Connoisseurs of craft beer will have much to cheer about in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows with the launch of the new Ale Trail.
The Maple Ridge Ale Trail is the newest portion of the B.C. Ale Trail, a self-guided tour highlighting local craft brewery destinations and the super, natural landscapes that surround them.
The trail was launched on Thursday with Lisa Beare, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Ken Beattie, executive director of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, in the local backcountry.
Locally the tour is advertised to take three days either by cycling, driving or walking and will include Foamers’ Folly Brewing in Pitt Meadows, and Ridge Brewing Company, Maple Meadows Brewing Co. and Silver Valley Brewing in Maple Ridge.
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“The craft beer industry is now over 180 breweries across 60 communities in B.C.,” said Beattie adding that there are more than 165 members of the Craft Brewers Guild.
“We are the birth place of craft beer in Canada. It started in 1982 in Horseshoe Bay with the Horseshoe Bay Brewing Company,” continued Beattie, noting that since then the tasting room atmospheres of the breweries have taken off and they now act as community hubs.
“The B.C. Ale trail was started because we believed there was a world class beer culture here and we’ve now seen that. We’re now up to 116 Breweries on the B.C. Ale Trail and it spans over 50 communities and the latest is Maple Ridge which is fantastic,” Beattie said.
The provincial campaign includes a comprehensive website and craft brew database, a B.C. Ale Trail app, dynamic blog content, videos and special event listings.
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Visitors will find recommended itineraries that include craft brew establishments, pubs, restaurants, cafes, outdoor activities and sightseeing opportunities.
“So many visitors and locals alike want to experience B.C.’s food and beverage culture as well as experience the outdoors and the Maple Ridge Ale Trail is going to allow them to do all three,” said Beare.
“With our 200 kilometres of trails for bikes, and walking, strolling as well as our fantastic boutique bistros, and bakeries and restaurants and our wonderful four breweries that are featured on the Ale Trail, this is going to be yet another reason to come experience Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows,” added Beare.
The community will be introduced to the new Maple Ridge Ale Trail at a community launch on September 21 at the Haney Farmers Market in Memorial Peace Park.
The event will be marked by speeches to welcome the new co-marketing Destination B.C. program at a 10:00 am ceremony and will include information about the Maple Ridge Ale Trail, speeches, tapping of a limited release collaborative beer, food and drink tastings, Haney Farmers Market vendors, entertainment and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the annual GETI Fest.
cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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