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SFU unable to keep hockey title

By
EIC
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0

UBC knocks off  SFU,take grudge matches

By Bryan Scott
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee


The Simon Fraser Men’s hockey team failed to repeat as the winners of the University Hockey Challenge last weekend. The challenge consisted of two games between rivals UBC and SFU. Each team had one home game.
The first game was indicative of last years bought which saw SFU winning in a tie-breaking shootout in the second game. Unfortunately, SFU lost 4–3 with 2:24 remaining in the overtime period at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
SFU competes in a different league than UBC, which became apparent in the next game at Bill Copeland Arena. UBC destroyed SFU 8–0 to sweep the series and the 2012 title.

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1st

By
EIC
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2

Engage this

Dear editor,

I am writing to you because I feel that the majority of undergraduate students are not aware of the ramifications of Build SFU and its affiliated projects. Earlier this year, the SFSS called a referendum, and 1,193 students voted in favour of (and 1,003 against) a proposal to build a $65 million addition to Simon Fraser’s main campus. The winning margin was slim, and the question was confusing. It included the approval of an additional student fee that would go towards building new student space on campus, including a Student Union Building and a new football stadium.

What is wrong with this picture? Well, ideally, SFU would be responsible for the construction of new sports facilities, not students. Let’s consider funding models of other Canadian stadiums.

The Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba is currently under construction thanks to a combination of private funds and $40 million dollar contributions from both provincial and federal governments. To be fair, this field is scheduled to be a venue during 2015 women’s FIFA world cup. Ottawa University’s athletics department is covering the estimated $8 million necessary to construct a modest new football field for their team, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Individual students already give Simon Fraser University several thousand dollars worth of tuition and ancillary fees per year — it should not be our responsibility to pay for additional facilities. Furthermore, students who voted in favour of supporting a new stadium will likely be long gone by the time the facility is built. Considering this, it is only fair that future generations of students will have the option to opt out of any recently implemented funds related to the project — an option that exists for other SFSS related clubs and services. Not only is the existence of this fee highly ethically questionable, but its continued existence should be optional for current and future students.

On another note, Jeff McCann’s SFSS was the same SFSS that approved the construction of a men’s centre at SFU. Without taking a position for or against this men’s centre, I will point out that there was a widespread concern over the lack of apparent consultation with students or existing groups in regards to the centre. This sentiment was felt around campus this spring and expressed in a story that Macleans.ca ran on May 1st. I am also curious to know the extent to which the SFSS has consulted with the university’s gender and women’s studies department, as well as existing social justice groups on campus.

I am not ideologically opposed to a new field, a men’s centre, or other projects proposed since I transferred to SFU last year. What I am ideologically opposed to is a lack of transparency and an apparent fast-tracking of community-oriented agendas with community input as an apparent afterthought. I once worked with someone whose motto was “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.” For me, the level to which the SFSS is adopting this attitude is disturbing and frustrating.

These are my qualms with the current SFSS as well as the Rebuild SFU project. As a communications major and an editor for an online publication, I am appalled by the decision to include Jeff McCann’s letter to the editor in last week’s edition of The Peak. This media space is supposed to be an area for “complaints, compliments, or comments” or “less formal opinions pieces, particularly geared towards responses to content in The Peak.” Nowhere else in this particular issue is student space or the Rebuild SFU represented, and Jeff McCann’s article reads like what it effectively is — an SFSS sponsored ad.

Students, I urge you to look further into the decisions made by the current SFSS while demanding clarity from an organization that is supposed to represent you. By allocating funds and approving projects first, and then begging for student input later, the SFSS are essentially operated contrary to their mandate of “meaningful undergraduate student participation in all aspects of University Government.”

The SFU community does need to engage, we do need to be involved, but let’s remind ourselves, the current SFSS, as well as SFU’s administration that we are students, not oblivious investors.

As a letter to the editor, the opinions expressed in this letter my own, and do not represent the views of an organization.

Sincerely,

Amanda McCulley
SFU Student
 

First world problems

Dear editor,

Regarding Lana Friesen’s article about feminism in the last issue of The Peak, I have to say it caused me to raise enough of an eyebrow to warrant a rebuttal of sorts.

Aside from the girl who has confused the movie Carrie for a documentary and the other lady who has taken “fetishize” to mean “ignore completely,” for an article that intends to inform I find it disappointing that it has chosen to enumerate a convoluted list of first world problems instead of directing readers to the fact that while in the west women deal with sexism and other forms of nuisance, elsewhere in the world they are being subject to a laundry list of very real atrocities — honor killings, mutilation, slavery, etc.

While bigger issues do not automatically negate smaller ones, given the tone of Lana’s article I feel compelled to point out that these are the people who truly need our awareness and rescue.

As a letter to the editor, the opinions expressed in this letter my own, and do not represent the views of an organization.

Sincerely,

Mike Tyson
SFU Student

The aesthetics of copyright

By
EIC
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1


Copyright law is changing the way that design aesthetics develop

 

By Jennifer Bednard
Photos by Mark Burnham

By now, most people have heard of the landmark decision favouring Apple in a lawsuit against Samsung. Apple claimed that the Korean company had violated copyright in its designs for a whole host of smartphones. Design aspects such as the screen size, the rounded corners of the phone and the ability to zoom in or out by bringing the fingers together or apart were major considerations in the suit.

In another recent lawsuit, shoe designer Christian Louboutin was awarded the ability to trademark a certain aspect of his shoe design — red soles on high-heeled shoes. The decision requires any other shoe company to only use red soles on their shoes if the rest of the sole is red.

These decisions are signs of a worrying trend in patent and copyright laws: the extension of copyright to not only specific attributes of a brand, such as a logo, but also to more generalized aspects of a design. Awarding these companies the sole right to use certain design elements puts artistic design fully within the realm of copyright law. This is problematic, as design is art, and so much of art is a direct response to other pieces of art. Most recognizable art movements start from a few innovators, followed by a larger group that are inspired by the aesthetic. Imagine if the Group of Seven had been able to sue Emily Carr for painting impressionist Canadian landscapes.

To be sure, an art movement is different than a consumer product, but many of the principles remain the same. Many “masters” within an art movement were not the founders of movements, but were artists who enjoyed an aesthetic and realized how to fully realize the form. In the same way, product designers should be able to create variations on a design so that customers can choose the most pleasing and functional design. As long as the products are not virtually identical — something that the competitor would not logically encourage anyways, as they would be unable to differentiate the brands — there should be no problem with products with similar designs. A lawsuit of this type demonstrates that a company doesn’t believe their product actually is the best in its class.

Lawsuits based on design aesthetics are a slippery slope. If a designer can claim exclusive rights to the colour of the sole of a shoe, why couldn’t Ikea copyright the dimensions of its Billy bookcases? They could claim that the bookcase is famous enough that competitors’ bookcases with very similar dimensions are profiting off of Ikea’s unique idea. Will one company or another eventually claim every shape, colour, font and interface? At what point does copyright promote innovation and when does it begin to inhibit it?

Men’s soccer continues domination

By
EIC
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0

SFU wins twice, sit on top of conference

By Bryan Scott

The Simon Fraser University men’s soccer team continued their successful season this past week. They played the University of Mary Marauders on the road, then the Seattle Pacific University Falcons. The Clan were triumphant, taking both games.
Their first match of the week was in Bismarck, ND, where they took on the University of Mary Marauders. This game needed the full 90 minutes plus another six minutes of overtime to find a victor. The teams would remain scoreless until the 22nd minute when forward Carlo Basso netted his 9th of the season on a nice pass from Johan Blagojevic. The teams would finish the first half without another goal despite the quickness and intensity of the game.
The Marauders were unable to hold the Clan back to start the second half, as Alex Rowley gave the Clan a 2–0 lead in the 50th minute. It seemed as though the Clan were going to cruise to their seventh win of the season, but in the 81st minute, the Marauders dug deep, cutting the lead to one. The time was trickling down to the buzzer, and with just a few seconds remaining the ball was kicked by a Marauders player, off the crossbar and in the net. The gamed needed an overtime hero.
Luckily, that hero came in the form of Clan freshman forward Colin Jaques. He beat the opposing goaltender from five yards out to give the Clan an important conference win.
The Clan returned home to face the Seattle Pacific University Falcon’s on Terry Fox Field. This time there was no question about the Clan’s dominance. A likely suspect in Chris Bargholz scored in the seventh minute, he buried another in the 24th minute, both goals were assisted by Justin Wallace. Wallace scored one of his own four minutes later to give the Clan a 3–0 lead. Head coach Alan Koch was pleased with the start, “Our players were ready to play from the first whistle and it showed. Justin Wallace was brilliant. He has had a slow start to the season, and it was great to see him come out of his shell.” The Clan finished the half with a 4–1 lead and outshot the Falcon’s 14–5. Blagojevic added another goal late in the game. “This was our best performance of the season so far,” continued Koch.
With the 5–1 win, the Clan sit on top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a record of 4–1 (8–1 overall).

Your ticket is your soul

By
EIC
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0

Dr. Faustus: there’s a call for you. Beelzebub is waiting on line three
By Paul Hurst

“A sleep trance, a dream dance, a shared romance: Synchronicity”

The Police: Synchronicity 

Carl Jung described “synchronicity” as “temporally coincident occurrences of acausal events.”  I seem to experience this regularly.

In my Humanities 330 course, “Wrestling With The Devil”, I was reminded that the devil is sometimes presented as a slick lawyer or corporate “bankster” in a tailored silk suit.

Satan is the historical and cross-cultural personification of evil. Since the Global Economic Crisis began in 2008, a growing class war in the developed world has led to the demonizing of large corporations.  Occupy Wall Street is case in point.

How does this tie into ICBC? The corporation has a reputation for being awful to deal with, but many people I talk to have had surprisingly positive interactions with ICBC. By and large, my former co-workers are normal, compassionate human beings that want to help their customers. In my case, I’m more humanoidish, with a bit of Terminator in my personality. I’m also a great cook, and I love puppies and kittens.

With the recent scandal involving ICBC ‘s executive, I felt a definite twinge of synchronicity with my Humanities course.  Then again, corporate scandals seem to be omnipresent these days. I guess maybe it was just timely that ICBC was the scandal de jour.

When you graduate, dear reader, and move onto the work world, you’ll find that your education continues. But you will enter the school of hard knocks, where you will learn street smarts, if you are lucky. Sometimes people at the pinnacle of an organization seem to lack those kind of smarts.

This dearth is, however, not isolated to ICBC.

One important lesson in my street education was: never slag former employers, and don’t burn bridges unless absolutely necessary. You never know when you’ll have to make a tactical retreat back across said bridge.

ICBC gave me a powerful skill set, and an education in life that school could not.

Keeping a job often comes down to always being honest, and not stealing from your employer. I always followed these rules.

I think the most important lesson one can take from last month’s resignation of ICBC’s president Jon Schubert is this: always remain humble (and ethical), or the world will make you so.

Some of you will end up in positions of power and authority.  But all of us are tempted to bend the rules to gain some perceived benefit. When, like Dr. Faustus, you sign that bargain, and you copy and paste your way through university, remember that it can come back to haunt you years later.

15 years from now, as you sit at your expensive desk, in your beautiful corner office on the 66th floor of Mega-Giganto Corporation, remember the Fausts who have gone before you. And think twice when Beelzebub wanders in with an offer you can’t refuse. You might end up paying with your soul.

Loss leaves Clan at the bottom

By
EIC
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0

Clan fail to score, keep ball late fall to 1–3

By Bryan Scott


The Simon Fraser University Clan Football team was unable to break their current two-game losing streak over the weekend against the Western Oregon University Wolves. The Clan lost a fourth quarter lead, losing a heartbreaker, 20–16.
The Clan took the lead 7–0 with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter. Clan receiver Kyle Kawamoto caught a 29-yard pass from Trey Wheeler, who went 36 for 46 for 404 yards in the air with two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.
The Clan led the game 10–0 at half time. The Wolves battled back, scoring on a one-play 59-yard pass at 3:45 of the third quarter (the convert was blocked by SFU). They scored again in the first part of the 4th quarter to take the lead 13–10. Wheeler connected with receiver Lamar Durrant in the end zone to put the clan up again, 16–13. Durrant led the Clan receiving core, catching 12 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Wolves strung together a game-winning, eight-play drive where they picked up 69 yards in just over two minutes to take the lead.
With 2:50 left on the clock, the Clan offense drove the ball from their own 22-yard line. They made it 69 yards down to the Wolves’ 14-yard line with impressive plays from running back Bo Palmer, Durrant, and Bobby Pospischil getting out of bounds to stop the clock on several occasions. With 24 seconds left, and the game on the line, Wheeler tossed the ball to the end zone. For the second time in as many weeks, the ball found the hands of the wrong team and the Clan lost the game.

With the loss, the Clan are left looking for answers. After winning their first game of the year, they have lost three straight. The Clan are tied with Azusa Pacific at the bottom of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference; both teams are 0–3 in conference play.

Coca-Cola angrily responds to SFU’s switch to Pepsi

By
EIC
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0

Coca-Cola airs out grievances in an emotional letter to the university that jilted the carbonated drink.
By Coca-Cola

Are you fucking kidding me? A phone call? That’s how you decide to end our contract? After eight blissfully contractually obligated years of service, eight faithful years as your sole soft drink provider, you suddenly decide to end it and all I get is a voicemail at three in the morning.

“We at SFU think you’re really great, but currently feel that the services provided Coca Cola do not accurately represent the soda dispensing needs of students and staff on campus. This is more about us than about you.
“Futhermore, we have put in a request to opt out of the renewal clause of the 10-year contract between Simon Fraser University and Coca Cola Ltd. The CDs and hoodie you left at our apartment will be in a box with the doorman. We’re sorry.”

I always knew that you were a coward, but this is a new low.

You thought you were being so careful, “No, honey, I’m just not thirsty tonight, it was a long day at the office.” Oooh, this is just so typical, I bet you smooth talked her, took her out to our vending machine, the special one. How many soft drink companies did you parade over our memories? What about Dr. Pepper Snapple Group? I bet she was there at one point. That slut.

Besides, you know she’s not naturally sweetened right? That crisp refreshing aftertaste that you’re so into, that’s all hi-fructose corn syrup, and I know as a fact from a certain Dr. Pepper that she’s got the herp!

Okay, look, I’m sorry for exploding like that. I didn’t mean half the things I said, it’s just that all this anger and confusion has got me shaken up. I just — I thought that despite our problems, we were pretty Mello Yello, you know. Maybe things weren’t Fanta-stic, especially in last few years but I always figured at least al-Sprite. Sure we’d fight but we never really to hurt one another more Barqs than bite, if anything. But this, I never saw this coming; this was just a bolt from the Pepsi Blue. It Crushed me.

Honestly, the reason why I’m so hurt in the first place is because I thought what we had was special. You liked me for me; I didn’t have to throw on any of these airs, to pretend to be something I wasn’t. I didn’t need to be Coca Cola with Lime, Vanilla Coke, or Cherry Coke. You didn’t care about my past, how I had tried reinventing myself in the 80s, and the dark time I served in the cola wars. I felt safe with you. But you can just imagine how hard it is to be rational when every time I get a second to think all I think about is you sneaking around town with her and it just — gets to me.

Anyways, I’ll bounce back. I’m a strong independent multibillion-dollar soft drink congrlomerate; I’ll find someone else even if it hurts now. I just needed to get this off my label, and I wanted to you to know that despite all this ugliness, I’ll always cherish the years I spent dispensing you fizzy sugar water. Goodbye.

Read it & Weep: Fred

By
EIC
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0

By Travis Dandro at Travisdandro.com

Oktoberfest

By
EIC
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2

By Adam Dewji

Are you celebrating?



Photos by Mark Burnham

Costume provided by Karin’s Dirndl (Facebook.com/TheRealBavarian; 778 688 7648)

It’s October: season of crunchy leaves and scarves, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is the annual 16-day fair in Munich that celebrates the rich history of beer. Its roots date back to 1810, but since then, cities across the world have started celebrating it annually as well — the biggest celebration in North America takes place on our very own Canadian soil, in Kitchener-Waterloo.

If you’re a beer drinker, and you’re sick of the same old shit, or you want to try something new, but don’t want your wallet to cry about it, don’t worry, because I’ve done the work for you. Just read along! I’ve also had over 160 different beers, so I think it’s safe to assume I learned a thing or two along the way.

These are my top ten beers, all of which are brewed in B.C., and readily available at BC Liquor Stores and fine drinking establishments near you. I’ve taken into account that other microbrews might taste better, but they wouldn’t be available at a mainstream liquor outlet, so I haven’t included them in my list.

Let’s get that countdown started.

10. Garibaldi Honey Pale Ale

  • Brewed by: Howe Sound Brewing Company, Squamish, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 4.5
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: $7.25 for a 1L bottle

Pop the top on this fancy looking bottle and make sure to pour this beer after it’s been chilled well. It has the noticeable taste of honey, along with the malt and grass of the pale ale; the flavours mix quite well together, creating a bit of a lingering honey taste afterwards.

It knocks the socks off of most pale ales, and in my opinion, outdoes the GI Pale Ale by at least one point on the scale, due to its taste and texture.  If you’re looking to sample a new pale ale, specifically a honey pale ale, this one should be next on your list. It can be consumed on its own, as it’s moderately carbonated, and it even tastes relaxing.

 

9. High Country Kolsch

  • Type: Lager
  • Brewed by: Mt. Begbie Brewing Company, Revelstoke, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 4.5
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: $11.00 for a six-pack of cans

I’m not much of a lager guy myself, seeing as the best lagers always come out of Europe. But because I don’t discriminate, and I just had to do all the research to find a good lager (and, oh, how I enjoyed my research), I decided on High Country Kolsch. This lager is definitely light-bodied, goes down smooth, and has heavy flavourings of bready malts. One thing I didn’t expect was the slight grape malt hint at the end of the taste.

As is the case with Kolsch beer, it leaves your mouth dry afterwards.  So, be warned, you’re going to want another sip, and another, and then another. I highly recommend playing beer pong or other drinking games with this beer. Lagers generally go down smoother, and this kicks the crap out of that Molson-like shit that people like to force-feed us during drinking games. This costs $11 for a six-pack, which is cheaper than Molson, and tastes way better.

 

8. Blackheart Oatmeal Stout

  • Brewed by: Nelson Brewing Company, Nelson, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5.7
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: $11.95 for a six-pack of bottles

 

The Blackheart Oatmeal Stout is the king of breakfast beers. If you’re hung over, this is the beer to drink. You’ll feel like you just ate a bowl of oatmeal, and you’ll delay the onset of your hangover just long enough to either get to McDonald’s, grab a Powerade, or make yourself a damn smoothie. Honestly, nothing goes better after a night of drinking than waking up to this oatmeal stout. It’s thick, rich, and full bodied. It’s like someone threw oatmeal, cocoa, and a bit of coffee into a Guinness, made it taste better, and bottled it.

This beer is not for the faint of heart.  If you’ve had a stout before, such as a Guinness, and liked it, you will definitely enjoy this. However, there’s another porter on this list that might have your name on it (see #1).

 

 

7. Nut Brown Ale

  • Brewed by: Dead Frog Brewery, Aldergrove, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: $12.25 for six-pack of bottles

I’ll admit it: I bought this one because it had a clear bottle and a cool sounding name.  I was sick of regular beer, and I said “Hey, let’s support the local guys!” Damn, what a good choice. The nut brown ale pours a cola-like colour, with a one-half- to three-quarter-inch of head, and when I smelled it, I could definitely pick up hints of nuts and cocoa.

The tastehas a tiny hint of coffee in medium-bodied (but not too heavy) ale. I hate to call it a dark ale, but it’s got all the remnants of one, without the heaviness. This beer won’t break your bank, and it’ll make you want more. There’s a reason it comes in a six-pack; you’ll try the first one and won’t share the rest. Why buy shitty beer when you can buy this for the same price or cheaper? Maybe you like shitty beer, but hopefully this article will change your mind.

 

6. White Bark Ale

  • Type: Hefeweizen (Wheat beer)
  • Brewed by: Driftwood Brewing Company, Victoria, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: $4.50 for a 650mL bottle

 

I don’t like wheat beers. Well, I didn’t. White Bark Ale completely changed my views on hefeweizens, and I am no longer opposed to ordering one at a bar. I shared a pitcher of this at the Cambie, and I was amazed at all of the tastes and the texture of this beer. It doesn’t hit you until you’re halfway through your pint, and you realize there’s a great citrusy flavour amidst all the spices in it. The malt and hops are very well balanced, allowing for a smooth finish.

Depending on where you go to grab this beer, it will either be very carbonated, or not at all. Either way, it’s delicious. This is the beer that brought me back to the wheat beers. I wouldn’t recommend it for drinking games though; that didn’t end well for a few of my friends. See #9 if you’re looking for drinking-game beer.

 

5. False Creek Raspberry Ale

  • Brewed by: Granville Island Brewing Company, Vancouver, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5
  • Rating: 9/10
  • Price: $12.45 for a 6-pack bottles

This raspberry ale kicks ass. Holy crap, I watched the bartender at the Highland Pub pour me a pint of this and I was kind of scared seeing as it poured quite pink. I was iffy, as I thought it would be a hefeweizen, but it most definitely isn’t! It had a strong taste of raspberry as soon as I dove into this one; the taste was so surprising that I finished the pint in less than two minutes and ordered more. It’s Granville Island’s summer beer, but it’s still widely available in liquor stores in the lower mainland. I’m pretty sure I had the last of their supply at the Highland Pub.

I don’t recommend this beer for chugging, as tempting as it is. However, it would go really well with a light meal, a sunny day, and some friends. Then again, don’t most beers go well with those things?

 

 

4. Red Racer Pumpkin Ale

  • Brewed by: Central City Brewing Company, Surrey, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5
  • Rating: 9/10
  • Price: $12.45 for a six-pack cans

It’s that time of year again! It’s fucking October, people. That means it’s time for some Pumpkin Ale! This ale pours a delicious pumpkin, cinnamon smell that makes your taste buds crave beer like they’re virgins again. Walk into the Central City Pub in Surrey where they brew this stuff and serve it fresh, and you’ll probably need that safe ride home.

There’s nothing overpowering in this beer, and I swear I can taste pumpkin pie crust in it. It also pours a beautiful amber-orange with quite a bit of head. It’s so unbelievably well put together that if you don’t try this, you haven’t had a pumpkin beer. It’s available in cans as well as on tap, in the Central City Pub down by the SFU Surrey Campus (what a way to end a class, eh?).

This beer is a limited edition, and won’t be available all year round. That means take the copy of The Peak that you’re reading now, go down there and drink! It’s quite a quality brewery, so try some of their other stuff too.

 

3. Red Racer ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

  • Brewed by: Central City Brewing Company, Surrey, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5
  • Rating: 9/10
  • Price: $13.45 for a six-pack cans

Do you like really strong, bitter beer? I’m not talking about heavy stouts, I’m talking about a kick-in-the-mouth, overflow of hops. Yeah? Good. This is your beer. The best part is the first overall hit with the very hoppy taste, followed by a crisp, clean finish. This is definitely a beer you’ll want to pair with a strong-tasting food, or it can be had on its own. Again, much like the pumpkin ale, this beer is brewed right beside the SFU Surrey campus, and always has my taste buds watering. Share a pitcher with a friend, and make sure to bring gum, unless you enjoy smelling like you downed a 12-pack at dinner.

The flavours infused in this ESB range from ripe fruits like orange and grapefruit, to the solid malty and hoppy tastes that you can expect from such a beer. If you’ve never tried an ESB before, I highly recommend it. I never knew how much I appreciated the strong taste until I actually had it. The ESB will leave your mouth with a crisp, dry after taste, with none of that linger that a lot of other beers have.

 

2. Fat Tug IPA

  • Brewed by: Driftwood Brewing Company
  • Alcohol percentage: 7
  • Rating: 9.5/10
  • Price: $5.50 for a 650mL bottle

All the beer-lovers will call Fat Tug their favourite beer brewed in B.C., but I’m really a stout guy, so it comes in second place for me. Don’t let that distract you, though; Fat Tug is the motherfucking don of beers! This India Pale Ale will blow your mind with an assortment of flavours from grapefruit, melons, and delicious malt.

This is a very bitter, very strong-tasting beer. Drink it cold, and drink it carbonated. If you’re not a chocolate-porter fanboy like I am, then this is probably the best beergasm you’ll have from a B.C. beer. I initially tasted something that resembled mango, followed by orange (or orange peel), and it ended with a weird caramel-like bread taste. That’s as best as I can put it.

You know the best part? It’s available right here on campus at the Highland Pub! It’s probably the best beer they’ve put on tap, ever. Go get one! If you’re reading this while drinking a Fat Tug at the Highland Pub, then my job is done (tips, please?).

 

1. Longboat Chocolate Porter

  • Type: English Porter
  • Brewed by: Philips Brewing Company, Victoria, B.C.
  • Alcohol percentage: 5.2
  • Rating: 10/10
  • Price: $4.77 for a 650mL bottle

If you’re a fan of stouts, porters, and flavoured porters, this is your beer (well, our beer). This, my friends, is the beer that gives me a mental boner and makes my taste buds drip wet. I have tried many a porter in my lifetime, from different countries, and this is the best beer I have ever had.

Right from the beginning, there is a cocoa-like, chocolate-y smell to this porter.  Bask your nose in the glory that will be your favourite chocolate porter. What is a chocolate porter? Think of a rich dark ale, now blend in some cocoa and chocolate. That’s right. When I first tried a chocolate porter, I thought combining the tastes of beer and chocolate would be disgusting, but neither overpowers the other in this one.

As with most porters, it has a thicker consistency, and is definitely full-bodied. The porter goes down very smoothly, and has a cooked or burnt chocolate after taste. It looks like rich dark chocolate, and has a very appropriate amount of head after the pour (just enough for that foamy moustache).

Join the Club: The Board Game Club

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EIC
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0

New to SFU? Missed clubs day? Finding it hard to make friends? Tired of sitting alone on Friday and Saturday night writing Link/Ganon slash-fiction? Well I’ll bet there’s a club that can take your mind off those dirty, nerdy thoughts! JOIN THE CLUB is a feature that showcases some of SFU’s lesser known clubs!

This Week we highlight the Board Game Club

Boasting a Monopoly on all things related to tabletop gaming, the BGC is one of the oldest clubs still in Operation at SFU. Club co-presidents and brothers Alex and Dean Parker preside over the clubs weekly meeting held in forum chambers, which regularly draw upwards of 30 people. Indeed, the club is currently the Pictionary of health. But this wasn’t always the case, as the Parker brothers describe the humble beginnings of their club.

“When we arrived at SFU as freshmen, there was no place for people to meet up over a good board game, so Guess Who had to start one? We did. Back then, starting a club was a bit of a bureaucratic mess, a real mad Scrabble for funding. In fact I recall we actually paid for the first board games out of our own Pay Day cheques, so it was actually quite a Risk. What if no one had come out? Our goal always was to Connect with the student body and we feel like we’ve accomplished that Four the most part. Since then we’ve been in the metaphorical Candy Land.”

“Sorry, if these jokes are a little Parcheesi,” they added.

By Gary Lim

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024