AS Vancouver's craftbrewing scene gets more national and international attention, you might think that places like the Alibi Room in Gastown or Central City Brewing in Surrey are the only places to get a good pint in town.
Live north of downtown, better hop on the Sea Bus, right? Well, not quite. As it turns out, there's many a place to slake the thirst of a parched North Vancouverite. Whether trying to find a rare brew, or just grabbing a quality pint, here's a brief and - it must be admitted - incomplete list of the best places on the North Shore to get some craft beer.
First, and closest to me, is Taylor's Crossing. Part of the Mark James Group, Taylor's joins the Yaletown Brewing Company and others in serving some solid pints like the Indian Arm IPA and Red Truck Pale Ale. It's a great place to catch a game, and they also fill growlers (1.9L containers of beer) for about $15. Best yet, the Avalon cold beer and wine store has a decent selection of brews and if you sign up for a card, you can save 10 per cent off your beer bill.
Further afield you can find a little gem of a liquor store nestled in Edgemont Village. Despite a tiny storefront, the Edgemont Liquor Shoppe boasts an impressive selection of cold beers, everything from Phillips to Driftwood to beers from Saskatchewan's Paddock Wood Brewing.
Another hidden treasure can be found at The District Social near Lonsdale Quay.
The cocktail menu might be tempting, but ignore it in favour of the simply enormous list of Belgian beers, or opt for some Russell Wee Angry Scottish Ale or La Chouffe on tap. Oh, and try the onion soup. It's unbelievably good.
In Upper Lonsdale, you'll find the Queen's Cross Pub, with a good draft list and plenty of regular customers.
Venture out to Deep Cove, and there's two hot spots. First is the Raven Pub, which hosts the occasional cask night (check the CAMRA Vancouver website for the calendar). Second is the Arm's Reach Bistro, which has a small tap list, but an impressive one: along with Stanley Park Brewing's Noble Pilsner, you'll find Deschutes Brewing's Mirror Pond Pale Ale and the sublime - and hard-to-find - Backhand of God Irish Stout from Crannog Brewing.
West Vancouver has many high-end wine stores with highly knowledgable staff.
However, there's only really one place to go for beer, and it might just be the best place in the Lower Mainland. The 16th Street Liquor Store is fairly unassuming when you first walk in, but the beer selection rivals that of big-name cross-town places like Brewery Creek on Main Street. What's more, it's cheaper, costing only about as much as a regular BCLDB outlet for mainstream brews, but offering everything up to more expensive Dogfish Head and Mikkeller beers not found anywhere else. A special mention needs to be made of their nearly complete selection of Baird Brewing Japanese-brewed beer, and some elsewhere-sold-out rarities from Driftwood.
We've mentioned Victoriabased Driftwood Brewing twice already, but a third repetition is in order as their Fat Tug IPA has recently been crowned "Beer of the Year" at the 2011 Canadian Brewing Awards. What better way to toast this accomplishment than by hoisting a pint of this hoppy, West-Coast champion yourself? Cheers!
Brendan McAleer brings us the latest and greatest (and sometimes the worst) from the world of craft brewing. He is a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), a society dedicated to supporting local craft-brewing. Check out his blog at www. yetanotherdamnbeerblog.com for reviews, suggestions, and local news.
