Sapperton-based Another Beer Co. just cannot stop celebrating. To mark their third anniversary in New West, the independent, small-batch brewery organized an IPA fest in May, a Sours fest in June, and now, they are inviting all lager lovers to raise a glass with them this Saturday.
The multiple fests are a way to compensate for two years of no-shows, thanks to COVID. Though it’s safe to gather and celebrate now, co-founder Alex Jopson said, they wanted to avoid a big bash. So, instead, the celebration was split into three fests — each targeting a different crowd based on their beer preference.
The spotlight for their third and final anniversary fest is on lagers.
“Lagers are clear and much like the common beers that many have come to enjoy,” said Jopson. Unlike lagers, “IPAs can often be more bitter or even juicy with flavours of citrus, and sours can range from fruited beers, with a slight or strong souring taste.”
At the fest, you’ll have a choice of 15 odd lagers to pick from. Besides featuring the brewery’s own, co-founders Jopson and Clete Hanson have curated a selection of their favourite lagers from breweries such as New West’s Steel & Oak Brewing, Delta-based Four Winds Brewing, Vancouver-based Luppolo Brewing among others.
The duo has always been interested in collaborating with local breweries, said Jopson. Sometimes, these collaborations have led to the making of “random” beers — like their Golden Orange, a beer that they created in collaboration with Okanagan Falls-based winery Rigour & Whimsy.
They used the skinned grapes from the winery and added them to the brewing tank to come up with a unique-tasting beer. “It was absolutely delicious. The beer sold out pretty quickly, though adding grapes to beer isn’t a common style,” said Jopson.
But making uncommon beers is what excites Jopson and Hanson, who were both home brewers before launching their own company in June 2019. Over the years, they have had the opportunity to create some distinctive beers that hadn’t been done in the area before, said Jopson.
“We still do the random beers like we did in the beginning but we're focused on always having consistently a lager, a sour and an IPA on tap — and that's been our goal.”
While they are always working on 'another' beer, for their fourth year, the brewery is also planning to expand area-wise. Their tasting room, which is currently right next to the brewing tank setup, will transition to the space that's right next door to the brewery.
This new space will also feature local art, and be part of New West’s Cultural Crawl later this year, said Jopson. The brewery has been collaborating with artists for creating the labels for their beers, and recently launched a free downloadable adult colouring page on their blog.
But in the meanwhile, Jopson is excited about showcasing the lagers that he and Hanson personally tried and liked, at the fest. “We want to draw people out, make connections, and show them that there’s good beer out there that they should be trying.”
The Lager Fest will take place on July 30 at Another BeerCo., #11, 30 Capilano Way.
The entry is free. Food options will include Jerk Shack, and Mister Ice Cream, among others. Attendees can also bring their own food, or order in at the brewery. For more details, check out Another Brewing Co. website.
