With more than 250 wine tours under their belt, husband and wife team Dan and Lisa Goy of South Fraser Shuttles & Tours are hopping onto another tour idea, replacing grapes with barley and hops.
It’s been a successful business over the past seven years, with so many locals jumping on their tour bus, enjoying a vacation day right in their own backyards, touring the award-winning wineries Langley and Delta have to offer.
But this year, Goy decided it was time to hop on the craft brewery hype.
The interest in locally brewed craft beer, from IPAs, ales and porters, just keeps growing, Dan said.
So the Goys decided to showcase the ‘Nectar of the Gods,’ offering craft brew taster tours through Langley and Surrey. Already, he’s sold out two bus tours with more dates scheduled for August.
Travelling in small groups, beer lovers will taste the best Surrey and Langley have to offer, enjoying a great selection of tasters from three local brewers and a craft beer lounge in Langley.
“Clearly, south of the Fraser, with a population of almost one million, offers many world class amenities to visitors and residents alike,” said Goy, South Fraser Shuttles & Tours co-owner and long time Surrey resident.
“In business as in life, timing is everything, and now is the right time to showcase this region’s locally produced craft draft beer with a quality tasters tour.”
There are two stops in Langley along the craft beer tour, at Trading Post brewery and at B’s Craft Beer Lounge in Willowbrook.
“At Trading Post, we pledge to embrace our community, engage our customers, brew great beer . . . We can’t wait to meet you on the South Fraser Sensational Craft Beer Tour,” remarked Trading Post founder Lance Verhoeff.
“We are a great place to get your craft beer fix in the Fraser Valley. Our knowledgeable staff are happy to educate, so feel free to ask if you have any questions regarding beer styles or the brewing process,” said Mike Klemak, B’s Craft Beer Lounge manager.
Central City Tasting Room in Surrey is another stop on the tour.
“While our brewery has grown significantly since the early days, the same passion for our craft drives each and every brew,” said Liam Peckham, Central City Tasting Room manager.
“Our Brewmaster ensures we brew with the best ingredients, making no compromises on our quality we offer.”
Russell Brewing Company celebrates its 21st birthday this year with a Punch Bowl grapefruit IPA.
“Our beer is 100 per cent natural and has no preservatives, plus we don’t pasteurize, which means we don’t kill the taste,” said Russell’s Operations Manager Steve Schafer.
“You drink our beer just the way it is brewed and we are excited about South Fraser Tours visiting our new tasting room.”
With South Fraser Shuttles they are able to pick people up at their place of choice. They are willing to travel to Surrey, Langley, Delta and White Rock, to anyone’s home.
The six-hour beer tour includes lunch, ice cold bottled water, snacks, pick up and return.
What Goy has loved about doing wine tours is how everyone is helping everyone locally, with dollars spent right here in Langley.
“We’ve introduced so many people to local wineries who end up falling in love with the wines and become regulars at the wineries after the tour,” he said. “We find that it’s only around five per cent or less who know about the wineries here.
“Our competitors in the tour bus industry focus on tourists with pick ups in Vancouver, and from the cruise ships,” he said. “Those tourists never come back. With our folks, they will become regulars at these craft breweries and wineries.”
Dan and Lisa operate South Fraser Shuttles & Tours mid April through early October.
They are avid RVers and during the winter months operate Baja Amigos RV Caravan Tours in Baja, California and Mexico.
“We are truly living, that’s for sure. It’s a good life,” he said.
To learn more go to southfrasershuttleandtours.com