The Ultimate Guide to Hazy Beer in BC
We all have that friend, that friend that gets REALLY into things, like, obsessed with whatever hobby they are currently into. Well, I personally have one that is obsessed with Hazy Beers. This obsession is beyond normal, but I guess that is what I love about him – he commits. So, for my friend Dave’s 40th birthday we pitched together with a group of friends to get him 40 hazy beers to enjoy. Being the board game loving’, spreadsheet makin’, hazy beer drinkin’ nerd that he is, he put together a spreadsheet with ratings and reviews of all the beers we gave him. There is no-one I would trust more to judge the taste of a hazy beer than him, so without further adieu, here are 40 BC Hazy Beers, rated and reviewed by my pal Dave Laird.
Table of Contents
The Ultimate Guide to Hazy Beer in BC
Our Top 5 Picks
Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
Bright, robust, exceptional viscosity, and a wonderful and appetizing colour to round it out. Very close to perfect. Few beers I’ve had come close to Superflux’s level.
33 Acres Brewing
Vancouver
Another go-to staple for my friends and I, this comes pretty close to the viscosity and quality of Superflux’s main gems. Has a lovely colour and tropical fruit profile, with no bitterness.
Small Gods Brewing
Sidney
Small Gods exploded onto the BC craft beer scene this year, and has been knocking socks off left and right, even picking up a silver BC Beer Award for their Tangerine Saison. Promised Land is their clean, malty hazy pale ale, with big flavour, satisfying viscosity, and a smooth, enjoyable finish.
Category 12 Brewing
Saanichton
This is a beer us Islanders all know and love, and for the money, is one of the best hazies made in and around Victoria. Particularly good on tap.
Moon Underwater Brewing
Victoria
This is an awesome, and awesomely unique hazy, with a distinctly lemony and refreshing flavour. Has a great viscosity and overall quality to it, and is one of the standout discoveries of this review series!
Related posts:
Vancouver and the Mainland
1. Neighbourhood Brewing
North Vancouver
A bit sour and citrusy, with more tang than most hazies.
2. Wildeye Brewing
North Vancouver
A really nice, fruit forward beer, and definitely on the sweeter side. A good find!
3. Boombox Brewing
Vancouver
I would have bought this 100 times had it said “Hazy Pale Ale” on the label, though the name seems to telegraph it. Has a lovely colour and flavour, drinks smooth, with little bitterness. This is a great discovery.
Top 10 Beer!
4. Neighbourhood Brewing
North Vancouver
This has a really strong wheat/yeast vibe to it, and is not shy about presenting those flavours. If you like a fruity, juicy hazy like me, this is not a hit.
5. Field House Brewing
Abbotsford
This is not bad, but tastes kind of…burnt? Some fruit up front but then quickly morphs to bitterness.
6. Twin Sails/Field House Brewing
Vancouver/Abbotsford
A real punch to the buds, this one, with huge flavour and big alcohol (though this is no surprise based on how comprehensive the name is). Has a bitey aftertaste, but is quite drinkable. Already seeing double after a few rips. I can barely read what I’ve written here.
7. Moody Ales & Co
Port Moody
Quite a pleasant beer, with a clear shot of orchard fruit. Definitely a lighter hazy experience at under 5%. Pours really foamy; I had two and they both did this.
8. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
Bright, robust, exceptional viscosity, and a wonderful and appetizing colour to round it out. Very close to perfect.
#1 Beer!
9. Bomber Brewing
Vancouver
Quite a robust and malty flavour to this. Not bad!
10. Powell Brewery
Vancouver
Another heavily malted hazy, with big flavour. Quite good!
11. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
The creamier, danker cousin of Colour and Shape, since it has lactose in it. It’s hard to call which is superior, as both are pretty close to being nectar of the gods.
Top 10 Beer!
12. La Cerveceria Astilleros
North Vancouver
A solid beer, though more malty than I’d expect based on the branding. Tropical fruit flavours are detectable, but at the price of a fairly bitter aftertaste.
13. Field House Brewing
Abbotsford
At over 8%, this is one boozy boy. Smoky, but has nice flavours overall. I like it a lot better than their previously reviewed “Hazy,” even despite the big ABV jump.
14. Hypha Project
Vancouver
This has a really nice, juicy flavour to it, which lingers into the aftertaste with little bitterness. A good find!
15. Dageraad Brewing
Burnaby
This is a yeasty, very Belgian tasting beer, which Dageraad specializes in. Definitely saison-adjacent. It’s not my favourite flavour for a hazy, but the execution is good, and The Shins reference and label aesthetics landed for me.
16. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
Nothing but sick rips here out of Superflux. It is very close to Colour and Shape, but with a bit less brightness to the flavour.
17. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
More wonderful, creamy sameness here from Superflux. While it is fairly indistinguishable from Colour and Shape and Dreamscape, its can design is one of my all-time favourites.
Best Can Design
18. Field House
Abbotsford
This is a big juicy boy, with a weighty ABV. The flavour is nice though, not too alcohol-forward, with low bitterness on the back end.
19. North Point Brewing Company
North Vancouver
This is super malty hazy, not juicy at all. Robust flavour, but I like more of a tropical fruit smoothie vibe to my beer.
20. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
Another great offering from Superflux, but more noticeably alcoholy than its labelmates. A slight downgrade from Colour and Shape, and the others reviewed above, but still better than most beers.
21. Steel & Oak Brewing Co.
New Westminster
An incredibly smooth, palatable hazy, with a light warm colour. Whilst it has more of a Boston Bruins aesthetic than I’d like, I’d still give this a solid A.
Top 10 Beer!
22. Twin Sails Brewing
Port Moody
This is a juice-chunker, the spiritual overlord of its little brother, Dat Juice (which is also great). A big navel blast to the palate.
23. Superflux Beer Company
Vancouver
A great, noticeably mellower little sibling to Superflux’s massive line of IPAs, though quite bitter on the aftertaste. Smooth this out, and we’ve got a perfect summer beer.
24. Boombox Brewing
Vancouver
A big flavour on this one, and very sweet, resembling a mango juice swamp. Maybe a bit too confectionary for my taste, but really smooth and creamy.
25. Boombox Brewing
Vancouver
Quite the juice lord here, with plenty of detectable fruit (especially pineapple), making for a fresh tasting, low bitterness hazy. Very enjoyable.
26. 33 Acres Brewing
Vancouver
Another go-to staple for my friends and I, this comes pretty close to the viscosity and quality of Superflux’s main gems. Has a lovely colour and tropical fruit profile, with no bitterness.
Top 5 Beer!
Vancouver Island
27. Small Gods Brewing
Sidney
As advertised, this definitely tastes like a saison. Has a really nice viscosity and colour, and mashes up two genres really well.
28. Ile Sauvage Brewing Co.
Victoria
A fairly malty hazy, with a robust and bitter aftertaste.
29. Small Gods Brewing Co.
Sidney, Vancouver Island
This is a malty hazy, with some bitterness. Nothing fruity or juicy or bomby about this one.
Top 10 Beer!
30. Muskoka Brewery
Victoria / Ontario
This is quite a solid pale ale, with a smooth, rich flavour, and not too bitter an aftertaste.
31. Small Gods Brewing Co.
Sidney
This is more on the malty than fruity side for a hazy, but is a clean, very enjoyable beer.
Top 5 Beer!
32. Muskoka Brewery
Victoria / Ontario
This is a bold, malty, not fruity at all hazy. Was a bigger fan of their Hazy Pale.
33. Herald St Brewing
Victoria
This has a super smoky, heavy taste, with high ABV. Has very little fruit taste despite the label, but still enjoyable.
34. Driftwood Brewing
Victoria
Tropical fruit and a soft malty taste makes this a great go to beer you can almost always find in the liquor store.
35. Category 12 Brewing
Saanichton
This is a beer us Islanders all know and love, and for the money, is one of the best hazies made in and around Victoria. Particularly good on tap.
Top 5 Beer!
36. Moon Under Water Brewery
Victoria
This is an awesome, and awesomely unique hazy, with a distinctly lemony and refreshing flavour. Has a great viscosity and overall quality to it, and is one of the standout discoveries of this review series!
37. Gladstone Brewing Company
Courtenay
Quite a refreshing, tangy, and very smooth pale ale, with little bitterness. A strong B.
Best New Beer
38. Small Gods Brewing Co.
Sidney
This is a malty hazy, with some bitterness. Nothing fruity or juicy or bomby about this one. Strong, hazy, and tasty.
39. Small Gods Brewing Co.
Sidney
A big blaster, this one, like its bibliographic namesake. Like the book, it’s probably not for everyone at 8.0% ABV (but both are definitely for me). There’s a special irony to naming a beer after a book that’s largely dedicated to the subject and analysis of addiction, so make of that what you will. I liked this beer quite a lot. Nice bit of sweetness and fruit, and more drinkable for its ABV than expected.
40. Driftwood Brewery
Victoria
Driftwood is one of the first on the craft beer scene, so they know how to make an amazing beer. Gravity Haze is fruity, balanced, and an all around great beer if you’re craving something hazy.
*Disclaimer – This list is in no way exhaustive, and many fine BC breweries are not represented here, such as Four Winds, Luppolo, Andina, Backcountry, Strathcona, Yellow Dog, Driftwood, etc. We have had many of these breweries’ hazy offerings, and can strongly recommend them as well!
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