Bricklayer Brewing

Equal parts good, old-fashioned belonging and fresh, forward-thinking beer.

Part of Chilliwack’s downtown revitalization project, the name of this brewery definitely reflects the beautiful, brick-clad building it is based in, but it actually came about as more of a family in-joke. Bricklayer Brewing Co-owner and brewer Kristopher Schmidt explained that he and his wife Megan have two sons named Tony and Vinny. “With names like that, people would say, ‘They’re gonna be a couple of bricklayers one day,’ and the name just caught on.”

After moving to Chilliwack from North Vancouver several years ago, Kris got into homebrewing and quickly developed a passion for making beer. He is excited to be making a leap from boiling five gallons on a turkey burner to brewing on the big system in the brewery. It was very challenging to build and open the brewery during the COVID pandemic, but as a journeyman woodworker, Kris was able to build out much of the brewery himself, limiting the number of tradespeople in the building.

Megan is in charge of the front of house: Bricklayer’s tasting room has a retro-modern vibe with comfy bar stools, booths, and lots of brick accents throughout. There is also a patio with room to spread out. Although there is no kitchen on site, Bricklayer offers focaccia-style pizzas and soft pretzels made by a local bakery, along with charcuterie, olives and other snacks.