Six of BC’s best BBQ pit masters compete in Abbotsford’s BeerBQ!
ABBOTSFORD, BC — July 4, 2016
6 of BC’s best BBQ pit masters competing in Abbotsford BeerBQ event!
Beer and barbecue are the perfect pair this year at BC Hop Co’s exclusive BeerBQ event July 16 in the Fraser Valley. BeerBQ is a spectacular culinary experience that pairs the best BBQ pitmasters with BC craft brewmasters amidst the hop yards in full bloom. Imagine the Sumas Prairie air fragrant with the aroma of hickory and mesquite fires slowly turning locally grown pork, beef and chicken into succulent morsels of delicious. Carefully selected kegs of refreshing BC craft beer are chilling on ice and the people get to judge which team created the best beer and BBQ pairing of the day! Whether the goal is to meet the award winning champions or just enjoy great BBQ food and great BC craft beer, BeerBQ is the place to be on Saturday afternoon July 16.
When asked for the inspiration behind BeerBQ, Dwayne Stewart, from BC Hop Co didn’t have any trouble answering. ““Diane and I are passionate about both beer and barbeque. We have entered BBQ competitions together, been judges at sanctioned events and like to keep up with what’s happening in the local BBQ scene. As a hop producer and processor, it goes without saying, we are huge supporters of the craft beer industry and we look for ways to showcase BC’s breweries at our on farm events.”
Event Producer, Donna Dixson, says “When creating a new event, the challenge can be finding participants that will add the credibility you need. We are thrilled to have six of the best teams in Canada as part of BeerBQ including Rusty Johnson, currently ranked as #2 in the country by The Canadian BBQ Society. House of Q in Langley, Fat Wally’s Firehouse BBQ and Stacked Racks in Surrey, Hogshack Cookhouse in Richmond, and Big Dog BBQ in Abbotsford create a pretty impressive line-up for our first year. Abbotsford’s bustling beer scene is ready for an event that highlights local favorites like Field House Brewing Co, Ravens Brewing and Mission Springs Brewing while bringing well-known breweries like Vancouver Island Brewery, Lighthouse Brewing, R & B Brewing, Parallel 49, Howe Sound Brewing and Steel & Oak out to the Fraser Valley.”
Champion pitmasters have a friendly and familiar rivalry on the regular BBQ circuit but are up against some creative combinations at the very first BeerBQ. Barbarians of the Q is the brainchild of Parallel 49’s Graham With. As it turns out, Graham spent some time as a pit master before converting to brewmaster. Abbotsford’s popular Duft & Co Bakehouse will be opening up a full restaurant this summer and teams up with Field House Brewing Co to show off their BBQ prowess. Raven’s Brewing goes whole hog with PigBBQ. For the full line up of pitmasters and breweries, visit www.bchop.co.
It took Rusty Johnson from Rusty’s BBQ a few days to figure out how he could fit one more thing into an already busy weekend. When asked why he decided to attend, he said, “I love competing in bbq competitions. I love showing people awesome food. The set of rules for BeerBQ are different than other events so the allure of a new challenge was hard to turn down. I have been thinking of how my cooking style will have to change as I am cooking for the public instead of judges. I also get a chance to work with my beer buddy Mike Coghill and his amazing brewery Yellow Dog. We are both from Port Moody. I also think my chances are good with the two meats I have chosen to cook as my brisket and chicken recipes are amazing!”
At standard BBQ competitions, teams are focused on the strict judging format rather than preparing samples for spectators. BeerBQ takes a new approach with teams vying for the People’s Choice cash prizes for Best Food, Best Beer and of course, Best Pairing. To ensure credibility and consistency among competitors, BeerBQ will be using the same standards as sanctioned events and will have a panel of local judges on hand for pre-determined turn in times.
Adding to the beer and food fun in the sun, BeerBQ visitors have the opportunity to view the new processing facility, visit the hop fields, tour the farm, learn from our panel of BBQ and beer experts and enjoy some great entertainment.
For further event information, please visit http://www.bchop.ca/events/beerbq/
For ticket information http://www.bchop.ca/events/beerbq/tickets/
BeerBQ is the second signature event produced by BC Hop Co and will be held on July 16 from 1 pm to 5 pm at 1893 Cole Road in Abbotsford. The tremendous success of last year’s inaugural BC Hop Fest, Celebrating Fresh Beer, clearly demonstrated the appeal of craft beer festivals staged right on the hop farm!
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Media Contact
Donna Dixson, Event Producer
BC Hop Co
ac.tsefpohcb@nimda
604.614.2123
Filed under: Announcements (Press Releases), Events & Festivals
Tagged under: BCHopCo
I just wanted to say that I was very disappointed with the BeerBQ event put on last Saturday. My friend and I purchased tickets for $29 which we “assumed” included the beer sampling and bbq sampling. We were shocked to discover that all that got you was a pass through the “gate” into the backyard, Then – tokens were 3 for $5 – so if you wanted to sample at least 4 of the vendors offerings, you had to drop another $20. So $50 in and it basically amounted to 1 full glass of beer and 4 very small portions of bbq meat. and to add insult to injury – 1/3 of the vendors were for VIP guests only!! So needless to say I managed to sample 4 of the 20 or so beer crafters – so not really able to judge very well whose was best – I couldn’t afford to!! I think this could have been a great opportunity to showcase the locals crafters – and would have been happy to drop the big bucks to try their wares. But when you charge $30 just to put your foot into the door – well that’s just disgraceful! Compare this to a day at the PNE – no comparison! I felt this was an absolute rip-off! sorry – but it completely turned me off.
Hi Kate,
Thank you for the feedback. I can’t access the ticket info anymore as I wanted to have a peak myself, but I understand they were tiered and included different things. I heard their event earlier this year was fantastic so I’m surprised to hear this one may have fallen short of expectations. I have passed your comments along to the event organizer BC Hop Company.
Cheers, Monica