No ceiling seen for the local craft beer scene

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – How much craft beer is too much craft beer? It’s a question no one in Metro Vancouver seems to be able to answer as the number of local breweries keeps on growing and craft enthusiasts keep on quaffing.

The continued beer boom includes Vancouver’s long-awaited Andina Brewing, set to open today, along with at least another dozen expected to start operations in 2017 in all corners of the province.

“We are definitely still growing the industry in the entire province. How far it will go is difficult to say, but we can maybe make an educated guess by looking to our neighbours to the south,” says Alek Egi, head of the Brewing and Brewery Operations Program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “If you look at Washington State or Oregon State, the craft brewing industry is still growing there.”

Egi points out that craft makes up 20 per cent of the beer market in Metro Vancouver, but it is 50 per cent in Portland, Oregon. “I think there is still a lot of room for growth here,” he tells NEWS 1130.

The university’s two-year brewing program — the only diploma program of its kind in BC — accepts up to 35 students per year and its first group of 24 graduates in 2016 had no trouble finding employment in their field. “Our first generation, 90 per cent of them have jobs in the brewing industry. I think I can say the future looks bright for the entire industry and we are looking forward to it.”

There are currently around 120 operating craft breweries listed in BC.

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