Strange Fellows are one of those rare craft breweries that are universally respected on the Canadian craft beer scene. Nearing its 3rd birthday, this is one Vancouver brewery that truly understands the art of storytelling. If you’ve been out in Vancouver at any point in the last year, you’d be hard pushed not to have sunk at least one can of their gorgeous Talisman, a West Coast Pale ale which essentially acts as their flagship.

But if you’ve only seen these beer cans in the dark light of a club or at the tail end of a crawl around East Vancouver’s breweries, here’s what your next steps should be immediately after you’ve finished reading this post: Get yourself down to Strange Fellows or your closest private liquor store and buy yourself one of each can (if you have to buy them each as four packs, do it, you’ll want to drink them all anyway); go home and light a fire (whether woodburning, electric, toaster oven, youtube, or otherwise) and put on your slippers; sit yourself down in a nice armchair, perhaps snuggled under a blanket or in your favourite smoking jacket; crack open the beer of your choice; then – finally - burn all the books you own. You don’t need them anymore. The Strange Fellows stories are all you’ll ever need. Plus the extra fuel should keep you warm as you power through those 24 beers you just bought.