One of the most important aspects of the holiday season is showing gratitude to family, friends and neighbours.
Many of BC’s craft breweries are showing appreciation to their customers for all the support they have received this year by giving back to the community in a variety of ways, including: fundraising for flood victims, supporting scholarships for underrepresented students in the industry, and raising awareness about the need to create and provide safer, more inclusive environments for women and BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Helping Hands Community Pilsner
Led by Coquitlam’s Mariner Brewing, this benefit beer aims to raise $30,000 to benefit victims of the recent floods that have devastated communities around BC. All proceeds of the sale of each four-pack will be donated directly to the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund.
Other partners in this collaboration included Vancouver’s Main St. Brewing, which donated the yeast culture and helped brew the beer; Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing, which donated the malt; Vancouver’s Hops Connect, which donated the hops; Langley’s Blue/Meta, which designed the label; Port Coquitlam’s Mile 37 Craft Canning Co., which offered up cans for the cause; and the Parkside Brewery, which will distribute the beer.
The beer is available at more than 70 stores across the lower mainland from Vancouver to Chilliwack, as well as at the participating brewery partners. (See the list at the bottom of this blog.)
Flood Relief Golden Ale
Russell Brewing has released a new charity beer in collaboration with the Great Little Box Company.
Flood Relief Golden Ale (4.5% ABV) is described as “an elegant and bright golden ale, featuring hop additions of Citra and Idaho 7, lending vibrant aromas of tropical and citrus fruit.”
Flood Relief is available now at select beer retailers. $2 from each 4-pack sold, up to a total of $5000, will be donated to the Red Cross BC Flood & Extreme Weathers Appeal.
New School Dry Hopped Märzen
Not only does the New School Dry Hopped Märzen pair well with turkey and all the trimmings, but proceeds of the sale of each can sold will also be donated directly to the BC Hospitality Foundation and its Nancy More Award, which supports female or underrepresented students in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Brewing & Brewery Operations diploma program.
A crisp, copper-coloured lager with a rich malt base and fresh bursts of citrus from Mandarina Bavaria hops, the New School brew was a collaboration between Dead Frog Brewery in Langley, the BC Craft Brewers Guild and the KPU Brew Lab. The New School Dry Hopped Märzen is available at over 50 BC Liquor Stores and on tap and in cans at Dead Frog Brewery’s taproom.
Brave Noise
Several BC breweries are participating in a global collaborative effort called Brave Noise, which aims to create and provide safer, more inclusive environments for women and BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals throughout the beer industry. For all the details check out this recent blog by Jake Clark.
The eight BC breweries that are taking part are:
- Parallel 49 Brewing and Settlement Brewing on the Yeast Vancouver Ale Trail
- House of Funk Brewing on Vancouver’s North Shore Ale Trail
- Herald St. Brew Works on the Victoria Ale Trail
- Jackknife Brewing on the Kelowna and West Kelowna Ale Trail
- Land & Sea Brewing on the Vancouver Island Part II Ale Trail; and,
- Persephone Brewing on the Sunshine Coast Ale Trail
Each of the Brave Noise beers will debut at different times, so please follow the breweries’ social media accounts to stay informed on specific release dates and where to purchase.
Give Back December in Merritt
After all the devastating flooding in Merritt, its local brewery, the Empty Keg Brew House, has been offering free boiled water to local residents living under a boil water advisory.
“We also are hosting a whole month of ‘Give Back’ in December where $1 from the sale of each and every beer made on site will be donated to local flood victims,” said Kyle Hall, Empty Keg’s owner-brewmaster. “These are the same people that supported us during our struggle to make ends meet when the shutdowns occurred. We owe them!”
Here is where you can find the Helping Hands Community Pilsner:
39th & Cambie BCL / 5555 Cambie St, BC V5Z 3A3
Abbotsford BCL / 40-32500 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford BC V2T 4W1
Abbotsford Village BCL / 117-2070 Sumas Way, Abbotsford BC V2S 2C7
Alberni & Bute BCL / 768 Bute St, Vancouver BC V6E 4H6
Angry Otter 248th Street / 3548 248 St, Aldergrove BC V4W 1Y7
Angry Otter Barnet / 25 D 2773 Barnet Hwy, Coquitlam BC V3B 1C2
Angry Otter Cambie / 3415 Cambie St, Vancouver BC V5Z 2W7
Angry Otter City Gate / 10 45850 Yale Rd, Chilliwack BC V2P 2N9
Angry Otter Clearbrook / 30-31940 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford BC V2T 1V6
Angry Otter Fleetwood Village / 701-15970 Fraser Hwy, Surrey BC V4N 0X8
Angry Otter Lickman / 43971 A Industrial Way, Chilliwack BC V2R 3A4
Angry Otter North Burnaby / 4125 Hastings St, Burnaby BC V5C 2J5
Angry Otter Point Grey / 3338 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6R 2B2
Angry Otter Scott Town / 9500 120th St, Surrey BC V3V 4C1
Angry Otter Valleyview / 8-2101 East Trans Canada Hwy, Kamloops BC V2C 4A6
Angry Otter West Railway / 2520 Montvue Ave, Abbotsford BC V2S 3T9
Angry Otter Westgate / 12499 88th Ave, Surrey BC V3W 3H7
Angry Otter Whatcom / 100-1900 North Parallel Rd, Abbotsford BC V3G 2C6
Berezan Liquor Store Coquitlam / 140 Schoolhouse St, Coquitlam BC V3K 6V6
Berezan Liquor Store Langley / 100-19655 Willowbrook Dr, Langley BC V2Y 1A5
Berezan Liquor Store Port Moody / 3224 St John’s St, Port Moody BC V3H 2C9
Berezan Liquor Store Surrey / 304-152nd St, Surrey BC V3S 3K8
Berezan Liquor Store White Rock / Unit 101-15388 24th Ave, Surrey BC V4A 2H9
Berezan Liquor Store Willoughby / 8399 200 St, Langley BC V2Y 3C2
Broadway & Lillooet BCL / 3150 East Broadway, Vancouver BC V5M 1Z6
Bute Street BCL / 1155 Bute St, Vancouver BC V6E 1Z7
Capilano Mall BCL / 24-935 Marine Dr, North Vancouver BC V7P 1S3
Cedar Valley Liquor Store / 103-8778 Cedar St, Mission BC V4S 1A3
Champlain Square BCL / 110-3150 East 54th Ave Vancouver BC V5S 1Z1
Chilliwack BCL / 46040 Yale Rd, Chilliwack BC V2P 7V2
Cloverdale BCL / 101-17780 56th Ave, Surrey BC V3S 4C6
Collingwood-Kingsway BCL / 3436 Kingsway Ave, Vancouver BC V5R 5L4
Commercial Drive BCL / 1520 Commercial Dr, Vancouver BC V5L 3Y2
Community Taps & Pizza / 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver BC V5L 3X3
Como Lake BCL / 172-1960 Como Lake Ave, Coquitlam BC V3J 3R3
Deroche General Store / 41679 Lougheed Hwy, Deroche BC, V0M 1G0
El Caminos Restaurant / 3250 Main St, Vancouver BC V5V 3M5
Esplanade BCL / 100-132 West Esplanade, North Vancouver BC V7M 1A2
Everything Wine River District / 8570 River District Crossing, Vancouver BC V5S 4V9
Fieldhouse Brewery Tasting Room / 2281 West Railway St, Abbotsford BC V2S 2E3
Fleetwood BCL / 8904 152nd St, Surrey BC V3R 4E4
Fort Langley BCL / 9110 Glover Rd, Langley BC V1M 2R9
Guildford BCL / 1720-10335 152nd St, Surrey BC V3R 7C1
Haney BCL / 300-22709 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge BC V2X 2V5
Hemlock Valley Lodge / 20995 Hemlock Valley Rd, Agassiz BC V0M 1A1
High Point Beer Wine Spirits / 2769 East Hastings, Vancouver BC V5K 1Z8
Highwayman Pub / 32470 Simon Ave, Abbotsford BC V2T 4S2
Jericho Corner Liquor Store / 230-7150 200th St, Langley BC V2Y 3C2
Johnson Street Liquor / 390-1175 Johnson St, Coquitlam BC V3B 7K1
Kensington BCL / 6512 E Hastings, Burnaby BC V5B 1S2
Kerrisdale BCL / 2058 West 41st Ave, Vancouver BC V6M 1Y8
Kitsilano Cold Beer & Wine Store / 2289 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6K 2E4
Langley BCL / 6435 201st St, Langley BC V2Y 0G8
Legacy Liquor Store / 1633 Manitoba St, Vancouver BC V5Y 0B8
Main Street Brewing Company Tasting Room / 261 East 7th Ave, Vancouver BC V5T 0B8
Mariner Brewing Co. Tasting Room / H-1100 Landsdowne Dr, Coquitlam BC V3B 5E2
Mission BCL / 207-32530 Lougheed Hwy, Mission BC V2V 1A5
Newport Liquor Merchants / 215 A Newport Dr, Port Moody BC V3H 5C9
Nicola Station BCL / 140-1097 Nicola Ave, Port Coquitlam BC V3B 8B2
North Burnaby BCL / 4450 East Hastings, Burnaby BC V5C 2K2
Northgate BCL / Unit 103-3433 North Rd, Burnaby BC V3J 0A9
Park Royal BCL / Unit 785 Park Royal North Mall, West Vancouver BC V7T 2W4
Portland Craft / 3835 Main St, Vancouver BC V5V 3P1
Richmond Ironwood BCL / 3170-11666 Steveston Hwy, Richmond BC V7A 5J3
Ridgeway Beer Wine Spirits / 21280 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge BC V2X 2R7
River’s Reach Liquor Store / 320 6th St, New Westminster BC V3L 38A
Robson Street BCL / 1716 Robson St, Vancouver BC V6G 1E2
Safeway Liquor Burquitlam / 200-580 Clarke Rd, Coquitlam BC V3J 0G4
Shark Club Bar & Grill / 180 West Georgia St, Vancouver BC V6B 4P4
Side Hustle Sandwiches / 151 East 8th Ave, Vancouver BC V5T 1R8
Sisto’s River City Liquor Store / 33395 1st Ave, Mission BC V2V 1G9
Sumas Liquor Store / 101-1201 Sumas Way, Abbotsford BC V2S 8H2
The Cascade Room / 2616 Main St, Vancouver BC V5T 3E6
The Parkside Brewery Tasting Room / 2731 Murray St, Port Moody BC V3H 1X1
The Score On Davie / 1262 Davie St, Vancouver BC V6E 1N3
The Union Restaurant / 219 Union St, Vancouver BC V6A 2B2
Walnut Grove BCL / 501-8840 210th St, Langley BC V1M 2Y2
Westwood Centre BCL / 100-2748 Lougheed Hwy, Port Coquitlam BC V3B 6P2
