People in Vancouver love their beer, as evident in the number of pubs, bars, craft breweries, beer festivals and other beer-related events in the region.

Beer in Vancouver

If you’re serious about beer and are either living in or visiting Vancouver, below are some places, events and organizations you should know about. Cheers and bottoms up!

Craft Brew Pubs

British Columbia has over 100 craft beer breweries and the majority of them are based in Vancouver and around the Lower Mainland. Microbreweries, pubs and restaurants that brew and serve their own suds include the following:

• Steamworks – a great brew pub at 375 Water Street just a block from Waterfront Station at the entrance to Gastown.
• Granville Island Brewing – a popular place to find some of Vancouver’s best local craft beer at 1441 Cartwright Street on Granville Island.
• Sailor Hagar’s Brew Pub – a North Vancouver bar close to Lonsdale Quay and tucked away at 86 Semisch Avenue with a selection of its own beers.
• Yaletown Brewing Company – at 1132 Hamilton Street in Yaletown.
• Big Rock Urban Brewery – a popular place at 310-4th Street.
• Parallel 49 Brewing – a brewery with a tasting room at 1950 Triumph Street in Vancouver.
• Red Truck Beer – a local company that offer tours of their brewery at 295 East 1st Avenue in Vancouver.

There are many other local micro and nano-breweries in Metro Vancouver. For a tour of some of the best check out Vancouver Brewery Tours.

Some good bars that serve a wide selection of craft beers include the following:

• Craft Beer Market – a large pub in the Olympic Village’s historic Salt Building at 85 West 1st Avenue boasting the city’s largest selection of craft beers.
• Tap & Barrel – a popular bar with locations at Olympic Village, the Vancouver Convention Centre downtown and Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver.
• The Raven Pub – a pub-style restaurant at 1052 Deep Cove Road in North Vancouver that’s famous for its pizza and boasts the largest selection of craft beer on the North Shore. It’s a bit out of the way, but close to the beautiful village of Deep Cove.

Beer Events

The Lower Mainland hosts a number of great beer festivals and events each year, including the following:

• Brewski Fest – a one-day event that sometimes takes place for day ticket and season pass holders featuring free beer samples up at Cypress Mountain in the late spring.
• Fort Langley Beer Festival – a craft beer festival that attracts a few thousand people in May.
• Vancouver Craft Beer Festival – an outdoor craft beer festival at the PNE fairgrounds featuring over 100 North American craft breweries in early June.
• Squamish Beer Festival – at the O’Siyam Pavilion in Squamish in early July.
• Clover Valley Beer Festival – a beer -sampling event at the Cloverdale Rodeo Fairgrounds in mid-August.
• Whistler Village Beer Festival – celebrating everything to do with beer up at Whistler in mid-September.
• Coquitlam Craft Beer Festival – a beer-sampling event featuring over 40 breweries at the Westwood Plateau Golf Club in both March and November.
• Oktoberfest Events – a number of German-themed beer festivals take place in the Lower Mainland including the following:
  • Cloverfest – a beer festival hosted by the Cloverdale Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce in October.
  • Harrison Beer Fest – a 2-day Oktoberfest beer festival at Harrison Hot Springs in late October.
  • Harvest Haus – a massive Oktoberfest event with German and other beers near Concord Pacific Place in October.
  • Oktoberfest Vancouver – at the Alpen Club on weekends from the first until the third week in October.
  • Port Moody Oktoberfest – a large community event on weekends from late September until the beginning of October.
• Hopscotch Festival – the Grand Tasting Hall is a 2-day event during Vancouver’s annual Hopscotch Festival featuring dozens of local craft beer breweries as well as beers, whiskies and other spirits from around the world in November.
• Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Week – a week-long event showcasing craft beers and breweries in North Vancouver in October.

If you like events that serve adult beverages, other events you might be interested in include the following:

• Vancouver International Wine Festival – in late February.
• Harrison Uncorked – a 2-day wine festival at Harrison Hot Springs in mid-April.

If you’re more of a wine person, or like wine in addition to beer, then be sure to also check out the Lower Mainland’s Wineries.

For other types of events throughout the year, check out Vancouver’s Festivals and Events Calendar.