast pilsners I’ve had of late”
Author: thethirstypanda
Exploring the world one beer at a time.
Savouring a flight after a hard day on the water.
Lunchmeat and I had just spent a few hours wandering the banks of the Chilliwack/Vedder River, casting a variety of juicy flies but catching only low lying branches and snaggs on the riverbottom. With a lack of fish on the horizon we headed over to the Old Yale Brewing Company’s tasting room for an inaugural…
Pike Brewing hits one out of the park for ALS.
I must admit that I tend to be a bit leery when it comes to companies that donate to charities. It seems to be the “in thing” to ride the coattails of a charity or cause. The skeptic in me wants to know if they are jacking up prices only to have me cover the…
Beer Fact or Fiction #1000: India Pale Ale was originally called October Ale
Problem: Back in the late 1700’s you couldn’t brew beer in India because it was too darn hot, and the standard brews of the day couldn’t make the 6 month journey from England. The British Empire being well steeped in barley sandwich tradition could not go without, and the need for a solution was paramount….
Stanley Park DayTrip West Coast Lager: Double-take.
I don’t normally pick up mixed packs of beer because I generally want to do my own picking thank you very much. But we were having company over and the Stanley Park Concession Stand looked like a safe choice to offer up some options to our guests. Besides, the Mrs. Panda was in the van…
Green Lead Burning Rock Ale: A different brewing process to say the yeast.
All craft beers need to tell a story on the label, and, with very little real estate, they generally need to quickly sell me on the contents. Seeing the bottle’s simple and oddly styled label I picked it up and went in search of a story. Two things jumped out for me enough to lay…
This seems a little bit cheezy to me.
Who doesn’t like a good old pot of macaroni and cheese? Add some mystery meat and you’ve got a gourmet meal that’s cheap, easy, and checks off all the boxes. Now imagine my surprise when I walked into my local Liquor Barn, only to be met at the door by a display stand full of…
How to take 2 main ingredients and create a killer salad
Here’s a little secret for you… keep it simple! This is a salad that you can throw together in a couple of minutes, and only need 2 main ingredients plus the usual condiments – tomatoes, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Chop, add, pour, mix, and eat. Yummy for a panda’s tummy! AND! If…
Red Arrow Old Style Lager: Something’s a brewin’ across “The Pond”
The narrow span of saltwater separating us Mainlander’s from Vancouver Island is lovingly referred to as “The Pond”. This thin sliver of H20, and the isolation of being accessible only via the preposterously expensive BC Ferry system, has created a unique culture, foreign to us landlocked souls. Woven into the Island’s fabric is the…
R&B Stolen Bike Lager: Hey dude where’s my bike? And other things you ask for in East Van.
Taking a moment to reminisce My first true beer-crush goes way back to the ’86 World’s Fair in Vancouver, when I fell in love with Beck’s at the German Festhaus. It was unusual then to drink a beverage not labelled Blue, Canadian, Extra Old Stock, or the budget friendly, yellow labelled, No Name Beer. For most,…
thirstypanda.ca 