Many people are unaware of BC when it comes to being a beer region. Despite this fact, its staggering just how much good product is coming out of BC breweries. That is why when I sat down to pick the best brewery in BC for 2009 it was no small task. I will state that this opinion comes from a number of factors, and the conclusion was not came to lightly. Considerations include not only quality of beers, but how the participate in the local craft industry, their accessibility, presentation, and marketing. With this in mind I present truecask.com’s best BC brewery of 2009:

Driftwood Brewery is not exactly a long standing BC establishment. In fact, it has only been around since the spring of 2008. Founded by two of BC’s most passionate and experienced brewers, Jason Meyer and Kevin Hearsum; Driftwood Brewery set out to create brews in the tradition of classic world styles, using only the finest local ingredients. A perfect example of this being their recently sold out Sartori Harvest IPA, a fresh hop ale using wet hops from one of BC’s few remaining growers. Add to this their raved about belgian style brews & ever improving cask conditioned efforts, and their claim to the title of BC’s best brewery is all but cemented. Not only that, but it could be argued this puts them on the right track to compete with some of the US’s best hop houses brew for brew.

I will state that this is just the tip of the iceberg for British Columbia’s ever growing craft beer scene. When you consider the insane value of Central City’s efforts, the unrestrained creativity of Storm Brewing, and Phillips Brewing’s perfectly executed marketing, what you have is a scene on the verge of taking that next step. I suggest you get onboard now before the bandwagon is full.

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