Up until this point in time, nearly all of our site content has had a focus on the global scale. From Simo Häyhä the Finnish sharp shooter, to Frane Selak the man with an apparent inability to die. All of these people and their manliness are distanced from the Man Institutes home base of British Columbia, Canada. We figure, it’s about time we had a section of the site completely dedicated to local manly men and their manly exploits, and it just so happens that there is an abundance of local talent. We’ll start with Dead Frog Brewery.

You may ask, why Dead Frog? Aren’t they quite petite in comparison to the beer brewing juggernauts that currently exist? Why not tour a giant brewery and write an article on them? I will answer the questions you never asked. There is nothing manly about drinking just any beer developed and distributed by the average Joe Billionaire and his associates. There is however, something manly about drinking a unique beer developed by the average Joe Normalperson through tedious trial and error and backyard brewing. There is also something manly about drinking a beer that strays away from the traditional cliché marketing strategies of large breweries, and carves their own niche and their own path to beer superstardom.

There are far too many beers out their making claims like “So-and-So Brewing est. 1603.” Yes, technically a similar beer may have existed for that long, but more than likely it was an old guy producing beer in his garage. A major company forms, steals his name and uses it for the name of their beer. Just like magic, this beer has been in business for several hundred years. Beer is proven to have existed for 6,000 years. I think we might create: “Sumeria Brewing Company est. 4,000 B.C.- The only thing more refreshing, was the development of the modern irrigation system”

Dead Frog doesn’t make ridiculous claims, and they don’t promote their beer in the same fashion that virtually all major brewing companies do. They use bright colors, a catchy name, creative wording (Nothing goes down like a cold dead frog!), and a delicious flavor to do the work for them. To be given the opportunity to tour such a unique beers brewing facility was truly an honor, and it’s a great shame that there are no taste tester positions opening any time soon.

The Man Institute’s tour began with the best part of any brewery tour…the taste test. We also had a great opportunity to ask important questions that were on our minds about the brewery. Our tour guide, Chris, seemed to have all the answers and his passion for the company and beer in general really showed. For those who don’t know, Dead Frog brews four premium beers:

Lager- The moneymaker. A deliciously brewed summer beer. This beer accounts for 40% of Dead Frog’s overall sales. This is due to the beer’s delicious taste, obviously, but also due to the public’s love of lagers. For this reason, the government liquor stores stock up on lagers while some of the company’s beers can get less attention. The Dead Frog Lager is a good place to start, but we recommend trying all four of the company’s flavors.

 

 

Honey Brown- Containing actual honey, this beer is a tad more flavorful than the lager, but still goes down smoothly and is beyond refreshing. We were told that this is what they consider a “summer beer.” The sales seem to go way up in the summer and for good reason. This is what we imagine god must drink on a hot summer day. It’s like angel tears must taste.

 

 

Pale Ale- A very unique flavor with a delicious aftertaste. Progressively darker, but no less delicious. As we drank this one, we felt that it would go hand in hand with a nice cigar which is probably something we will be trying very shortly.

 
 

 

Nut Brown- Dead Frog’s “darkest” beer. Darkest is in quotations because the beer doesn’t necessarily taste the same way you would assume a typical dark beer to taste. When people see a dark looking beer, they often immediately think stout. This just isn’t true of the nut brown, however. While it has a very flavorful, unique taste, it isn’t over-powering and is still capable of refreshing you when you’re overheating. We were also informed that Dead Frog considers the nut brown their “winter beer.” After tasting it, you’ll see why. While tasting the nut brown, we could picture drinking it around the fireplace while snow is coming down outside (Or rain in the Lower Mainland’s case).

After the tasting we were guided into the factory itself, where all the magic happens. We were expecting to enter this facility and see things of wonder and whimsy, like a giant beer waterfall, and surly little beer Oompa Loompas (basically the chocolate factory, but with beer). It turns out, however; that there is no beer waterfall per se, and all of the beer Oompa Loompas were in their cage for the day as they only work nightshift, according to our tour guide. Even though there were no beer Oompa Loompas, or even a beer waterfall, there were giant shiny vats filled to the brim with every mans dream. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our swimsuits or we may of had a dip in one of the tanks, oh well, there was a no diving policy anyways.

OoOoO shiny! Not only are they shiny, they’re filled with Dead Frog. Thousands of liters of Dead Frog to be more accurate. The shinier, bigger tanks are new additions to their operation. These tanks combined are capable of holding up to 45,000L of delicious product. The newer 3 tanks can hold 9,000L each whereas the older 3 hold 6,000L each.

Along with the gigantic beer holsters, there were stacks upon stacks of empty dead frog 6-packs, prepped and waiting to be filled with froggy goodness. We were also introduced to the delicious grains that contribute to the signature Dead Frog flavor in their dry, unadulterated state. We know, you were expecting mashed up frogs and not bags of grain, but unexpectedly the grains are nearly as delicious dry as they are in the beer. After hand feeding us like goats for a couple of minutes, our wonderful tour guide proceeded to guide us to the Dead Frog cooler, where the finished Dead Frog product keeps a perfect chill, patiently waiting to brighten your day.

Some stacks of dead frog 6-packs, and an unbelievably handsome Man Institute rep.

The grain that makes your beer taste delicious. This is also what controls the darkness of your beer. Darker grain = darker beer.

These are the bottles labeled and waiting to be filled. Not so spectacular until we mention that every single bottle Dead Frog puts out is labeled and filled by hand. A hell of a lot of hard work went into your beer….Enjoy it.

En-route to the cooler we happened to notice some motivational posters along the wall, and we couldn’t help but wonder, who the hell needs motivation? You’re operating a brewery, isn’t that every grown man’s dream? Well it most likely is, but the majority of those men picture Oompa Loompas and flowing beer rivers just as we had. In reality, the process of creating, brewing and delivering a beer to your sweaty palm is quite complex and requires a ton of hard work that most people don’t even know exists.

Cheer up buttercup…look around you!

Soon enough, we made it to the cooler and it turns out, it’s a giant room…that’s cool. Aside from the fact that there are pallet loads of freshly brewed beer, there is not really much to look at or take in, that is until our tour guide informed us of the fact that this single cooler, was the size of their entire brewery when the first Dead Frogs were being drank. Proof that a small time brewery can make it big time with a hell of a lot of work and determination. So keep dreaming you beer bellied home brewers!

The cooler.

If you’re reading this, and you’ve made it all the way through without heading to your liquor store to pick up a case of dead frog, congratulations, you have great self restraint, but get the hell up and go already. You will not regret it. Hopefully with this, and future articles illustrating local talent, you regional readers will be motivated to take in some of the Lower Mainland’s manliest attractions.

Dead Frog Brewery
Unit 1, 27272 Gloucester Way,
Aldergrove, BC, V4W 4A1
Phone: (604) 856-1055
Fax: (604) 856-9803
Toll Free: 1-888-856-1055

Or join them on facebook!

 

Tagged: awesome, beer, cool, drinking, funny, intelligence, interesting, manly, neat