Categorized under: Brewery, news article

Traveling to Vancouver?

When you are in Seattle, you might want to take a trip to Vancouver.

If you do, please use the following as a guide.

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!

p.s. If you have any additional feedback about these breweries, please let us know.

Get a sudsy overview of B.C. brews while touring some of the city’s haunts
By JOHN LEE
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

VANCOUVER, B.C. — It’s 1 p.m. on a cloud-free Saturday afternoon. But rather than soaking up the sun around Stanley Park or strolling the shops of Yaletown, I’m hunched over a jet-black glass of beer in the shady corner of a local bar.

Of course, this isn’t just any old beer.

British Columbia has undergone a colorful microbrewery renaissance in recent years, with dozens of eclectic craft-beer makers popping up around the province. With an afternoon to spare, I’ve hit the city’s streets in search of the region’s most exotic local tipples.

Alibi Room

First stop: the Alibi Room on the edge of Vancouver’s heritage Gastown district. As I sip a smooth Back Hand of God stout from Crannog Ales — a celebrated organic producer from a 10-acre farm in Sorrento — I’m surprised at how much lighter it is than Guinness, with a distinctive, but not overpowering, coffeelike finish.

“It’s probably our most popular beer,” says Alibi co-owner and chief booze selector Nigel Springthorpe. Transforming his 10-year-old wood-floored bar from its original cocktail lounge approach, he has wooed regional brewers into supplying him with Vancouver’s biggest B.C. beer selection.

Among the 14 taps lining his bar are lip-smacking concoctions from Chilliwack’s Old Yale Brewing, Squamish’s Howe Sound Brewing and Surrey’s Russell Brewing. There’s even room for Swans and Spinnakers, a couple of Victoria producers that aren’t served by anyone else in Vancouver.

For beer drinkers, it’s a chance to taste-trip around British Columbia without leaving town, especially since the Alibi’s small tasting glasses cost just $3 (Canadian) each. “People come in for something simple, but by the end of the night, they’re happily trying Surly Blonde or Irish Red Ale for the first time,” Springthorpe says.

Tempted to spend the afternoon slowly sliding under the table, I instead knock back a fruity Salt Spring Golden Ale, then head out.

Steamworks Brewing Co.

Strolling along nearby Water Street, I soon reach the landmark Steamworks Brewing Co., one of the city’s leading brewpubs.

It’s half-filled with chatty locals, and I snag a corner table on the main floor before perusing the list of own-brewed beers. Through the picture windows, I catch sight of North Vancouver’s snow-topped mountains looming over the harbor inlet.

Weighing the lure of Oatmeal Stout and Empress India Pale Ale, I opt instead for a small glass of Lions Gate Lager, a light and refreshing brew my server tells me is the bar’s most popular beer. I also flick absentmindedly through the lunch menu: booze apparently doesn’t cover all the food groups, so Steamworks offers hearty pub classics such as fish and chips and thin-crust pizzas.

Railway Club

Back outside after an hour or so, I climb uphill to the intersection of Dunsmuir and Seymour streets in the heart of downtown. With a convenience store dominating the corner here, it’s easy to miss the unassuming entrance to the upstairs Railway Club, Vancouver’s best old-school bar.

The grubby carpets and dinged wooden tables at “The Rail” recall traditional English pubs. But along with its diverse roster of nightly live music, there’s a connoisseur’s approach to B.C. beer, with taps from Central City Brewing, Tree Brewing and Phillips Brewing among those jostling for bar space. The Rail is almost empty on my visit and there’s a sleepy feel to the afternoon’s proceedings.

Accompanied by a creamy glass of Big Kettle, I ease into a window table and smugly watch the rest of the city bustling below. Within a few minutes, I’ve moved on to a hoppy Red Truck Ale. Soon feeling slightly fuzzy-headed, I’m starting to wonder if I can keep up the pace.

Granville Island Brewing

Reluctantly peeling away from my comfy nook, I sober up with a bracing stroll to nearby Howe Street, where a 10-minute bus ride takes me to tourist-friendly Granville Island. Eschewing the public market and artisan stores, I head straight for Granville Island Brewing, the producer that kick-started B.C.’s craft beer golden age.

Established in 1984, the company has mostly shifted production to its larger out-of-town facility. But the original brewhouse remains and is home to small-batch beer making and a bar that showcases the likes of Cyprus Honey Lager and Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale. It also offers the city’s only brewery tour.

Joining a small group of eager beer fans — including two Aussie lads — I’m led around the small brewing operation, complete with stainless steel kegs and bottling machinery. Munching on different types of malt, we’re introduced to the intricacies of beer making by an engaging guide who frequently reminds us that samples are just around the corner.

Within 30 minutes, we’re back in the bar, where tasting glasses have been set out for us on a long wooden bench. Each drinker has a place mat marked with the names and descriptions of the brewery’s beers. My four glasses are temptingly filled to the brim as I mull over what to try first.

The Robson Street Hefeweizen turns out to be frothy and citrusy — an ideal summer quaff. The lagerlike English Bay Pale Ale is similarly light and easy to drink, while the limited-run Killarney Irish Stout has an overpowering javalike aftertaste. My favorite is the rust-colored Gastown Amber Ale, which is full-bodied, smooth and slightly bitter.

The young Aussies are not sure which they prefer, so they pour another round from the pitchers left on the table just to make sure.

If you go

Alibi Room — 157 Alexander St.; 604-623-3383; alibi.ca

Steamworks Brewing Co. — 375 Water St.; 604-689-2739; steamworks.com

Railway Club — 579 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-1625; therailwayclub.com. Cover charge after 7 p.m.

Granville Island Brewing — 1441 Cartwright St.; 604-687-2739; gib.ca. Daily tours ($9.75 Canadian) are at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

More on B.C. microbreweries — bcbeer.ca

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