The Spotlight is a series of interviews with the craft beer heroes behind local organizations who are helping grow the beer scene in our fine city. This week’s spotlight is on Devil’s Elbow Ale and Smokehouse.
I sat down at Devil’s Elbow Ale and Smoke House with Sandy Morton, the manager, and Paul Jacobs, part owner of the establishment. I must say they are fantastic gentlemen that are dedicated to not only the Howe Sound brand but support local breweries as well. The ale house currently has 16 lines dedicated to Howe Sound beer, and 4 dedicated to rotating guest lines. This is the current setup, but those numbers will change as the beers do. While they remain dedicated to having their own beers available, Devil’s Elbow plans to increase or decrease the guest lines as situation may demand. Paul was quick to explain their dedication to other breweries: “Sometimes it can be hard for smaller breweries to get on their feet or get their beer out there. Exclusivity isn’t part of our mandate here. We want to welcome the community.”
It’s obvious from talking to them that they are in this for the love of beer. That was most apparent when Paul opened up about serving true pints at their location. When they first got their glass shipment in, Paul took the time to measure out the liquid himself and was very happy to see a full 20oz pour. As a native of Ireland, Paul explained how shocked he was when he came to Canada and saw how our pints aren’t up to speed. “In England and Ireland if you did that, the pub owner would be ostracized. That’s stealing the working man’s beer – that’s theft!” So if you are looking for a F.U.S.S. compliant pint of local beer, this is the place to go!
Devil’s Elbow has a dedication to cask beer and real ale as well. Every Sunday they have a Howe Sound cask in-house that gets tapped. Cask contents vary from week to week but are coming in consistently. Paul is excited to be bringing some of Howe Sound’s creative brewing to Vancouver, “We have some crazy brewers up there,” he explains “and they love to do crazy stuff! Honestly, sometimes until the day of we don’t know what it’s going to be.” Along the mystery vein, Devil’s Elbow is toying with the idea of keeping some of their casks a mystery and having people try and come in and sample them totally blind. Sounds like fun, particularly for the cask enthusiasts among us. Keep your eyes on their twitter feed – as well as ours – for their cask alerts so you can head over and give it a try.
Outside of regular operations, there are a few events on their radar including a small Barleywine festival in late January. Referring to Howe Sound Brewing’s Dave Fenn, Paul tells us “Dave is Barleywine mad and Howe Sound makes a great Barleywine. He and I discussed it a while ago; we don’t think anyone has done a Barleywine festival in BC. So we are going to be having something pretty soon.” They will have information on that festival available on their twitter feed. Howe Sound Brewing is planning a tap takeover in April in Squamish showcasing beers from across the lower mainland. Keep your eyes on the Howe Sound Brewing website for more information on that.
The location is very distinctly west coast. For one, it has a very rustic feel which makes you feel like you are up in the mountains. The shack-like walls are made up of wood from Whistler. The place is full of art commissioned by local artists or the commissioning of local artists to simply “paint the devil” on a canvas. And the food is phenomenal. I am a big fan of food, just ask my wife. While I am no food critic, I do know what I like – and I definitely liked the smoked brisket sandwich I had. Smoked for about 10 hours and topped with an amazing horseradish sauce, it really is something else! I had the chance to try a few other delicious plates as well. If you work in the area, pop on in and give the food a try for lunch one day. Their lunch portions are perfect for a midday meal.
Devil’s Elbow Ale and Smokehouse is a little taste of Squamish’s signature brewery in Vancouver – with a local spin! Come visit them at 562 Beatty St. Don’t forget to bring your CAMRA card with you, as they are offering CAMRA members a 10& discount on food and beer! I will see you there!
David Perry – @davidjp87
Community Liaison – CAMRA BC, Vancouver Chapter
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