Brilliant B.C. Beer Bottles

I have recently left my “new-found” home (ie: England) to come back to my “home” (ie: Canada, birthplace etc) for a bit of a visit. I have been in London for  nearly four years and in that time, I nearly forgot how fun the labels on artisan beers are here in B.C. The same can really be said for most of the west coast of North America (think: Portland, Seattle, Vancouver etc). What is so fantastically brilliant is the cheekiness of the artwork and downright delicious flavours that one can find hiding away in a bottle of beery goodness.

Take these three beers, for instance, which I recently grabbed off the shelf at random in the liquor store (sadly, booze isn’t available in supermarkets here! Quel shame!).

Three handcrafted beers wait to be drunk down: Brother Thelonius, Deckhand Belgian Saison, and Elysian

Now, I chose them not only for their funky designs but because of their descriptions and strength (all around 8% ABV – I like my beer strong). In England, I’d probably pick up a Belgium beer or two from Sainsbury’s, say, but they wouldn’t come with this saucy styling, such as Lighthouse’s Deckhand, whose busty babe on the front has already riled some feathers for being a wee bit to forward with her décolletage. 

Despite being chosen at random, none disappointed. The Deckhand was light, fruity and yeasty, with a very bitter aftertaste; our too-cool-for-school Brother Thelonius was flavoursome with a metallic scent, ruby colour and dark, rich taste; and, the Elysian was a bit, well, hard to pin down – mostly because I was too wobbly for words by this point, but the bottle’s cloaked sorceress certainly pleased my taste buds.

At the end of the day, what really rocks my world is the fact each of these beers are only around for a short time, a whimsical whipping up by the artisan breweries that craft them and their designs. And, because people out here support their local, small brewery, I’ve no doubt beauteous bottles and beer will continue hitting liquour store shelves. Now, if only I can convince them to export to England…

Tags: Beer, bottle, brewery, Deckhand, Elysian, microbrewery, Victoria, west coast