Nanaimo’s Wolf Brewing Prepares to Pounce on BC Craft Beer
Wolf Brewing has been under the current ownership now for three years and while things have been relatively comfortable for this small Nanaimo based brewery it is time to expand. Working with a 10HL system this tight brewing team is looking to double in size with delivery of a bigger system by the end of May 2014. New tanks are set to arrive shortly and in mere months we will see new beers in greater quantity coming from this previously limited brewery.
Standard Wolf brews have included a Golden Ale, IPA, Scotch Ale, Dark Ale and a Porter. Between these five options the brewhouse has been at capacity for some time. Wolf Beer has subsequently been hard to find outside of Nanaimo as it is rather popular among the locals. Between Nanaimo, the rest of the island, Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland spotty availability has created a Where’s Waldo hunt for the beer. With an expansion comes new capacity. A capacity for more of what has been so successful and a capacity to bring new seasonal brews to market and tempt the diverse palate of BC craft beer drinkers.
Three years into brewing, Wolf has had a rebirth and is taking a fresh look on what they are doing. In addition to doubling the 10HL brewhouse to a 20HL system they have also recently entered the cask conditioning side of craft beer. The experimentation phase of casks is well underway at Wolf so do not be surprised to find new and flavourful twists of your favourite brews arriving at local pubs and festivals.
With change comes some growing pains and there will be some noticeable differences moving forward. The brewhouse will shift gears allowing the new beer to remain unfiltered. Also, a more sophisticated system will change the flavour and remove some inconsistency from the product. The beer will not taste tomorrow as it does today but in the end it will be a higher quality, consistent and undoubtedly delicious addition to the shelves of your local craft beer retailer and a delicious handle at the taps of your favourite craft beer pub. If the mystique of Wolf Brewing has allured you, just wait as the beer will undoubtedly enter the larger, British Columbia craft beer stage very soon!
Glad to hear as it has been quite hard to find their beer.
Do you have a Wolf Brewing Company in Vancouver?