Granville Island Brewing: The Mingler
Whistler, I hardly knew you.
While I was there last week, I stopped by a liquor store (very imaginatively named “Liquor Store“) and picked up half a case of a local brew from Granville Island Brewing. I was in search of something local in the form of a variety pack, which led me to The Mingler. I’ll be back in Vancouver in August for, ugh, a wedding (just kidding, bride and groom, in case you’re reading this!), so I’ll try to head to GIB for a tour. At the very least, I’ll stop by the store and taproom. Plus, I’ll try to produce a less half-assed review!
A Lions Winter Ale atop Blackcomb Glacier
Credit: Michael Guo
The Mingler features Lions Winter Ale, Gastown Amber Ale, Island Lager, and English Bay Pale Ale. I’ve linked the BeerAdvocate pages, as my lack of notes prevents me from writing a true review. Instead, I’ll just give my general impressions of the beers. Keep in mind that I never poured them out of the bottle, so I can’t really say much about the aroma and appearance.
In reality, I just wanted to use the picture I took above, since it was quite a bit of work for that grainy little thing. To get to the top of Blackcomb Glacier, skiers must take a gondola, two chairlifts, and a T-bar. As if that’s not enough, they must then hike up a semi-steep slope and climb across a narrow snow bridge that’s perilously attached to the side of Blackcomb Mountain. I, of course, decided to do this with a glass bottle of beer in my backpack, which my skiing partner found rather stupid. This was one of the few times I was truly afraid I’d fall off the edge of a cliff, so I decided to commemorate by sitting on top of a boulder with my lunch and a beer.
Anyway, pictured above is the Winter Ale. This was definitely my favorite of the bunch and is not retired unlike what BeerAdvocate claims. It’s simply seasonal. The Winter Ale is a tasty malty beer that’s heavy on the vanilla with a slightly spicy taste. I wouldn’t even bother pairing this with food. Instead, try pairing it with a snowy evening in front of a roaring fireplace.
And then, there are the other three. The Amber Ale was hoppy but balanced. The Pale Ale was surprisingly unbitter. And the Lager tasted remarkably similar to the Amber Ale. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Lager, but these sorts of stronger-tasting Lagers aren’t really my style.
As you can see, my memory has quickly deteriorated. However, I will say this: all of the beers are heavy on the drinkability. You won’t find anything astonishing or incredibly wacky here, but you will find a solid brew. My understanding is that GIB was also one of the real pioneers in bottled microbrews in Canada, so if anything, try it out for the historical significance.
