NOTE: I was invited as media with complimentary tickets to the event. All opinions are based on my personal experience.
One week after the Opening Night, we attended the 2016 VCBW Festival presented by Donnelly Group. This was a three day event at the PNE Centre Grounds filled with beer, food, and music.
It was the perfect weekend as the sun came out and it was even a little too scorching for us. Good thing they had mists on set to cool you down!
Other than beer and food, some interesting set ups included Barber & Co where you could get your hair cut amidst drinking your beer.
There were over 100 breweries and cideries at the event. Again, most vendors had at least two types of beers to try, if not more. Food trucks were present as well if you wished to purchase some munchies.
Tickets ranged from $35 – $95 depending if you wanted express entry or a full weekend pass. The ticket gets you into the festival and includes your 4oz taster mug. All beer and cider samples are additional. All samples are 4oz and cost 1 token, with tokens being priced at $1.50 each.
Since we had our fair share of beer at the previous event, we decided to tackle some of the cideries since I’m a huge fan of ciders. One cidery we really enjoyed was the Howling Moon.
We were drawn into this Basque cider called Shacksbury because of the beautiful set up. This cider is unfiltered and was very tart and different from typical ciders on the market.
Storm Brewing had a massive line up so we had to see what it was all about. They were serving up really funky and unique brews, including the Cucumber Jalapeno Pilsner, and Basil IPA. Sounds weird, right? We tried the Pineapple Paradise Pilsner and Raspberry Vanilla Ale and really enjoyed the slight fruity flavour without being too sweet.
My favourite of them all had to be the Fruli Strawberry Beer. I guess by now, you can tell I enjoy fruit beers! This was delicious and didn’t even taste like a beer! Plus, it’s vegan and there are no added sugars or sweeteners. The sweetness is all from the strawberries themselves! The same vendor also had a Cherry Beer from Kriek Lambic. Also delicious but not as sweet.
Overall, we had an amazing time at the VCBW Festival and already can’t wait for next year’s! A wide selection of beers and ciders to sample from and a great event to have some fun with friends.
For more information: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/