Located at the northeast tip of Granville Island, this brewpub is not the easiest to find without a bit of help. It’s located inside the Granville Island Hotel, right at the end of Johnston Street. Well, once you know that, it’s pretty easy to get to. All you have to do is follow Johnston Street, which begins in front of the Public Market, all the way to the end. View Google Map now.

Outside the Granville Island Hotel. Just walk straight in.

Another view from the front. It says Dockside Brewing Company.

There are two separate areas for eating and drinking. Right before you enter the restaurant area, you see some doors to the left that lead into the Dockside pub or lounge. That’s usually only open in the evening, and provides a smaller area with the occasional live entertainment to help the beer go down.

We kept walking right into the restaurant area, which is quite large, and were immediately greeted and seated by the hostess at a large table. We noticed the interior was really nice and clean looking with a large fireplace and a good view of False Creek and Downtown.

Spacious, clean interior. That is a fireplace on the right against the wall.

Can't complain about the view

I was able to check out all their beers listed on the back cover of the drink menu that the hostess had given to us before our server arrived. Each kind of beer had its own logo with a description underneath. The prices were:

  • $4.25 for a glass
  • $5.25 for a sleeve or pint
  • $14 for a pitcher
  • $14 for their taster set of beers, or the “Beer Flight” as they like to call it there.

When our server arrived and asked us for our drink order, of course, I ordered the “Beer Flight.

8 different kinds of beer. Too bad the Beer Flight only includes 6 of them. Click on image to open full size version in a popup.

Their beer flight includes the following beers:

  • Cartwright Pale Ale. A light coloured pale ale with a hint of aromatic cascade & Willamette hops.
  • Johnston Pilsner. Deep gold lager with a big malt/hop taste.
  • Old Bridge Dark Lager. Dark amber lager with mellow fruit flavours.
  • Haupenthal Hefeweizen. A classic Bavarian beer brewed with wheat.
  • Marina Light Lager. Golden in colour with balanced sweet malt flavour and dry finish.
  • Pelican Bay Brown. Deep amber ale chocolate malt & Willamette hops.

We tried to decide on our food order while we were waiting for our drinks. We immediately noticed that the prices were a bit  higher than average, but we could accept that since it was such a nice place with a better than average view. I just decided to order the clubhouse sandwich with salmon chowder, and my girlfriend ordered the Marguerita pizza.

The moment I was most looking forward to came soon: the arrival of the beer flight. Our server came carrying it in one of those wooden bottle trays with all 6 beer tasters inside, and set it down right in front of me. It was nice to see the name of the beer etched in front of each taster right on the tray.

Everytime I see this picture, my mouth waters.

The beers did not disappoint. Conspicuously absent from the set, though, were the IPA and stout, which are flavors you almost always get when you get beer tasters like these. If you don’t like those kinds of beers, this beer flight of lagers and ales might be perfect for you.

Not too long after that, our food arrived. The presentation and taste were as good as could be expected for a place like this.

My clubhouse sandwich and salmon chowder

My girlfriend's Marguerita pizza with tomato, basil, and mozzarella

It didn’t take me too long to finish off my beers and lunch, but by the time I was finished, I was a bit too full to order the other two tasters (you can order those separately if you want). I really wanted to try every beer that they make in there to compare them all.

The beers I didn’t get to try because they weren’t in the flight were:

  • Jamaican Lager. A light fruit beer blended with Hibiscus.
  • Winter Bock. Nugget hop and crystal malt.

Actually, I don’t remember if I’ve ever tried the Winter Bock before, but I am familiar with the Jamaican Lager and I would like to make special mention of it. I remember going to this restaurant a couple of years ago and ordering a full pint of their Jamaican Lager, and I really thought it was one of the best beers I had ever tasted. It’s a bit light tasting with some fruity flavour mixed in, and different than any other beer I’ve tried. If you’re at Granville Island, I recommend going out of our way a bit just to stop by at the Dockside restaurant to order a point of this.

Well, that about sums up my Dockside Brewing Company experience. I had a great time there, and it was nice and sunny that day, making the experience even better. I’ll definitely be going back sometime this year, and I recommend you try it out to. Cheers!

For more information about the Dockside Brewing Company, the Dockside Restaurant, and the Granville Island Hotel, I suggest the following links:

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