On a damp day in May at Fort Langley Park, over at the Smugglers Trail and Trails End table, general manager Jamie MacIntosh was chatting with a visitor.
"We brew, can, and keg all at our brewery just off of 200th Street in Langley, and we have a sister property called Trails End in Fort Langley that's more of a cafe, bistro, and tavern," MacIntosh explained, as dozens and dozens of people lined up for samples from more than 30 vendors.
It was the eight edition of Brewhalla, a well-attended yearly tribute to craft breweries, wineries, cideries and more in Fort Langley that has grown as the number of microbreweries in the community and surrounding Fraser Valley has expanded dramatically over the last six years.
First organized by Trading Post as the Fort Langley Beer & Food Festival, the event has since changed its name and spread to other communities like Chilliwack, New Westminster, and North Vancouver.
Brewhalla, a celebration of craft beer, is underway in Fort Langley.
鈥� Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes)
Back in 2019, the influential predicted Langley was poised to become the next "craft beer boomtown."
At the time, there were just two breweries in the community, but four more were being built.
At Brewhalla this year, there were eight from Langley, including Trading Post, Camp Beer Co., Locality Brewing, Brookswood Brewing, Smugglers Trail, Five Roads, Farm Country and Dead Frog, along with Fraser Valley Cider and the Roots and Wings distillery.
Event producer Hannah Brown was at the entrance to Brewhalla, watching people with tickets line up at the entrance to the outdoor show to sample beer, wine, cider, spirits and more as well as chow down at several food trucks.
"The goal is to bring the community together and to celebrate the flourishing craft beer industry that we have here in BC, specifically the Fraser Valley," Brown explained.
"We just want to bring everyone together for a fun day."
The beer boom began in March of 2013, when B.C. liquor laws were relaxed and tasting rooms were finally permitted in breweries.
In addition to an explosion of brew pubs and microbreweries, it led to the Brewing and Brewery Operations Diploma program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in Langley City, which started in 2014.
The first program of its kind in B.C., it was "developed in response to the growing craft beer industry and its need for skilled professionals," a KPU online summary says.
At this year's Brewhalla in Fort Langley, Heather Irvine was working at the Trading Post table, undeterred by the damp weather.
"Come get a burger, go get some drinks, and have a good day," Irvine smiled.
Over at the Locality Brewing table, Andy Hamer, who runs it with his wife, Melanie MacInnes, was describing it as a "hyper-local" operation on a multi-generational family farm.
"We grow over 50 per cent of our own ingredients in Langley on the farm, and the rest of it is from B.C." Hamer said.
Langley's booming beer sector has also led to creation of the Langley Loop, a collaboration between the 10 local breweries listed below. Their products are served at the Langley Events Centre at various sporting events.
鈥淭his partnership is about more than just great beer,鈥� said Tim LaHay, with the Barley Merchant. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about bringing the craft community together and showcasing the best of Langley.鈥�
DEAD FROG BREWERY
Originally founded in 1998 as Backwoods Brewing, the company rebranded as Dead Frog in 2006 and operated in Aldergrove for 20 years. In 2018, the company moved to its current location at #105-8860 201 St. It features a tasting room with 90 seats, a 25-seat patio, more than 20 beers on tap, a growler station, and much more.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-856-1055
TRADING POST BREWING
This popular eatery and brewery located in Fort Langley opened in 2016. With a heated patio and separate turfed parking lot patio,
the company offers home-brewed craft beers, lunch, and dinner right in the village at 9143 Glover Rd. It also has a tasting room in Langley, at 20120 64 Ave., which opened in 2018.
Open: Wednesdays to Sundays
Phone: 604-343-2337
CAMP BEER CO.
Camp Beer Company opened in 2019, in the site of the old Langley bingo hall at 19664 64 Ave. Co-owned by husband-and-wife teams Kevin and Tammy Larsen, and Jamie and Alex Schreder, the brewery serves small batches of freshly crafted beer. It features a 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio with glass roll-up doors and a fire pit. The brewery won the title of Best Tasting Room in B.C. at the 2022 Growlies & BC Beer Awards.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-427-4287
FARM COUNTRY BREWING
In downtown Langley City, at 20555 56 Ave., Farm Country Brewing opened in 2019 and offers a variety of seasonal beers and three core beers year-round. With a tasting room, regular live music on weekends, trivia on Tuesdays, and monthly drag shows, this brewery is always bustling with energy.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 778-819-2288
BARLEY MERCHANT TAPROOM & KITCHEN
Barley Merchant was founded in 2021 by Tim LaHay, a widely known community leader in the craft-beer industry. Sitting right next to the Langley Cineplex Cinemas, at 20090 91A Ave., this brewery offers a 50-tap system with drinks ranging from pale ales to a variety of ciders.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-371-2699
BROOKSWOOD BREWING CO.
This family-owned and operated brewery sits in the South Langley neighbourhood of Brookswood, at 4061 200 St., and is the newest addition to Langley鈥檚 growing craft-beer industry having opened its taproom in 2022. The brewery鈥檚 four key brands are Hazy Pale Ale, Craft Lager, Czech Pilsner, and New England IPA, plus a variety of other craft beers, which are all preservative free.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-510-0511
LOCALITY BREWING
From field-to-glass, this family-owned brewery is located on the MacInnes Farms, in the Glen Valley area at 7111 252 St. Founded in 2021, Locality Brewing produces its beers with ingredients grown and processed on site. The 95-acre farm has also been a site for film sets, such as the Hallmark Channel series "When Calls the Heart". The brewery has a taproom, picnic area, and regular tours.
Open: Thursdays to Sundays
Phone: 778-855-1376
FIVE ROADS BREWING CO.
Inspired by Murrayville鈥檚 five corners intersection, this brewery sits at 6263 202 St. in the Willowbrook area. Founded in 2019 by owner Aaron Fourt, the building hosts a 50-seat tasting room with a patio. Head brewer Patrick Moore brings more than 20 years of brewing experience to Five Roads, which offers its featured beer 鈥� Nga mihi New Zealand pale ale. Five Roads also offers a variety of seasonal beers, from Sangria Sour to Galactic Viking IPA.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-539-6754
SMUGGLERS TRAIL CASKWORKS
Located in Walnut Grove, at #140-9339 200A St., is Smugglers Trail Caskworks, which opened in 2019. Co-owned by friends Steve Gregorig and Jamie Overgaard, the brewery is an area of 5,400-square-feet accommodating 88 guests inside and 40 guests on the outdoor patio. A unique feature of this brewery is its use of beer engines to hand pump some of the drinks, giving it a velvety texture. They also operate Trail's End Taproom and Bistro in Fort Langley.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-539-6754
ROOTS AND WINGS DISTILLERY
Founded in 2017, Roots and Wings Distillery was the first micro-distillery to create craft spirits in Langley. The family-owned business operates on a 30-acre farm at 7897 240 St. It produces farm-to-table spirits including Vital Vodka (hand-crafted in small batches from the distillery鈥檚 homegrown potatoes and corn) and coffee-infused Double Vice vodka, Rebel Whisky (from sweet corn grown at the distillery), and Jackknife Gin (made from corn and potatoes grown on the farm).
Open: Thursdays to Sundays
Phone: 604-371-2268
FRASER VALLEY CIDER COMPANY
Backed by a 12-acre orchard of 1,800 trees 鈥� 25 different English and French cider apples 鈥� is the Fraser Valley鈥檚 first family owned- cider company located at 22128 16 Ave. Offering more than a dozen different ciders, from the sweet floral Rosy to the tingly Ginger, Fraser Valley Cider Company also offers a cider club and hosts various events throughout the year.
Open: 7 days a week
Phone: 604-427-3512
