Peak Beer and New Breweries for 2018
Recently an article on the CBC website caught our eye, more like raised a few eyebrows. The article claims that Vancouver has hit “peak beer” and is the opinion of the article that the BC market is becoming saturated with craft breweries, is considered a mature market, or in other words, continued growth is not sustainable. Funny!
Cautionary click bait terms like “peak beer” can be damaging to the perception of an industry that shows no signs of slowing down – in fact the opposite is true if you look at recent numbers coming from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch and Beer Me BC – craft beer sales and consumption continue to rise in BC year after year. One needs only look to our Cascadian friends to the south in Portland Oregon for inspiration on what is truly possible for the BC craft beer market, where a whopping 67% of draught beer consumed in the state is produced by local, Oregon breweries. Not to mention that Portland has almost 3 times the amount of breweries as Vancouver. So are we hitting “peak beer” or just getting started? We’ll leave that to the consumer to decide.
While the doomsday crowd can have their peak beer, we’d rather focus on some exciting new additions to the Vancouver craft beer community expected to open in 2018. Plenty of rumours are swirling and here’s a list of some new breweries to watch for, and some to hope for!
T&B Brewing Co.
We first launched this story last month and anticipation continues to rise for what promises to be an exciting new concept in the historic Opsal Steel Building. With the news that ex-Bridge Brewing Head Brewery Kerry Dyson will lead brewery operations for the newest addition to Tap & Barrel’s line up of restaurants, you can expect some fantastic beers from this new Vancouver brewery.
www.vancouverbrewerytours.com/blog/tap-and-barrel-launches-tb-brewing-co/
Electric Bicycle Brewing
It’s no secret the brightly coloured building on 4th Ave. is getting ready to open their doors to the thirsty Brewery Creek crowd. Watch for a unique space and interesting beers, and a welcomed addition to walking brewery tours in the area.
www.electricbicyclebrewing.com
Wild Eye Brewing
The North Shore craft beer community continues to grow with Wild Eye Brewing. Currently with 6 breweries to call their own, it’s been many years since shore folk needed to cross a bridge into Vancouver to get great beer. Located just over the 2nd Narrows, follow their growth and watch for updates on their Instagram account
Phantom Beer Company
Spooky! Announced just 2 months ago, another brewery is coming to East Vancouver called Phantom Beer. Details are mum for Phantom Beer Company, so follow their Instagram account and sign up for their newsletter for updates
Kitsilano Brewing Co.
Will this brewery open or is it still in the dream phase? Who knows, but either way we wish the team behind Kitsilano Brewing all the best, and please, please make this happen!
www.facebook.com/Kitsilano-Brewing-Co-1867795466870101/
Superflux Beer Co.
Ok we don’t know for sure but rumours are out there, one could say it’s only a matter of time until Vancouver’s most popular contract brewers find their own space. This wouldn’t be a big deal right??
www.instagram.com/superfluxbeer
Do you have the inside scoop of any new breweries coming to Vancouver? If so leave a comment below!
