BC Business
34
Number of new craft breweries (many of which will feature at this month’s Vancouver Craft Beer Week festival) launched in the two years between the first and second editions of malt maven Joe Wiebe’s B.C. beer guide, Craft Beer Revolution—a 68 per cent increase. Wiebe says the nine new breweries that opened the year his first edition was published seemed like a huge number at the time—until 21 more opened in 2014. “Nobody could have seen that happening,” he says. Close to 20 more will have opened by the end of 2015, and Wiebe still sees plenty of room for further growth—particularly in cities outside Vancouver.
+57.9%
Year-over-year change in the B.C. market share of packaged domestic craft beer in the last quarter of 2014.
+0.7%
Change in sales of large- production packaged domestic beer during that same period.
2
Number of craft brewing certificate programs now available in B.C. Kwantlen unveiled its 4,500-sq.-ft. brewing lab in Langley last March, while SFU launches its own business program this October.