Vancouver Craft Beer Week Celebrates 10 Years

Vancouver’s premier craft beer festival is celebrating a significant milestone this year, reaching a full decade of operations.

It’s not hard to remember the very humble beginnings of the VCBW. The very first event had only 15 breweries and no more than 100 or so participants. As it grew, the venues changed and the festival finally found a spot at the PNE, where it’s been running for the past few years. Now, festival attendees can sample from 100 craft breweries and cideries pouring more than 300 beers and ciders.

Every year they also create a special VCBW collaboration beer. Last year, Backcountry Brewing was joined by Beere Brewing and Coast Mountain Brewing to develop the recipe for a sea-to-sky collaboration Double Dry Hopped Pilsner at their brewery in Squamish. The 2019 edition has yet to be announced, but we will be sure to update once it does.

[Edit: This year’s official beer is “Ten”, a dry-hopped table saison that is low in alcohol and bursting with tropical flavours. The beer is a collaboration between Four Winds Brewing Co., with Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing and Vancouver’s Powell Brewery]

Beyond the beers, the event has become a bit of a hub for music, arts and food, which certainly makes it an appealing place to spend the day sampling beers and lounging on the grass.

This year, the festival returns to the PNE with tickets starting at $39 for single day tickets and $65 for weekend passes. But, back by popular demand, VIP packages are available for single-day or weekend enjoyment. These include early entry to the VIP area, expedited entry to the festival, 10 drink tokens and one food voucher. The VIP area offers access to exclusive beers, food, music and private washrooms. VIP packages are priced at $85 for a single day and $140 for a weekend pass. Tickets can be purchased at VancouverCraftBeerWeek.com, while supplies last.