Clover Valley Beer Festival

The Clover Valley Beer Festival is a Metro Vancouver beer-tasting event that takes place in August at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

The event didn’t happen in 2021 or 2022 because of COVID-19. It was scheduled to come back in August of 2023 but was sadly cancelled again.

That being said, although the Clover Valley Beer Festival didn’t happen in 2022, a different beer festival happened in Cloverdale.

The Clover Valley Beer Festival

Put on by Gibbons Whistler, the same company behind North Vancouver’s Deep Cove Brewery and the annual Whistler Village Beer Festival in September, the Clover Valley Beer Festival made its debut in 2019.

When and Where

Before the 2020 Clover Valley Beer Festival was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 8th, from noon until 5:00 pm. The location would have been the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, which is at 17728 64th Avenue in Surrey.

Whether the festival will return at some point in 2024 is unknown.

Beer Festival Crowds at Bill Reid Amphitheatre — Beer Festival at the Bill Reid Amphitheatre

Beer Festival Admission & Prices

In 2019, tickets to the Clover Valley Beer Festival cost between $45 and $70. General admission cost about $45 (or around $50 or so with taxes and fees) when purchased in advance online. Included in the price was a sampling mug and five drink tokens.

“All Access” passes cost $70 (plus taxes and fees) online and included the same sampling mug plus 10 beer tokens and access to an express entry line. It also included a smokie for lunch and a souvenir hat. This compared to $60 for a similar VIP pass the year before (but we don’t think that included the hat).

Additional drink tokens could have been purchased with cash or credit cards. In 2019 they cost around $8.75 for five or $17.50 for 10, which meant $1.75 per drink sample.

Clover Valley Beer Festival Mug — A Festival Beer Sampling Mug

What to Expect

Similar to other large Lower Mainland beer festivals, 40 or so breweries featuring over 80 different beers participated at the Cloverdale event in 2019.

Ticketholders got to wander around, enjoyed the live music and spent their tokens on beer samples from the various breweries. There were also food vendors to buy lunch and other snacks from.

Food vendors participating in the event included Sammy J’s Grill & Bar (serving grilled cheese sandwiches), Mike’s Perfect Perogy’s, Urban Woodfired Pizza and Meet2Eat (serving various Mediterranean dishes plus fish & chips and hot dogs).

Live music the other year was provided by Red Chair, JennaMae & the Groove Section and Mood Therapy. There were also DJ tunes at the event.

Beer Festival Schedule

Below is a very basic schedule for the Cloverdale event from 2019.

12:00 pm – Doors open
4:00 pm – Last entry
4:30 pm – Last token sale
5:00 pm – End of the festival (and everyone goes home)

Hoyne Brewing from Victoria

Beer Festival Breweries

Around 40 different breweries participate in the event each year. Some beer festival regulars include Central City (from Surrey), Dead Frog, Deep Cove (from North Vancouver), Foamers’ Folly, Hoyne Brewing (from Victoria), Moody Ales (from Port Moody), Stanley Park Brewing, Parallel 49, Trading Post, Yellow Dog and Vancouver Island Brewing.

Also onsite in 2019 were Strongbow Apple Cider, Magners Irish Cider, Brickworks Ciderhouse (from Toronto), and the BC Tree Fruits Cider Company.

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your experience at the Clover Valley Beer Festival.

TIP #1: Don’t drink and drive! Plan how to get home in advance!

TIP #2: Parking is available at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Parking Lot #8. (Just remember Tip #1 though and don’t drink and drive.)

TIP #3: Go with a group of friends. The more the merrier!

TIP #4: There are no in-and-out privileges at the festival. Once you’re inside the gate, you can’t go back out and then return later. So be sure to remember to bring things in with you the first time (like your hat, sunscreen, etc.).

TIP #5: No outside food is permitted. Consequently, if you have special dietary needs, eat something before you go in and remember Tip #4 (that there are no in-and-out privileges).

Parallel 49 Beer Festival Vendor