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July 31 2025: We visit Vancouver’s newest brewery

July 31 2025: We visit Vancouver’s newest brewery

Plus: What’s with all the B.C. wildfire documentaries: an investigation.

July 31, 2025

Hey there. How’s your Thursday going?

I’m here to drop some facts on you that I’ve learned this week. Did you know that none of Africa’s major rivers are navigable year-round due to huge elevation changes? Did you know that 30 years ago, Montreal suffered through eight years of violence with the unfairly cool name of the Quebec Biker War? Did you know that nominations for the Best of Vancouver awards are now open and eagerly awaiting your expert input?

If you’re three for three, congratulations: you’re the winner of this week’s trivia contest. You get to bask in the gentle smugness of being right. That’s something money can’t buy.

— V.
Associate Editor

— FEATURE —

Why are there so many films about wildfires right now?

What do Incandescence, Wildfire, and BC is Burning all have in common? They are all documentaries about the new reality of life in B.C.: the fires that turn every summer into smoke season. “When wildfires started up, I thought, ‘This is the easiest way to think about climate change because it’s so immediately visible,’ ” explains Chelsea Birks, a film studies lecturer at UBC. “Firefighters have a conflict on the frontlines with something that is a tangible result of this amorphous, giant catastrophe.”

— LIVING —

Bike the Night returns with free entry and a new route

Make some noise about the importance of cycling infrastructure with the sixth annual Bike the Night—and pedal across the brand-new Granville Connector while you’re at it.

Supercross revs into Vancouver for its only Canadian stop
The Richmond Maritime Festival is knot your average summer party

Run for community

Help PHS Community Services Society raise $25,000 through the Under Armour Eastside 10K in September.

Run virtually or in-person. Join or donate to Team PHS here.

(Use 25PHS for 10% off registration.)

Every day PHS provides supportive housing, meals, healthcare and harm reduction for thousands of marginalized people in Vancouver. Please help.

— ARTS —

Electric Neon Clock excavates a long-hidden history

Multimedia artist Alison S.M. Kobayashi knows that her family lost everything in 1944, when the Canadian government forcibly interned people with Japanese ancestry. Now, she’s using the government’s own files to find out what happened to her family—a project that she’ll show at Powell Street Festival this weekend.

Film professor Harry Killas on the art of method acting
Get caught up in the banter, romance and lush atmosphere of Much Ado About Nothing at Bard on the Beach this summer! Tickets available now.*

*sponsored listing

Energy that hits different

Mateína’s new Zero Sugar line delivers smooth, organic energy from yerba mate — no crash, no weird ingredients. With clean caffeine and theobromine, it supports lasting focus and mental clarity. It’s plant-powered fuel that helps you stay sharp, alert, and energized — without the sugar. Try it out today.

— PERKS OF THE WEEK —

This week’s perks for Straight Insiders:

Free tickets:

Tickets to eighteen shows including Wild Pink, Enny, Lucy Dacus, Kyle Mooney, Our Last Night, Horsegirl, Clan of Xymox, The Budos Band and more
Vancouver Canadians baseball tickets

Member raffles

Win a $50 Gift Card for House of Dawn–Random Prize Draw

Food & drink deals

Loam Bistro–10% off food & drinks
Desi Indian Lounge–Free dessert
Minami–10% discount on food during Happy Hour (3-5PM), from Sunday-Thursday

To unlock these perks, become a Straight Insider.

— FOOD & DRINK —

We Tried It: Threefold makes its case as the best brewery in Vancouver

What happens when three top-flight breweries team up in the same spot? Nathan Caddell argues it might just be the best brewery in the city.

Thai spot Song by Kin Kao is reeling after a fire
Nook has opened a new location in Coal Harbour

— ICYMI —

Review: Katy Perry’s Vancouver show was sometimes interesting
Sex//Work: A local stripper made a statement at an American contest
The first-ever Vancouver Costco Marathon was unhinged
What’s Japanese prison like? One local musician found out first-hand
It’s no longer National Chicken Wing Day, but you can still eat wings
Need Pride plans? We’ve got you covered

— THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND —

MUSIC: Wack, Doom Cocoon, and Brother 12 come together for a Sonic Garden party. (July 31 @ The Pearl)

PERFORMING ARTS: It’s Pride this weekend! Richmond Pride is hosting a free storytelling event to kick the festivities off. (July 31 @ Gateway Theatre, Richmond)

COMEDY: Laffs Fest, an independent three-day comedy festival, has its inaugural iteration. (August 1-3 @ downtown Abbotsford)

MUSIC: Polaris-winning musician Backxwash headlines the first-ever down-and-dirty Shame Fest. (August 1-3 @ various locations)

CULTURE: West Van’s annual Harmony Arts Festival returns with a diverse roster of events. (August 1-10 @ various locations, West Vancouver)

VISUAL ARTS: Ceramics artist Peter Kiss is commemorated in group exhibition Walking in the Footsteps. (August 1-31 @ Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver)

PERFORMING ARTS: Black and queer spoken word artists celebrate Emancipation Day. (August 3 @ SUM Gallery)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

That’s it!

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