Fernie Brewing Company have just launched their new Kickstand Honey Kolsch!

“An easy drinking Honey Kolsch, made using local organic honey and its own distinctive yeast, this new FBC brew is set to be a perfect addition to our summer lineup,” says Brewmaster Gord Demaniuk. Coming in at 25 IBU and 4.8% alc./vol., it pairs well with summer salads, cheese selections, and spicy foods. Refreshing, made with a little help from the bees.

from Fernie Brewing Co. on Vimeo.

British Columbia is quickly developing a strong reputation for award-winning microbreweries and we are proud to call one of these breweries our own. Fernie Brewing Company is located just minutes from downtown, keeping the local beer taps flowing for over a decade.

Started by a local family in 2003 under their garage roof, Fernie Brewing Company moved to their specific brewery-built location in 2007. Their product can now be found throughout BC, Alberta and more recently Manitoba. It is an exciting time for this small brewery nestled in the Candian Rockies with more beer drinkers broadening their palates and embracing this malty goodness with open arms. With a passion for small batch brews, unique flavours, and quality ingredients, it is no surprise that their seasonal beers are a favourite item in the FBC line.

From a beer lover’s perspective, the IPA Bucket List 650 ml releases have been a highlight of these special brews. The current Quiet Rye’t IPA as the name suggests is a Rye IPA, brewed with two rye malts and a variety of hops, including Pacific Jade. Cracked peppercorns are a unique addition to provide the distinct pepper note.

Another new addition to the FBC family is the Bavarian Pilsner which recently won the peoples choice award at the Okanagan Fest of Ale and was awarded a silver medal by judges at the Calgary Beer Festival. Keeping their roots firmly in Fernie soil they have aptly named this new brew the Project 9 Pils after a famous local mountain bike trail. Complete with artwork that depicts the trail builder riding his bike, this beer will be a fitting reward after a day on the bike. Project 9 is described as a true Bavarian Pilsner with exceptional continental hop flavour that can only be achieved by a selection of fine noble hops including the Saaz variety. Munich, Pilsner, and Pale western Canadian malts—combined with time-honoured brewing methods—produces this clean, crisp Bavarian Pilsner.

It is no surprise that the staff at FBC are crazy about beer. Knowing that it wouldn’t take much arm-twisting to get the guys interested in a non-labelled 650ml bottle with blank cap, I ventured into the world of stainless steel vats, piping, and boiling grain with some of my best homebrew to see what the FBC brains trust had to say.

A nervous moment unfolded as the top was cracked and the tasting glasses emerged. For the humour of this article I was half hoping there would be screwed up faces, laughs and some kind words of encouragement however my easy drinking Citra dry hopped pale ale proved to be a hit! If I heard correctly there may have even been mutterings of congratulations through their thick and bristly beards. Either way good or bad, the end result wasn’t such a big deal, more that the passion for beer runs deep at Fernie Brewing Company!

If drinking craft beer is something you are fond of then the FBC beers should be added to your shopping list this summer.

Jack Viney – Tourism Fernie

Call in for all your craft beer needs, tours, samples, growlers, merchandise and general good beer cheer.