Any intrepid explorer will tell you, when you investigate uncharted territory, it's all about pushing boundaries. That's exactly what Mariner Brewing is doing as they ride the craft beer wave into Coquitlam.
Officially opened on August 30, 2017 as Coquitlam's first craft brewery, the name is a nod to both Mariner Way (a major commuter artery through Coquitlam with proximity to where founder Byron Vallis grew up), and to the themes of navigation and discovery. "We liked that a mariner is someone who navigates the ship, someone in charge of deciding where that ship goes — the exploration, which is a key theme in craft beer," says Byron. "One of our goals is to stand out from the others, and we definitely have a pretty unique offering, from beers to food."
With a Bachelor of Environmental Science from SFU, Byron applied his biology knowledge to his homebrewing hobby in 2011 and later in 2013 to his work in the nursery at Art Knapp in Port Coquitlam, under the tutelage of owner Wim Vander Zalm, Byron's primary partner at Mariner Brewing. Inspired by the craft beer growth in neighbouring Port Moody on Brewers' Row, among others, Byron wants to execute balanced profiles and experiment with new flavours rather than concentrate on any one style. "A lot of craft beer is about new flavours that people haven't necessarily tried before," says Byron. "We are looking for new ways to utilize ingredients to make interesting things."
