The Regardians Coffee Ale from White Sails is surprisingly light and bright, unlike most coffee-influenced beers. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

light roast

Signature Dish: White Sails’ Regardians Coffee Ale

Jul 2, 2021 | 2:13 PM

NANAIMO — A popular coffee-infused beer is a fine friend at a great party without giving you an over-caffeinated kick.

The White Sails Brewing Regardians Coffee Ale is a staple of White Sails’ taps, first brewed years ago and tweaked to perfection in the last three years.

The beer was crafted in close collaboration with Regard Coffee Roaster, a unique boutique coffee shop which caters to hip kids and older coffee afficionados. His coffee orders change the taste of the Regardians Coffee Ale, so every batch has a distinct kick.

“We’re really proud of the collaboration we have with Regard Coffee. We’ve always wanted to do a beer together and we finally got around to doing it,” Brian McCarthy, general manager of White Sails, said.

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McCarthy said White Sails toiled over the beer for some time to get it just right.

“We’d fill some cold brew in a cask with our Departure Bay session ale. We’ve tried many different versions of it, from orange mocha frappacinos in a chocolate porter to sour coffee beers. It’s interesting with the Regardians because it always tastes different. We try to built it around whatever beans Andrew Knox at Regard likes at that time.”

Nearly every batch of Regardians is a light ale, as close to a domestic lager as White Sails makes.

“It’s one of the few java beers out there that isn’t a dark coffee ale. To be so light in body and be able to show off the specialty-roast flavours is really different in the beer market,” McCarthy said. “We haven’t entered it into an award show but we’re hopeful it will bring in some hardware at some point.”

The Regardians is available on tap and in cans at White Sails on Front St. and many area liquor stores.

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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