Article by Roy G. Mundheim
Known for beautiful beaches, luxurious resorts, and immaculate campgrounds, Parksville is a seaside city of fun and leisure. It’s a jewel amongst jewels on beautiful Vancouver Island. In April 2017, Mount Arrowsmith Brewing opened in Parksville and brought quality craft beer to locals and tourists alike. The brewery itself provides a rustic and inviting atmosphere for sampling beers, enjoying sessions, or filling your thirsty growler. Not even one year into existence and Mount Arrowsmith Brewing was crowned British Columbia’s Brewery of the Year at the B.C. Beer Awards. How’s that for a start?
The Beer
Winning first place as B.C.’s best American Blonde Ale in 2017, Arrowsmith Blonde Ale is light and crisp with subtle tropical fruit flavors. It’s easy drinking and easy on the alcohol at 4.8% A.B.V. This superb and refreshing ale is highly sessionable; perfect for a day at the beach.
Comfortably Chum is the surprising name of Arrowsmith’s traditional Hefeweizen. Call me Crazy but if it’s about naming beers after songs, Arrowsmith Brewing should skip the Pink Floyd. Is there room on their beer list for Love in an Ale-evator, F.I.N.E I.P.A, Dude (Looks Like a Lager), or Janie’s Got a Gose? The slogan: “Try Them All. You Don’t Want To Miss a Thing”, or “For Great Beer, Walk This Way.” No? At 5.5% A.B.V. and full of complex aromatic flavors, Comfortably Chum will have you enjoying the summer and dreaming of a Permanent Vacation.
The 7.2% A.B.V Jagged Face India Pale Ale is not for the faint of heart. It’s a flavour forward and powerful I.P.A that is both malty and hoppy with a sweet characteristic. While not the most sessionable of beers, it will have you and friends talking beer, discussing beer, and raving about beer while savouring a little more.
Salish Sea Pale Ale is a go-to favorite. It’s a West Coast Pale Ale with a great malty-caramelly quality with mild hints of citrus. It’s a delicious flavour bomb that will have your palate thanking you. Salish Sea is an easy 5% A.B.V for a soft session or a tasty evening nightcap. Your growler may actually ask for it by name.
*Mount Arrowsmith Brewing also produces a porter (Low Pressure Porter), a Belgian I.S.A (Spring Tide), and a saison (Sea Run) among other rotating and seasonal beers.
No Fair
Parksville’s already beautiful beaches, mountains, rivers, resorts, and restaurants have added the quality of B.C.’s current brewery of the year. With Mount Arrowsmith Brewing’s solid regular lineup of beers and many quality seasonals, Parksville locals, out-of-town visitors, and tourists passing through have one more great thing to enjoy. Cheers!
About the author:Roy G. Mundheim: Norwegian-Canadian freelance writer and Registered Nurse living in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Lesly. Roy currently works as an acute care nurse at Vancouver General Hospital. He also has extensive experience in geriatric long term and hospice/palliative care. You can find his ridiculous musings regularly on his blog where he writes about health, fitness, food, drink, mindset, lifestyle, travel and much much more. He thinks he’s pretty funny too.