Just in time for the end of summer, residents and visitors alike will be able to raise a toast to the restoration of White Rock’s iconic pier – with a new, specially-brewed beer.
The pier is scheduled to be open for foot traffic by Aug. 31.
But starting early this week, the new White Rock Beer For The Pier is making its way to restaurants, bars and liquor stores from Vancouver to Chilliwack as both a canned and on-tap product.
“But distribution will be heavily focused on White Rock and South Surrey to make sure we get the proper exposure,” said Friends of the Pier chair Bob Bezubiak.
Bezubiak launched the new product on Thursday at White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios – where it will also be in stock in canned form at the historic bar, once a part of media baron W.R. Hearst’s famed ‘castle’ at San Simeon.
READ MORE: Fundraising campaign launched to rebuild White Rock’s iconic pier
Also there for the launch were Mayor Darryl Walker, White Rock BIA executive director Alex Nixon, South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce executive director Ritu Khanna, Blue Frog proprietor Kelly Breaks and Friends of the Pier committee member Debbie Ward.
Because Trading Post Breweries in Langley has the capacity to produce the volume and cover the costs along with BC-wide distribution ability, they are producing a canned beer and donating money, said Bezubiak.
Available in a four-pack of cans for a competitive price point, the beer is described as a Kolsch-style light lager made with ‘Lumberjack’ hops, and the first production run of 3,000 is expected to last “anywhere from four to six weeks” while a new batch is brewed, Bezubiak said.
Meanwhile, local breweries Three Dogs Brewing and White Rock Beach Brewing Company, have created a tap-only product, which is offered at their two locations as well as select restaurants. Their beer is called Pier-fect.
Part of the proceeds from each beer will be going to fundraising for the complete restoration of the more than 100-year-old pier, reckoned to be one of the longest in Canada, which was seriously damaged in a violent windstorm on Dec. 20.
READ MORE: White Rock Pier on schedule for Aug. 31 re-opening
While a 100-foot section that collapsed is all but rebuilt, estimates are still being made for the total restoration of the pier, which could be in the $11 million to $13 million range, Bezubiak said, for which the city has applied for still-pending federal and provincial funding.
Bezubiak said that while the beer will help raise funds, it’s also likely to have a life beyond immediate fundraising efforts.
“More than just fundraising for the pier, we want to use it to help bring people into the community,” he said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story suggested a canned product was being offered by all three brewing companies involved in the fundraiser. In fact, only Langley’s Trading Post Breweries is offering cans of Beer for the Pier while Three Dogs Brewing and White Rock Beach Brewing company are offering Pier-Perfect beer on tap.
