I attended a wedding in Chilliwack yesterday.  We had a substantial break between the ceremony and the reception, so the wife and I decided to check out Old Yale Brewing.  We arrived to find that the brewery itself is tiny.  There was little differentiation between the brewery, the beer store, and their office, which were all in one big room.  We were greeted by the brewer Brian (very friendly) and his young assistant, who were busily cleaning out the mash tun.  I chatted with Brian for a bit, he let me know that besides him and his assistant, Old Yale has only one other employee (the owner). Brian also let me know that most of their beer is sold to Vancouver “because Chilliwack is full of hicks who love their bud.”  Haha!

After inquiring about beer sales, I had my purchase rung through right beside the grain mill.  It was really cool to see such a small brewery in action, run by friendly folk producing highly regarded beer.  Old Yale brews four beers and I left with one each of their Cultus Lake Pilsner, Old Yale Pale Ale, Seargent’s IPA, and Sasquatch Stout.  I haven’t tried any of them yet, but I’m sure I’ll get find an opportunity soon enough.  Old Yale also sells party pigs (8.5L) and 20L or 60L kegs of their beer at very reasonable prices.  If you are ever out near the ‘wack and you need a wack of beer, consider stopping by.

Some pictures of the brewery:

The brewery in its entirety

The brewing vessels

The fermenters

The fridge containing bottles and conditioning tanks

The end of the line: bottling and kegging

Cheers,

Chris