With the craft beer scene in B.C. continuing to grow, it should come as no surprise that the trend is picking up in the Fraser Valley, as well. Recently, Abbotsford welcomed its third craft brewery when Field House Brewing quietly opened its doors to the public.
Brought to life by owner Josh Vanderheide and brewmaster Parker Reid, Field House is located near the historic downtown core of Abbotsford and boasts a licensed outdoor grass space and a warm, rustic interior. The brewery is very much like other local businesses, embracing a trend of bringing a more “Vancouver” feel into Abbotsford.
Field House Brewing (Natalie Browne)
In keeping with the theme of appealing to everyone, while encouraging a “support local” philosophy, Field House also offers wine from Mt Lehman Wineries, and is joined during the afternoon by another local favourite, Old Hand Coffee. Old Hand will be selling coffee and baked goods during the day, as well as supplying the pretzel bread Field House will be offering on their snack menu.
In the summer, they plan to have food trucks on site, custom sodas for the little ones, and outdoor games like bocce ball and horseshoes.
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Modelled after the breweries found in Portland, Oregon, Vanderheide is looking to bring a community-centred experience to Abbotsford, welcoming craft beer enthusiasts and families alike. Though they won’t be filling growlers for another couple of weeks, Field House currently has five of their own beers ready to sample, along with a few products from other local craft breweries. In keeping with the theme of appealing to everyone, while encouraging a “support local” philosophy, Field House also offers wine from Mt Lehman.
“I think we were a bit taken back about how fast the word spread in such a short time, we were packed house by the second day without putting any info out there, so it was just interesting to see how fast word spreads in a town like Abby,” says Vanderheide, on their stellar opening. “The weekend was crazy, we went through almost all our beer.”
Flight of Field House Craft Beer (Natalie Browne)
Some of the beer offered at FieldHouse:
- Salted Black Porter: A Baltic style, easy-drinking porter infused with Dutch salted black licorice drops.
- Eastern IPA: Brewed with hops sourced from Australia and New Zealand, the Eastern IPA has hints of white grape and stone fruit.
- Dutch Pale Ale: Inspired by a recent trip to Amsterdam, this Dutch Pale Ale is mellow in malt and bitters but finishes with a hint of new world hops.
- Field Saison: This Belgian-style Saison is fresh, crisp with spicy and floral flavours.
- Sour Wheat Gose: An 18th century German salted sour wheat ale, the Gose is flavoured with coriander, elderflower and salt harvested by the Vancouver Island Salt Company.
Owner Josh Vanderheide (Field House Brewing)
While they are waiting for their next batches to finish brewing, Field House will be bringing in beer from some of B.C.’s best craft breweries, including Steel and Oak, Strange Fellows, Postmark Brewing, Yellow Dog Brewing, Tofino Brewing and the B.C. Beer Awards’ 2015 Brewery of the Year, Delta’s Four Winds.
“We want to make sure people know that we are working hard to create a great experience, even without our beer,” says Vanderheide. “We just want to get people excited about craft beer in the valley.”
Field House Brewing
Address: 2281 W Railway Street, Abbotsford
Phone: 604-776-2739
Twitter: @fieldhousebeer
Written by Natalie Browne – a self-taught hobby chef and food blogger with a passion for local and sustainable products. Visit her website at kitchenuncorked.com or follow her on Twitter @kitchenuncorked
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