Great Canadian Beer Festival announces biggest brewery lineup ever

The Great Canadian Beer Festival returns to Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park, Sept. 6 and 7, 2019. Contributed photo

The Great Canadian Beer Festival announced its 2019 brewery lineup today and the venerable Victoria craft beer-a-thon is shaping up to be the biggest yet. In all, more than 90 breweries from eight provinces and territories are taking part, the most ever for GCBF. Organizers expect that number to climb to more than 100 by the time the festival rolls around, Sept. 6 and 7.

“We’re thrilled to host breweries from all across the country this September, positioning the Great Canadian Beer Festival as Canada’s truly national craft beer festival,” says organizer Joe Wiebe, spokesperson for the Victoria Beer Society. “Canada is emerging as a world-class craft beer destination.”

B.C.’s craft breweries will be well represented with more than 60 local breweries taking part. That includes Spinnakers Brewpub and Vancouver Island Brewing, which helped kick off the craft beer movement back in 1984, as well as some brand new operations, such as Victoria’s Whistle Buoy Brewing, Courtenay’s Ace Brewing Co.

Up to 4,500 people are expected to attend this celebration of Canadian craft beer each day. In addition to the wide array of craft breweries, attendees can expect local cideries, food trucks, and the B.C. Ale Trail-er– an on-site tap truck serving a selection of beers from breweries across the province that otherwise would not be able to participate.

This is the first year Great Canadian Beer Festival will be produced by the Victoria Beer Society (producers of Victoria Beer Week each March and the Pop-Up Beer Gardens at Centennial Square on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout this summer) following the retirement of GCBF’s founders last year.

Canada’s longest running craft beer festival will take place September 6-7 at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. Tickets for GCBF are on sale now through Ticket Rocket. Single day tickets cost $40; weekend passes sell for $70 (not including GST & fees). Victoria Beer Society members can purchase single-day tickets at 25 per cent off.

Here’s the full list of participating breweries and cideries:

 

British Columbia

Yukon

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

Québec

Nova Scotia

Cider (B.C.)

 

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