BeatRoute Magazine BC Print Edition May 2018

(L-R) PAUL KAMON, TYLER
OLSON AND LEAH HENEGHAN OF
VANCOUVER CRAFT BEER WEEK ARE
CRUSHING IT ONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR.
BY YASMINE SHEMESH
PHOTO BY SARA BAAR
Nine years ago a group of craft beer enthusiasts gathered at
one of their favourite local watering holes — the Alibi Room
— and decided to dedicate an entire week to one of the
Vancouver’s now not-so-best-kept secrets: really great craft
beer. In their inaugural year, Vancouver Craft Beer Week was a
seven-day festival with a headcount of just 100 people. Today,
VCBW has grown to cover 10 full days featuring more than 100
participating craft breweries and cideries and events throughout
the whole city, including dinner pairings at restaurants and bars
like Jackalope’s Neighbourhood Dive, and live music events. This
year promises an estimated number of 20-25,000 attendees.
“The craft beer scene has exploded,” says festival director and
co-founder Leah Heneghan. “When we first started, I think there
was about 50 or 60 breweries in the whole province. This year,
we are over 170. It’s almost difficult to keep track of all of them
as they keep opening so quickly, which is pretty fantastic. I think
one of the really great things about our scene here is how good
the beer is. The breweries here are really putting out world class
beers and we’ve caught up in that way really quickly to some of
the folks who have been doing it a lot longer.”
Participating breweries range widely from downtown
staples Parallel 49 and Strathcona Beer Company to gems like
Vancouver Island’s Tofino Brewing Company and Gibsons’
Persephone Brewing Company. There will also be about 20 to
30 international breweries featured due to VCBW’s partnership
with the American Brewers Association. “They choose one
festival in Canada to work with each year and this is their third
year with us, so we’re pretty happy about that,” Heneghan
says. “Some people don’t enjoy the fact that we have American
breweries up here at our festival necessarily, but I think it’s a
very good opportunity to showcase how awesome our beer
is. What we’re making up here is definitely comparable [to the
States’ longstanding craft beer tradition] and it’s definitely in
the same category.”
In fact, VCBW has also made changes to their participation
guidelines to showcase only the best of the best. “Because
there are so many new craft breweries in BC, we really wanted
to open it up to the independent folks,” explains Heneghan.
“So now, in order to actually participate, you have to be an
independent brewery, so you can’t be owned by any of the
larger beer corporations, which, unfortunately, cut out a couple
of our breweries that have been supporters of us from the very
beginning. It was a difficult decision to make, but it seemed to
be the only way forward.”
Community, though, is perhaps the strongest ingredient
in Vancouver Craft Beer Week. “It’s really collaborative and
everyone supports each other in everything they’re doing rather
than having a really competitive environment,” Heneghan says.
“Everybody’s friends and they’re working together, which I
think is really special.” The annual Official Beer epitomizes this
component with a collaboration brew developed specially for
the festival by a handful of breweries. This year, Backcountry
Brewing, Beere Brewing, and Coast Mountain Brewing joined
forces to create a Double Dry Hopped Pilsner.
“For the past few years, we’ve really been wanting to tie in
something around the Sea to Sky Highway, because there’s
breweries up in Whistler now, there’s a few breweries in
Squamish, and more have opened up in North Van as well,”
Heneghan expands. “So that was kind of the idea behind
this, was really bringing in people who were just outside of
Vancouver, but close still, and opening it up to that. And who
doesn’t like to show off that beautiful stretch of road between
here and Whistler? Beere Brewing, Backcountry Brewing, and
Coast Mountain Brewing are all kind of known for their hoppier
styles of beer, so that landed us in a Double Dry Hopped Pilsner.
It’s a little bit of a stronger Pilsner. [Traditional Pilsner] can be
quite hoppy, which is expected from a lot of people in that style
because it is very close to a lager and it’s the lager family. We’re
playing on the hops, bringing in more hop flavour and it’s a little
bit of a higher ABV [alcohol by volume] as well. So enjoy, but
enjoy responsibly!”
Partial proceeds from the Official Beer will be donated to
the Eastside Boxing Club’s Self Defense Series, for all femaleidentifying
members of the community. “We really wanted
to support what they were doing and help them to keep this
class free and open it up for more people,” Heneghan says. “We
really love working with Eastside Boxing Club. They have a lot of
fantastic initiatives and the fact that this is female-forward and
female identifying-forward, it was a really important cause for
us to get on board with.”
Vancouver Craft Beer Week runs from May 25-June 3.
Bands//Beers
BeatRoute stage at VCBW
THE GREAT SPECKLED FRITILLARY
Psychedelic folk-rock, inspired by the ‘60s but sounding unlike
anything you’ve heard before. Organs, harmonies, drums, guitars,
and synths abound.
Pairs best with: Four Winds Brewing – Sour Weisse
DAKOTA PEARL
Named after a potato and hailing from Pemberton, Dakota Pearl is
an alternative country band for the adventurous British Columbian
within us all.
Pairs best with: Backcountry Brewing – Widowmaker IPA
THE PRETTYS
The Prettys – formerly known as The Bumpin’ Uglys – draw
inspiration from ‘70s nostalgia with a gritty edge.
Pairs best with: Callister Brewing – Short & Stour Dry Irish Stout
TANGLERS
Surf-inspired indie folk with subtle psychedelic undertones crafted
by four friends who really, really want to be here.
Pairs best with: Beere Brewing – Very Cool, Very Chill Pilsner
THE SPILLIONAIRES
Formed accidentally and maintained intentionally, The Spillionaires
ooze bluegrass and folk from all seven members’ pores.
Pairs best with: Steel & Oak – Roselle Wheat Ale
YOUNGBLOOD
Dreamy vocals are underscored by otherworldly, atmospheric
instrumentals to create Youngblood’s distinct sound.
Pairs best with: Bomber Brewing – Park Life
JORDAN
YEAGER
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