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Asheville, North Carolina. Portland, Oregon. Portland, Maine. In the past decade or so, those cities (along with Seattle, Washington, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) have become something of craft beer meccas, where aficionados descend to sample the best in local, small-batch brews. But recently, a certain Canadian city has been quietly catching up.
Vancouver’s craft beer scene is hopping thanks to adventurous entrepreneurs who have ventured past the city’s downtown core to open their own breweries. What were once warehouses, bike shops, or industrial facilities in edgy neighborhoods are now occupied by brew houses with chic tasting rooms and driven by an independent spirit and true love of beer. Nowhere is this more evident than in the historic Brewery Creek area along Main Street and in East Vancouver, or Yeast Van in local parlance. Here, a guide to the must-visit places—plus a look at what to order—should you want to experience the Canadian city’s burgeoning beer scene.
The neighborhood: Mount Pleasant
The vibe: Set on trendy Main Street, Brassneck is one of the liveliest breweries in town. You can see the action through a wall of glass as you drive or walk by. Step inside and you find the growler shop—for the uninitiated, a growler is a jug used to transport beer—and a tasting room that accommodates just 50 lucky drinkers at a time. The décor mixes raw concrete with lots of reclaimed wood planks through which you can peep into the brew house and cellar. This is the type of place where you might end up sharing a communal table with a local and getting tips on where to walk off your hangover in the woods the next day.
The beers: Since opening in 2013, Brasshneck has brewed more than 75 different beers—from barrel-aged imperial stouts to corn lagers, sour beers, and traditional saisons. The beers are handwritten on the chalkboard every day.
What to try: Magician’s Assistant is a tart blonde ale with fruity hops notes.
The menu: Want something salty or spicy to go with your beer? They’ve got pepperoni and jerky on the menu. And many days at 5:30 p.m., a different food truck sets up in front of Brassneck. Buy some food and bring it inside. On Fridays, for example, you might grab a margherita pizza from Community Pizza, while on Thursdays you may get a caprese sandwich from Via Tevere.
The neighborhood: Strathcona, one of Vancouver’s oldest residential ’hoods.
The vibe: The tasting room has been meticulously designed, from the raw concrete floors, to the tiny exposed bulbs built into the white planked ceiling that light up the room, and the yellow neon sign that spells Community. The look is industrial chic but without the pretense. There’s plenty of sitting room in booths and along the white-fir-topped communal tables. One corner of the tasting room is a glass walled space where pop-up art and other community events will take place.
The beers: The MO at Strathcona Beer Company, which launched in summer 2016, is to produce top-notch classic, international beer styles like pilsner, British IPA, and Belgian golden ale, as well as seasonal brews—saison or radler.
What to try: Pale and hazy, the saison is a farmhouse ale with subtle peppery flavor and fruity aromatics.
The menu: A gourmet pizza kitchen makes delicious thin-crust pies. There are also salads, popcorn, and charcuterie and cheese plates.
The neighborhood: East Vancouver
The vibe: From outside, the large black building that houses this brewery looks like many of the warehouses that line the truck-heavy street. But you hear none of the traffic once you walk in the light-filled room outfitted in concrete, wood, and steel design elements. Whimsical papier-mâché masks by local artist Christine Moulson hang on the walls. Once a month, the brewery celebrates a different “strange day” inspired by folklore and traditions from around the globe. In January 2016, for example, the Strange Fellows staff celebrated Up Helly AA, a Shetland Islands pagan fire festival. On other occasions, there are live bands, and exhibits in the art gallery.
The beers: Influenced by Old World traditions but with both feet firmly planted in West Coast ingenuity and seasonal ingredients, veteran local brewer Iain Hill crafts an ever-changing selection of beers and sours. Moulson’s illustrations of mermaids, dragons, and wolves decorate the beer bottles and growlers.
What to try: Talisman, a dry-hopped and golden-hued ale with citrusy aroma. Ivanka the Tart is a pale and sour grisette.
The menu: The bar menu consists mostly of snacks like cured meats. They also offer a charcuterie board that changes regularly. On some evenings, a food truck is parked up front.
The neighborhood: Mount Pleasant
The vibe: Sitting pretty on a quiet side street off bustling Main Street is a heritage building originally constructed for a brewery and now home to . . . a brewery. High ceilings, exposed brick walls, concrete floors (Vancouverites love their concrete), wood beams, and potted trees give this tasting room the laid-back feel of sitting in someone’s covered patio.
The beers: Main Street Brewing makes five year-round beers—pilsner, IPA, pale ale, brown ale, saison—and daily cask selections that are featured on their chalkboard.
What to try: The Westminster brown ale has a malty flavor, citrus pine aroma. Canadian, English, German malts with wheat, oats and molasses give this meal-in-a-glass beer a malty finish with waves of caramel and brown sugar.
The menu: Tasty pulled-pork tacos, nachos, smoked salmon plate, giant pretzels served with Westminster brown ale mustard, and of course, a charcuterie board.
The neighborhood: Olympic Village
The vibe: Located in a former bike shop on a quiet corner just blocks from where athletes resided during the 2010 Winter Olympics is this tiny brewery. The tasting room, all concrete floors and white painted walls and ceiling, features just two communal tables with sitting for 28. This is a good place to go solo and meet locals.
The beers: Faculty Brewing Co. serves straight from the tanks. Beers are given a number, the same way universities number their courses by their degree of complexity and expertise. Each beer’s corresponding number reflects the sophistication of its flavor profile.
What to try: New to beer? Start with a 100 level brew, such as a 109 Kolsch. Want something more experimental and bold-flavored? Try the 778 IPA, a well-balanced ale with a characteristic citrus hops aroma.
The menu: Recently the folks at Faculty Brewing Co. have hosted pop-up lunches with Mensch, a local Jewish deli that makes the meanest pastrami sandwiches in town. Pop-ups with other local chefs are in the works.