October 14 2025: B.C.'s craft breweries need help

Hey there. How are you doing after the long weekend? 

Today’s edition comes to you a little later than normal, which hopefully means you’ve had plenty of time to finish digesting your turkey and can instead put that big, beautiful brain to work digesting the Straight.

— V.
Senior editor

— FEATURE — 

Wakey, Wakey goes beyond the darkness

Death comes for us all eventually—but Wakey Wakey suggests that it doesn’t have to be something to be afraid of. “I know—it sounds really grim and pretty dark,” Pacific Theatre’s artistic director Kaitlin Williams acknowledges. “But we had a reading of it a couple of weeks ago just to re-familiarize ourselves with it, and we were all laughing so hard.”

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— LIVING —

Five questions for baseball fans as the Mariners and Blue Jays slug it out

We’re two games into the Mariners-Blue Jays series, and Nathan Caddell understands the pain of not knowing who to root for: the West Coast team or the Canadians?

• The Straight’s October 2025 crossword

• From October 20–26, join the Vancouver Writers Fest for a scintillating lineup of exceptional books, ideas, and dialogue in 87 events to spark your curiosity.*

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Storm Watching: Nature’s Greatest Performance

Experience the magic of storm season at Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet. Watch waves crash against basalt cliffs from oceanfront suites, unwind at Drift Spa, and savour coastal cuisine at Currents Restaurant. Storm season isn’t just weather, it’s an unforgettable West Coast escape.

— ARTS —

Q&A: Director Alireza Khatami on making Canada’s Oscar submission, The Things You Kill

Alireza Khatami’s The Things You Kill marks the first time that a film shot in Türkiye, entirely in Turkish, is Canada’s national Oscar submission. “Canada doesn’t have one identity,” Khatami tells the Straight. “I live here and have a story to tell. Stories don’t have nationalities.”

• Just B Productions makes its debut with Red

• Comedian Michael Balazo wants to see more than just the steam clock

• Can't spell slaughter without "laugh" - The Improv Centre's slasher comedy I Know What You Did Last Weekend continues killing audiences until Nov 1st.*

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— FOOD & DRINK —

B.C.’s craft breweries struggle under steep tax burdens

Iain Hill, co-founder of Strange Fellows Brewing, warns that B.C.’s craft beer industry is in trouble. “Because of the economy,” he says, “because of tariffs and supply chain disruptions, because of people drinking less, it’s really hard to do business.”

• Dolce Amore opens its first full-service restaurant

• Planning a ski trip? Pemberton Valley Lodge offers mid-week rates starting as low as $219++ per night! Includes complimentary heated indoor parking and ski lockers.*

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Fall is for Planting at Hunters Garden Centre

Hunters Garden Centre has been growing for over 70 years, sharing three generations of family-owned gardening expertise. Visit the West Broadway store this fall for vibrant perennials and flowers, spring-flowering bulbs, pumpkins and more. Discover weekly features, expert advice, and inspiration for every gardener... because fall is for planting!

— ICYMI —

• Our thoughts on the new Taylor Swift album

• Brooklyn Dumpling Shop comes to B.C.

• Giusti is open to new pasta-bilities

• Can Quinn Hughes outplay expectations?

— THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK —

MUSIC: The German Aris Quartett performs picks from classical greats. (October 14 @ Vancouver Playhouse)

PERFORMING ARTS: UBC’s Old Auditorium turns a spry 100 years old with a variety show. (October 14 @ UBC Old Auditorium)

MUSIC: Catch Claudio Simonetti’s band Goblin playing his score to the haunting Suspiria. (October 14-15 @ Rio Theatre)

LIVING: Interested in raising a guide dog? Come to the PADS volunteer info session. (October 15 @ Pacific Assistance Dog Society, Burnaby)

TALKS: Justine A. Chambers and Ryan Tacata discuss the interplay of dance and clothesmaking. (October 15 @ Scotiabank Dance Centre)

THEATRE: Fire Never Dies: The Tina Modotti Project chronicles a revolutionary in this world premiere. (October 15-26 @ Historic Theatre)

VISUAL ARTS: Spaces of the Everyday investigates how we turn the mundane into art. (October 15 to December 13 @ West Vancouver Art Museum, West Vancouver)

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

That’s it!

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