Bridgeview Events German Whalley

Central City Brewers + Distillers: Oktoberfest Social

By
on
November 1, 2019
The Surrey Eats crew in Central City Brewers + Distillers

It’s tiiiime…time for another one of Surrey Eats’ Seasonal Socials! This time around the crew donned our finest lederhosen and teamed up with Central City Brewers + Distillers for a beer-swillin’, polka pumpin’, schnitzel suckin’ Oktoberfest celebration.

The exterior of Central City Brewers and Distillers
Central City Brewers + Distillers

Central City Brewers and Distillers is not to be confused with the Central City Brewpub at Surrey Central station. Central City Brewers is where the magic actually happens, the brewery for all your Red Racer faves as well as their signature gins and whiskys. Tucked away in the shadow of the Patullo Bridge, it’s worth trekking into Bridgeview for. Read on for a handy map to guide you on your adventure.

Fzzz drinks
Fzzz

I arrived just after three PM and not one to pass up on any excuse to get day-drunk I bee-lined for the first sample bar. There were four flavours of Fzzz sugar-free gin and soda mixes, and gin and soda being my all-time favourite cocktail (yup I’m simple like that) I had to try all four.

Blackberry Guava, Grapefruit, Lime, and Jalapeno Melon. They were all amazing with a clean, crisp flavour along the lines of the Nude beverage series, but the Jalapeno Melon was noticeably lacking in bite. Too bad as this was the most intriguing sounding of the lineup. But hey, at 147 calories per tall boy I’m willing to let some things slide if it means I can keep my abs!

Next I sampled Central City Brewers’ Twist lineup, also crafted using their signature Queensborough Gin. These ones throw a teaspoon or two of sugar into the mix. While I’m definitely a fan of their gin, these all tasted a tad artificial for my tastes. But that didn’t stop me from trying all three! Which led to the questionable decision I made next…

A woman prepares samples of whisky and gin at Central City Brewers
Whisky and Gin sample bar

Now all this alcohol was free. And I have an inner cheapskate who has a very hard time saying no to freebies. Kind of like a little devil sitting on my shoulder whispering, “I know you just put away three Costco hot dogs, but those fat-filled triple-creme brie samples aren’t going to eat themselves!” So my plan of the best course of action went something like this:

Step 1 – Make way through entire Central City Distiller’s hard bar shot by shot

Step 2 – ???

Step 3 – PROFIT

I recruited Vic and Winnie from Fat Pants Forever plus Damon from Surrey604 as co-dependants in this Herculean task and while Vic and Damon popped in and out of the lineup Winnie held her own and we made it through the entire lineup of gins, rum, and liqueur. By the time we got to the whiskys however I was feeling an ominous spinning sensation and realized this may not be as profitable as initially forecast.

Not one to have my dreams dashed so easily however, we hit upon the bright idea to mix all the whiskys into one nasty shot of swamp water. My stomach was lurching at the thought of it but our bartender picked up on the idea and egged us on. Hell, she was even down to do one with us so why not…how bad could it possibly be? Pretty goddamn bad.

So no comment on the whiskys but I will highly recommend Queensborough Gin. The Omakase version stood out with its yuzu and tea infused flavour and the Wine Barrel Aged gin tasted as wonderful as you’d expect, but you can’t go wrong with any of the lineup.

Red Racer food truck
Red Racer Roadside Diner

Alright, let’s get some food to soak up all that booze! All attendees got a free meal with their ticket courtesy of Red Racer which had their Roadside Diner food truck parked outside serving up a special Oktoberfest menu.

Roast Chicken with onion on a bed of salads
Roast Chicken

Still in frugal freeloader mode I eyed up everyone’s plates and estimated the Roast Chicken was the best bang for my food voucher. A few scant slices of onion tantalized on top of the crispy brown grill-marked skin, and the grainy mustard in the light gravy it was topped with spoke of untold marvels in my mouth. Yeah, basically I was drunk and it was good. Nuff said. Oh and the potato and cucumber salads had lots of dill which me likes.

Shnitzel in a bowl on fries and cucumber salad from Central City Brewers
Shnitzel

The Schnitzel was the shnizznit or so I’d heard from other attendees, so I pestered my way into another food ticket in the name of this here review. The schnitzel was honey coated with more of those mmm-mmm good mustard seeds and even less onion than the Roast Chicken, but whatevs I wanted to taste the meat more anyway. Again, great drinking food. The thick cut and flavourfully battered fries were just crispy enough while being kept warm under their schnitzel blanket.

Surrey Eats social attendees holding out steins full of beer as part of a contest
Stein Holding Competition

As usual Surrey Eats had a ton of local restaurant gift cards on hand to give away along with plenty of branded Surrey Eats streetwear and merch, and we also held a traditional Stein-holding contest. These 1 Liter mugs were only $8 to fill up and must have weighed a good few pounds once full. The game looks simple at a glance but most were trembling and faltering after just a minute or two.

The winner of the stein holding contest at Central City Brewers poses with a woman while holding his beer
The winning guns!

Was there any doubt who was going to emerge victorious? With strength like that I had the winner pegged as a tradesman, and sure enough he is a data cable installer by trade. Good job fine sir. you did us sparkies proud. Enjoy your hard-earned $50 Red Racer Taphouse gift certificate!

Cans of beer from each province from Central City Brewers
Red Racer Across the Nation Mixed Pack

I think everyone left happy and holding something of value, as the steins were on the house as souvenirs as well. The cheap little devil on my shoulder was appeased in my case as well as I walked out with Red Racer’s Across the Nation Mixed Pack of provincial beers at a buck a pop. Score!

Don’t miss our next pop-up event November 11th at Dude’s Coffee out at Crescent Beach for more deals, steals, and of course meals! Stay tuned to the blog and our Facebook page for further details.

  • Pretzel with beer-cheese sauce and mustard
  • James from Surrey Eats poses with camera as Vic stands next to him
  • A handsome man poses in Oktoberfest outfit with a stein of beer at Central City Brewers
  • A black sandwich board reads "Surrey Eats Pop Up Dinner"
  • Norm from Kevin's Kravings catches a bowl of roast chicken
  • Kimiko of Surrey Eats with microphone
  • A man poses outside Red Racer food truck with roast chicken and a beer stein
  • An Asian man with glasses squints with a big open-mouthed smile as he holds up a bowl of roast chicken
  • Winnie from Fat Pants Forever holds up a bowl of roast chicken
  • Two women hold out beer steins at arm's length while competing in the stein holding contest at Central City Brewers
  • Rachel, Craig and Kimiko of Surrey Eats
  • An Asian couple poses with a Caucasian couple holding bowls of food at Central City Brewers
  • Craig from Surrey Eats grins like a madman while throwing his arms in the air
  • A cask with Central City Brewers + Distillers printed on it

Pictures courtesy of Fatpantsforever & Mavyj

Matt
Author: Matt

Prior to joining the Surrey Eats crew, Matt's love of all things edible and passion for writing led him to long-running food blog Eat 'n About where he penned articles under the nom de plume Hitman Howdy for several years. Matt's also been published in various local magazines, and is an extremely adventurous eater who has dined on things that would make Anthony Bourdain blush. Matt enjoys the melting pot of international cuisine on offer in Surrey and hopes to help put his beloved stomping grounds on the map as a smorgasbord for food-lovers of all ethnicities. SURREY WHAT!!

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CRAIG T
Surrey, BC

Hi my name is Craig and welcome to my food blog! Join me and my crew as we eat our way around Surrey BC's local dining scene reviewing the hottest restaurants, covering all the latest food events and news, and uncovering plenty of hidden gems along the way. This site aims to be your one-stop shop for everything you need to navigate Surrey's cuisine like a foodie boss! While you're here why not follow us on social and get access to all sorts of deals, steals and giveaways: