Friday night kicked off the nine day long festival of beer, and did not disappoint. A sellout crowd filled the Victoria Public Market, where 25 breweries along with Tod Creek Cider and Tugwell Meadery offered a wide variety of regular beers, limited releases and off the wall brews that everyone took time to appreciate.

With their thirst quenched, attendees looked to satisfy their hunger and had to look no further than Roast, offering chicken and waffles with Hoyne Pilsner gravy, The Very Good Butcher offering vegan options with sliders and tacos, and Victoria Pie Co. serving a selection of pies which all included beer as an ingredient in the recipes.

As for beer, there was an amazing balance of everything from lighter beers like R&B Brewing’s Gose with a Nose, to the bold and intense Black Russian Imperial Stout from Bad Tattoo Brewing, and for something completely different, White Sails offering their Thai Soup Spice Ale, complete with lemongrass, thai chilis and ginger.

Category 12’s Brett Saison was a light, fruity and refreshing option, and one to look forward to in the future as a proper release. Driftwood Brewing’s Son of the Morning, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale was also a delight to see being served, as the balance of banana, clove and warmth just pleased the palate. Again, this is likely to see store shelves soon as well, so keep an eye out.

Overall, the food was excellent, the selection of beers left everyone trying to figure out what to have next, and the great space being packed by beer lovers left everyone in a great mood. It’s unlikely you could have a better launch event for Victoria Beer Week.