This is a big weekend for beer with both the B.C. Beer Awards and B.C. Craft Brewers Conference taking place at the Croatian Cultural Centre.
While the B.C. Beer Awards sold out ages ago, the B.C. Craft Brewers Conference just released a block of tickets for their seminar and trade show on Friday. While the event is definitely geared at industry types, there’s a lot of cool stuff going on that will be of interest to the average craft beer nerd. And, of course, being a beer event, there will be ample refreshments on hand.
So if you couldn’t get tickets to the B.C. Beer Awards, this might be your only chance to rub elbows with your favourite brewers this weekend.
“Some of the seminars we designed with the public in mind, so they are more accessible,” says Ken Beattie, executive director of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, and organizer of the event. “Even if you’re not in the industry, if you have a love for beer and want to learn more about it, there’s something for you.”
Of particular interest to this average beer nerd is the hilariously titled seminar, “What’s In My Mouth?” Ben Schottle and Euan Thomson from Phillips Brewing in Victoria are leading a sensory evaluation where you can learn tasting techniques, identify flavour profile attributes, explore sources of common off flavours, and wade your way through the myriad of tasting biases that surround us. Super cool.
“Barrels of Fun” promises to be just that, with Kevin Martin of legendary sour beer purveyors Cascade Brewing leading a seminar on traditional barrel aging, along with Brent Mills of Four Winds and Kyle Stewart and Parallel 49 Brewing.
If you’re curious about the new hop varieties that seem to be popping up every day, well, there’s a seminar on that too! A panel of B.C. brewers will be discussing dry hopping and brewing techniques, with a focus on new experimental hop varieties and how they are changing the brewing industry. Yes, there will be beer samples.
There’s also seminars on HR, brewery management, business growth strategies and a trade show, if that’s your thing. If not, well, your ticket includes five drink tickets (and lunch!), so I’ll see you at the bar.
Your ticket also includes entry to the conference after party at the Direct Tap warehouse in South Vancouver, with DJs, circus acts, and “total mayhem,” according to the poster. I don’t know what that means, but I am intrigued.
For the full run down on B.C. Craft Brewers Conference seminars and tickets, visit MyShowPass.com/bccbc-public/
