B.C.’s Best Craft Brews Take Centre Stage at Coquitlam Beer Festival - West Coast Food

By Sonu Purhar

On Saturday, March 7, craft beer fans will flock to Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club for the fifth annual Coquitlam Beer Festival. The hoppin’ event shines a spotlight on craft beer production across Canada’s West Coast with over 50 BC breweries, cideries and distilleries represented, pouring over 150 beverages.

This year, the format has changed a little bit to allow more space, and time, for tasting beer, and they’ve added some cideries and RTDs (ready-to-drink beverages) to broaden the appeal to those non-beer drinkers who find themselves at a beer-tasting festival. Also, there will be two sessions: an afternoon ‘Matinee’ from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm, followed by an evening session from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm. 

Breweries participating in this year’s festival are a representation of the best of the best local brewers and include newcomers Farm Country Brewing, who opened their doors recently to great fanfare in Langley City;  Fuggles & Warlock, whose “keep beer weird” motto particularly appeals to those with adventurous tastes; Townsite Brewing, based in Powell River with the only known Belgian-born brewmaster in all of British Columbia leading the helm; and many more.

Back this year is the popular “Quirky Brew’s Cask Corner,  featuring palate-popping picks from East Van Brewing, Fernie Brewing, Foamers’s Folly Brewing, Monkey 9 Brewing, Off the Rail Brewing, Old Yale Brewing, Persephone Brewing and Taylight Brewing.

Coquitlam beer festival
Image by Alan Bailward

Is all this beer making you hungry? Fear not, the intrepid “Taps & Tacos” Food Truck will be onsite offering locally focused, globally-inspired eats for purchase.

Beer fans can visit the festival for the ‘Matinee’ opening between 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm (tickets cost $45), or for the ‘Evening’ opening between 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm (tickets cost $55). As this is a non-token event, all ticket prices include entry and unlimited beer samples.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit coquitlambeerfestival.com.

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