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For craft beer lovers in Vancouver, there’s plenty of reason to celebrate.

No fewer than nine new and expanded craft breweries – complete with tasting rooms – are expected to open in the year ahead, according to a great article in the Vancouver Sun by Randy Shore.

They’re clamouring to meet a growing demand for craft beer in the province.  Currently, craft beer accounts for some 20 percent of the beer market.  If cities like Portland are any indication, however, that could easily grow to 40 percent and beyond as beer drinkers become more choosy with their suds.

Here’s a rundown of some the breweries you can expect popping up around town in 2013.  Fittingly, four of these breweries will be situated in the historic Brewery Creek neighbourhood of Lower Mount Pleasant (situated roughly along Main Street, between 1st Avenue and Broadway) – which should make for some great beer crawls.

Steamworks: The venerable brewpub on Water Street has been turning our quality steam-powered beer  (like their flavourful Signature Pale Ale) for 18 years.  Now they’re getting ready to move into a new 25,000-square-foot brewery in Burnaby, with a 2,000-square-foot tasting room.  Estimated opening date: July 1.  

Red Truck Brewery: Red Truck, whose brews are already popular in Vancouver, is expanding its production capacity with a facility on East 1st Avenue in Lower Mount Pleasant.  It will include the Red Truck Diner, a retro restaurant and pub.  Estimated opening date: Late 2013. 

Main Street Brewing Company: You may have already seen Main Street Pilsner at bars and liquor stores around town.  The new company has been renting brewing space from Russell, but they’re  about to begin renos on a facility of their own on West 7th Avenue in Mount Pleasant.  Estimated opening date: May.  

Brassneck Brewing: This joint venture by the owner of the Alibi Room (a beer lover’s pub at its best) and a former brewer at Steamworks shows lots of potential.  The facility, to be located at 2148 Main St., will include a microbrewery and tasting room, plus a retail area for buying growlers (refillable jugs of beer).  Estimated opening date: Late 2013.  

33 Acres: This new brewery is already through the permitting process, according to the Sun’s Randy Shore, and is about to begin construction of a facility on West 8th Avenue in the Brewery Creek neighbourhood.  Estimated opening date: unknown.  

Central City Brewing: Central City, which produces the Red Racer line, should already be familiar to craft beer connoisseurs in Vancouver.  Now, beer wizard Gary Lohin is expanding to a huge 65,000-square-foot brewery near the Pattullo Bridge.  It will triple Central City’s brewing capacity and include a lounge and tasting room.  Estimated opening date: July.  

Want more updates on Vancouver and beyond? Follow me on Twitter @RemyScalza.