Just north of Seattle, the City of Vancouver is a coastal seaport city within British Columbia (BC), Canada. According to the city’s website, Vancouver is the eighth most populous city in Canada with a population of 603,502 people as measured in a 2011 census.

The City of Vancouver is absolutely stunning and is home to beautiful traditional and contemporary art, spectacular water views, and magnificent parks. Stanley Park was voted Best Park in the World in 2014.

Vancouver and BC are also home to an emerging craft beer industry. My favorite sources of information regarding craft beer in BC are BC Craft Beer News and the Beer and Travel Adventures Blog of Lynn (aka, HopsCanary).

And although I had very little time available (less than a day in Vancouver allocated for beer tasting), I wanted to sample some examples of craft brews from this area. My goal was to accomplish an initial survey that would help guide a return visit to Vancouver-area breweries in the future. Due to my time constraints, I decided my excursions would focus on two Tap Houses within walking distance of my hotel – Tap & Barrel and the Alibi Room. The Tap Houses offered the best opportunity to sample beers from a range of BC Craft Breweries. Located on my walk between the two Tap Houses was Steamworks Brewery, so of course I had to stop there also.

I actually had my first BC craft beer at my hotel’s pub, where I ordered a Driftwood Brewery Fat Tug IPA (7% ABV). Driftwood Brewery is located in Victoria, Canada. My next post will discuss my brewery visits in Victoria, including Driftwood. Fat Tug is a delicious northwest style India Pale Ale with an intense hop profile that includes notes of grapefruit, mango melon and passion fruit. What a great introduction to BC craft beers!

From my hotel, my wife and I walked around the corner to  the Convention Center Tap & Barrel at Coal Harbour. This Tap & Barrel location boasts breathtaking views of the Burrard Inlet, North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park as well as a nice selection of BC craft beers. Beer Geek, Peter Gordon, works in concert with local BC breweries to ensure a constant rotation of BC craft beers, as well as, to create custom small-batch beers offered exclusively through Tap & Barrel.

Through my sample set, I managed to taste beers from five different BC breweries:

1. Red Truck Beer Company – Red Truck Lager (5% ABV): Made with Canadian Prairie two-row malted barley and hops imported from Germany and the Czech Republic, this lager was a good start but left me hoping for more malt flavor.
   
2. 33 Acres Brewing Company -33 Acres of Life California Common (4.8% ABV): Drawing from brewing techniques employed during the California Gold Rush era, this California Common (aka Steam Beer) is made by fermenting lager at ale temperatures to achieve fruit-like and spicy flavors. This beer was pretty darn good but I didn’t strike gold.
   
3. Central City Brewers – Red Racer ISA (4% ABV): This session IPA delivers really nice pine and citrus aromas and flavors while allowing you to continue the day without needing a nap.
   
4. Four Winds Brewing Company – Four Winds IPA (7% ABV): This IPA is somewhat mellow by West Coast standards but had lots of very good malt flavor to go with the hints of pine and citrus.
   
5. Crannóg Ales – Back Hand of God Stout (5.2% ABV): This dry, session stout is smooth and clean but didn’t have me going to church.
   

My sample set clearly indicated that the craft brewing scene in Vancouver and BC consists of talented brewers dedicated to creating a wide range of excellent beers.

My next stop was Steamworks Brewery and Brew Pub. Established in 1995 in an old building in the historic Gastown district of Vancouver, the brewery actually utilizes an old and rare steam heat system for brewing.

Steamworks Brewery and Brew Pub is loaded with architectural atmosphere. The brewery is located below the restaurant but has windows overlooking the harbor. I was mesmerized by the atmosphere, which I can only describe as British Industrial Revolution melded with Old British Pub and an added dash of Steampunk.

Steamworks Blitzen Belgian-Style Tripel won a Silver Medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup.

I sampled five beers at Steamworks – 1) Pale Ale (5.2% ABV / 35 IBU); 2) Empress IPA (5.5% ABV / 45 IBU); 3) Jasmine IPA (6.5% ABV / 60 IBU); 4) Pumpkin Ale (6.5% ABV /25 IBU); and Nut Brown Ale on Nitro. My favorite was the Empress IPA which poured a clear copper color and provided distinctive hop flavors over a light malt base.

From Steamworks, we walked to the Alibi Room. Featuring 50 taps of local and imported craft beer, this establishment has developed a reputation as one of the top Vancouver spots for great BC craft beer paired with excellent food.

The Alibi Room’s building was erected over 100 years ago and is designated as a heritage site. The building is positioned next to the rail yard and is only a short distance from Vancouver’s trade and shipping ports.

Once again, I was impressed with the interior architecture.  The overall atmosphere was modern and welcoming. Community tables encouraged patron interaction and conversation.

For dinner, my wife and I had the seared Albacore Tuna with green olive tapenade, red lentil puree, and greens. Delicious!

I sampled beers from five breweries:

1. Four Winds Brewing Company – Witicism Witbier (4.8% ABV / 10 IBU): This lactobacillus-fermented witbier provided ample tart lemon citrus and lemon peel flavors to delight my palate. 
2. Parallel 49 Brewing Company – “Gypsy Tears” Ruby Red Ale (6% ABV / 40 IBU): This amber red colored ale delivered delicious toasted and caramel malt flavors with an adventurous and seductive hops bitterness at the end.
3. Persephone Brewing Company – Citra-Hopped Pale Ale: Imbued with a clear copper gold color this pale ale was bursting with grapefruit and floral aromas and flavors with a supportive malt base and dry finish. I gave thanks to the daughter of Zeus for blessing me with this tasting opportunity.
   
4. Driftwood Brewing Company – Cask Conditioned Satori Harvest Fresh Hop IPA with Centennial Hops (7% ABV): This hard-to-get, seasonal beer has a tremendous cult following. Providing outstanding earthy, plant, grapefruit, floral, and pith aromas and flavors, one taste had me joining the cult too. This is a world-class Fresh Hop IPA.
   
5. Powell Street Craft Brewery – “Dive Bomber” Porter (5% ABV / 33 IBU): This Brown Porter style delivered a slight upfront hop bitterness followed with hints of roasted malt, espresso coffee, caramel, toffee, chocolate, and nuts. I thought it was good but it didn’t blow me away.
   

The Alibi Room was a fantastic stop. Overall, my three stops provided a great introduction to Vancouver and BC breweries and beers. Craft brewing in Vancouver and BC is vibrant and growing. I can’t wait to return for a more extended visit and excellent drinking experience!