Sometimes we’re compelled to reconsider our own beautiful country. Right now is one of those times.
The menace in the White House has Canadians cancelling trips to Florida or Palm Springs in favour of P.E.I., Tofino, the Okanagan, or any number of fantastic Canadian places. Let me make a pitch for the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, stretching from the ferry dock in Swartz Bay at the north end, down to the majesty of Victoria harbour at the south end.
With parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts in Victoria, my wife and I have made dozens upon dozens of trips to Vancouver Island over the decades. Back in the day, Victoria was fusty and musty, a place more English than England, for the newly wed and nearly dead. Today, Victoria is an interesting place, vibrant and dynamic.
It is one of the best beer towns in Canada, chock-a-block with outstanding craft breweries, cideries and beer bars. A family tradition is taking one of the charming harbour ferries from the Empress Hotel across to Esquimalt for lunch at Spinnakers, Canada’s very first brewpub, opening in 1984. Not far away is Driftwood Brewing with its delightful patio and delicious dumplings and bao buns.
From Driftwood, head back across the new Johnson Street Bridge and hit up The Drake Eatery and Craft Beer Parlour on historic Market Square. The Drake is a cozy place with a welcoming vibe, innovative food and a fantastic beer list. Across the inner courtyard you’ll find Whistle Buoy Brewing. Try their Coastality Pale Ale, made with grains from Field Five Farm, just up the road in Central Saanich. Pop over to bustling Government Street for a pint at classic British-style pubs like the Bard & Banker, Irish Times or Garrick’s Head.
Go north and back to the water to CRAFT Beer Market’s Victoria outpost, with a fabulous patio right on the Upper Harbour. Nearby is Herald Street Beer Works, a small batch brewery founded by the owners of The Drake Eatery. Back north on Government Street, stop in at Phillips Brewing’s taproom. Phillips started small in 2001 on the back of founder Matt Phillips’ maxed out credit cards. Today it’s B.C.’s biggest craft brewer. A few blocks further north gets you to Île Sauvage (wild island) a reference to their focus on Belgian-style
wild ales and sour beers.
Going north by car or by bicycle along the gorgeous Lochside Trail, you can hit Twa Dogs Brewing and Macaloney’s Island Distillery on the north edge of town before heading to
Saanichton for the science-themed Category 12 Brewing and its colourful and fun taproom. Nearby you’ll find Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse, perched at the top of a hill overlooking the Salish Sea. Finally, head down into the formerly sleepy Sidney by the Sea.
A classic retirement town, Sidney has been energized in recent years with a fancy hotel, some nice restaurants and most importantly, craft breweries. My favourite is Small Gods, a literary-themed brewery with author readings, book swaps, a book club and beers named after books. Sidney was once known as Canada’s Book Town due to the high number of bookstores locally. In recent years they’ve lost a few bookstores but gained some breweries—a fair trade in my books!
Victoria Beers
Six favourite beers from Victoria and area breweries, all available at better Edmonton beer stores.
Click images to zoom
Driftwood Fat Tug IPA, Esquimalt
Launched in 2010, Fat Tug IPA quickly set the bar for what a true West Coast IPA should be: intensely hoppy, piney, resiny, bitter and oh so refreshing. Fat Tug quickly gained legend status, winning Beer of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards in 2011.
Phillips Reverb West Coast IPA, Victoria
Phillips started out in 2001 making monster West Coast IPAs like Hop Circle before producing one of B.C.’s most popular beers, Blue Buck Ale. Here they take a contemporary take on West Coast IPA with Reverb, a well-rounded, modestly bitter IPA with floral, citrus and pine aromas.
Île Sauvage Raspberry Sour, Victoria
Île Sauvage produces some of the most complex and interesting beers on the Island. The approachable Rasperry Sour is fermented with their house mixed-culture of Lacto and Saac strains, then aged on delicious B.C. raspberries. Dessert in a glass.
Category 12 Juicy Data Hazy IPA, Saanichton
Category 12’s head brewer and founder, Michael Kuzyk, has a PhD in microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Victoria, so science definitely plays a role in their brews. Here they blend four fruity hop varieties to create a tasty, aromatic and fruity Hazy IPA.
Sea Cider Pippins Cider, Central Saanich
Pippins is a sharp style cider, thanks to the Yellow Newton Pippin apples used and cool fermentation from champagne yeast. It is strong and robust at 9.5 per cent ABV, with aromas and flavours of citrus, apple, pear, lemongrass and pineapple. A food-friendly cider.
Small Gods Rascal King Hazy IPA, Sidney
Named after the corrupt but beloved Boston politician, James Michael Curley, as depicted in Edwin O’Connor’s novel The Last Hurrah. Small Gods’ most popular beer, Rascal King, is a very hazy IPA with big tropical fruit flavour from copious amounts of Citra, Mosaic and Azacca hops.
Peter Bailey believes in the holy trinity of books, bikes and beer. Maybe bagels too. He is on Bluesky and Instagram as @Libarbarian.