A three-inch-thick red hose snakes across the polished-
concrete fl oor of Brassneck lounge on Vancouver's Main Street. From
behind the partially opened door to the adjoining brewery comes the
near-deafening squeal of a winch slowly lifting the lid to the mash tun,
the giant vat where malted barley is steeped in water to produce the
"mash" that will be transferred to a fermenting tank then a conditioning
tank before becoming the beer that will fl ow from the lounge's taps in a
few weeks.
It's one o'clock on a chilly spring Tuesday afternoon, an hour before
opening time. Co-owner Nigel Springthorpe, bearded and wearing jeans,
a fl annel jacket and a toque, pushes the brewery door closed before tak-
ing a seat at one of the lounge's rough-hewn reclaimed-fi r tables. The
brewer is just transferring some beer to the cellar, he explains when I
ask about the hose.
For Springthorpe, Brassneck is the realization of a dream more than
15 years in the making. A veteran of the local bar scene, he started out
16 years ago as a bartender at the Alibi Room in Gastown. Eight years
later, with his wife's sister, Raya Armstrong, he would buy the bar and
restaurant and transform it into his ideal watering hole: a neighbourhood
hangout with a lively ambience fuelled by great food and a beer selection
that has become legendary.
HOPPED
all
up
B.C.'s independent brewers are
stealing market share from the
global giants at a stunning rate.
The biggest challenge these days?
Keeping up with a seemingly
insatiable demand for local,
artisanal beer—and not becoming
victims of their own success
JUNE 2014 BCBusiness 29
b y D AV I D J O R D A N p h o t o g r a p h y b y P E T E R H O L S T
p28-35-Beer_june.indd 29 2014-05-01 1:29 PM
