Many people outside of the eastern United States have yet to hear about the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. If it were not for RainCity Brands, British Columbia’s newest craft beer distributor, I too would have no idea Pretty Things existed. Luckily for me, on a trip to the Alibi Room for a pre-holiday pint, I ran into the man behind RainCity Brands. It was there I was treated to a sample of Babayaga, a Pretty Things’ winter seasonal, and the story behind the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.
Babayaga, a name that triggered a memory of an obscure Sam Rockwell movie called Lawn Dogs, is what can best be described as an American stout. If you are looking for a style guide definition beer, I highly suggest you look elsewhere as you’ll find none of that here. What you will find is a mix of chocolate, coffee, and tobacco flavors spread across a base flavor of campfire. The mouth feel is a little lighter than most stouts and has a bit of an oily character to it. That said, it is an absolutely outstanding beer and I look forward to enjoying many more over the cold winter months.
One thing is for certain, Pretty Things is far from your average beer brand. They don’t own a brewery, nor do they contract brew their beers. Instead of the two standard situations they opt to rent a brewery and have the staff of that brewery ‘babysit’ the beer while they are not there. The result is a business model that is as creative as the brews they are selling. Thanks to RainCity Brands, Pretty Things will be appearing in select stores across the lower mainland this week, and I have no doubt will continue to expand thanks to the passion and hard work driving the project.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews, CAMRA Vancouver. CAMRA Vancouver said: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532 [...]
Posted by Tweets that mention Pretty Things Arrives in BC | truecask.com -- Topsy.com on January 5th, 2010.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532...
Posted by uberVU - social comments on January 5th, 2010.
I’ve heard good things about Pretty Things (also one of my favourite bands). I also noticed on RainCity’s website that they import Cantillon. I need an excuse to go to Vancouver now.
Posted by EskimoDave on January 5th, 2010.
The Babayaga sounds like a treat to rauchbier fans. I will keep my fingers crossed that it will come to the US at some point.
Posted by Sean Inman on January 5th, 2010.
It’s there! – Just mostly in the North East.
Find out who is your main craft distributor and bug them relentlessly!
Posted by cbjerrisgaard on January 5th, 2010.
Probably making a stop tomorrow at Firefly. Hope they have some Pretty Things.
Posted by ilikemybeers on January 7th, 2010.
I’ve been wanting to try this. What first caught my attention sometime back was the packaging/design/marketing. While I know that the flavor of the beer is what is most important, there is something to be said for a great looking bottle/label, and these guys nailed it.
Truly a unique business model, too.
Posted by nate on January 7th, 2010.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews, CAMRA Vancouver. CAMRA Vancouver said: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532 [...]
Posted by Amy on April 22nd, 2010.
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532...
Posted by Anthony on April 24th, 2010.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews, CAMRA Vancouver. CAMRA Vancouver said: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532 [...]
Posted by Jeff on April 24th, 2010.
Probably making a stop tomorrow at Firefly. Hope they have some Pretty Things.
Posted by Brian on April 25th, 2010.
Probably making a stop tomorrow at Firefly. Hope they have some Pretty Things.
Posted by Anthony on April 25th, 2010.
I’ve been wanting to try this. What first caught my attention sometime back was the packaging/design/marketing. While I know that the flavor of the beer is what is most important, there is something to be said for a great looking bottle/label, and these guys nailed it.
Truly a unique business model, too.
Posted by Alan on April 25th, 2010.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BCbrews, CAMRA Vancouver. CAMRA Vancouver said: RT @cbjerrisgaard: Pretty Things arrives in BC http://ow.ly/T532 [...]
Posted by George on April 25th, 2010.
I’ve been wanting to try this. What first caught my attention sometime back was the packaging/design/marketing. While I know that the flavor of the beer is what is most important, there is something to be said for a great looking bottle/label, and these guys nailed it.
Truly a unique business model, too.
Posted by Ian on April 26th, 2010.