8 minute read

Island Ale Trail

from Discover

by Times Colonist

from Discover, page 27

Shop Like The Locals

There are so many wonderful places and experiences to enjoy on a visit to Vancouver Island — and top of the list is tasting beer at some of the Island’s many craft breweries – Joe Wiebe

Whether you already love beer or if you are hoping to learn more about it, visiting a craft brewery and sampling a few different styles of beer is the perfect add-on activity following an outdoor activity like surfing, kayaking, hiking, or biking. Most breweries have tasting rooms where you can try a flight of three or four different beers served in small glasses or full pints of your favourites. Many fill growlers or offer off-sales of their beers packaged in cans or bottles to take away with you. You can also look for local beers at Cascadia Liquor Stores, which has locations in several communities up and down the Island.

With more than 40 breweries to choose from on Vancouver Island, you can plan a multi-day excursion to visit an assortment of breweries while you explore, or you can just pick one area and visit all the local breweries over the course of a few days. Many of the Island’s breweries have their own kitchens serving top-notch food so you can turn your visit into a meal stop as well.

Vancouver Island’s newest brewery is also its northernmost: Devil’s Bath Brewing, located in Port McNeill. The brewery’s name is an homage to a local geographical feature, the Devil’s Bath cenote, which you can also visit on a trip to the area. The brewery features a diverse line-up of beer along with delicious pizza and other food.

Moving south down the Island, the next brewery to check out is Beach Fire Brewing in Campbell River, which also has an excellent restaurant. Nearby, the Comox Valley is home to several breweries, including Ace Brewing and Gladstone Brewing in Courtenay; Land & Sea Brewing and New Tradition Brewing in Comox; and Cumberland Brewing in the town of the same name.

A side trip out to the west coast of the Island on Highway 4 will definitely reward beer lovers. The mid-Island city of Port Alberni is home to three excellent breweries — Alberni Brewing, Dog Mountain Brewing and Twin City Brewing, each of which serves great food along with their brews.

Continuing west will lead you to Ucluelet Brewing, which is based in a beautifully renovated church. You’ll have to decide for yourself which is better: the gorgeous tap room that shows off the “bones” of the building or the patio with its views of Ucluelet Harbour. While you’re debating this, you can sample the beers and enjoy some snacks. And no visit to the west coast of the Island would be complete without a stop at Tofino Brewing.

Back on the Island Highway, Qualicum Beach’s Love Shack Libations is a one-man operation with limited hours so definitely check ahead before visiting. Mount Arrowsmith Brewing in Parksville has a big tasting room and an excellent kitchen. (Another brewery called Fern + Cedar Brewing is in the works in Qualicum Beach so check and see if it is open at the time of your visit.)

Nanaimo has several breweries to check out, including the Longwood Brewpub and the separate Longwood Brewery, Wolf Brewing, and two downtown breweries that are right beside each other: Cliffside Brewing and White Sails Brewing.

BC ALE TRAIL

BAILEY_THEMINIDOODLE-INSTAGRAM BC ALE TRAIL

Heading south from Nanaimo you will drive through Ladysmith, where Bayview Brewing hopes to open soon — it might even be open by the time you read this. Not much farther south, take a side trip to Chemainus, a popular tourist destination because of its murals, theatre and picturesque streets, as well as its own resident brewery, Riot Brewing.

From there you can explore the rural agricultural splendour of the Cowichan Valley, which boasts a maritime Mediterranean climate that achieves the warmest year-round temperature anywhere in Canada. Farm markets, wineries and cideries abound — and so do breweries. Duncan has three breweries to visit, including the Craig Street Brewpub, which is a great option for lunch or dinner, along with Red Arrow Brewing and Small Block Brewing.

BC ALE TRAIL

Driving over the Malahat Summit will deliver you to the provincial capital city of Victoria, which is known as the “cradle of the craft beer revolution” because it is home to some of Canada’s earliest craft breweries, including Spinnakers, which opened in 1984 as Canada’s first brewpub. Spinnakers’ beautiful waterfront setting houses an excellent restaurant with a menu featuring local ingredients and a top-notch beer list that includes some classic recipes as well as fresh and trendy styles. You can even stay at one of Spinnakers’ own guest houses next door — it’s the perfect base for exploring all that Victoria has to offer.

Another local favourite is Driftwood Brewery, which relocated to a bigger building earlier this year. It is adding a tasting room and patio (due to open around the time this is published) where you can sample the wide range of excellent beers in its lineup, including Fat Tug IPA, arguably B.C.’s definitive West Coast IPA. Driftwood is also adding a distillery at its new location.

Another great destination in Victoria is Twa Dogs Brewery at Macaloney’s Caledonian Distillery, which embraces its Scottish background wholeheartedly. Indeed, the name, Twa Dogs, is a reference to 18th century Scottish poet Robbie Burns. Within its spacious facility is a beautiful tasting room where you can enjoy the full range of beers or a taster’s flight of whiskies, which are also available for sale in bottles. (I recommend pairing the Rye Stout with a dram of Irish-style Oaken Poitín.) Take an entertaining tour to learn more about the brewing and distilling process. There is also an outdoor patio beside the tasting room.

There are more than a dozen other breweries to visit in Greater Victoria. Check out the Victoria Ale Trail online or through the BC Ale Trail app for more information about all of them.

An excellent day trip or overnight excursion of its own is to head west to the small town of Sooke, which is home to three breweries of its own, each with its own unique vibe. Sooke Oceanside Brewery is opening a new location with a full tasting room and kitchen, along with a patio boasting views of Sooke Harbour. It’s a great spot to meet locals and taste delicious beers with names inspired by local maritime history and the forestry industry. You can also visit Sooke Brewing in “downtown” Sooke.

Another must-visit in Sooke is Bad Dog Brewing, a charming brewery located in a rural

setting with a small tasting room and a picnic area outside. Sooke is a great destination for adventurous cyclists thanks to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail that runs all the way from Victoria (approx. 45 km one way), mostly on hard-packed gravel trails running through forests.

Wherever you travel on the Vancouver Island Ale Trail, consult the BC Ale Trail website for more information. Download the app to plan your visit — collect points and redeem them for rewards at participating breweries. All the breweries are listed along with numerous outdoor activities, recommended sites to visit, and liquor stores, restaurants and tap houses.

New Experiences Are Brewing Nearby

VICTORIA:

• Canoe Brewpub • Category 12 Brewing • Driftwood Brewery • Four Mile Brewpub • Herald Street Brew Works • Howl Brewing • Hoyne Brewing • Ile Sauvage Brewing • Lighthouse Brewing • Moon Under Water Brewery,

Pub & Distillery • Phillips Brewing & Malting • Spinnakers Brewpub • Swans Brewery, Pub & Hotel • Twa Dogs Brewing • V2V Black Hops Brewing • Vancouver Island Brewing • Whistle Buoy Brewing

SOOKE:

• Bad Dog Brewing • Sooke Brewing • Sooke Oceanside Brewery

GULF ISLANDS:

• Mayne Island Brewing • Salt Spring Island Brewing

COWICHAN VALLEY:

• Craig Street Brewpub • Red Arrow Brewing • Riot Brewing • Small Block Brewing

NANAIMO:

• Cliffside Brewing • Longwood Brewery • Longwood Brewpub • White Sails Brewing • Wolf Brewing

MID-ISLAND:

• Alberni Brewing • Dog Mountain Brewing • LoveShack Libations • Mount Arrowsmith Brewing • Tofino Brewing • Twin City Brewing • Ucluelet Brewing

COMOX VALLEY:

• Ace Brewing • Cumberland Brewing • Gladstone Brewing • Land & Sea Brewing • New Tradition Brewing

CAMPBELL RIVER & NORTH:

• Beach Fire Brewing • Devil’s Bath Brewing

FORTHCOMING:

• Bayview Brewing (Ladysmith) • Beacon Brewing (Sidney) • Checkerhead Brewing (Shirley) • Fern + Cedar Brewing (Qualicum Beach) • Hornby Island Brewing • Hudson Brewhouse &

Distillery (Victoria) • Jordan River Brewing • Rusted Rake Brewing (Nanoose Bay)