From May 10 – 16 local craft breweries have teamed up with local establishments to showcase the beer phenomenon in Vancouver.  Each day there’s a signature event, and many functions featuring true beer authorities.

Here are three unique establishments and their beer offerings.

Beer Cooking School – The Dirty Apron
-   Vancouver’s newest cooking school is a joint venture between Karri and Nico Schuermans of Chambar, and Sous Chef David Robertson
-   Sip and learn to cook with Russell Brewing Company on May 10^th – $145
-   Other classes include Mama Mia Italian Cooking, Cooking with Spot prawns and knife skills
-   Also have a Cookshop filled with great kitchen tools.
-   http://www.dirtyapron.com/

Ethnic Eats and Beer – Japanese Izakaya and Beer
-   Hapa Izakaya is one of Vancouver’s oldest Japanese-style tapas restaurants with 3 locations – Robson, Yaletown and Kits
-   May 11 – Teaming up with Driftwood Brewing so show us what happens when a North American interprets Belgium and Japan – $40
-   Chef Tomoki Yamasake and Brewmaster Jason Meyer pair 8 small plates with 4 Driftwood Beers
-   Beer not your thing?  Great cocktails, Yaletown good spot to watch the game.  Great udon, ebi tempura prawns with mayo.
-   http://www.hapaizakaya.com/

Fine Dining and Beer Pairing – Cru

-   Cru is a multiple award winning restaurant – Best Tapas in 2009 from Van Mag-  centrally located on Broadway near Granville
-   Just won at Playhouse Festival for their wine list
-   Sunday May 16 pairing up with Whistler Brewing to bring you five courses with beer – light Weissbrier to rich Black Tusk Ale  – Bruce Dean Pres of Whistler Brewing will host
-   Cru is also open for leisurely lunches!  – Don’t miss beef Carpaccio, or caeser salads.
-   www.cru.ca

Toast to the Coast (November 6, 2009)
Wine on the Mountain “Arouse your Senses” (November 7, 2009)
20th Annual Fraser Valley Wine Tasting Festival (November 7, 2009)
Victoria’s Art of the Cocktail (November 7, 2009)
Kate Booth House Fundraiser at Cobre (November 9, 2009)
Slurp and Swirl at Joe Fortes (November 10, 2009)
Chocolat Ce Soir (November 10, 2009)
Cornucopia, Whistler’s Celebration of Wine and Food: Outstanding Dinners! (November 12, 2009)

Sunday Roast at Nu
The Home Grown Grocer
Ileach Single Islay Malt Whisky
Candlelight Conservation Dinners (October 28, 2009)
Globe in Your Glass (October 28, 2009)
Undercover – wines under $19.95 (October 29, 2009)
Irashai Grill Presents A Future Without Breast Cancer (October 29, 2009)
Live it up with Los Muertos – at Zocalo (November 1, 2009)
Pictures of Los Muertos
Desert Hills Wines at Hamilton Street Grill (November 2, 2009)
BC SPCA Fundraiser at Elixir (November 4, 2009)

Award-Winning Filmmaker Craig Noble Presents The Booz How Tooz Video Release Party (October 21, 2009)
The Vintage Affair in White Rock (October 22, 2009)
Science World After Dark: Grape Expectations (October 23, 2009)
Just Here for the Beer partners with CocoaNymph (October 23, 2009)
The Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS presents: Celebrity Dim Sum 2009! (October 24, 2009)
What should I do on a fall Sunday? Lunch à la Française! (October 25, 2009)
Zin Fundraiser for Manila Typhoon victims (October 25, 2009)
World’s Most Awarded Singel Malt Showcased At Elixir (October 26, 2009)
Globe in Your Glass (October 28, 2009)
Undercover – wines under $19.95 (October 29, 2009)

For more events….

Events

West Coast Chocolate Festival (October 15, 2009)
Coffee and Tea show (October 15, 2009)
Taste of Yaletown on Open Table (October 15, 2009)
Experience interactive cheese & wine tasting at Mt. Pleasant (October 15, 2009)
Octoberfest (think Beer) in Surrey at The Compass Point Hotel (October 17, 2009)
100 mile harvest banquet (October 17, 2009)
Splash – Arts Umbrella’s 27th Annual Signature Art Auction & Gala (October 17, 2009)
Cornucopia, Whistler’s Celebration of Wine and Food: Outstanding Dinners! (November 12, 2009)
Big Guns Winemaker’s Dinner at Araxi (November 13, 2009)
Four Seasons Restort Whislter’s Cornucopia Package (November 15, 2009)
Cornucopia 2009 (November 15, 2009)
Delta Whistler

Events

The Smoking Dog Bistro Presents a Canine Cocktail Party (October 7, 2009)
Sherry-Tapas Bar – One Night Only: Thursday, October 8th! (October 8, 2009)
One of a Kind Show (October 8, 2009)
Mission Hill Family Estate to host BC’s Premier Celebrity Chefs (October 9, 2009)
Fall Brings Thanksgiving Dinner and Polderside Lamb to the Chef’s Table (October 10, 2009)
House Wine Say Cheese Tasting (October 14, 2009)
Introduction to tea – Tea sommelier basic level – Course one (October 14, 2009)
Coffee and Tea show (October 14, 2009)
Wild About Game and Mushrooms (October 15, 2009)

Listen live at 4:15 pm on Wednesdays on the Joe Leary show at Buzz 1410 or listen to the podcast on the link above (should appear by Thursday).

Events

Sustenance: Art and Culture Festival (October 1, 2009)
Argentinean Wines at the Sutton (October 1, 2009)
RIPE: the 1st Annual Evening of Local Food and Libations (October 1, 2009)
Okanagan Fall Wine Festival (October 1, 2009)
La Brasserie Celebrates One Year with Oktoberfest (October 1, 2009)
Mount Pleasant Cheese Europe vs. Canada (October 1, 2009)
Wild Rice Sends Diners Over the Moon (October 3, 2009)
Sherry-Tapas Bar – One Night Only: Thursday, October 8th! (October 8, 2009)
One of a Kind Show (October 8, 2009)

This week on The Good Life we talk with Andre Durbach, owner of La Buca, L’Altro Buca and Pied a Terre.  Wine this week is a fruit forward Gamay from Oak Bay Vineyards (St. Hubertus), and we chat about events in and around town.  Definitely plan to check out the upcoming Okanagan Fall Wine Festival.

Listen live at 4:15 pm on Wednesdays on the Joe Leary show at Buzz 1410 or listen to the podcast on the link above.

Events
Gambado – Dinner and Auction for the Shooting Stars Foundation (September 24, 2009)
Vancouverites Celebrate Chilean Wine Fall Festival (September 28, 2009)
Wines of Chile at Cobre (September 28, 2009)
Raincity Grill and North Arm Farms (September 28, 2009)
Sustenance: Art and Culture Festival (October 1, 2009)
Argentinean Wines at the Sutton (October 1, 2009)
RIPE: the 1st Annual Evening of Local Food and Libations (October 1, 2009)
Okanagan Fall Wine Festival (October 1, 2009)

Industry News
NY Times on Vancouver Asian Eats
Lee’s Donuts Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Sakemaker will harvest first sake rice in BC

Listen live at 4:15 pm on Wednesdays on the Joe Leary show at Buzz 1410 or listen to the podcast on the link above.

Events

Fuel Restaurant’s upcoming Suckling Pig Dinner (September 16, 2009)
Moustache Café Hosts Winemaker’s Dinner Featuring Church and State Winery (September 17, 2009)
Argentina Tango from South World Wines (September 17, 2009)
a boy after the sea – Cookbook launch at Books to Cooks (September 17, 2009)
ChefmeetsGrape – BC Food Designed for BC Wine (September 17, 2009)
“FRESH” and Sustainable at The Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel (September 17, 2009
Passions – The Hottest Event on the Culinary Calendar (September 20, 2009)
FIELDS OF PLENTY (September 20, 2009)
Gastown Blues and Chili and Revel News (September 20, 2009)

News from our friend Stephanie Yuen:

A large energetic crowd showed up, most of them cheered for Bob, but… Chef Miao from Lin Chinese Cuisine won first place. Their Xiao Long Bao that won last year’s Chinese Restaurant Awards Northern Dimsum category still stands proud  and strong.
Second place is a tie: Chef Yip of Northern Delicacy and Chef Sonia Li of Point Zero, Four Fusion Restaurant.
Third place goes to Chef Jimmy Yang of Golden Fortune Restaurant.
Fourth place is Chef Peter Yang of Legendary Noodles.
And last (but not least) is the very host of Glutton for Punishment - Bob Blumer, who only had 5 days to learn the culinary art of the most difficult dumpling to make.
But the judges all agree Bob’s XLB filling tasted very good!

Judging criteria:  Quantity and Quality
Competitors have 5 minutes, starting from rolling the dough, to making as many XLB as they can.
Folded XLB are placed in the bamboo steamers and steamed by batches to make sure each lot is as fresh and steaming hot as the others.
The three judges who did the blind judging (they’re sent to the back room and had no idea whose bamboo baskets of XLB they’re tasting.  The baskets are marked by number only.) Judges inspect the XLB in the baskets, bad-shaped, flawed and broken ones are not counted. They look for fluffy, light, juicy, full-flavoured fillings, thin but consistent skins.