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New Ale Trail takes craft beer enthusiasts north of the Fraser

The BC Ale Trail team is poised to pour on the local love with a new, regional ale trail featuring 11 breweries from New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
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Steel & Oak, in New Westminster, is one of 11 breweries on the new North of the Fraser Ale Trail. BC Ale Trail photo

The BC Ale Trail team is poised to pour on the local love with a new, regional ale trail featuring 11 breweries from New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.

Launching Thursday, Oct. 28, the new Lower Mainland Ale Trail will guide enthusiasts to 11 breweries showcased in a curated itinerary through the four communities north of the Fraser River.

Dubbed North of the Fraser Ale Trail, New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam are aligned in many ways – both by geography, and by their bustling craft breweries.

“We’re really excited to bring these communities together on the BC Ale Trail,” says Monica Frost, BC Ale Trail Project Lead. “Creating the North of the Fraser Ale Trail was a natural next step and brings nine established breweries onboard in a new way. We hope beer lovers spend a day or a weekend exploring the breweries, restaurants and other activities these vibrant cities have to offer.”

The North of the Fraser Ale Trail also brings together Tourism New Westminster, Tourism Burnaby, Tourism Coquitlam and City of Port Coquitlam to feature some of the province’s best known breweries, including the Belgian-themed Dageraad Brewing in Burnaby, New Westminster’s Steel & Oak Brewing, and Steamworks Brewery, an expanded production facility in Burnaby that grew out of the Steamworks Brewpub in downtown Vancouver.

The beer scene in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam is of a more recent vintage , with all six of the breweries in those cities having opened in the past four years, most recently Boardwalk Brewing in July.

Mariner Brewing is currently the only BC Ale Trail craft brewer in Coquitlam, but it’s in good company with its New Westminster, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam neighbours on the North of the Fraser Ale Trail. BC Ale Trail photo
Mariner Brewing is currently the only BC Ale Trail craft brewer in Coquitlam, but it’s in good company with its New Westminster, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam neighbours on the North of the Fraser Ale Trail. BC Ale Trail photo

The 11 breweries featured on the North of the Fraser Ale Trail include:

  • Another Beer Company (New Westminster)
  • Steel & Oak (New Westminster)
  • Dageraad Brewing (Burnaby)
  • Steamworks William Street Brewery & Taproom (Burnaby)
  • Studio Brewing (Burnaby)
  • Mariner Brewing (Coquitlam)
  • Boardwalk Brewing (Port Coquitlam)
  • Northpaw Brewing Co. (Port Coquitlam)
  • Patina Brewing (Port Coquitlam)
  • Taylight Brewing (Port Coquitlam)
  • Tinhouse Brewing (Port Coquitlam)

The North of the Fraser Ale Trail is just east of the Yeast Vancouver Ale Trail which comprises 14 different breweries, including R&B Brewing Co., which was recently voted winner of the 2021 BC Ale Trail Best Brewery Experience Award.

READ MORE: R&B Brewing Co. wins the 2021 BC Ale Trail Best Brewery Experience Award

Learn more about the North of the Fraser Ale Trail by visiting www.bcaletrail.ca.

The BC Ale Trail is a partnership of Destination British Columbia and the BC Craft Brewers Guild, featuring a series of self-guided itineraries highlighting local craft brewery destinations and the super, natural landscapes that surround them. Explore over 180 breweries across 21 Ale Trails in five regions around the province. Learn more at bcaletrail.ca

READ MORE: Port Alberni’s Twin City wins coveted BC Ale Trail Best Brewery Experience Award

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