BURST
TransLink’s next stop? Port Coquitlam’s Patina Brewing where they’ll be collaborating to release a limited edition Pilsner four-pack.
Platform Pilsner is “not a regular Pilsner, it’s a Canadian Pilsner,” said Patina’s head brewer José Rojas.
“The beer is 100 per cent Canadian ingredients, which was super fun for me to actually bring together ingredients from across Canada,” said Rojas, noting the beer was made from water and hops from B.C., barley from Alberta, and yeast from Quebec.
“It was really fun to put my creativity into something that can show what we do locally and when we do things intentionally,” he said at a news conference Thursday unveiling the collaboration.
The can, which features a blue, dark purple and yellow label, is inspired by “the iconic West Coast Express livery” and was created by TransLink’s in-house design team. The West Coast Express stops just a 10-minute walk away from Patina Brewing.
“The collaboration is very much rooted in community,” said TransLink spokesperson Anita Bathe. “It reflects our shared values, supporting local, building connections and celebrating the region that we are all proud to be part of.”
The launch is one way the transit authority is experimenting with new revenue streams and local partnerships, something Patina was eager to explore.
“We were super thrilled when TransLink reached out to us and started the conversation about a collab,” said Patina’s operations director Sarah Harbord. “We love doing collaborations, we love reaching out.”
Harbord said the brewery, which opened in March 2020, has a history of partnering with local groups to produce limited-run beers and sharing the proceeds of sales, including fundraisers for the Port Coquitlam Pirates hockey team, the Coquitlam Adanacs lacrosse team, and the Kwikwetlem First Nation.
But revenue from the collaboration is unlikely to help TransLink overcome all of its financial woes.
Since 2023, the transit authority and its Mayors Council has warned of a $600 million per year operating deficit that could hit as early as 2026, after pandemic-era emergency funding dries up.
Earlier this year, the federal government promised a $663 million injection over the next decade. The TransLink joint board of directors and Mayors Council also approved an investment plan that included a multi-year $312 million bailout, and increases to fares, parking fees, and property tax.
But those measures only cut the organization’s structural deficit in half, and is only likely to hold off financial challenges until the end of 2027, unless a new funding model is found.
That said, Bathe said the transit authority is hopeful the response will be positive and says TransLink is “open to possibilities” for extending the collaboration or for similar partnerships with other local businesses.
The four-pack will be sold in 16-ounce tall cans, with only 1,500 packs produced at this time. The beer will be available for sale directly from Patina and in select B.C. Liquor stores across the Lower Mainland at a price of about $18 plus tax.
To reach Patina Brewing, you can take the West Coast Express into Port Coquitlam and walk or you can board the 173, 174, 159, or 160 bus routes from Coquitlam Central SkyTrain station.