This blog was originally published January 8, 2025, and has been updated to reflect current brewery offerings as of January 2026.

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Gone are the days when “non-alcoholic beer” meant relegating yourself to a dusty bottle of O’Douls hiding at the back of a grocery store shelf. The craft brewing landscape is undergoing another transformation, driven by a growing wave of consumers embracing alcohol-free alternatives not out of necessity, but by choice. Whether motivated by health consciousness, lifestyle changes, or simply curiosity, more and more craft beer enthusiasts are discovering that cutting back on alcohol doesn’t mean compromising on beverage quality or craft brewing excellence.

BC’s craft breweries have risen to meet this growing demand, creating complex, flavourful beers that contain 0.5% ABV or less. Beyond traditional beer styles, you’ll also find a growing number of creative alternatives like hop waters, offering craft beverage experiences that maintain the artisanal spirit of craft brewing while eliminating alcohol content. Choosing not to drink no longer means missing out on the craft experience.

So why doesn’t everyone brew non-alcoholic beers?

Unlike making a mocktail, where one ingredient is easily left out, the traditional processes of brewing beer are what lead to alcohol being created during fermentation. What’s a brewer to do?

Without going into too much technical detail – because let’s face it: brewing is both an art form and a highly developed skill set that depends on chemistry, math, and biology, takes years to learn, and would take even longer to type into a single blog – there are two basic ways to create a non-alcoholic brew.

One is to brew a beer as normal, and then remove the alcohol. The second is to use specific ingredients and/or techniques that limit the production of alcohol during fermentation.

Sounds easy enough, right? So… what’s the catch? Well, the actual production of an NA beer might not be too complicated for a talented brewer given enough time to create a recipe, but both methods require specialized equipment that isn’t exactly available at your local homebrew supply shop and certainly does not come cheap. Add in the requirement for additional physical space in the brewery for said equipment, and more often than not, you run into a wall (literally, and figuratively). As the prevalence of NA beers increases, equipment suppliers are working to design equipment suitable for smaller breweries, while brewers are working to create more efficient recipes and find workable solutions to preservation methods such as small-scale water bath pasteurisation.

If you want to learn more about the process of brewing NA beers, I would highly recommend checking out this video produced by KPU Brewing and Brewery Operations. They definitely know their stuff: in 2024, a group of first-year KPU students took home a silver medal for their non-alcoholic Stout at the US Open College Beer Championships. 

What it all boils down to is this: brewing a tasty non-alcoholic beer is just as complex, if not more so, than crafting the next seasonal (alcoholic) beer release. It takes time, care, dedication, and significant investment. And, as we know, all BC craft beer is nothing if not exceptionally crafted. Keep reading to discover some of the incredible non-alcoholic beers, hop waters, and other non-alc beverages produced at breweries around the province.

(note: beers and beer alternatives are listed alphabetically by brewery)

Non-Alcoholic Beers

4 Mile Brewing Co. in Victoria, BC

4 Mile currently has three different offerings in their Point Four (0.4% ABV) lineup of low/non-alc beers. These tasty brews are only available on tap at the 4 Mile Brew Pub.

• Point Four: A blonde/golden ale
• Mandarin Point Four:  Made with real fruit puree
• Dark Point Four: A new, small batch Nitro Stout

Hero .5 from Buffalo Rouge Brewing Co. in Kelowna, BC

Lively and dynamic, with peach and tropical fruit flavours up front. This hazy non-alc brew is only available on tap in the tasting room. 

Dry Goods from Good Life Brand Collective

Originally crafted by the folks at Powell Brewery, the Dry Goods brand of NA beers is now under the umbrella of the team at Good Life Brand Collective. Their current lineup includes:

• West Coast IPA: Bright, hoppy, and unapologetically West Coast. With notes of citrus peel, pine and resin on the nose, it has a bold hop flavour with grapefruit and orange over a dry, golden malt base.
• Grapefruit IPA: Vibrant and punchy; a fruit-driven IPA that still drinks like a craft beer. Fresh grapefruit zest and tropical hops on the nose are backed with juicy citrus upfront, light sweetness, and a dry, pithy finish.

LOGO from Fernie Brewing Co. in Fernie, BC

Launched in June 2023, LOGO by Fernie Brewing Co. sets the standard for mountain-brewed, adventure-inspired, non-alcoholic craft beer. There are currently three brews available:

• LOGO Pilsner: Light and clean, with slight malt flavour. This non-alc Pils is a classic, go-to for the adventure lifestyle enthusiast.
• LOGO IPA: All the hop, none of the alcohol, this non-alc IPA is fruity and delicious. An accessible, hop-forward option that ensures no one gets left behind.
• LOGO Citrus: A bright, crisp brew bursting with lemon and lime. Big on refreshment, without the alcohol, this non-alc beer is made for adventure.

Field House Brewing Co. in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, BC

Field House is introducing non-alcoholic versions of two of its core beers:

• Salted Lime Mexican Lager: This non-alc beer is light, crisp and endlessly crushable, crafted for when you want the taste without the compromise. The style is elevated with real lime and a touch of sea salt, adding a bright, citrusy kick and just the right savoury edge.
• Salted Black Porter: Brewed with traditional ‘dutch droppies’ (salted black licorice candies), the Salted Black Porter offers flavours of coffee, licorice, chocolate, and caramel, for a balanced malt profile and residual sweetness.

iOTA from Phillips Brewing & Malting in Victoria, BC

Launched in late 2021 by Phillips Brewing, iOTA beers are brewed for craft beer fans who are “experimental, flavour-focused, confident, and self-aware.” 

The name iOTA comes from the Greek letter iota, meaning an extremely small amount. For the folks at Phillips, this was a reflection of their belief that craft beer is not defined by its alcohol content, but rather the community it builds. Even though there’s only a minute amount of alcohol (less than 0.5% ABV), iOTA is still authentically craft-brewed. The line-up includes: 

• Peach Wheat Ale – Brewed with equal parts wheat and malted barley, this delightful non-alcoholic summer seasonal is infused with the alluring sweetness of peaches, resulting in an easy-drinking and refreshing non-alcoholic beer drinking experience that is ripe for patio sessions and good times.
• Cerveza – iOTA Cerveza is the epitome of a thirst-quenching beer. A vacation in every sip, this light-bodied lager delivers big on refreshment with a crisp, clean finish.
• Pale Ale – iOTA Pale Ale is light gold in colour, crafted for smooth and highly balanced malt and hop profiles. This delicious brew brings rounded honey and cereal notes, a straightforward mouthfeel, and deliciously floral hops. This ale strikes a harmony between drinkability and flavour.
• Pilsner – iOTA Pilsner pours pale straw in colour, with an easy and effervescent mouthfeel. The body is light and malt-driven. On the finish, smooth German hop notes complement this even-keeled and delicious lager.
• Hazy IPA – iOTA Hazy IPA is low on bitterness & full of citrus and juicy fruit notes. Our house malted barley lends a hand in creating a smooth sip and helps carry that tropical hazy hop profile.

Steamworks Brewing Co in Burnaby, Mount Pleasant, North Shore and Vancouver, BC

The folks at Steamworks have developed a biological approach to crafting their non-alcoholic brews that respects the brewing process from start to finish. Using specially selected yeast strains and a carefully controlled brewing method, they create beer that naturally contains only trace amounts of alcohol: no harsh removal processes, no compromised flavour. They work with biology, not against it, allowing the natural fermentation process to deliver the full-bodied taste and aroma you expect from craft beer.

Steamworks crafts non-alc beers inspired by beloved styles, using quality ingredients to create brews that satisfy your expectations while standing proudly on their own merit. The result is a clean, authentic beer experience that maintains all the character and complexity of traditional brewing, because it never had that character taken away. Two current releases include:

• Lions Gate Lager (0.3% ABV) – Our Gold Medal winner at the 2025 BC Beer Awards in the non-alcoholic category. A crisp, refreshing lager that proves you don’t need the alcohol for authentic craft beer flavour.
• Hazy IPA (0.3% ABV) – All the juicy, hop-forward character you expect from a hazy IPA, just without the buzz.

Nevertheless from Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver, BC

It took the brewers at Strange Fellows years to perfect the recipe for their first NA brew, Nevertheless Pale Ale. Soon after having perfected it, a hazy IPA version followed, and then a Pilsner. Full-bodied, aromatic and flavourful, these brews are nevertheless non-alcoholic.

In 2023, Nevertheless Pale Ale made history by taking home a 3rd place medal in the Specialty Beer category at the BC Beer Awards. It was the first non-alcoholic brew to go head-to-head with alcoholic beers – and win!

Non-Alcoholic IPA from Superflux Beer Co. in Vancouver, BC

Bright and aromatic hop expression. Flavours of orange creamsicle and lemon rind, rounded out with a soft, lingering sweetness that carries everything through cleanly. 

Tin Whistle Brewing in Penticton, BC

Tin Whistle Brewing’s iconic Peach Cream Ale has gone 0.5%. The same beer you know and love, at only 0.5% alcohol. A luscious peach aroma with a light peach taste make this beer a true taste of the Okanagan. Brewed and packaged in Penticton in BC’s only carbon-neutral brewery. Available on draught and to go in the Tin Whistle’s tasting room, and in liquor stores throughout the Okanagan and Kootenays (for now!).

Whistle Buoy Brewing Company in Victoria, BC

Whistle Buoy’s non-alc line-up includes two ‘core’ NA brews: the NA Pale Ale and NA Hazy IPA. They’ve also released two seasonal NA options: the  NA Fuzzy Peach Sour and NA Shaft Coffee Stout. No matter what style of beer you’re craving, Whistle Buoy has an NA option to match.

Co-owner Isaiah Archer says, “Our NA beers are made the same way as our full-strength beers: in small batches with high-quality local ingredients, but with a non-alcohol-producing yeast strain, and they are pasteurized for shelf stability.”

• NA Hazy IPA – This bestseller features Citra and Mosaic hops, providing a fruity aroma and flavour profile with a gentle bitterness that satisfies without overwhelming the senses.
• NA Pale Ale – Inspired by Whistle Buoy’s forever favourite child, Coastality, this beer strikes the perfect balance of all things beer – malty, fruity and hoppy. It’s the right fit for a balanced lifestyle.
• NA Shaft Stout – Created from a luxurious blend of dark malts layered together with chocolate, coffee, and coconutty hops. This classic combo kicks things up a notch to get the tastebuds buzzing.
• NA Fuzzy Peach Sour – This gose-style sour beer has big peach energy and a tangy citrus zip from a dry hop of HBC 1019. We get notes of fuzzy peaches, honeydew melon, and coconut. We’ve also added Vancouver Island sea salt for a slight saltiness that rounds out this light, fruity, and refreshing sour beer.

Other Non-Alc Options

Road Pop from Barnside Brewing in Delta, BC

Try January is about trying something new – not giving anything up. Road Pop Sparkling Hop Water offers a crisp, refreshing experience with zero alcohol and all the flavour you’d expect from a BC craft brewery. Now available in four flavours – Original, Cranberry Orange, Lemon Lime, and Ruby Red Grapefruit. Road Pop is 100% alcohol-free, with zero calories, zero sugar, zero carbs, and zero gluten. Easy to enjoy anytime, it’s a refreshing alternative for brewery visits, trail stops, and everything in between.

Road Pop reflects Barnside’s farm-based roots, using farm-grown Cascade and Triple Pearl hops to bring subtle citrus and grapefruit notes to every flavour and showcasing the local terroir.

Take the Alternate Route and find Road Pop at Barnside’s tasting room, as well as at a wide range of liquor stores and specialty grocers throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Hopped Up! from Category 12 Brewing in Victoria, BC

All fizz. No fuzz. Just pure, aromatic refreshment. The folks at C12 have taken their love of hops beyond beer. Hopped Up! is their line of zero-alcohol, zero-sugar, zero-carb, sparkling waters infused with the same hops used in their craft beers.

They have captured the delicate aromatics of citrus, tropical fruit, and berries without any bitterness. The result: a scientifically precise, guilt-free refreshment for any time of day.

Choose from three flavours: Juicy, Citrusy and Berry.

Island Soda from Hornby Island Brewing Company on Hornby Island, BC

In addition to award-winning beers, Hornby Island Brewing also craft a line-up of bright, refreshing sodas perfect to take along on any Island adventure:

• Island Bliss Sparkling Tea: Contains Hornby Island Tea (organic black tea, citrus peel & lavender), delightfully combined with Westview Farm blackberry lavender simple syrup. Lightly carbonated.
• Delight Sparkling Tea: Contains Hornby Island Tea (Assam green tea, lemongrass, orange peel, horsetail, lavender, calendula and spearmint). With an added touch of local Hornby Island honey to provide a subtle sweetness with carbonation.
• Mango: Tropical beach vibes in a can.The perfect companion to sun-soaked days on Big Trib’s white sand, after an adventure through the trails of Mt. Geoffrey. Lightly sweetened with reduced sugar—never too sweet—so you can sip and savour your perfect Hornby Island moment.
• Ginger Lime Fizz: Contains fresh ginger and lime with zero sweetener, lightly carbonated with a delicious and refreshing kick.
• Sparkling Blackberry Soda: Simply delicious and never too sweet. A sip brings you back to late summer on Hornby Island—the scent of sun-warmed blackberries in the air.
  

  

Hydra Hop Soda Water from Jackknife Brewing in Kelowna, BC

Hydra hop soda water blasts you with refreshing notes of citrus from fresh New Zealand Motueka, Cascade and Mosaic hops. This bright, sparkling infusion is fuelled by a sacrificial offering of crimson hibiscus or juniper and butterfly pea blossom. Quench your soul with a can of Hydra on your next adventure! Zero sugar, Zero Calories, Zero Alcohol and only available in the dungeon…(aka: Jackknife’s taproom for the uninitiated)

Hop Soda from Longwood Brewery on Boxwood Road in Nanaimo, BC

The crisp, clean taste of soda water is complemented by the subtle floral notes of hops, providing perfect hydration for those looking to expand their palate and try something new. Enjoy it on its own, or mix it with your favourite spirits for a truly refreshing cocktail experience. Crafted with West Coast Hops: Amarillo and Cascade. Alcohol free, sugar-free and gluten-free.

Two non-alc, house-made options from Persephone Brewing Company in Gibsons, BC

Farm Fresh Lemonade: Bright, bubbly and bold – this farm fresh, sparkling lemonade is a refreshing take on a timeless classic.

Craft Brewed Iced Tea: A lightly sweetened, fresh-steeped iced tea, kissed with lemon and a balanced level of tannins.

Take your Try January experience to the next level with our photo contest.

January isn’t about skipping the fun, it’s about discovering something new. From now until January 31, 2026 head to your local brewery, try something a little different, snap a photo, and upload it to the BC Ale Trail mobile app for your chance to 𝗪𝗜𝗡

Because BC breweries are about so much more than just beer:

• Non-alcoholic beers, hop water, and craft sodas
• Seasonal menus and seriously good food
• Cozy merch you’ll want to live in
• Trivia nights, games, and reasons to linger a little longer

Every eligible photo submission scores you 25 bonus points and enters you to win one of two BC Ale Trail shirts or a swag pack. Head to the app now, or, if you don’t have the app, you can submit your entry here.

January is for curiosity, connection, and trying something new.
Let’s TRY it.

Every Pint Tells a Story

Supporting Local. Celebrating Community.

The post Craft Without the Kick: The Evolution of Non-Alcoholic Beer in BC appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

With all the trials and tribulations of 2020 and 2021 behind us, we all went into 2022 with a hopeful smile and a Zen-like sense of serenity, right? OK, maybe it wasn’t quite so serene and peachy-keen a year ago… I seem to remember we had a mini-lockdown during the holiday season — the 1970s-themed New Year’s Eve party I was supposed to attend was cancelled, but I’d grown too attached to the bushy moustache I’d grown for it so I decided not to shave it off immediately, and I still have it today.

Many beer lovers were excited about the return of beer festivals in 2022. That did happen, but it was with a bit of a shaky start: Victoria Beer Week had to be postponed from March to April, and the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale was pushed back from April to May and reduced in scope to a one-day, outdoor event. Victoria Beer Week did happen, though, and it was a roaring success featuring a mostly sold-out run of events. Unfortunately, even though everyone in attendance had to be double vaccinated, a bunch of us who worked at the events on the final weekend — myself included — came down with COVID right afterwards. In my case, it wasn’t too rough (thanks to all my vaccinations no doubt), although it definitely knocked me back for a while.

In the spring, I was excited to finally get back on an airplane again — it was the first time for me since the summer of 2019. That first flight took me up north to Prince George where I had the pleasure of co-hosting a media tour for several visiting journalists. It was a fun group and we all got along well, which is important when you are squeezed into a small vehicle for long drives for several days in a row. 

While in Prince George we had the chance to visit all three of the local breweries — CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery, Trench Brewing & Distilling, and Deadfall Brewing, which had just opened for business. They each treated us very well, and the writers had a chance to taste a range of delicious beers. We also got to check out some of the local sites, including Cottonwood Island Nature Park, a wooded park on the shore of the Nechako River, and the absolutely gorgeous Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park, BC’s newest provincial park that is located about 90 minutes east of Prince George but definitely worth the trip. 

From Prince George, we travelled west to the small city of Burns Lake where we trepidatiously boarded a small floatplane for a 20-minute flight to Ootsa Lake. Our pilot expertly landed us on the small lake, part of the Nechako Reservoir created in 1952, and then let us off on the shore near Little Bear Ranch, which is also home to Ursa Minor Brewing (Little Bear – Ursa Minor: see what’s happening here?), BC’s most remote brewery. 

We were met by owners Nathan and Gwyn, plus a dog or two, who toured us around the farmyard (hello donkeys, hello pigs) before taking us into the brewery’s tasting room. After tasting some of Nathan’s excellent beer, we were also treated to a delicious meal. Check out Pender Island writer Hans Tammemagi’s story about the trip. Also, check London, ON, writer Wayne Newton’s article.

Soon enough, however, we had to head back to Burns Lake, but as it turned out, our pilot had been forced to depart because of the possibility of inclement weather. No worries — we all piled into the farm truck and enjoyed endured a 60-minute ride over bumpy roads to the ferry crossing just below Burns Lake. We said goodbye to our hosts with many promises to return (did you know they offer campsites and even rent out a lakefront cabin? Check out this blog for more details) and walked on to the free ferry. At the north end, we were met by our tourism friends and continued our journey to Smithers.

For me, unfortunately, Smithers was the end of the road. I got to enjoy one evening there, including a fantastic dinner at Roadhouse, an excellent local restaurant run by two sisters, and a visit to Bulkley Valley Brewery for a tasting and chat with the owner, Dave Harris.  The next morning saw me boarding a flight for Victoria while the rest of the gang continued their tour without me. After another day in Smithers, which included a stop at Smithers Brewing, they drove west to Prince Rupert, the end of the road when it comes to the Northwest BC Ale Trail. There, they enjoyed a meal and tasting at Wheelhouse Brewing, as well as a tour of the old train station there, which will become the new home of Wheelhouse Brewing later this year.

More travelling and fun adventures awaited me in 2022, including a road trip up to the Comox Valley with my son, which included stops at two new breweries: Bayview Brewing in Ladysmith and Fern + Cedar Brewing in Qualicum Beach. Both quickly moved up to the upper tier of my favourite Vancouver Island breweries because of the perfect mix of delicious food and beer they each offered. In the Comox Valley, my son and I gorged ourselves at Rider’s Pizza, which is right across the street from the Cumberland Brewing Co., and one of our favourite pizzerias anywhere.

After a family visit to Winnipeg in July, the rest of my summer adventures stayed within the BC borders. I got to visit my friends at Mayne Island Brewing again and also squeezed in another bike trip to Sooke and its unique trio of local breweries: Sooke Oceanside Brewery, Sooke Brewing, and Bad Dog Brewing. September saw the return of the Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria, which was a rip-roaring success all around. 

The highlight of the autumn for me was a trip to Toronto where I got to be part of a prestigious panel of judges at the Canada Beer Cup, including folks from all around the world, south of the border in the United States, and of course here in Canada, too. As the only BC judge in the group, I had the opportunity to proselytize about our amazing craft beer scene here to lots of important beer folks so I am sure many of them will be visiting before too long. It was a completely blind judging process so I had no idea which brewery’s beers I was tasting, but as it turned out, BC did extremely well: Vancouver’s Callister Brewing won three medals and the Canada Beer Cup for Best in Show for its Wee Laird Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. All in all, 46 medals went to BC breweries!

The BC Beer Awards also returned in 2022 after a three-year hiatus. The top winner was Courtenay’s Gladstone Brewing, which won five medals and was named BC Brewery of the Year. 

The other exciting event to return was the BC Craft Brewers Conference, which was held in early November in New Westminster. I enjoyed the chance to (re-)connect with so many people from the brewing community, and I also participated in a presentation about the BC Ale Trail. New Westminster’s local breweries, Another Beer Co. and Steel & Oak Brewing, hosted special after-parties — they both do an excellent job so if you haven’t tried their beers or visited them in person, I recommend you do so.

Immediately after the Conference, I visited Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley to give a guest lecture about the history and development of craft beer in BC to the first-year class of brewing students (something I have done annually since the Brewing and Brewery Operations program opened). While in Langley, I also took the opportunity to visit Locality Brewing, a farm-based brewery that opened last summer. I definitely look forward to returning there in a warmer season when I will really be able to check out more of the farm. I also popped in at Brookswood Brewing, which had just opened in Langley a short time before my visit.

What’s in Store in 2023?

And here we are in the first week of 2023 — who knows what new adventures this year will bring? I hope to visit some more new breweries, including a couple I haven’t made it to yet that have opened on the Island in recent months: Mile Zero Brewing in Metchosin and Rusted Rake Brewing up Island in Nanoose. And you can expect more new breweries to open in communities across BC.

Looking ahead, Penticton’s Okanagan Fest of Ale is set to return to its traditional schedule and program on April 14-15. Fingers crossed I get to attend so that I can check out Abandoned Rail Brewing, another new farm-based brewery that opened there last year, as well as the new location of Highway 97 Brewing Co. and the newly updated Tin Whistle Brewing. Oh, and there are also the two breweries nearby in Summerland, Detonate Brewing and Giant’s Head Brewing, both of which have been revitalized under new ownership. Plus, there are all those new breweries that have opened in Kelowna since my last visit…

Victoria Beer Week will be returning in a new springtime slot, May 5-13, which will allow for more outdoor events. 

Check back here regularly for more news and inspiration. And as you plan your 2023 beer-ventures, be sure to let the BC Ale Trail be your guide. Cheers!

The post Looking Back at 2022: The Year of the Comeback appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sick and tired of dealing with adversity.

Between heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, and snowmageddon (OK, I live in Victoria so any snow is overwhelming!), it felt like 2021 was just one calamity after another. And no one will forget the tragic discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools.

Astute readers might notice I didn’t even include COVID in my litany of misfortunes. When I consider how our relationship with the pandemic evolved over the past year, I almost feel like I’m looking back at a decade’s worth of events in just one year.

We started off the year in lockdown with no events or social gatherings allowed, as well as travel restrictions limiting our mobility within the province and beyond our borders. Early in January, Premier Horgan announced an immunization schedule, and by the spring, many of us were getting our first doses. I personally got mine on May 15, and what a relief that was! Later that month, BC’s Restart Plan was announced, which gave us all more and more freedom to travel and enjoy life. Personally, I celebrated with an epic bike ride over to visit two breweries in Delta with some cycling buddies.

By summer, like many others, I had my second vaccination and a lot more freedom, although the previously mentioned heatwave and wildfires certainly negated some of that positivity. Still, I managed to squeeze in a bike ride to Sooke with some friends, and my family and I even enjoyed a little getaway to Gibsons in August, where I discovered just how great Tapworks Brewing is (seriously, if you haven’t been there before, plan a trip to Gibsons later this year when travel is allowed!).

In the autumn, it seemed like many people were feeling more optimistic. In the beer world, we even enjoyed some events — here in Victoria, there were two back-to-back events on Thanksgiving weekend: Lager Than Life and Fresh to Death. 

However, that optimism was fleeting because, as we all know, the new omicron variant has returned us to a near-lockdown as we await booster shots and warmer weather. 

But all throughout 2021, BC’s local craft breweries endured and kept on producing delicious beer for us all to enjoy. Here’s how. 

New breweries continued to open, including:

• Alberni Brewing in Port Alberni
• Beacon Brewing in Sidney
• Boardwalk Brewing in Port Coquitlam
• Devil’s Bath Brewing in Port McNeill
• Fern + Cedar Brewing in Qualicum Beach
• Galaxie Craft Brewhouse in White Rock
• Lakesider Brewing, The Office Brewery and Unleashed Brewing in Kelowna
• Locality Brewing in Langley
• Radium Brewing in Radium Hot Springs
• Studio Brewing in Burnaby
• Wild North Brewing in Creston

We were proud to award our fourth annual Best Brewery Experience Award to Vancouver’s R&B Brewing 24 years after it opened its door as one of East Van’s original microbreweries.

2021 seemed to be a big year for brewery anniversaries, with several celebrating prominent milestones:

• Nelson Brewing – 30th Anniversary
• Howe Sound Brewing – 25th Anniversary
• Mt Begbie Brewing – 25th Anniversary
• Whistler High Mountain Brewhouse – 25th Anniversary
• Cannery Brewing – 20th Anniversary
• Phillips Brewing – 20th Anniversary

During 2021, we launched several new or newly refreshed ale trails, including:

• Kelowna and West Kelowna
• North of the Fraser (New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam)
• South of the Fraser (Richmond, Delta, Surrey, and White Rock)
• Northeast BC & Northwest BC  
• Vancouver – Brewery Creek and Vancouver – Yeast Vancouver
• Victoria

In the spring we also created the Victoria Ale Trail Passport promotion, which encouraged residents to visit their local breweries, and it was a great success. Later in the fall, Vancouver’s North Shore ran a similar passport promotion, and there are plans for passports in Kelowna and elsewhere in 2022.

We published a wide range of stories on our blog: seasonal beer lists; profiles of folks who work in the industry, including Kim Lawton’s Hops Among Friends series; and a new series called “Artist Behind the Label” by Nicole McFadden that profiles some of the people who create the beautiful artwork that appears on cans and bottles in BC.

The BC Ale Trail blog also featured stories about important issues including Diversity in Brewing and the Brave Noise initiative.

Our writers covered a lot of ground so that they could share their tales in the form of travelogue-style Road Trip Tasting Notes:

• Lucas Aykroyd dives into BC’s “InBEERior Trail” – Kamloops, Shuswap & Vernon
• Andrew Findlay explores Vancouver Island’s adventure and culinary hub – Comox Valley
• Ruby Hogg explores close to home in the Robson Valley – Valemount
• Explore BC’s epic Sea to Sky with Fuel for the Sole – Sea To Sky
• Kim Lawton’s Insider Guide to Craft Beer in the South Okanagan – South Okanagan
• Noëlle Phillips explores local delights and historical sites – Maple Ridge
• Joyce Lam explores New West – the ultimate foodie, shopping and craft beer destination for urban explorers – New Westminster
• Yet Another Hill: Cycling in Search of Beer, Cider and Sunshine on the Southern Gulf Islands with Joe Wiebe – Southern Gulf Islands
• Experience Prince George family-style on this weekend getaway with Ruby Hogg – Prince George

Looking ahead, what does 2022 hold for BC’s craft beer industry?

That’s tough to say since we don’t know for sure how long COVID will stick around, and even if we do move past the pandemic, what will the post-COVID economy look like?

We do know that several more new breweries are expected to open this year, including:

• 2 Dads Brewing – Victoria
• Abandoned Rail Brewing – Penticton (Naramata)
• Bayview Brewing – Ladysmith
• Brewing August – Vancouver
• Brookswood Brewing – Langley
• Checkerhead Brewing – Shirley
• Deadfall Brewing – Prince George
• Everyday Brewing – Nanaimo
• Hornby Island Brewing – Hornby Island
• Post & Row Brewing – Dawson Creek
• Rusted Rake Brewing – Nanoose 
• Shaketown Brewing – North Vancouver
• Small Gods Brewing – Sidney
• Upscale Brewing – Cranbrook

While we wait for the COVID situation to improve, let’s all continue to focus on staying close to home so we can limit exposure and support our local economies. Your hometown breweries really appreciate your support, and if by some chance you live in a rare community that doesn’t have its own local brewery, you should still be able to find BC craft beer in your local liquor store. Lots of breweries in BC will ship beer directly to you, too. 

Stay posted here for more news and information about BC’s craft beer scene.

All the best at the start of 2022. Let’s hope it’s a big improvement in 2021!

The post What Just Happened?! Looking Back at 2021 With An Eye to the Future appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to approach this end-of-year blog without simply using the clichés about 2020. It’s too easy to label December 31 as the end of the worst year most of us have endured. After all, it’s not like the sun will rise tomorrow morning on a world without COVID-19, Donald Trump, racism, poverty, and too many other injustices to list here. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m certainly not going to celebrate 2020. I will be just as happy as you to see this year come to an end. This graphic from Slackwater Brewing sums up my sentiments quite well…

Needless to say, the past year was tumultuous for BC’s craft breweries. Back on January 3 — before any of us know what was about to happen — I wrote a blog called “Looking Back at the Biggest Decade in Craft Beer History,” which finished with this hopeful toast: 

Here’s to the 2010s — the most exciting decade in craft beer history since the microbrewing movement kicked off in the 1980s. And looking ahead to the future, there’s no reason to think that the 2020s won’t be just as interesting. Cheers!

Well, I got that last bit right. No question: the first year of the 2020s has certainly been interesting. Can you imagine being a business owner about to launch your brand new brewery in early March? Kudos to Kelowna’s Jackknife Brewing for doing just that.

 

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Jackknife wasn’t the only brewery to open during the pandemic. Back at the start of the year, I published a list of more than 20 breweries expected to open in 2020. It was mostly correct: 16 of the breweries I mentioned did in fact open this year with a handful still in the works, but there were several others that had slipped under my radar at that point. Indeed, 20 new breweries opened in 2020. Two more breweries came very close to opening as well: Studio Brewing (Burnaby) and Morrow Beer Co. in Salmon Arm will both likely open early in 2021.

2020 in Numbers

Simply looking at the statistics implies that the pandemic did little to affect the expansion of the craft beer industry here in BC. After all, since 2013, the average rate of growth has been about 22 or 23 new breweries per year. Arguably, since breweries typically take 18 months or longer to open their doors, many of these new breweries may have been too far along in their development to pause for the pandemic. Once a new brewery takes occupancy of its space, rent or mortgage payments have to be made every month, and equipment manufacturers need to be paid. If construction was already significantly underway when COVID-19 arrived, it’s probably best to just keep building. The only way to offset those outgoing expenses is to get the business open so that beer can be brewed and — most importantly — sold.

That said, there were a few prospective breweries that did choose to hit the pause button. Merridale Ciderworks had started digging at the site of its new brewery and distillery on Harbour Road in Victoria, but, when COVID-19 hit, they chose to wait on continuing construction. Two breweries were supposed to open in Grand Forks, but neither has. A few others expected to open in 2020 are now scheduled for 2021, including Devil’s Bath Brewing, Hornby Island Brewing, Lakesider Brewing, and Rusted Rake Brewing, among others. I’m not saying they were all postponed because of COVID-19, but it likely played a part in their delays.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that very few breweries actually went out of business because of COVID-19. There were a few ownership changes resulting in renamed operations: Axe & Barrel became V2V Black Hops Brewing, Boundary Brewing became Welton Brewery, and Postmark became Settlement Brewing. Of those, V2V Black Hops opened before the pandemic; Welton opened in the early days of COVID-19, but Boundary had been struggling financially for a long time already; and Postmark’s ownership was complicated since the brand had been purchased by Craft Collective (a Vancouver contract brewing operation originally called Factory Brewing that failed and was rebranded as TBA Beverages, which is now known as MOD Beverage). While V2V Black Hops says it is struggling to stay open, the only brewery I know of that has actually closed because of the pandemic is Flashback Brewing in Chilliwack. Its owner told me in October that he hopes to get the business open again soon.

Of course, we all probably know of local restaurants that have closed because of the pandemic. Sadly, a couple of iconic, one-time brewpubs have recently closed: Central City closed the Red Racer Taphouse (previously Dix Brewpub) in downtown Vancouver and the Central City Taphouse (previously the Central City Brewpub which kicked off the Red Racer brand when it opened in 2003). Both of those brewpubs were important gathering places for the craft beer community in their heydays.  

Another aspect of the craft beer industry that has definitely suffered is beer events. Indeed, looking back at our early 2020 stories, January and February featured blogs about several different events, including Dine Around Victoria, the Weathered Beer Celebration, Hopwired, and Victoria Beer Week, which I have been involved in producing since it launched in 2014. VBW2020 opened on March 6 just as word of COVID-19’s progress began appearing in the mainstream media. Needless to say, we didn’t manage to complete the full slate of events, and no other beer events have taken place in BC since then. I won’t spend any more space on that subject here, but if you want to dive deeper you can check out this article I wrote for The Growler.

The spring was all about uncertainty. We spent several weeks in a near-total lockdown. Breweries were allowed to produce beer, but they couldn’t open their tasting rooms, and neither could bars and restaurants, so the only way breweries could sell their beer was to liquor stores or through direct delivery to customers. For some breweries that relied solely on a tasting room model, this was a huge challenge, but most were able to adapt quickly, either by installing new packaging equipment or by working with one of several mobile canning companies that support the industry here. 

When the lockdown ended, breweries were able to re-open tasting rooms with limited capacity and spacing requirements. To augment this, the province allowed breweries to expand outdoor service areas and, earlier this fall, that temporary allowance was extended to October 31, 2021, giving them more certainty about how they can operate as we slowly make our way out of the pandemic. 

Throughout the summer and into the fall, BC’s craft breweries worked hard to keep their businesses afloat while ensuring they could provide a safe workplace for employees and a safe experience for customers who choose to visit them in person. This was perfectly exemplified by Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing, which was awarded our third annual Best Brewery Experience Award in November. This winter’s increase in COVID-19 infection rates and the resulting travel restrictions have definitely challenged breweries that are seeing fewer customers in their taprooms once again, but by now most breweries have packaging and delivery in place so they have other ways to sell their beer.

If there is a silver lining to running a brewery during a pandemic, I think it has to do with the way breweries have adapted and become more versatile. This idea was summed up well by Tony Dewald, brewmaster at Trading Post Brewing in Langley, who I interviewed for an article in The Growler a few months ago:

“We all hope that when there is a renormalization that all of our businesses are in much better shape because we’ve had to examine every small part of it and make all the cost savings we can and look for every sales opportunity. And we think that will help us in the long term.”

Looking ahead, we all know that there is a long stretch of road left to cover before we will see COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. We have to be careful over the next several weeks and months as we make our way out of the winter lockdown. Vaccinations are starting to happen, and spring will bring with it more opportunities to spend time outside. Slowly but surely, life will return to normalcy but, until then, we need to be careful, avoid unnecessary travel, and do our best to support local businesses. 

From all of us at the BC Ale Trail, Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

The post 2020: A Year for Beer Like No Other appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

 

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A post shared by Barnside Brewing Co. (@barnsidebrewing) on Dec 31, 2019 at 11:28pm PST

Barnside Brewing – Delta

Watch for this farm-based brewery to open early in the year. Not far from Four Winds Brewing, the owners of Barnside are growing their own hops and barley to use in the beers they will be brewing. Based in a converted barn next to a cranberry bog, it will definitely be a destination brewery with a tasting room and outdoor patio.

Bricklayer Brewing – Chilliwack

As highlighted in the very slick video above, Bricklayer is set to open in Chilliwack this year. It’s actually one of two new breweries joining Flashback Brewing as part of the downtown revitalization happening in that Fraser Valley community. Field House Brewing is also opening a second location there.

Devil’s Bath Brewing – Port McNeill

This new brewery will extend the range of craft beer halfway up Vancouver Island. Rob Mangelsdorf, editor of The Growler and a contributor here, writes “Craft beer is coming to the North Island as three local homebrewing brothers plan to convert the former Shell gas station into the region’s first brewery using the brewhouse from the now defunct Forbidden Brewing in Courtenay.”

Erie Creek Brewing – Salmo

OK, I’m embarrassed to admit I had to look up where Salmo actually is. Turns out I’ve driven through it a few times on the Crowsnest Highway. Directly south of Nelson, the addition of this new brewery will complete a tidy West Kootenay loop of breweries including three in Nelson (Backroads Brewing, Nelson Brewing, and Torchlight Brewing), Rossland Beer Co. in Rossland, and Tailout Brewing in Castlegar. The brewery is based in a building that was originally a bank, and the old vault will be used as a games room. There is also a stage for live music.

Field House CHWK – Chilliwack

Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing is already considered one of BC’s most innovative breweries. Now it is planning on opening a second location in downtown Chilliwack.

 

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EQUIPMENT DAY!

A post shared by Fraser Mills Fermentation Co. (@frasermillsfc) on Dec 9, 2019 at 10:51am PST

Fraser Mills Fermentation Co. – Port Moody

The first brewery in Port Moody NOT on Brewers Row, Fraser Mills Fermentation Co. plans to make all sorts of fermented beverages, including cider, wine and mead, in addition to beer, of course. Opening Day is getting close and they are very excited, as you will see and hear in the video above!

Grand Forks Beer – Grand Forks

Locals were very excited when they saw these banners go up on the future location of their very own craft brewery!

 

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New beer in Old Town. 2020. – #bccraftbeer

A post shared by Herald St. Brew Works (@heraldstbw) on Jan 5, 2020 at 8:48pm PST

Herald Street Brew Works – Victoria

The good folks at Steel & Oak Brewing have teamed up with the owners of the Drake Eatery to build this new brewery in Victoria. Fingers crossed that it opens by the spring after a series of long delays.

 

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arbutus tree winter windfall on our property has been turned into these gorgeous tap handles by the incredibly talented @smoothedgedesign

A post shared by Hornby Island Brewing Co. (@hornbyislandbrewingco) on Jul 9, 2019 at 8:18am PDT

Hornby Island Brewing – Hornby Island

One of the most beautiful Gulf Islands will soon have its very own craft brewery.

 

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What’s up Nelson! We’re stoked to be pouring in the sun at the Kutenei Oktoberfest! The debut of our flagship stout Leviathan! Come visit us for some high fives and tiny beers! #northendbeer #nelson #bccraftbeer #leviathan #canadianimperialstout

A post shared by Jackknife (@jackknifebrewing) on Sep 21, 2019 at 2:48pm PDT

Jackknife Brewing – Kelowna

Brad Tomlinson, ex-brewer from Kettle River Brewing, is opening his own brewery right next door, adding to the boom of new breweries that have popped up in Kelowna over the past few years. Expect Jackknife to open in February.

Lakesider Brewing – West Kelowna

This brewery will be joining Kind Brewing on the west side of Okanagan Lake some time in 2020.

 

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A post shared by Locality Brewing (@localitybrewing) on Jul 22, 2019 at 7:47am PDT

Locality Brewing – Langley

These folks have been busy growing their own hops and growing and malting their own barley, which they plan on using in their own beer once they open this brewery.

Mountainview Brewing – Hope

Hope: the place we all stop for a rest break on the way up or down the Coquihalla. Soon we’ll have a real reason to stop!

Neighbourhood Brewing – Penticton

From the owners of Yellow Dog Brewing comes this highly anticipated addition to Penticton’s already excellent beer scene.

 

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When was the last time you tasted an orchard in a glass?⠀ @yvrbeercouple Our juicy Hazy IPA presents a big fruity flavour with aromas of blueberry, peach and mango. Bursting with flavour, it‘s got a soft pop of hops without the bitterness of a typical IPA.⠀ ⠀ Find our Hazy IPA on tap in the Tri-Cities ⠀ @orrangekitchen @tapsandtacos @pastapolo @thebennettpoco @woodyscoquitlam @hanayuki.ioco @izbabistro @johnbpub @goldenboot1997 DM us for a list of others

A post shared by Patina Brewing Co. (@patinabrewing) on Oct 9, 2019 at 8:52pm PDT

Patina Brewing – Port Coquitlam
This brewery and barbecue joint is coming to downtown PoCo.

Rusted Rake Brewing – Nanoose Bay

This Vancouver Island farm hopes to add a brewery in 2020.

Shaketown Brewing – North Vancouver

Yet another new brewery planned for the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver, joining several others that have opened there in recent years, including: Beere Brewing, House of Funk Brewing, North Point Brewing and Streetcar Brewing.

Shoreline Brewing – Kelowna

This new brewery will be part of The Shore development in the Lower Mission neighbourhood.

 

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We have fallen for our new packaging! Not only has the look changed, but we have refined the flavour profiles of each of our beers. Try them for yourself today!

A post shared by Smugglers’ Trail Caskworks (@smugglerstrail) on Nov 7, 2019 at 10:05pm PST

Smugglers Trail Caskworks – Langley

This brewery has been building its brand through contract brewing but hopes to open its own facility in the Port Kells area of Langley.

Tidal Brewing – Qualicum Beach

Joining LoveShack Libations in Qualicum Beach, this new brewery will be part of the East Village development project there.

Ucluelet Brewing – Ucluelet

This brewery will be located in an old church, adding a second destination on the west coast of Vancouver Island along with longtime local fave, Tofino Brewing.

 

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Signage!!!!

A post shared by Ursa Minor Brewing (@ursaminorbrewing) on Nov 20, 2019 at 9:13pm PST

Ursa Minor Brewing – Burns Lake

Located on Ootsa Lake about an hour south of Burns Lake, itself halfway between Prince George and Smithers, this brewery will join several others that have opened in Northern BC over the past few years.

There are still a few more new breweries that might open in 2020, including: Batch 44 Brewery & Kitchen in Sechelt; Hudson Taphouse & Brewpub in Victoria; Studio Brewing in Burnaby; Sundown Beer Co. in North Vancouver; Unleashed Brewing in Kelowna.

The post More Than 20 New Breweries Expected to Open in 2020! appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

Back on December 31, 2009, no one in British Columbia — not even the most optimistic beer lover, myself included — could have predicted what the next decade would bring. There were about 40 craft breweries in BC at the start of 2010. Just 14 new breweries had opened throughout the entire previous decade, showing slow, steady growth throughout the province. The last brewery to open in the 2000s was Victoria’s Driftwood Brewery, which began operating late in 2008. Who could imagine that in just a few years, 14 new breweries wouldn’t even be considered a good year for growth in the industry?

Becoming the Thirsty Writer

I decided to focus on writing about craft beer around the same time Driftwood opened. I loved visiting breweries to meet the people behind them, and felt there were stories to tell — about the interesting personalities of the brewers, about the creativity that went into the delicious beers they were making, and about their connections to the communities where they lived and worked — and more and more, it seemed that editors of magazines and newspapers were interested in sharing those stories with their readers. I found outlets for craft beer stories whether as the focus of a travel article for a newspaper or in-flight magazine, or as a focus piece for a consumer magazine.

At the start of the 2010s, it definitely felt like something was brewing here in BC. The Noble Pig Brewhouse opened in Kamloops in 2010, quickly followed by Hoyne Brewing (Victoria) and Tofino Brewing in 2011. Soon, I had a list of more than a dozen new breweries set to open on the horizon.

In rapid succession I had two stories published in BC Business magazine about the burgeoning craft beer industry. The first, “Pour Me Another,” which was published in September 2011, was a primer on craft beer that focused on three important industry leaders at the time: Gary Lohin, brewmaster of Central City Brewers & Distillers; Nigel Springthorpe, publican of the Alibi Room (who hadn’t opened Brassneck Brewery yet); and Gerry Erith, the then-manager of the Brewery Creek Liquor Store in Vancouver, who co-founded Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the BC Beer Awards, and was instrumental in bringing in craft beer from the United States and Europe (and was recently awarded a Legend award at the BC Beer Awards for his efforts).

My second BC Business article, “The Craft of Brewing,” was published in June 2012. It focused on three of BC’s newest breweries: Hoyne Brewing in Victoria; Parallel 49 Brewing in Vancouver; and Townsite Brewing in Powell River. The idea of a brewery opening in secluded Powell River up near the end of Highway 101 at the top of the Sunshine Coast seemed farfetched at the time, but Townsite’s success since then has certainly dispelled that notion. (We even awarded it with our inaugural Best Brewery Experience award in 2018.)

My book, Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries, which was published in May 2013, included 50 breweries. After spending several weeks on the road visiting breweries in 2012, I was able to say I’d been to every brewery in my book (something I can’t claim any more!). And as I toured the province hosting book launches in conjunction with breweries all over British Columbia that summer and fall, I saw even more reason to celebrate the industry as I heard about more and more new breweries in the works everywhere I went.

Indeed, the provincial government’s decision to allow breweries (and distilleries) to open tasting rooms in their facilities just as wineries had been allowed previously opened the floodgates. Take a look at these numbers to get a sense of the amazing growth:

~ 40 breweries in 2012
+ 3 new breweries in 2011
+ 7 new breweries in 2012
+ 12 new breweries in 2013
+ 20 new breweries in 2014
+ 20 new breweries in 2015
+ 20 new breweries in 2016
+ 28 new breweries in 2017
+ 21 new breweries in 2018
+ 28 new breweries in 2019

Finding the BC Ale Trail Among the Beer

Of course, this amazing growth led to the creation of the BC Ale Trail in 2016. Since then, we’ve been charting the continued expansion of the industry, creating videos and itineraries showcasing the wide range of options available in different regions throughout BC, and telling the unique stories of all the amazing breweries here. We also launched the BC Ale Trail app on June 1, 2019, which includes all 18 ale trails, 115 breweries, and 25 private liquor stores and ancillary businesses. So far, more than 7,500 people are using it.

With some amalgamations and closures, the total number of craft breweries in B.C. today stands at 191. The newest to open as of this writing is Dog Mountain Brewing, which joins Twin City Brewing in Port Alberni, a small and not exactly well-to-do community at the heart of Vancouver Island that would have seemed a long shot to boast its own craft brewery a few years ago, let alone two! And this is exactly what I find most exciting and gratifying about the big expansion in craft breweries — the fact that they have been opening and continue to open all over the province, including about a dozen that have opened in Northern BC from Prince Rupert on the west coast all the way across to Valemount close to the Alberta border and as far north as Fort St. John. Small communities all over the province have welcomed their own breweries, and they have been embraced by residents who want to support local businesses like butchers, bakers and farmers.

People often ask me if this sort of growth is sustainable. The industry has grown by an average of more than 20 breweries per year over the past seven years, more than tripling in size over that time! How can all these new breweries survive in a marketplace that is growing more and more competitive every year? I do think the industry will continue to expand at a similar pace for some time yet, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to open a brewery at a size that would require more than just retail sales through its own tasting room to survive right from the start. The wholesale market — selling kegs to restaurants and bars, and selling packaged beer to liquor stores — is where the competition is. After all, there are only so many taps available, and there is only so much space on shelves at liquor stores. But starting small with a tasting room focus and then growing into packaged beer and draught beer sales still seems to be a sound business approach.

And there are still many smaller communities in British Columbia without a brewery, or perhaps places with only one where there is room for another, and there are many urban centres with neighbourhoods that would welcome their own small brewery. Craft beer tourism is on the rise, both in terms of folks visiting B.C. from elsewhere and for residents exploring other parts of the province. Restaurants or taprooms with a craft beer focus are popping up everywhere, as are craft beer festivals and events. 

The Next Decade in BC’s Craft Beer Revolution

So what does the next decade hold? I certainly don’t expect to see another 200 breweries (as in 20 new breweries x 10 years) in British Columbia on December 31, 2029, so in that sense I guess I do think the expansion of the industry will slow down a bit … eventually. But there are still more than 20 new breweries that are publicly in the works in British Columbia, and probably more that haven’t announced themselves yet. Check out our contributor Rob Mangelsdorf’s recent article listing 21 new breweries expected to open in 2020.

One thing that I see happening more and more is the trend of existing companies opening second breweries, whether right next door as was the case with 33 Brewing Experiment opening next to 33 Acres Brewing in Vancouver in 2018; a few doors down as Moody Ales did when it opened The Bakery Brewing on Brewers Row in Port Moody earlier this year; or in other communities entirely: the owners of Yellow Dog Brewing are building Neighbourhood Brewing in Penticton, which is expected to open this spring; Steel & Oak Brewing (New Westminster) is a partner in Herald Street Brew Works, which is under construction in Victoria; and Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing is building Field House CHWK in Chilliwack, targeting an April opening.

And the other trend I’m watching is farm-based breweries. This is not exactly a new idea — after all, BC’s original farm brewery, Crannóg Ales, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2020, Persephone Brewing has been operating on its small farm since 2013, and Pemberton Valley BeerWorks (The Beer Farmers) has been open since 2018 — but it’s an idea that seems to be gathering more and more momentum. Farm-based Barnside Brewing hopes to open in a converted barn not far from Four Winds Brewing in Delta soon; their plan is to use their own barley and hops as much as possible. Three other farm-based breweries are also in the works for 2020: Locality Brewing (Langley), Rusted Rake Brewing (Nanoose Bay), and Ursa Minor Brewing in Burns Lake. 

 

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A post shared by Field House Brewing Co. (@fieldhousebrewing) on Dec 10, 2019 at 10:00am PST

What else is trending? In terms of beer styles, sour beers and hazy IPAs continue to be very popular among brewers and consumers alike. The other interesting flavour trend I’m watching is the world of wine-beer hybrids. Many breweries use wine barrels for barrel-aging beers, especially on the sour side of the flavour range, but some breweries are also using grape juice or grape must (which contains the skins, seeds and stems) as an ingredient in beers. Field House Brewing and Yellow Dog Brewing seem to be leading the charge in this area, but others including Main Street Brewing and Luppolo Brewing have also been exploring this style. We will take a look at this topic in greater detail in a future blog.

Here’s to the 2010s — the most exciting decade in craft beer history since the microbrewing movement kicked off in the 1980s. And looking ahead to the future, there’s no reason to think that the 2020s won’t be just as interesting. Cheers!

The post Looking Back on the Biggest Decade in BC Craft Beer History appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

The craft beer industry continued to grow rapidly in BC: 17 new breweries opened their doors and another five either changed their names or re-opened under new management. Coinciding with that growth, we launched two new ale trails in Northern BC and Kamloops-Shuswap-Vernon, and expanded two others, adding Richmond to New West, Delta & Surrey, and re-tooling Vancouver Island into two new ale trails.

The most exciting achievement for its sheer scope alone was the addition of the new Northern BC Ale Trail. Spanning the province from Wheelhouse Brewing in Prince Rupert on the west coast to Three Ranges Brewing in Valemount near the Alberta border, this ale trail includes eight breweries in six communities, including three that just opened this year. It certainly is the most ambitious ale trail to complete, and that alone makes it an achievement worthy of a beer lover’s bucket list for sure.

The new Kamloops, Shuswap & Vernon Ale Trail welcomed six craft breweries to the BC Ale Trail, including the Noble Pig Brewhouse, Red Collar Brewing and Iron Road Brewing in Kamloops; the organic farm-based brewery Crannóg Ales in Sorrento; the Barley Station Brewpub in Salmon Arm; and Marten Brewing in Vernon. This is classic road-trip country — all these communities can be found along the Trans-Canada Highway, with Vernon just a short side trip away.

With the addition of Richmond, the New West-Delta-Surrey-Richmond Ale Trail effectively doubled in size as three breweries in Richmond joined three in those other communities. The new additions included Britannia Brewing, Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks, and Monkey 9 Brewing.

Over on Vancouver Island, the two ale trails there were revamped and expanded with the addition of two new breweries: Small Block Brewing in Duncan and Twin City Brewing in Port Alberni.

Twin City went on to win Best in Show at the BC Beer Awards in October. Look for more new growth in 2019 with several new breweries planned for the Courtenay-Comox area along with Beach Fire Brewing in Campbell River.

Another hot spot for growth in 2018 was Kelowna where two new breweries opened: Vice & Virtue Brewing and Wild Ambition Brewing. Nearby in Penticton, two new breweries are in the works for 2019: Neighbourhood Brewing and Hatchery Brewing. 

Electric Bicycle Brewing and 33 Acres Experiment opened in Vancouver, which was named Canada’s Best Beer Town by Expedia (Penticton came in second, Abbotsford placed sixth, and Nelson came in at number 11). Speaking of 33 Acres, that brewery was named BC’s Brewery of the Year at the BC Beer Awards in October. Read more about 33 Acres Brewing in this interview with brewer Dave Varga.

Over in Victoria, Île Sauvage Brewing opened in the Rock Bay brewery district and Howl Brewing opened in North Saanich. And while Sooke Brewing was already open in November 2017, this was the year it really got people’s attention, which was acknowledged at the BC Beer Awards where it was named Rookie Brewery of the Year and won several awards including Best Tasting Room.

We also launched the new Best Brewery Experience Award and named Townsite Brewing on the Sunshine Coast Ale Trail as the inaugural winner.

Looking ahead, the future continues to look bright (and delicious!) for craft beer in British Columbia. Another 20 or more breweries are slated to open their doors in communities all over the province and exciting new beers are being created by brewers all the time. With so many amazing options available, it’s time to start planning some beer-themed adventures in 2019.

The post What A Year! 2018 in review appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

But when the dust from all that construction settled at the end of 2017, we realized that the previous record of 21 new breweries set in 2014 had been smashed. Last year, 28 new craft breweries opened in British Columbia!

It was a big year for expansion in the Okanagan region with the opening of Boundary Brewing in Kelowna and Detonate Brewing in Summerland, along with Highway 97 Brewing in Penticton, which opened just in time for the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale in April. Later in the year, a few more Okanagan breweries managed to get their doors open: Red Bird Brewing in Kelowna; Elevation 57 Brewing at Big White; and Kind Brewing in West Kelowna. Perfect timing considering we launched the Penticton Ale Trail and Kelowna Ale Trail earlier this year.

The other regional hotspot for new breweries was Vancouver Island where five new breweries opened over the course of 2017: LoveShack Libations (Qualicum Beach); Twin City Brewing (Port Alberni); Mount Arrowsmith Brewing (Parksville); and Sooke Brewing and Bad Dog Brewing (Sooke).

The summer of 2017 saw craft beer’s reach extend farther north in BC than ever before with the opening of Jackson’s Social Club & BrewHouse (100 Mile House); CrossRoads Brewing (Prince George); and Beard’s Brewing (Fort St. John). That northern expansion should continue in 2018 with more new breweries planned for Smithers, Prince George and Fort St. John.

Over in the Kootenays, Trail welcomed the Trail Beer Refinery; Angry Hen Brewing opened in Kaslo; and Backroads Brewing joined the busy beer scene in Nelson, becoming that city’s fourth brewery.

Two more breweries joined the community on the beautiful Sunshine Coast: Gibsons Tapworks and the 101 Brewhouse & Distillery, both in Gibsons. You can get a taste of their beer, along with Persephone Brewing, Townsite Brewing and other special guests, at the Sunshine Coast Beer Festival at the Gibsons Public Market on February 17.

A busy summer of beer culminated in the 25th annual Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria in early September, which featured 66 craft breweries. Later that month, the BrewLoops festival was celebrated in Kamloops, featuring a bike parade to the three local breweries, the Noble Pig Brewhouse, Red Collar Brewing and Iron Roads Brewing, that finished at a fun carnival-themed street party outside Red Beard Café.

Vancouver welcomed two new breweries, Andina Brewing and East Van Brewing, as well as the comprehensive Vancouver Ale Trail. And several more opened elsewhere in Metro Vancouver: Mariner Brewing (Coquitlam); 3 Dogs Brewing (White Rock); Silver Valley Brewing (Maple Ridge); Beere Brewing (North Vancouver); and Monkey 9 Brewpub (Richmond).

The BC Beer Awards were held in October, which is also BC Craft Beer Month. Brewery of the Year honours went to Mount Arrowsmith Brewing while the Rookie Brewery of the Year was awarded to Backcountry Brewing in Squamish. The Best in Show was awarded to Flammenbeer, brewed collaboratively by Swans Brewpub (Victoria) and White Sails Brewing (Nanaimo). The Innovator of the Year award went to Twin Sails Brewing (Port Moody).

Towards the end of 2018, the beer scene in Sooke tripled in size as two new breweries joined Sooke Oceanside Brewery there: Sooke Brewing and Bad Dog Brewing.

Looking ahead to 2018, it’s difficult to predict exactly how many new breweries will open in British Columbia, but rest assured there are plenty more under construction right now. Keep an eye out here for announcements about new openings and events.

Cheers to an amazing year!

The post What a Year! 2017 in review appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.