British Columbia
VANCOUVER ISLAND
RECOMMENDED BY Joe Wiebe
Vancouver Island stretches almost three hundred miles north to south, at times separated from the mainland by only a few miles. The island is considered one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, combining rainforests, mountain ranges, and more than two thousand miles of coastline. Its natural beauty, abundant outdoor activities (kayaking, fishing, surfing, golf … and on and on), a thriving art scene, and British charm (overhear some residents of Victoria chatting and you'd swear you were in London) have helped it become one of the most beloved islands in the world.
These days, you can add a vibrant brewing culture to the mix of Vancouver Island's attractions.
"When I first moved out to Victoria from Ontario in the 1990s, there was a lot of talk of a bridge connecting the island to the mainland," Joe Wiebe recalled. "I remember the arguments on the island against the project. People weren't concerned about the cost. They didn't want to be connected to the mainland. Many people feel they are separate from the rest of British Columbia and like it that way. Islanders value their independence and self-sufficiency. There's a strong ethic of supporting island businesses. I think this attitude has done a lot to foster Vancouver Island's craft beer scene. Residents support island breweries; they don't care too much about beer from other places."
For all intents and purposes, Canada's craft beer revolution began on Vancouver Island in 1984, with the opening of Spinnakers Brewpub in Victoria, British Columbia's provincial capital, which is located at the southern end of the island. "There was a shortlived microbrewery that opened in 1982 in Horseshoe Bay, north of Vancouver," Joe explained, "but it didn't last long. Spinnakers was the first brewpub in Canada and among the first in North America. Paul Hadfield was the building's architect, and after a few years became the proprietor. Spinnakers was ahead of its time. When the first big craft brewer's convention was held down in Portland, they commissioned a bus to take attendees up to Spinnakers, as it was a model that didn't exist elsewhere. In the early nineties, Spinnakers adopted a slow-food movement approach, working with local farmers to source ingredients. They have a beautiful spot on the inner harbor, a great kitchen, and a great assortment of beer." Spinnakers was joined later in 1984 by Vancouver Island Brewing, and every few years thereafter, a new brewery or brewpub opened. Now greater Victoria boasts twelve such establishments, covering a gamut of styles and approaches and earning the city the unofficial moniker of Canada's craft beer capital.
A ramble along Victoria's Beer Mile will provide visitors with a great sense of what the city has to offer. "There's a ring of four brewpubs around the upper harbor, and there are five more brewpubs close by," Joe continued. "It's only a fifteen-minute walk from the heart of downtown. When Spinnakers was built, it was an unused area. The city didn't really know what to do with a brewpub and sent Paul and his partners over there. Now there's a walkway, hotels, condos. A few favorites (in addition to Spinnakers) include Canoe Brewpub, beside Victoria's iconic Blue Bridge. Built in 1894, the brewpub was originally the City Lights Building, Victoria's electricity plant. Canoe was restored in 1996 with dramatic vaulted ceilings and the city's best westward-facing deck. I would also visit Swans, which is just a few doors down. It was originally a feed warehouse and was beautifully renovated, and includes an art collection. A little off the Beer Mile, but very worth a visit, is Driftwood Brewing. Driftwood is one of British Columbia's best breweries. Their Fat Tug IPA has become the flagship beer of BC craft brewing. It stands up to the best IPAs coming out of Portland, though it's very hard to find outside of the province, as Driftwood can't keep up with demand here. It's the beer that beer writers drink when they visit Victoria."
Greater Victoria is not the only hotbed of Vancouver Island brewing. The mid-island is also seeing a beer renaissance. On the east side of the island, it's in Courtenay/Comox and Cumberland, on the west, Tofino. "The Cumberland region has historically relied on coal mining," Joe said. "Cumberland and Courtenay were Lucky towns—that is, places where residents consumed a lot of Lucky Lager, a brand owned by Labatt that was produced on Vancouver Island. Now there's a new scene developing. A lot of young families are moving in—in Cumberland, it seems that everywhere you look there are couples with strollers and a growler hanging off the handle. Then you have Cumberland Brewing, which is in an old pizza restaurant. The pizza maker used to be a brewer and was eventually convinced to get back into the brewing game. In Courtenay, there's Gladstone Brewing, which operates in an old garage. Forbidden is also there, a nanobrewery based in the Westerly Hotel.
"The first mid-island brewery was over in Tofino, on the west coast. Tofino is a beautiful spot, celebrated for its surfing and kayaking. Any visitor to Vancouver Island should try to fit it into their itinerary. Tofino Brewing was started by some guys who'd moved to the area for its natural amenities but missed craft beer. They started off thinking they'd follow the traditional wholesale model—sell kegs to restaurants, bottle some. But there was a twist, in that they'd also sell growlers. This was partially from an environmental philosophy; they wanted to generate less garbage. They bought three hundred growlers for the week they opened, and they sold out. They ordered six hundred more, and they were gone in another week. Then they ordered a thousand, and those eventually sold. Tofino Brewing's growler sales had eclipsed the town's population [1,800]."
NOTE: If you make your way to Vancouver Island via the city of Vancouver, be sure to check out the city's burgeoning brewing culture. Thanks to changes in laws relating to on-premises sales, many new breweries have opened with accompanying tasting lounges, and existing sites have also opened lounges. "The lounges are fairly small; most have thirty to thirty-five seats," Joe explained. "It's a very neighborhood-focused scene, but there's great energy, with many young people over the moon for new beers." One of the greatest concentrations of breweries (as of this writing) is in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, where Brassneck, 33 Acres, and Main Street Brewing are within five minutes of each other.
JOE WIEBE is the Thirsty Writer. He writes mainly about craft beer, as well as wine, spirits, sports, and travel, for a wide range of print and online publications. Joe is a co-founder of Victoria Beer Week and the author of Craft Beer Revolution: An Insider's Guide to BC Breweries (Douglas & McIntyre, second edition released in 2015). Read more at www.thirstywriter.com.
If You Go
Getting There: Visitors will either fly to Victoria, which is served by several carriers, including Air Canada (888-247-2262; www.aircanada.com) and Horizon Air (800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com); or take the ferry from Washington State or Vancouver. Ferry options are highlighted at www.hellobc.com.
Best Time to Visit: Vancouver has a temperate climate, though visitors arriving in late fall and winter can anticipate a good deal of rain.
Spots to Visit: Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub (250-386-2739; www.spinnakers.com); Swans Brewpub (800-668-7926; www.swanshotel.com); Canoe Brewpub (250-361-1940; www.canoebrewpub.com); Driftwood Brewery (250-381-2739; www.driftwoodbeer.com); Cumberland Brewing (250-400-2739; www.cumberlandbrewing.com); Gladstone Brewing (250-871-1111; www.gladstonebrewing.ca); Forbidden Brewing (www.forbiddenbrewing.com); Tofino Brewing (250-725-2899; www.tofinobrewingco.com).
Accommodations: Tourism Victoria (800-663-3883; www.tourismvictoria.com) offers a comprehensive list of lodging options in Victoria, Cumberland/Courtenay, and Tofino.