VICTORIA, BC – Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries, the first book from Victoria-based beer writer and columnist Joe Wiebe, is due to be released this week by publisher Douglas & McIntyre.

On a book info page on the D&M website, Craft Beer Revolution is described as follows:

Canada’s microbrewing movement began in B.C. with the founding of Horseshoe Bay Brewing in 1982. Three decades later, the province is home to more than fifty breweries, including a dozen brewpubs. Beer tourists are coming in droves, and private liquor stores are selling exclusive bottles of beer at prices previously reserved only for fine wine. With profiles of each of the province’s craft breweries, as well as maps, tasting tours, and an insider’s look at the people behind the kegs and casks, Craft Beer Revolution is the definitive guide to British Columbia’s booming craft beer scene.

To promote the release of Craft Beer Revolution, Wiebe will be appearing at a number of signing and meet & greet events in B.C. throughout the summer. These appearances will include:

May 29 – Book Launch Event at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, Victoria
June 3 – Book Launch Event at Yaletown Brewing, Vancouver (part of Vancouver Craft Beer Week)
June 14-15 – East Kootenay Beer Festival  at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort
June 29 – Summer Cask Festival at Central City Brewing, Surrey
July 3 – Kettle Valley Station Pub, Penticton
July 5 – HOPoxia Festival at Phillips Brewing, Victoria
July 13 – Canada Cup of Beer, Burnaby
September 6-7 – Great Canadian Beer Festival, Victoria

For details on these appearances and any others that may be added, visit the Craft Beer Revolution page on Facebook.

TORONTO, ON – Guinness Canada has announced that Guinness Black Lager, a brand extension that was debuted in Ireland and several other countries in 2010, is now available here in Canada.

Brewed in Ireland and described as “combining the roasted barley flavour that Guinness Draught is famous for with a crisp new approach,” Guinness Black Lager is a 4.5% abv lager that will be sold in 330 ml bottles with distinctive silver and blue packaging.

Guinness Black Lager is available now across the country. Price varies by province, but is said to be “comparable to other premium import lagers.”

FORESTERS FALLS, ON – The Upper Ottawa Valley has long been a popular destination for white water rafting aficionados, and now three men who work as guides in that industry are hoping that their new venture will prove equally popular with tourists and residents alike.

Whitewater Brewing has been in planning since late 2011, and started offering beer to the public earlier this month. Located at the corner of Fletcher Road and Grants Settlement Road near the village of Foresters Falls, approximately 90 minutes northwest of Ottawa, Whitewater has launched with four flagship brands – Farmer’s Daughter Blonde Ale, Whistling Paddler English Style Ale, Class V IPA, and Midnight Oatmeal Stout.

Whitewater beers are currently available to customers at Wilderness Tours Rafting, and at occasional special events in the area. Growler sales and draught availability in local bars and restaurants are planned to be launched soon, and the partners also hope to open a brewpub adjacent to the brewery in the future.

SURREY, BC & MISSION, BC – It’s often reported that Asia is one of the fastest growing regions for beer sales, and two breweries from British Columbia are getting set to take advantage of that rapidly expanding market.

Russell Brewing announced plans last year to establish a presence in China, and those plans are now set to come to fruition with the opening this summer of a small brewery and adjacent brewpub in Hefei, a city of 5.7 million people in Eastern China. The brewery will be operated by Russell Breweries China, a company formed by Russell in partnership with Vancouver private equity firm FVI Capital and its parent Anyi Capital Group in Shanghai.

Mission Springs Brewing has looked to South Korea for new opportunities, and has partnered with Indulge Korea to have its beer distributed in bottles and kegs in the country. In addition, a craft beer bar and pizza restaurant called The Springs Tap House will be opening in the Itaewon district of Seoul on June 1st.

WINNIPEG, MB – Great Plains Publications, a Winnipeg-based company specializing in books on the people and history of the Canadian Prairies, has announced the release of a new book exploring the history of brewing in Manitoba.

Written by breweriana collectors Bill Wright and Dave Craig, 300 Years of Beer: An Illustrated History of Brewing in Manitoba is described as follows:

300 Years of Beer is a look back at Manitoba’s long and colourful brewing past. With over 400 illustrations of rare beer labels, retro bottles and ads dating back as far as the 1870s, 300 Years of Beer chronicles the bygone days when beer barons like Patrick Shea and E.L. Drewry ruled over an industry, all the way to the modern day microbreweries, and explores the events that shaped the drinking habits of Manitobans.

A book launch and signing event will take place at 7:00 PM on Thursday June 6th at with Winnipeg location of McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Avenue).

300 Years of Beer will also be available at Chapters, Costco and other booksellers across Canada, and online at Amazon.ca, Chapters Indigo, and McNally Robinson.

TORONTO, ON – Kensington Brewing Company (KBCo) recently passed its 2nd anniversary, and to celebrate the milestone, the company will be holding a party next month where they’ll be pouring several one-off beers created in collaboration with other Ontario craft breweries.

Taking place at The Rhino (1249 Queen St. W., Toronto) on Sunday June 2nd from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, the event will feature Kensington’s three core brands – Augusta Ale, Baldwin FishEYE-PA, and Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat – along with five exclusive brews crafted by Kensington brewmaster Dave Lee together with four partner breweries:

KBCo x Sawdust City The Fundamental
One Malt, One Hop, One determined Yeast: it’s all about Fundamentals. The first offering in The Mental Series from Sawdust City & Kensington Brewing Company, a series that defies styles and is all about creativity.
Style: uh, Belgian-ish? (single hop, brett fermented, Apricots)
ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 25
Hops: Centennial

KBCo x Indie Ale House High Maintenance
An “involved” brew (long story, ask Jeff & Dave) with Abbey ale flavours complimented by plums and grape must for added flavour and complexity.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 25
Hops: Fuggle/Sorachi Ace

KBCo x Indie Ale House Wit Way Scoo-Tea Go?
A Belgian Wit with tea added in secondary to add a distinguished touch. This is a tribute to our scooter that we simply lost too soon.
Style: Belgian Wit
ABV: 5%
IBU: 20
Hops: Brambling Cross/Zythos

KBCo x Silversmith Brewing Bitterly Rye’teous
A Bitter Rye/Hefe Hybrid that pushes boundaries of both styles & palates.
Style: Rye PA/Hefe Hybrid (Multi Hop, Hefe Yeast & Lemon Zest)
ABV: 5.9%
IBU: 72
Hops: Centennial/Simcoe/Sorachi Ace/Motueka

KBCo x Bar Hop x Great Lakes Brewery Coco Beware 2.0
An excessively hopped black IPA with shards of roasted coconut added to the boil and hop back.
Style: Black IPA
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 70
Hops: Sorachi Ace/Galaxy/Simcoe/Centennial

Admission to the KBCo 2nd Anniversary Party is free, and the first 25 to arrive will receive a free KBCo pint glass. Those planning to attend are invited to RSVP on the Facebook event.

TORONTO, ON – Fresh from winning four medals at the Canadian Brewing Awards earlier this month, Bellwoods Brewery launched two new beers over the Victoria Day long weekend – one continuing a popular series of single-hop IPAs, and the other a collaboration with an award-winning homebrewer.

Monogamy (Simcoe) is the seventh beer in the Bellwoods Monogamy series, and the first to be released in custom labelled bottles. Brewed using Simcoe hops from Washington State, the 6.4% abv IPA is available in 500 ml bottles in the Bellwoods retail store.

Available exclusively on tap, meanwhile, is Samurai Sauvin Saison, a beer created by David Thompson for the last year’s Toronto Beer Week Homebrew Competition. As one of the winners, Thompson was given the opportunity to scale his beer up to a larger batch to be brewed at Bellwoods. A refreshing 6.4% abv saison dry-hopped with Sorachi Ace and Nelson Sauvin hops, Samurai Sauvin will be available on draught in the Bellwoods pub while supplies last.

FREDERICTON, NB – Picaroons Traditional Ales has announced plans to release two limited edition beers in bottles at the ANBL for the first time.

The first is Plaid To The Bone Heather Ale, a 4.5% ale originally brewed last summer for the New Brunswick Highland Games Festival. This year’s edition of the beer was debuted last Thursday evening during a party and concert at the Boyce Farmers Market in Fredericton featuring headlining band The Mahones. It will remain available throughout the summer, including at special events such as the Gathering of the Scots on May 22nd to 26th, and the 2013 Highland Games on July 26th to 28th.

Joining it will be 104th Regiment Ale, a 4.2% ale first available in February, when it was released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the 104th Regiment of Foot leaving Fredericton for a 1100 kilometre march to Kingston, Ontario to reinforce the British garrison during the War of 1812.

Both beers will be available at select ANBL outlets in coming weeks.

VANCOUVER, BC – Beer Me BC reports that Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers will be opening next month on Vancouver’s North Shore.

According to the posted press release, former Steamworks brewer Shae De Jaray and civil engineer Shawn Bethune are partners in the small brewery and distillery, and have also enlisted Kevin Emms – ex-brewmaster at Coal Harbour – as part of their brewing team, and former Central City salesperson Trish Garratt as head of marketing and sales.

Deep Cove will be debuting three flagship beers – Loud Mouth Pale Ale, Wise Crack West Coast Lager and Quick Wit Belgian-Style Wheat Ale – at the Vancouver Craft Beer Week Opening Gala on May 31st, and will also have them available at several other VCBW events.

The tasting room and retail store at the Deep Cove facility (170-2270 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver) is expected to open in early June. The exact opening date, as well as details on Deep Cove’s micro-distilling operation, will be announced soon.

GUELPH, ON – Wellington Brewery has announced details of the latest installment in the Welly One-Off Series of limited edition beers.

Wellington Belgian Pale Ale is described as follows:

This unfiltered Belgian Style Pale Ale is a malt forward ale brewed using traditional Belgian style yeast. With a rich floral aroma, notes of pear, and a hint of spice this refreshing ale combines toasty malt flavours with suggestions of orange and coriander for a delicious summertime ale.

Belgian Pale Ale is available now in a limited run of 473 ml cans being sold exclusively at the Wellington retail store in Guelph. It will also be the feature beer tomorrow (Saturday May 18th) during a tasting event at the brewery from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.