Barley Mowat 

I’ve decided to draw attention to one beer a month, or thereabouts (if there’s nothing interesting to talk about, I’ll skip a month). These are not necessarily the best or tastiest beers, but rather an interesting brew that I’ve decided needs more attention. So, without further ado, March’s beer is:

Cuvée D’Hiver by Driftwood Brewing

It’s no secret that Driftwood is one of my favourite local breweries. A quick glance at my beer cellar shows that roughly 2/3 of the available shelf space is given over to one of Old Cellar Dweller or Singularity, and rightly so. Add into that mix their fall Sartori IPA and excellent regular beers and it means when Driftwood announces a new beer, I pay attention.

Logo unceremoniously stolen from Driftwood’s website, but it’s ok if this gets them more sales.

And this is the case with Cuvée D’Hiver. First, it’s a light saison coming out in the middle of winter. Second, it’s brewed with barley grown and malted on the Saanich Peninsula, just down the road from the brewery. Heck, until they announced this beer I thought barley malt was exclusively manufactured in factories and shipped to you in burlap sacks but no, turns out it’s a real thing that grows in the ground. Incroyable!

(Joking aside, locally sourced hops and barley is absolutely something I think there should be more of, and it really is a trend that is catching. Gulf Islands Brewing, Crannóg, and Driftwood all are doing their parts)

Thus when it was announced that the Railway Club would have a cask of this interesting ale, nothing in the known world could stop me from having a tasty pint or three. My buddy Tim has actually joked that my love of Driftwood is such that they could piss in bottle and I’d buy it. At first glance, the colour of this beer raised my suspicions that such a deed was afoot, but one taste and my worries were allayed. Oh but if my pee tasted this good!

The beer is a fruity, more refreshing version of the regularly excellent Farmhand. I’m not sure if it beats out Lighthouse Deckhand for best saison in the province, but it is absolutely worth a try. My only complaint is that this beer is so very perfectly made for summer that going outside to face the rain after my pint was doubly depressing.

Where to get it: All the finer local craft beer stores. On tap at the Alibi. Also, several casks have been made so keep an eye out.
Where not to get it: BC Liquor Stores