VANCOUVER, BC – Last fall, CBC Music host Grant Lawrence challenged his listeners and Twitter followers to come up with beer names inspired by Canadian musicians, causing the #CDNbandbeer hashtag to trend in Canada for a day or two. As reported here on CBN, eight of the suggested names were selected to appear on an online poster created by CBC Music’s senior designer Ben Didier.
Now, some of those fantasy beers have become a reality thanks to Jeremy Sibley of Old Yale Brewing, who recruited three other BC breweries – Townsite, Cannery and R&B – to join him in creating the Canadian Band Beer series. Sporting labels designed by Didier, a quartet of band-inspired beers will be released starting next week.
The first up on May 17th will be Old Yale’s D.O.Ale, a tribute to hardcore punk legends D.O.A.:
This medium-bodied, classic brown ale balances its hop and malt flavours with subtle hints of chocolate. The slightly malty, lightly hopped finish has a touch of bitterness from the smooth Goldings hops. At 5 per cent ABV, it makes for a great session beer.
Next will be You Say Barley! We Say Rye! from R&B, inspired by dance-punk band You Say Party (formerly You Say Party! We Say Die!), and due out May 24th:
This delicious IPA offers a hearty, complex flavour and aroma that is both aggressive and well balanced, reminiscent of rye or pumpernickel bread. Brewed with a generous amount of specialty malts, including U.K. pale malt and malted rye, and rounded out with a lavish quantity of hops.
Following on May 31st is Townsite’s Said The Ale, inspired by Vancouver pop-rock band Said The Whale:
This Belgian-style pale ale is brewed on the Sunshine Coast along the shores of the Salish Sea. At 5.8 per cent ABV, it’s an easy spring sipper. The low hop aroma and slightly bitter finish complement a complex background loaded with the fruity flavours of pear and orange.
And finishing the series on June 7th will be Pink Mountainhops by Cannery, in honour of experimental psych-rock collective Pink Mountaintops:
This strong, dry-hopped maibock is a full-bodied, German-style lager. Created with classic German malts and noble hops, it is a malt-forward beer with a surprising hop complexity.
All four beers will be available in 650 ml bottles at select private liquor stores in BC while supplies last. For more details and to see all of the labels, visit the Canadian Band Beer page on CBC Music.