Category 12 Brewing Company

Category 12 Brewing Now Open in Saanich BC – Welcome to the Lab.

Category 12 Brewing Company

Category 12 Brewing Now Open in Saanich BC – Welcome to the Lab.

Category 12 Brewing is a newcomer to the impressive list of Vancouver Island based craft breweries. Located on Keating Cross Rd. in Central Saanich and the only brewery on the Saanich Peninsula, C12 is very close to both the Victoria International Airport and the Sidney Ferry Terminal. Whether you are in Victoria or just passing through this is a great place to stop in to say hello and try something delicious. The brewery has what they are calling a “growler lab” which is their rendition of a tasting room where patrons can buy beer in growlers, 650 ml bottles or sit down and enjoy on-site.

Category 12 Brewing Company Tasting Room

Michael and Karen Kuzyk are the founders and operators of Category 12 Brewing. Michael has a PhD in Microbiology and Biochemistry from UVic, practicing as a scientist for his whole professional career until entering the craft beer industry. “I started homebrewing during grad studies first as a necessity, but it quickly became a passion of mine. I wanted to turn my passion into my full time occupation so I could really explore the creativity of industrial fermentation and, most importantly, share it with others!”

Category 12 Brewing Company Brewmaster Jeff Kendrew

Category 12 Brewing Company Disruption IPA

Michael’s brewing inspiration comes from Belgian influenced and Pacific-Northwest style beers. Initial product offerings include a Saison and a Northwest-styled Pale Ale as two year-round beers. In addition to these staple offerings the lineup will usually consist of four beers including two seasonal offerings. One limited release with a particular cult following from Category 12 Brewing’s launch was the Disruption Black IPA. “We wanted to make it clear that we are here to make creative styles and experiment.” says Michael, “We have to stand out in a competitive market. I think craft beer fans will immediately understand what we are trying to accomplish when they taste our first beers.”

The logo and branding of Category 12 is derived from Michael’s background in science, playing on the dark and taboo side of brewing and microbiology. The tagline says it all: “Welcome to the Lab”.

Category 12 Brewing Company Fermentors

Next time you are heading to Victoria or find yourself on the Saanich Peninsula be sure to stop in at the Category 12 Brewing “Growler Lab” for a pint and a growler fill. For more information about Category 12 Brewing, visit www.category12beer.com

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About Author

Dustan Sept

Dustan Sept is the founder of Beer Me BC. His passion for craft beer drove the creation of beermebc.com in 2012. To learn more about the beermebc.com editorial team visit beermebc.com/the-beer-me-bc-team/.

Comments

  1. mikescraftbeer
    mikescraftbeer 23 March, 2015, 15:51

    Glad to see you made it over to Category 12 Brewing. They are making some excellent beer at the moment and they are brand new. I look forward to see what comes in the coming years!

    Reply this comment
  2. shane zahar
    shane zahar 23 March, 2015, 22:07

    Loved this place! Karen, and Michael were great! The place was packed. We still got a tour. Beers were fantastic. Definetly will visit again. Trust me go get a growler fill. You won’t regret it! Cheers.

    Reply this comment

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