Beer column: New addition makes the Octobox a perfect summer mixed pack

_{**Editor's Note: This edition of the beer column was written before the aggressive increase in wildfire activity over the last 2-3 days. We decided to leave it up as scheduled, because we could all use a nice beer right about now! 🍻**}

It’s no secret that craft beer can be expensive.

A lot of four packs will end up costing close to, if not over, $20 and if you’re looking for more of a variety, you’re all of a sudden spending close to $50 for two of them.

That’s why eight-count mixed packs of tall cans make for a great purchase if you’re looking to stock up your beer fridge with a few different beers without breaking the bank.

You’ll find several from BC breweries on the shelves of your favourite liquor store, but one of the most popular is the Octobox from Phillips Brewing in Victoria.

Phillips puts out both a summer and winter Octobox, depending on the time of year, and this year’s summer mixed pack got a nice refresh courtesy of a brand new Phillips beer.

The Mojo Mango Orange Gose replaced the Tilt Lager in the summer Octobox, which offers beer lovers a slightly more unique creation with some serious summer vibes.

It joins the Tiger Shark Pale Ale, Solaris White Peach Ale and Glitterbomb Hazy Pale Ale in the popular mixed pack.

Here’s a breakdown from the brilliant beer minds at Phillips themselves on what to expect from each beer:

• Mojo Mango Orange Gose: A blast of fresh mango and orange juice, with a tart, salty and flavourful Gose that will be sure to elevate your mojo.
• Tiger Shark Pale Ale: Tiger Shark is a tropical alpha beast packed with juicy fruit hop flavour without the bitter bite.
• Solaris White Peach Ale: Solaris boasts crisp flavours of peaches and apricots, with a lemony aroma on the nose!
• Glitterbomb Hazy Pale Ale: This hazy pale ale explodes with lush citrus and juicy fruit notes that sparkle across your palate.

The best part about this eight pack is you can typically snag it on sale at BC Liquor Stores for under $20 (it’s currently $19.79 until Sept. 2).

While it will likely cost you closer to $25 at a private store, it’s still around $3 per can, which is a much better deal than most craft beer tall cans if you buy them alone or in four packs.

Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.