Longwood Brewery's Berried Alive has become a summer classic to meet high demand. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

savoury

Signature Dish: Longwood Brewery’s Berried Alive

Jun 29, 2021 | 10:52 AM

NANAIMO — Summer arrives all year every time you crack a can of Berried Alive.

It’s become a staple of Longwood Brewery, with tart, fresh and fullsome berry flavours which tickle the tastebuds and sends a refreshing shiver down your spine.

Longwood brewmaster Harley Smith said it speaks about every aspect of summer.

“This beer is a quintessential spring-turning into summer-can’t wait for the raspberries to pop kind of beer. When you open a can it’s like a refreshing raspberry in every sip.”

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Berried Alive is a core recipe at Longwood and available for eight years.

Smith said the delicious smell of berries tantalizes you as you go for a drink and it’s an easy one to fall in love with.

“It’s slowly built a fan following. This used to be a summer seasonal beer but people started to get upset when we’d pull it at the end of summer. It’s our biggest selling summer beer.”

Berried Alive does more than give you something sweet and crisp to drink at a summer barbeque.

It also brings together Vancouver Island farmers in an effort to create a beer that represents the best of central Vancouver Island.

The barley used is from a farm up in Courtenay, while the hops come from two farms in the area. Though they’re not from here, the berries do their part of supporting local. They’re from a farming co-op in the Fraser Valley which is involving in helping other farmers.

“We’ve got a very nice B.C. supply of fruit. It’s not the most inexpensive way to make beer but we found it gets that fresh fruit flavour and that speaks to us about summer.”

Smith said the key idealogy of Longwood Brewing is crafting a central Island beer flavour but efforts grew organically over many years as they reached out to more farmers.

They’re also involved in helping others, everything from other mainstream breweries to local home brews.

This includes the Hop Fusion Hazy ISA, which was created as a home brew by City employee Brent Burgoyne.

The beer was created over many years by Burgoyne and brewed by Longwood.

Smith said they’ll always do their part to support local and help craft beer enthusiasts.

Longwood Brewery’s Boxwood Rd. location is currently open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

You can find many of their beers, including Berried Alive, on tap at restaurants all over Vancouver Island.

Signature Dish is brought to you by Island Savings – A Division of First West Credit Union, learn more at https://www.islandsavings.ca/.

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