Old Yale Brewing co - A gem in the Chilliwack River Valley
I am incredibly excited to have partnered with one of my favourite breweries for Chilliwack’s April bag. I live just down the road, and I visit Old Yale Brewing Co often with my husband to check out their great products. My favourite beer of all time is their Moon Dance Mango Wheat Ale! Old Yale Brewing has provided us with growlers and a coupon for one free fill for all of our April subscribers! I recommend taking your time and spending an evening in their gorgeous tasting room, and then choosing your favourite to take home and enjoy.
We sent our Q & A to Old Yale, to provide our followers with a little more info!
LO:What services or products you offer?
OYB: We brew craft beer, inspired by adventure, available in the Old Yale tasting room, BC Liquor Stores, Private Liquor Stores and on tap at local restaurants and bars. Our Tasting Room is located near the gateway to the pristine and breathtaking Chilliwack River Valley, where you can always count on us for cold, crisp and refreshing beer, good eats from local restaurants; Curly Kale Eatery and Jim’s Pizza, friendly and informative staff and a cozy space for to hang out in!
LO: When did you start your company, what gave you the idea to start, what you love the most about it?
OYB: Since our start in 1999, we’ve always stayed true to our roots; seeking perfect balance using the finest, all-natural ingredients combined with Canada’s best drinking water. Our entire award-winning line up- from the crisp, straightforward Knotty Blonde Ale to Canada’s best beer, the Sasquatch Stout – is made to reflect this balance and is inspired by the landscape that surrounds us. We believe the story of our hand-crafted beer can’t be fully told using words alone. The beer’s story has to be experienced, one sip at a time. We only brew beer that we love to drink, so when it comes to telling our story, we let our beer do the talking.
LO: Anything else you would like to add about your company (unique or something that you want our subscribers to know)?
OYB: Along with offering tasty brews and a cozy space to hang out in, we have some awesome evening activities in the tasting room to extend the Old Yale craft beer experience to the local community!
Wednesday: #BlastfromtheCask – every Wednesday, we feature a new Cask, available in tasters, flights, 12 oz and 16 oz. pours. Tapped at 2pm! Your taste buds won’t forgive if you miss out on our unique casks!
Thursday: #ThrowdownThursday – come battle it out with your friends on the N64s or challenge them with our selection of board games from 4-9pm. We always have a sweet deal on beer and pizza ($10 for a 16oz. and 2 slices)
Sunday: #OpenMicNight – Sunday Funday!! $5 beerzers and an Open Mic, what else could you need? From 3-7pm, we’ve got an Open Mic calling your name. Performers get a $1 off their pints, we’ve got $5 Beerzers (aka beer caesars) and a sweet deal on beer and pizza ($10 for a 16oz. and 2 slices)
And that’s not all, we often have events at the brewery and we love attending local events in the community too. To stay in the know, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @oldyalebrewing, sign up for our newsletter at oldyalebrewing.com and of course check out our website to find out what’s on tap, check out upcoming events, read our informative and fun blog and to get to know us better!
LO: Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next five years? The next ten years?
OYB: This is just the beginning of Old Yale Brewing’s journey. Our hard-working, energetic and passionate team are going to continue exploring even more new flavors, ingredients and styles with our beer, continue creating a kickass environment for our customers to hang out in and we’re excited to work even further with our awesome community.
LO: Tell us a little about your team!
OYB: The Old Yale Brewing team is made up of dedicated and spirited people who LOVE craft beer that live in the beautiful Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland. From our awesome Brewmaster, Nick, who creates our recipes and manages our amazing brew team to Joanna, our Tasting Room Manager, a.k.a the smiling face you see when you walk in the tasting room to get your growler filled to Zach, our General Manager, the glue that holds us all together here at Old Yale, and everyone in between! We’re all so happy to be a part of the Old Yale family and be an integral part of the craft beer experience that our customers get to enjoy!
LO: What do you love about living in Chilliwack?
OYB: Having our brewery and tasting room located in the breathtaking Chilliwack River Valley gives us a fresh perspective – a perspective that not only shapes who we are but also how we approach the craft of making great beer. When you live in one of the most beautiful places in BC, you tend to have a lot celebrate. Chilliwack is BC’s outdoor adventure playground, and when we’re developing new and innovative beers, we like to use our surroundings as inspiration, picturing our awesome customers enjoying a crisp, light and local BC Backyard Lager after exploring Mt. Thom or sipping on a Moon Dance Mango Wheat after taking a stroll along Vedder River to just sitting back and relaxing on a Sunday on their patio enjoying a West Coast IPA. We couldn’t ask for a better place to brew our beer.
LO: What kind of involvement do you have in the community (Chilliwack) charities, markets, collabs etc.
OYB: We LOVE being a part of the Fraser Valley community. We see so many local smiling faces visiting our tasting room, drinking our beer at local restaurants and bars and sharing their own experiences with our beer on social media. We actively follow #sharechilliwack and use it ourselves so that we can all connect in the social media community over our love of craft beer. We’re very active in the community in the event sphere, you can find us pouring our beer at local events like the Vedder Mountain Bike Festival and hosting local musicians in the tasting room, and of course supporting great community organizations like Ruth & Naomi’s Mission with our annual sock drive at Christmas. We’re no stranger to collaborating with our great community either, with supporting and partnering with other local businesses! This past Christmas, we spearheaded our Community Advent Calendar project, with our friends from New Moon Tea Co, Rustic Soap Co, Anita’s Organic Mill, Studio B Yoga, Hofstede’s Country Barn, Royals Kombucha, Mt Waddingtons, The Bookman and Luna Float. And last year we did a really fun apparel collaboration with Wild Outdoors Club. But we’re not done yet, along with our fresh selection of Jim’s Pizza in the tasting room, we’re now offering delicious eats from Curly Kale Eatery to pair with our beer! And we’re not stopping anytime soon, stay tuned for more collaborations, partnerships and events in the coming months from Old Yale Brewing and the community!
LO: Anything to add? What is your biggest goal for your company?
OYB: Our biggest and only goal at Old Yale Brewing is create a unique, adventurous and fun craft beer experience for our customers. We see things a little differently than the rest, and it’s that down-to-earth, pioneer spirit that drives us to make the best hand-crafted, all-natural beer in Canada. So, whether it’s after a day of exploring or a relaxing Sunday, we believe that nothing beats good food and great craft beer with even better friends. Cheers!
We loved learning a little more about this amazing company, their spirit and commitment to the local community is very much on point with what we stand for over here at locally obsessed!
Photo cred: Old Yale Brewing co & Locally Obsessed