By John Allaire W e did end up opening in Courtenay, instead of Victoria,” Sharratt exwplains. “A couple of key features that brought us up here were, at the time there wasn’t a brewery in Courtenay. And Courtenay also has a world-class ski hill. So I was up here every weekend in the winter anyway, snowboarding. The lifestyle seemed to be a perfect fit on the mid-part of the Island.” Since the doors swung open in early 2015, the Gladstone Brewing Company has itself slid perfectly into that lifestyle. It is a mainstay of the Comox Valley and indeed a community-fo- cused hub of activity. Situated on the West Coast, one could assume the brew- ery’s India Pale Ale would be a feature. They don’t disap- point, producing their own 6.6% IPA. But they also dive head first into the European-style flavours. Sharratt explains that the beer styles they chose were mostly a function of what they personally enjoyed drinking. “When I was home brewing, I made Belgian beers and European lagers, so that’s what pushed us in that direction. And then we hired our head brewer, Tak Guenette, and he likes to drink English-style beers. So porters, milds and bitters — he brought those styles to the table.” Gladstone’s number-one seller at the moment is their 5.5% Pilsner. Sharratt explains, “We live in a small community and they have really embraced us. They were a community of mostly lager drinkers from macro-breweries before we arrived. So our Pilsner is probably the easiest transition for them.” He also stresses that, because it is a tight-knit com- munity, supporting local was a huge part of early success-
es. “They also wanted to support a local business. Some of them may not have been ready for the flavours at first but we are hearing a lot of ‘it’s really growing on me’ talk around the lounge. Next thing you know, they have dropped their old brand and are drinking our beer — produced right in their own community.” Much of the ‘craft’ movement began on the west coast, be it California or points north. When trying to sell their stronger or hoppier-tasting beers, Sharratt points to a different level of sophistication for some craft drinkers as early adopters of flavour-rich brews. “In BC, the craft beer movement in Canada sort of started here, or at least earlier than many other places. So there were enough people in the area, especially on the Island, that had already been introduced to craft beer.” It would appear to be the best of both worlds. A mild but flavourful Pilsner for those just easing their way into the craft beer scene, and a strong west coast IPA for the seasoned ‘hop-heads’ of Vancouver Island. Like many breweries, Gladstone’s brewers like to exper- iment with seasonal styles and local concoctions. The previous two years, they brewed an Oktoberfest beer that was pretty heavy on the malt. However, they decided to dial it back ever so slightly this year with a 6% Festbier that still fits neatly into the European Festival category. “It’s very similar to the Oktoberfest beer but it’s a little lighter on the malt character. It’s not quite as dark. Still pretty strong though. And we do a similar style in March as well. Only in March, they call it a ‘Märzen.’” Gladstone’s brewers also experiment once every two weeks or so with their half-bar- rel pilot system. They brew a couple of kegs of unique one- offs, taking something they’ve already made and changing it slightly. This gives the brewers a bit of creative leeway to
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