Oak Bay craft beer lovers can go to extremes tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 22) when Cook St. Liquor, the Whole Beast and Discovery Coffee come together for Extreme Beer with the Beast IV.
Local craft beer writer Adem Tepedelen will lead participants through a harvest/Halloween-inspired extreme beer tasting. The fourth event in the popular beer-tasting series is expected to sell out, though tickets were still available as of press time.
Following on the success of the sold-out January, April and June events, this time around, the focus is on the harvest – with a Halloween twist: 10 inventive brews paired with meats from the Whole Beast Artisan Salumeria ... and a little surprise ending from hosts Discovery Coffee (1964 Oak Bay Ave.).
“Beer is supposed to be fun, my book is fun, so we wanted to make the events fun,” says Tepedelen, an internationally recognized craft beer expert and author of the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers, a light-hearted by informative look at more than 100 unusual beers from around the world. “We try to have a sense of humour about things.”
Tepedelen’s book emerged from the beer column he writes for Decibel magazine, “The Brewtal Truth,” exploring unique beers worth sampling.
“My book was really for people who already had an interest in craft beer but wanted to go a little further,” he says.
Like his column and book, the beers chosen for Extreme Beer with the Beast IV will be a little different. Perhaps they’re extremely hoppy, have unique ingredients or a higher alcohol level, “anything that kind of sets it off as something different,” says the winner of the Michael Jackson Beer Journalism award, which celebrates excellence in reporting on American craft beer.
With the previous three events held at the Whole Beast, and this one at Discovery Coffee, “we want to keep it intimate,” says Tepedelen, who will MC the event, discussing the different brews that naturally pair so well with savoury foods.
Participants also enjoy the thrill of discovery.
While wine drinkers tend to like and appreciate a certain kind of wine, craft beer enthusiasts appreciate the opportunity to discover something they haven’t tried before. “They do have their ‘go-tos’ but they always want to try different things,” Tepedelen says.
While Greater Victorians have enjoyed a growing craft beer industry locally, it’s a trend also witnessed farther afield, and for a variety of reasons. When the economy took a hit in 2008, for example, some people who previously tended to drank wine turned to craft beer, he suggests. At the same time, the industry was starting to expand its offerings, and produce more quality beers.
He’ll introduce some of them tomorrow night at Discovery Coffee. “We’ve been really fortunate to partner with some really great Oak Bay businesses,” he says, commending both the Whole Beast and Discovery. “We’ve had such great feedback from working with them.”
Extreme Beer with the Beast IV runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and tickets are $30, available at Cook St. Liquor and online, with some possible availability at Discovery Coffee. Tepedelen will also have copies of his book for sale.
editor@oakbaynews.com