Brent Burgoyne's new Hop Fusion Hazy ISA is available at several private liquor stores and restaurants in the Nanaimo area and elsewhere in the province. (Submitted/Brent Burgoyne)

By Ian Holmes

Hoptimistic outlook

Nanaimo hobby brewer takes craft to next level

Nov 8, 2020 | 7:41 AM

NANAIMO — A home brewing kit opened the taps to opportunities far beyond the expectations of a Nanaimo beer maker.

Brent Burgoyne received the kit from his wife. Five years and roughly 80 batches later, his first original craft beer recipe is now stocked at several liquor stores and restaurants in Nanaimo and elsewhere in B.C.

“It’s a cool, fun thing to have my logo on a can in a liquor store and get real feedback from friends, family and even strangers,” Burgoyne told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Hop Fusion Hazy ISA was created and distributed in late October in collaboration with Nanaimo’s Longwood Brewery. It features several new strains of hops and has a citrus kick which doesn’t overpower its other flavours.

More than 2,000 litres was sent to liquor stores and restaurants in Nanaimo and across Vancouver Island. Shipments were also made to the Lower Mainland and interior.

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Burgoyne, a full-time City of Nanaimo employee, brews for family and friends in the garage and ferments in his house under the name Brown Dog Brewing.

There were frustrations and triumphs along the way.

“Three, four, even five weeks after brewing the beer when you first get to try it, it’s pretty upsetting when it’s not so good, but it’s very rewarding when it is,” Burgoyne said.

He gained confidence in his brews after placing well in craft beer contests locally and across Canada.

He said gauging honest feedback to adjust levels of hops and experiment with different types of yeast help guide his creations.

“It’s kind of a never-ending process. I do constant tweaking to make it a little bit better.”

While the idea of making money off his beers is enticing, Burgonye said he’s aware of the competitive ever-expanding craft-brewing marketplace.

“Right now I’m set on my day job, but who knows what the future will bring.”

Harley Smith, Longwood Brewery co-owner and brew master, called the local home brewing community Burgoyne is a part of an “extremely talented” group of people.

He said hobbyist brewers nowadays have access to more efficient, quality equipment and a thriving online community to help eliminate mistakes.

“You can have discussions with people all over the world about ingredients and different brewing styles. There’s calculators, recipe developers, it’s endless the kind of knowledge you can get,” Smith told NanaimoNewsNOW while labelling Burgoyne’s beer.

Smith said more than 200 craft breweries are operating in the province, compared to less than 40 under a decade ago.

He said early reviews on Burgoyne’s latest offering are extremely positive.

“It’s phenomenal, just to see what happens online on social media, that’s a pretty good indication of what’s going on. We couldn’t have picked a more popular style of beer.”

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes