Vancouver Craft Beer Week – the Finale

After 10 days of festivities, the much-anticipated Vancouver Craft Beer Week ended in a celebratory event showcasing the best Canadian, American and European breweries of craft beer on Saturday, May 26 at the historic Salt Building.

DARPAN Magazine was invited to “VCBW Beer Festival Presented by Legacy Liquor Store & BierCraft” and had the opportunity to sample some of the ground-breaking, award-winning craft beers from local and international brewers. The Salt Building was divided into three sections – Canadian, American and European, allowing festival attendees to browse through the sections, meet and chat with brewery representatives and sample some of their finest beers.

VCBW ran from May 18 to 26 featuring “over 60 breweries, 60 venues, 9 days of beer.” Its third year in effect, the organizers of VCBW strived to take the festival up a notch by featuring “9 headliner events, 6 opening acts, 36 neighbourhood gigs and 12+ week-long specials dedicated to all things craft beer.”

DARPAN Magazine had the opportunity to meet and greet with brewmakers and brewery owners and representatives from around the world and sample a diverse range of tantalizing crafts beer.

Some of our favourite breweries and craft beers from the “VCBW Beer Festival” are the following:

Canadian and American Brewers

Central City Brewing Co. (Red Racer Beer) – Imperial IPA (India Pale Ale IPA) & ESB (Extra Special Bitters)

Howe Sound Brewing Co. – 4 Way Fruit Ale & Howe Sound Lager

Driftwood Brewery – Fat Tug IPA & White Bark Wheat Ale

Lighthouse Brewing Co. – Switchback IPA & Fisgard 150

Phillips Brewing Co. – Amnesiac Double IPA & Blue Buck

Russell Brewing Co. – Cream Ale & Extra Special Lager

Fernie Brewing Co. – ‘What the Huck’ Huckleberry Wheat Ale & ‘Ol Willy Wit’ Belgian White Ale

Elysian Brewing Co. (BeerThirst) – Avatar Jasmine IPA & Dragonstooth Stout

Storm Brewing Ltd. – Echinacea Stout & Black Plague Stout

Spinnakers Brewpub – Nut Brown Ale

Parallel 49 Brewing Co. – Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale & SeedSpitter Watermelon Ale

Hoyne Brewing Co. – Dark Matter

VCBW and Legacy Liquor Store (2012 Collaboration Beer) – Cascadian Brown Ale

European Brewers

Fraoch, St. Peter’s – Fraoch Heather Ale & St. Peter’s Honey Porter

Fuller’s – Organic Honey Dew & London Porter

Brasserie DuPont, Brouwerij Verheghe (Bravo Beer Co.) – ‘Moinette Blonde’ Belgian Strong Blonde Ale & ‘Echt Kriekenbier’ Cherry Beer