From Backwoods to Dead Frog

Dead Frog is owned, operated, and built by Derrick and Donna Smith, according to the brewery's own history. It began as Backwoods Brewing, with its first beer brewed in what the brewery calls a "cramped but cozy" warehouse across from the Twilight Drive-In in Aldergrove.

After nearly a decade in Aldergrove, the Smiths rebranded as Dead Frog and released the beers that became its flagships, including the Nut Brown Ale, now known simply as the Classic. In 2018 the team moved into a new facility in Langley, complete with a tasting room and a patio about 50 feet from the tank farm.

Twenty-Plus Taps, Steps From the Tanks

The tasting room pours more than 20 taps, and Dead Frog says its beer is brewed just 55 feet from where it is poured. The lineup mixes core brews, seasonal specialties, guest taps, and even test batches. For anyone avoiding gluten, there is wine and cider.

The brewery says its beers are preservative free and unpasteurized, with every ingredient printed on the label and the hops and malts listed on each brew's page. Its promise is "premium malts and hops with no artificial anything, ever." A small kitchen focuses on locally sourced ingredients. Beer can go home in a growler or in cans and bottles, and Dead Frog rents kegs in 19-litre and 58-litre sizes for events.

Something on the Calendar Most Weeks

Dead Frog files its events under "Happenings," and the calendar is busy. Recent listings have included live music on Sunday afternoons, trivia and bingo nights, Pints & Paws afternoons, and launch parties for new releases. The brewery also takes bookings for group and holiday parties.

Lineups and dates change, so check the Happenings page before you go. Tables can be reserved online through the brewery's website, and the online shop sells merch and packs of the current releases. Dead Frog also lists the community causes it supports on its Our Story page.

What Visitors Say

Dead Frog holds a 4.4-star Google rating across more than 750 reviews. Sours come up often, with one reviewer calling them "hands down the best sours in town." Others mention the flavoured popcorn, the party flights, and live music on the patio. One visitor from Saskatchewan described the brewery as "such a spectacle of a place to hide in an unassuming office block of cement" and took popcorn home to share. Another fan of the brewery's collaborations praised a London Fog winter ale that tasted "like a tea latte," and others mention the smokies, the pizza, and the friendly staff. A self-described lager man wrote that he was "spoiled for choice."

The feedback is not all glowing. One reviewer liked the beer but found the room "cold and uncomfortable to sit" in, and another complained the music was too loud, then updated the review to say the owner had fixed the volume.

Visit

Dead Frog Brewery is at #105 8860 201 Street in Langley, in the Willoughby and Walnut Grove area. The tasting room opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 p.m. Sunday. Google's popular-times data shows Saturday afternoon as the busiest stretch.

Hours can change around holidays, so check deadfrog.ca or call (604) 856-1055 before you go. Tasting room questions and group inquiries can go to tastingroom@deadfrog.ca.