Welcome to Tapped In, a thing Brendan Kergin writes. It's about local beers and the culture (as in social behaviours, not yeast) for the people who like Vancouver's ale and lager scene, but aren't in like with it.
When you hear the term "Candyland" an East Van brewery may not leap to mind.
But it might after a try of their returning brew Candyland. It's not entirely clear what category it should fit in; when they reached out they referred to it as "Superflux’s take on Pink Cream Soda." That's not a typical beer category.
Incredibly red with a pink head when poured, it's also hazy as hell. Broadly speaking it's a fruit beer, and let's just stop there as far as categorization.
Flavour-wise it doesn't fit well into a box, either. While sours are one of the trendier styles right now, especially for beers with fruit, this is on the far end of the spectrum without being overly sweet (don't worry, it's nothing like Früli).
They hit their target of cream soda fairly accurately. After thinking on it, the flavour is pretty reminiscent of the old Campino candies from childhood. The raspberry is the dominant flavour, but it's not a very tart raspberry (though the aroma is on the tart side) which you might expect in a beer, but a more creamy one from the vanilla.
In fact, because of that, it may actually be the ideal beer to introduce someone who dislikes beer to craft beer. If hoppy, bitter brews are bad news for them, this might fight their palate better.
Candyland is available at Superflux on tap and in four-packs of cans-to-go while supplies last.
Have an idea for what in the Vancouver beer world Brendan should aim his laser-focused brai — SQUIRREL — n on next? Email him via email. Here's his email address: [email protected]. Also he's on Twitter for the 12 people still using it: @bkergin
