Bottoms up for Beer Week
Beer lovers can quaff their favourite brews — and discover new ones — during Victoria Beer Week, which starts Friday and runs until March 11.
The event, in its fourth year, returns with a roster of 16 events where you can quench your thirst for the amber nectar over nine days.
The festival kicks off with Friday Night Casks, the signature event of the week (a second cask night will be held on the following Friday). Belly up to the bar to enjoy 25 unique cask-conditioned beers from breweries throughout British Columbia.
“The event has exceeded our expectations,” said Joe Wiebe, co-founder. “We have been amazed with the growth and have expanded considerably, with added events and bigger spaces.”
He expects to welcome more than 3,000 guests who will sample products from 50 craft breweries from around British Columbia.
Take part in activities such as: Beer, Cheese, More Beer; Pucker Up; Beer, Pizza, More Beer; Drink in the Story; Beer School; the Definitive Victoria Brewery Crawl; Fishing For Beer; Cooking With Beer; the Ultimate Craft Beer Quiz and the Brewmasters Brunch.
New activities include: All About the Wood, focusing on barrel-aged beer, at the Roundhouse at Bayview Place on Saturday and Taco Tuesday on (of course) Tuesday.
The festival ends March 11 with Lift Off! at Centennial Square, which will feature a dozen new beers, available for the first time anywhere.
The craft beer industry has more than doubled in size since the first Victoria Beer Week four years ago, going from 60 to 125 micro breweries in the province. Just in the past year, breweries have opened in Courtenay, Comox, Chemainus and Sooke.
“People are more aware of craft beer these days,” Wiebe said. “They can taste the difference and they have indicated that they really want to support local companies.”
The Victoria Beer Week Society has created a $2,000 scholarship to the Brewing and Brewery Operations program at Kwantlen Polytechnical University in Langley, which offers the province’s only two-year brewing diploma program.
Tickets are $10.50 and up, with several ticket packages available. The events take place at various venues in Greater Victoria.
Admission to Friday Night Casks #1 is $52.50 and includes eight drink tickets (four-ounce sampler) and one food ticket. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Victoria Public Market, 1701 Douglas St.
Tickets for all events are available through Ticket Rocket: vicbeerweek.ticketrocket.com. For information, go to victoriabeerweek.co.