Photos: Whistler Village Beer Festival 2014 rolls out the mountain fun

by Carolyn Ali on September 17th, 2014 at 10:59 AM

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Whistler got an early taste of Oktoberfest last weekend (September 11 to 14) when the Whistler Village Beer Festival filled the mountain town with craft beer lovers. Amid educational seminars, cask nights, parties, and brunches, the main event was the Saturday afternoon tasting on September 13.

There couldn't have been a better day for it. The gloriously sunny weather felt more like July than September, which meant the sunscreen was flowing along with the taps. About 3,500 people flooded Whistler Olympic Plaza to sample from the 64 breweries in attendance.

I attended as a guest of the fest and really enjoyed both the jovial atmosphere and the mix of participating breweries. Here's a look at the event, below.

First, the atmosphere: with Whistler mountain as a backdrop and a roving band playing German folk tunes--Prost!--this really felt like an alpine festival.

A roving band played German folk songs, adding to the alpine atmosphere.

Carolyn Ali

The grassy venue was a pleasant place to wander, and there was a fair but of shade as well.

The grassy venue was a pleasant place to kick back between tastings.

Carolyn Ali

There was a good mix of B.C., Canadian, and U.S. breweries to choose from, with many favourites up from Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

The Four Winds brewing crew (from left, Garrett Kean, Kylo Hoy, and Brent Mills) came from Delta, B.C.

Carolyn Ali

Canuck Empire founder Brandon Wiggins brought his beer from Aldergrove, B.C.

Carolyn Ali

Hamish Fairweather and Tess Parent poured Driftwood Brewery's iconic Fat Tug IPA from Victoria, B.C..

Carolyn Ali

UnTapped's Krista Catania and Ben Cobbledick poured Glutenberg's gluten-free IPA and blonde ale from Quebec.

Carolyn Ali

Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewery brought its Dale's Pale Ale and Mama's Little Yella Pils.

Carolyn Ali

Kurtis Shelan from Portland's Ninkasi Brewing hams it up at the festival.

Carolyn Ali

I found the crowd particularly friendly--tourists from as far as Las Vegas and southern California were eager to chat about British Columbia's craft beer scene and share discoveries from their own home states.

Picnic tables and foosball games encouraged socializing...and yes, the beer certainly helped.

A foosball table onsite added to the fun.

Carolyn Ali

Food trucks from Whistler Wood-fired Pizza and Dups Burritos filled the hunger gaps, as well as a kiosk selling Whistler's awesome savory pies from the Pie Company.

In keeping with the German theme, there were also soft pretzels for sale...and at least one person accessorized with his own pretzels (useful for snacking emergencies.)

Festival-goer Shain Empey sported a pretzel necklace.

Carolyn Ali

Festival-goers could vote for their favourite breweries as they went along, and the winners were awarded draft contracts with Whistler bars and restaurants.

This year, the Best in Fest award went to Parallel 49, followed by Whistler Brewing Co. and Old Yale Brewing, all of which will see increased shelf and tap space over the next 12 months at Whistler venues.

Missed the fest this year? Put it on your calendar for next year: September 17 to 20, 2015.