If you’re a frequent reader of this beer column, you’ve probably started to notice a pattern.
Both because of my own personal preferences and how craft breweries in British Columbia seem to be moving, certain types of beers seem to get featured more than others.
Hazy and hoppy creations get a lot of love, as do a lot of unique non-traditional beers, but that sometimes means the lagers and pilsners of the world get left behind.
Well if you’re in the camp of people that have been begging for more traditional brews to be featured, this week’s column is for you.
It’s a pair of core beers from Slow Hand Beer Company in Vancouver, a lesser-known brewery that specializes in small batch beers.
“Our beers tend to be on the lighter, crisper, sessionable side of things,” the brewery explains. “Expect beers of a variety of styles from all over the world; some brewed to style and some with our own, creative twists.”
The brewery says their German-style pilsner is where the Slow Hand journey truly began, an idea and desire to make a “truly beautiful pilsner” that balances bold flavours with finesse.”
Coming in at 5.2% ABV (alcohol by volume), it lives up to their promise of a clean and crisp beer, with a light body that’s easy to take down.
It’s more of a west coast pilsner and it doesn’t just rely on German hops, as the brewery also uses Sterling and Centennial hops that bring a bit of spice and orange notes respectively.
Slow Hand’s pilsner doesn’t have a fancy name or anything like that, but this other beer does. I’m talking about the Světlý Ležák 12° Czech-style pale lager.
Coming in at an even 5% ABV, Slow Hand brews this one with premium imported ingredients and it delivers slightly toasty, nutty flavours with a spicy hop finish.
“Our premium pale lager is a humble homage to some of the true originals who popularized lager brewing around the world,” the brewery explains.
While these beers may be more traditional than a lot of BC craft creations you tend to see around these days, there’s an all-around complexity to them that makes both a must add to your fridge.
Although it’s a small brewery, you can still find these guys at many private liquor stores that focus on craft beer.
The Slow Hand pilsner also recently went into stock at nearly 50 BC Liquor Stores around the province, so check online if they’re being sold at one near you!
Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.
