"Small Batch, Big Heart" - Mayne Island Brewery

"Mayne Island is a small, friendly, Canadian Island

 positioned about half way between the lower mainland

 of British Columbia and Vancouver Island."

~ Mayne Island tourist board

It's Friday! It's The Art of Caesura!

As I mentioned last week, my wife and I were on the West Coast of Canada this past summer, and whenever we go, we try to explore a new Gulf Island (a group of small islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the Mainland). We've had some incredible experiences on those islands, including accidentally camping in a cougar area, swimming in bioluminescence, hiking, cycling, canoeing and all that good stuff. 

On our most recent trip we even stumbled across a brewery, and that's where our adventure takes us today.

Despite it's name, Mayne Island is actually one of the smaller ones at only 21-square-kilometres and with a resident population of only 1000 people. 

We were in the process of cycling across it (or "up and down" it more like; read: hills!) and saw a sign for "Brewery".

The Mayne Island Brewing Company is a nano-brewery started by a wine-seller and his artist wife. We met his wife when we arrived, and she confided that the brewery was her husband's midlife crisis. That being said, they have all dove right in and she designs all of the labels and merch. 

They've got a small set-up, a 170L system (not really a whole world of a difference from my 23L set-up). This lets them do things that bigger breweries can't, like their "forager" series. They've done salal berries, stinging nettles, blackberries, rosehips and when we were there it was dandilion and burdoc. Big breweries would need a massive volume, which would be hard to get. 

Anyway, what about the beer!?

We did a taster of everything they had, and bought a few longnecks for the cycle back to our campsite. My faves were: The Mayne Island Forager, a seasonally infused saison (as I mentioned it was dandilion and burdoc when we were there). Little Hell (a Belgian Triple) was a little boozy for me and reminded me of La Fin du Monde. 

I would have loved to try their Eventide Oat Stout, but unfortunately they were out when we were there. My other fave was their Barrel-Aged Brown Ale - very much like the English Ales we get over here in Ireland. 

So if you're down on the west coast of Canada, I would recommend a trip to Mayne Island - and to the Mayne Island Brewing Company!

I hope you've enjoyed this look at an alternative brewing style to the macro-breweries. Catch you later on The Art of Caesura


Watching: Kubo and the Two Strings
Attending: Come On Up to the House (music festival - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) - it was in a big tent in a field out in the middle of the Irish countryside and was absolutely remarkable!!
Listening: Advaitic Songs - Om


Next Week:
Back to miniatures with a diminutive force to be reckoned with...