A Beer Inspired by BC and Brewed for You
The EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale is a collaboration between six breweries from across British Columbia. BC peaches present a beautiful golden-orange colour, while the Lærdal Kveik yeast and BC hops provide fruity, floral flavours above a clean rounded malt base that elevates the whole beer. Lastly, a pinch of BC sea salt makes this ale sparkle. This limited edition Peach Farmhouse Ale is a true representation of our province that pairs perfectly with BC’s natural beauty.
Every year, British Columbia’s diverse and exciting craft beer industry is celebrated during October, which was officially proclaimed as BC Craft Beer Month by the provincial government in 2011. The EXPLORE BC Beer Series, brought to you by the BC Ale Trail in partnership with Destination B.C., celebrates BC Craft Beer Month with a limited-edition craft beer, and Sip & Stays to encourage exploration of the province’s vast Ale Trail network. The EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale, a collaboration by six breweries representing all of the province’s major tourism regions, and produced by Ravens Brewing Company, will be available at select liquor stores, restaurants and craft breweries across the province. During a collaborative recipe planning process, the six breweries chose a style to truly showcase British Columbia’s craft beer scene and its connection to the agricultural communities of BC: the EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale.
“EXPLORE BC is an Official Mark of Destination BC Corp., used with consent”
Brewed with BC Ingredients
Ravens Brewing in Abbotsford acted as the Host Brewery for this special collaboration beer. Head Brewer Dan Marriette developed the loose framework for the beer and then consulted with the partner brewers to create the full recipe. All of the ingredients showcase the wealth of agricultural bounty that British Columbia has to offer.
“I wanted to focus on as much BC product as possible. What sort of local BC-grown fruit can we use?”
They chose Country Malt’s BC Select Malt as a base malt and peach purée from the Okanagan. To brew this farmhouse ale, they selected Lærdal Kveik yeast. For hops they decided on nugget and triumph varieties from Bredenhof Hops Farms “five minutes down the road” in Abbotsford.
Finally, they were excited to add some Vancouver Island Sea Salt: “It’s definitely not too briney — just a light sparkle of salt.”
Six Regional Breweries Collaborated to Create the EXPLORE BC IPA
Marriette was tasked with picking five partner breweries — one representing each region of British Columbia. He says when he considered which breweries to invite, he decided to focus on smaller companies.
“I didn’t want to pick any big well known names. I’d much rather ask somebody small who could use the lift up.”
Each of the six participating breweries is based in a different region of BC, and each brings its own unique story and contribution to the beer.
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast: Fox Mountain Brewing (Williams Lake)
Founded by a biologist who studied brewing in England, Fox Mountain Brewing is based in Williams Lake’s old Greyhound Station, which was extensively renovated to accommodate the brewing equipment and taproom. In addition to a wide range of beers, Fox Mountain serves up delicious food, including burgers, nachos, sandwiches, wings, and smoked ribs.
Fox Mountain Brewing can be found on the Northeast BC Ale Trail.
Kootenay Rockies: Torchlight Brewing (Nelson)
This popular brewery grew from small “nanobrewery” origins into the full-size facility it is today. Torchlight has a kitchen and tasting lounge serving 20 taps of beer along with craft sodas, syrups and bitters for cocktails, all made in-house.
Torchlight Brewing can be found on the Kootenay Rockies West Ale Trail.
Northern BC: Deadfall Brewing (Prince George)
One of the newest breweries in BC, Deadfall opened early this past summer. It is the third brewery in Prince George, along with CrossRoads Brewing & Distilling and Trench Brewing & Distilling. Three out of four of Deadfall Brewing’s owners are PhDs — the two couples who teamed up to build this brewery include three biologists with doctorates. (We’re sure the fourth is pretty smart, too…)
Deadfall Brewing can be found on the Northwest BC Ale Trail.
Thompson Okanagan: Slackwater Brewing (Penticton)
Located in downtown Penticton, Slackwater Brewing features two floors of seating surrounding the central main room and bar, including rooftop and streetside patios. With 12 taps, including some guest beers and cider, it is a welcoming space to meet with old friends or make some new connections, to sit back, relax and listen to live music, or to just hang out and enjoy a beer and some food.
Slackwater Brewing can be found on the Penticton Ale Trail.
Vancouver Coast & Mountains: Ravens Brewing (Abbotsford)
Respect for craft beer and the ingredients that go into it is the focus at this Abbotsford brewery. Proud of its place in the community and its heritage as an aboriginal-owned company, Ravens has won multiple awards, including a Gold Medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup for its Corvus Lingonberry Lime Gose.
Note: Ravens’ new tasting room and restaurant is still under construction, but the brewery itself is fully operational. Currently, its onsite store is available for beer to go only.
Vancouver Island: Whistle Buoy Brewing (Victoria)
This small brewery in Victoria’s historic Market Square has a welcoming tasting room and a sun-drenched patio. The unusual name comes from the diving location where its three founders first decided to open their own brewery. There they liked to go spear fishing for rock cod while free diving (i.e. without scuba equipment). Hence the spear guns mounted on the wall of the tasting room.
Whistle Buoy Brewing can be found on the Victoria Ale Trail.
Thank You!
Many thanks to our other partners on the project: Glenmore Custom Print and Packaging (boxes), Royal Labels (labels), Country Malt Group (malt) and Crown Cork & Seal Canada (cans).
Where you can find the EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale
The EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale is a single-batch beer so once it sells out it will be gone for good. Starting October 3rd, the beer will be distributed to liquor stores throughout BC, including 50 government stores and numerous private liquor retailers. It will also be on tap at the partner breweries that collaborated on its production, as well as at select taphouses and craft breweries all around the province. The full list of places where it will be available can be found below. Nothing close to you? Order it from Ravens to be shipped HERE.
Distribution List
BC Government Liquor Stores:
- BCLS New Westminster #031, New Westminster
- BCLS Nelson #032, Nelson
- BCLS Revelstoke #045, Revelstoke
- BCLS Sidney #050, Sidney
- BCLS Harbour Centre #053, Vancouver
- BCLS Cloverdale #070, Cloverdale
- BCLS Hillside #082, Victoria
- BCLS Nicola Station #089, VPort Coquitlam
- BCLS Jericho Village #090, Vancouver
- BCLS Bute Street #094, Vancouver
- BCLS Tsawwassen #098, Tsawwassen
- BCLS Westview #107, North Vancouver
- BCLS Commercial Dr #111, Vancouver
- BCLS Collingwood #113, Vancouver
- BCLS Broadway & Maple #117, Vancouver
- BCLS Tofino #118, Tofino
- BCLS Kingsgate #123, Vancouver
- BCLS Gorge/Tillicum #124, Victoria
- BCLS Westshore #125, Lanford
- BCLS Albernie & Bute #129, Vancouver
- BCLS Vernon #135, Vernon
- BCLS Kelowna Mission Park #148, Kelowna
- BCLS Como Lake #153, Coquitlam
- BCLS Parksville North #157, Parksville
- BCLS Langley #158, Langley
- BCLS Westwood Centre #163, Port Coquitlam
- BCLS Orchard Park #167, Kelowna
- BCLS Fairfield #178, Victoria
- BCLS Whistler Market Place #179, Whistler
- BCLS Peninsula Village #183, Surrey
- BCLS Village #189, Abbotsford
- BCLS Byrne Road #193, Burnaby
- BCLS Salmo #207, Salmo
- BCLS Squamish #208, Squamish
- BCLS North Burnaby #217, Burnaby
- BCLS Fort Street #218, Victoria
- BCLS Highgate #220, Burnaby
- BCLS Park Royal #228, West Vancouver
- BCLS Robson Street #233, Vancouver
- BCLS 28th & Main #237, Vancouver
- BCLS Lynn Valley #247, North Vancouver
- BCLS Broadway/Lillooet #300, Vancouver
- BCLS Whistler Village #302, Whistler
Private Liquor Retailers:
- Brewery Creek, Vancouver
- Cascadia, Nanoose Bay
- Cascadia, Langford
- Cedar Cottage Liquor, Vancouver
- Garrison Wine & Liquor, Chilliwack
- Greenrock Liquor Store, Nanaimo
- JAK’S Cherry Lane, Penticton
- JAK’S Coquitlam, Coquitlam
- JAK’S Granville, Vancouver
- JAK’S Mission, Mission
- JAK’S, New Westminster
- Jake’s Crossing, Port Moody
- Jimy Mac’s, Langley
- Lansdowne Central, Kamloops
- Liberty Wine Merchants, Vancouver
- Lulu Island Liquor, Richmond
- Marine Gateway Liquor, Vancouver
- Nesters Liquor, Whistler
- Noble Spirits Liquor, Prince George
- Parkway Liquor Store, Vancouver
- Riverside Liquor, Penticton
- Vessel Liquor, Victoria
Breweries:
- Ravens Brewing Co, Abbotsford
- Bayview Brewing Co, Ladysmith
- Bomber Brewing, Vancouver
- Cannery Brewing, Penticton
- Category 12 Brewing, Victoria
- Deadfall Brewing, Prince George
- Fox Mountain Brewing, Williams Lake
- Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse, Terrace
- Slackwater Brewing, Penticton
- Torchlight Brewing, Nelson
- Whistle Buoy Brewing, Victoria
- Brookswood Brewing, Langley
Restaurants/Taphouses:
- Alibi Room, Vancouver
- Brgr Brgr, Abbotsford
- Church St Taphouse, Comox
- Cordo resto + Bar, Kamloops
- Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, North Vancouver
- Prestige Hotel, Kamloops
- Refuge Tap Room, Victoria
- The Barley Merchant, Langley
- The Wildwood Public House, Powell River
Sip & Stay Packages
In celebration of BC Craft Beer Month, October, we are partnering with hotels around the province to offer Sip & Stays. Pairing BC travels with a hotel stay, and BC craft beer — it’s an Ale-venture!
This also coincides with our 2022 EXPLORE BC Peach Farmhouse Ale collaboration beer release. Some hotels will be offering the EXPLORE BC beer as part of their Sip & Stay, others are offering locally made BC craft beer or visit to a local brewery.
Valid for bookings October 1 – November 30. All offers are unique to the hotel. See details HERE for the offerings and for booking instructions.
