Hop Fest 2016 Thumbs Up Women

Second Annual Hop Fest – All Your Fresh Hops in One Place

Hop Fest 2016 Thumbs Up Women

Hop Fest at the BC Hop Company Farm is BC’s only fresh hop festival

With the hop harvest upon us we will soon be seeing fresh-hopped beers showing up in stores.  For many of us it can be difficult to get our hands on them since they are invariably produced in limited quantities and are highly sought.  Thankfully there’s a simple solution to this problem:  the Second Annual Hop Fest at BC Hop Company in Abbotsford, BC.

If you are looking for a way to try all those sought after beers in one place without having to queue up, camp out, or keep a watchful eye on the deliveries to your local bottle shop, Hop Fest is definitely the best way to do it.

Hop Fest 2016 Vendor Tents

Held on the picturesque BC Hop Company farm in the central Fraser Valley, attendees to Hop Fest get to drink fresh-hopped beers from 34 different BC breweries.  Some of the breweries will be sharing beer made with hops right from the farm itself.  Drinking fresh-hopped beer on a hop farm, surrounded by hops – what could exemplify the brewing industry in BC more than that?

Hop Fest 2016 Hops Closeup

To ensure maximum flavour and aroma from the fresh hops, beers must be produced within 24 hours.  That means only 24 hours from harvest to brew kettle,  and fresh hops don’t last long before they start to degrade so brewing within those 24 hours is crucial.

Hop Fest 2016 Woman Sampling

Driftwood Brewing Company arguably kicked off the fresh hop craze in BC with their Sartori Harvest IPA, made with hops grown on the Sartori Hop Ranch, minutes from the BC Hop Company farm in Abbotsford.  Since then more and more breweries have sought the freshest of hops with which to brew their beers, and last year consumers were treated to a record number of fresh-hop offerings from the ever-growing list of BC breweries.

Hop Fest 2016 Man Toasting

But don’t expect only IPAs and Pale Ales at Hop Fest.  Last year there were plenty of other options on hand as brewers pushed the envelope of what styles can be produced with fresh hops.  One need look no further than Dageraad Brewing‘s Wet Hopped Belgian Blonde Ale, or last year’s People’s Choice winner:  Ravens Brewing Fresh Hopped ESB.  This year, expect other breweries to follow suit and try something different.

Hop Fest 2016 Hop History

Have you wanted to learn more about this essential brewing ingredient?  The second annual Hop Fest is your hopportunity.

Hop Fest not only provides festival-goers with a place to try unique and rare beers, but also offers hop-related knowledge, history, and even food.  This year, expect to find a farmer’s market on hand with some local produce, as well as an exhibition of photos and history of hop growing in the region – did you know that Chilliwack was once the most prolific hop-growing region in the British Empire?

Hop Fest 2016 Food Truck

And then there’s the food.  This year’s hop fest will feature delicious grub from 5 food trucks.  Lepp Farm Market will also be bringing back some of the crowd favourites from last year:  the hopperoni, their hop dogs and other snacks made or infused with hops.

Hop Fest 2016 Birds Eye View

Unique in BC, the Hop Fest is truly the only festival of its kind in the province to celebrate perhaps the greatest seasonal offerings: the fresh hopped beer.  This small festival was popular last year and definitely worth a visit.  With many more breweries on hand in 2016 offering their fresh-hopped treats Hop Fest is not to be missed.  Join hundreds of other beer lovers on October 1st, 2016 for this one-of-a-kind festival.

Need tickets?  Buy them online through BC Hop Company.

Need a lift from Vancouver?  Get your ticket and a shuttle from downtown through Vine&hops for a fantastic price.

Categories: Events & Festivals

About Author

Jeremy Nemanishen

Jeremy is the founder of craftbeervancouver.ca and a contributor to Beer Me BC. He has a passion for promoting all things relating to craft beer. To learn more about the beermebc.com editorial team visit beermebc.com/the-beer-me-bc-team/.

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