Throughout the year, Granville Island Brewing releases a variety of seasonal brews for beer fans to enjoy, such as the Rogers Chocolate Stout, the Raspberry Wheat, and the Ginger Beer. Yesterday, they had a party to celebrate the release of this year’s Ginger Beer, and I was invited to attend.

Photo by Yang Ji Hye

I found out about this party through a website called Meetup.com. If you’re not familiar with Meetup.com, it’s a site where you can find a group for just about any interest or topic imaginable. You can choose to join some groups that interest you, and then the fun starts. At least once a month, almost every group will have what is called a meetup where you have a chance to meet new people with similar interests in different locations. Yesterday, it was time for The Vancouver Beer Meetup Group‘s meetup, and the event was the Ginger Beer party held at Granville Island Brewing on Granville Island.

There were more people there than expected. The meetup said it had space for just 25 people, but there must have been at least 50 people there. There were times when it was difficult to get to the bar to order another beer. That wasn’t so bad, though, because the people there were really easy to talk to, and I found myself getting into multiple conversations on my way to get my next beer.

Our group took over most of the space

The Ginger Beer did not disappoint. It wasn’t my favorite beer of all time, that’s for certain, but I still enjoyed it. It had a nice crisp taste, and was so light. I joked with some people saying that it tasted as though someone had mixed a can of gingerale with a lager. It actually did taste a bit like that, but better, of course.

Anyway, it was a really good party, and I was able to meet several new people. I even went out with a small group from the party to Dockside Pub after that so we could enjoy even more craft beer. I guess I drank a bit too much there, though, because I don’t remember going home.

Located on the western edge of Gastown near Waterfront Station, Steamworks Brewing Company is one of the most popular restaurants in the Vancouver area, and one of my favorite places to hang out and enjoy craft beer with my friends.

The Steamworks building towers above Cordova Street near Richards

Steamworks Brewing Company first opened in 1995, and it gets its name from the famous Gastown steam line that runs through the premises. Steam is use to fire the kettles that brew the beer, and according to the Steamworks website, “the instant heat of steam allows for greater brewing finesse, and most importantly great tasting beer.”

The brewing area can be seen across from the kitchen, and on your way to the washrooms, downstairs in the pub section

As I often do when I go to a brewpub, when I was there last week, I ordered the tasters. I was lucky that they had 8 different beers available at the time, so I was able to get 8 taster glasses (sometimes they only have as few as 6, but I would say the average is around 7).

Their usual assortment of delicious beers. The dark and light ones stuck together near the menu are German beers left over from the 2010 Olympics

Here is what I got to taste during my last visit. All text in brown is part of the beer’s description taken from the Steamworks menu:

Steamworks also brews a selection of seasonal beers throughout the year. The ones I’ve tried so far are:

• Skinny Tire Hefeweizen
• Raspberry Frambozen® (my favourite)
• Sour Cherry Ale
• Great Pumpkin® Ale
• Blitzen® Christmas Ale
• Ginger beer

Since I moved to Vancouver in 2003, I’m sure I have been to Steamworks more than 100 times, and I still like to stop by for some of their delicious beer at least once every month. It’s not just the beer that is good, though; a lot of their food is also really good, and they have quite a large number of menu items to choose from. A few of my favourite menu items include the Beer Battered Halibut & Chips, the Baked Spinach & Crab Dip, the Chorizo & Chicken Quesadilla, and their awesome yam fries with balsamic glaze and pesto mayo. There is definitely something for everyone there.

One of the things that I find really cool about Steamworks is actually how huge it seems to be inside. There are so many different sections, including the Uber Lounge, the Wine Room, and the Harbour View room. I get the feeling that I can enjoy some slightly different atmospheres all in the same building. My favourite places for gathering with friends in there are the Harbour View room (great place for dinner parties) and the pub section, which are both located downstairs. Down the spiral stairs, you’ll also find a small waiting lounge, a pool table, the Wine Room, kitchen, washrooms, and the brewery itself.

Steamworks has a sister restaurant right next to it called the Transcontinental. It’s located right inside Waterfront Station, and it has a much quieter and more elegant atmosphere than Steamworks. I personally prefer Steamworks, but I have been with people who thought Transcontinental was better. One good thing about it, though, is that if you have a group that is pretty big–let’s say 6 or more–and Steamworks is full, you can usually go to Transcontinental and get right in there.

You can see the Transcontinental banners on Waterfront Station. The Steamworks building is to the right.

Transcontinental has almost all the same beers as Steamworks, and also a few others that weren’t brewed in the brewpub, but you can’t get tasters there (yet). Also, it seems that the menu items at Transcontinental are a bit more expensive. For example, Fish & Chips at Steamworks is $16.99; whereas, at Transcontinental, it’s $18.

Though the service is usually quite good, which is quite a feat considering how busy it is, Steamworks is not without its faults. One thing that really stands out for me is the time I organized a party for some of my friends to try out the new pumpkin beer they had just begun serving there. Despite the fact that I called ahead to make sure it was there, when we all got there the next day, we were told by our server that they had just run out of the pumpkin beer, and wouldn’t have any more until the next week. What made that extra bad for me, though, was that the exact same thing happened to me the year before.

Anyway, even after 7 years, Steamworks still remains one of my favourite restaurants in the Vancouver area for gathering with friends, and enjoying fine beer, good food, and a pleasant atmosphere. If I ever have friends visiting me here from other countries, Steamworks is usually one of the places I will bring them for a good dining experience in Vancouver. I’m not sure if it’s because I want to give them a good experience, or if I’m just using it as an excuse to go and try out their beer again.

Sorry, Dix is now closed permanently.

On January 29, I published an article about brewpubs in Vancouver, and said that I would try to visit all the ones on my list within the next 2 weeks. Well, I’m making pretty good progress so far, having already visited Dockside Restaurant, Granville Island Brewing, and Yaletown Brewing Company.

Today, a friend and I walked all the way down to Beatty Street, almost as far as BC Place, to go to DIX BBQ & Brewery, which is located on Beatty between Smithe and Robson (but closer to Smithe).

Since I work at home and can usually go out whenever I want, I am usually able to relax in an uncrowded atmosphere wherever I go. Today, however, there was a rehearsal going on for the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and there were people all over the place. There was quite a crowd in the restaurant, too. Luckily, we were still able to get a seat.

DIX BBQ & Brewery - 871 Beatty Street

I’ve been here many times before, and their food menu is quite good with bigger than average portions. They specialize in BBQ and smoked items. Everything I’ve ever had was pretty good, especially the Smoke Stack Club which is huge and loaded with smoked chicken, beef, and bacon. I recommend opting for the fries with any plate that you decide to order because I think their fries are much better than average, with a light crispy texture on the outside and soft in the middle.

So, I did what I usually do when I go to a brewpub, and I ordered the tasters.

The DIX tasters

Dix has 6 beers available for tasting, usually, but today I was told that they didn’t have any of their Game Day Pilsner available. They said it was because they wanted to brew some extra lager for the Olympics, since that is their biggest seller and they didn’t want to run out of it. So I got an extra lager in place of the pilsner.

The DIX beer menu

The beers they usually have available, according to the menu I saw today, are as follows:

The beer was quite good, as usual, but I would have liked this taster set more if all their beers had been available. Also, I wasn’t too crazy about the “barley wine” seasonal beer. My favorite two this time were the Crosstown Lager and Red Truck Ale.

I should mention that they also have a cask night on Thursday nights beginning at 5:00 pm. That is when they tap a cask of beer and keep serving it until it’s empty. Supposedly, they have a different kind of beer every week.

There are two different seating areas in this restaurant. There is the restaurant section where I was sitting today, and where you can see the brewery, and the pub section all the way across on the other side past the bar. In the pub section, you will see something that is quite rare in the Vancouver area: they have an unlimited supply of free peanuts in the shell that you can eat, and they don’t mind if you throw your shells on the floor.

Where they make their beer, right next to the restaurant section

Well, that was it for my visit to DIX BBQ & Brewery. I’ll be sure to go again within the next month or two, and next time, I’ll probably make it a Thursday so I can try out the cask. I’ll be heading out to visit another brewpub within the next few days, so stay tuned for my next article about brewpubs in Vancouver.

Located at the corner of Mainland and Helmcken, Yaletown Brewing Company has been in business since 1994, and it’s one of my favorite brewpubs. Their website claims that it’s “Vancouver’s original and best Brewpub.” I can’t say that claim is true, since there are so many good brewpubs around here, but I’ve been going to Yaletown Brewing Company regularly since Spring of 2003, and I still have a long way to go before I start getting tired of it.

It’s good to go there almost anytime, except for late Friday and Saturday nights when it’s standing room only (unless you like that kind of thing), but I really recommend stopping by on Sunday. Sunday is the day when they have cheap pints of beer and cheap pizza.

Outside Yaletown Brewing Company

Special prices for beer and pizza on Sundays

Normally, their pizzas can range in price from $12.99 – $14.99, but on Sundays, you pay just $8 per pizza, and pints are just $4.50 each (tax included).

The most important thing to me, though, is the beer, and YBC has lots of good stuff. As I usually do when I go to a brewpub, I ordered a sampler of all their different beers. At YBC, it’s called “The Flight.”

The 7 beers of "The Flight"

As usual, when you get a taster round of beers at a brewpub, they give you a placemat, or in this case a reference card, so you can keep track of what you’re drinking. I ordered mine a few minutes after arriving, and it wasn’t long before I had my 7 6-ounce glasses set up in front of me.

The beer menu

Copied directly from their menu, here is a list of all the beers available at Yaletown Brewing Company:

One of the things that really struck me about these beers was the really hoppy character of a couple of them. Normally, you will get one in the set that is pretty bitter, and you know that’s the IPA. In this case, there is an IPA that I thought tasted even more bitter than your average one, and they also have an ale, called the Nagila Pale Ale, that I almost mistook for the IPA a couple of times because of its betterness.

Sometimes, you might get 8 glasses instead of 7, depending on how many beers they have available at the time. During the year, they brew a variety of special seasonal beers, as well, including one of my all-time favourites: the Raspberry Wheat.

Oh yeah, they also have what is called Cask Night, which takes place every Thursday beginning at 4:00 pm. That is when they open a special cask of beer that has been brewed in a small batch, and it changes every week.

The food

Their food menu is also pretty good, offering a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, pastas, and pizzas. When we go on Sundays, though, we always just stick to the pizzas because they are so tasty and cheap. They have 10 kinds of pizzas to choose from, my favorites being the BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef, and The Johnny Mac.

You can get these for just $8 each on Sunday

I was there with a group of 10, so we ordered one of every kind, and they all arrived within a few minutes of each other. Everything was really good. The only problem was with the way some of the pizzas were cut, but it worked in my favor when I grabbed a piece of the BBQ Beef pizza, and it was the size of 1/3 of the pizza.

We tried every kind of pizza.

One more thing  I should mention about Yaletown Brewing Company is that it is divided into 2 sections: on the left side is the pub section, and on the right side is the restaurant section. The difference in atmosphere between the 2 sections is quite big. The pub section looks like your typical pub with a pool table, couches, lots of televisions, tables and chairs scattered around, and dark lighting. You also have to find your own place to sit, which could be difficult during busy times and if you have a group of people with you. The restaurant section, on the other hand, is quite a bit brighter and nicer looking, and you are able to make a reservation. If you’re going there to mainly eat, and you want to be more comfortable, I recommend the restaurant section hands down. The service is also better on that side. Oh, but if you want to see the brewery and the nice real wood-burning fireplace they have there, you will have to stop by the pub section.

Last week, I posted an article detailing my trip to the Dockside Restaurant, mainly to try the beer there that is made at their in-house brewery. I had mentioned that  I was a bit too full at that time to try what is probably their best beer there: the Jamaican Lager. Well, I decided to head back over there again recently just to enjoy a pint of this beer.

I met a friend of mine there, and we were lucky to get a seat right by the window. It was my friend’s first time there, and he was really impressed with the view of False Creek, the boats, and the always beautiful condo buildings of Downtown Vancouver.

No zoom required. This is the exact view from where I was sitting.

We both just ordered the Jamaican Lager, and when they arrived, they looked so good: ice cold glasses, thick froth on top, and a reddish color. I almost wasn’t able to take a picture of them because they looked so good and we wanted to drink them immediately.

The Jamaican Lager x 2. Now those are some nice looking pints of beer.

You can really see the red tint from this angle.

We really enjoyed the taste of this beer. It was so light and fruity tasting, yet the fruitiness wasn’t overwhelming. I think it tastes a little bit like a Red Stripe Jamaican beer, but I found this beer was better than that. Out of all the beer that I tried at this brewpub, this one takes first prize for being the most delicious, and it’s actually one of the best beers I’ve ever had anywhere.

While there, I also got some news about the restaurant and pub availability during the Olympics. Unfortunately, the whole building will be closed to the public during the Olympics because Coca Cola will be taking it over. So if you want to try out this special beer, you better head over now or else wait until after the Olympics.

Special note: I can no longer recommend Granville Island Brewing taproom as a place to drink beer. Not that long ago, I went there to try the raspberry wheat beer, and it was great, but when I asked the bartender for another beer, he told me that he wasn’t allowed (by law) to serve me more than one 12 oz. glass of beer. Even though I had been there more than 50 times and had as much beer as I wanted, on this day, I was denied even a second glass. So if you would like to try all their beers in taster glasses like I have shown below, you’d have to go 2 days in a row in order to try them all! Or maybe you’ll get lucky and they will feel like breaking the rules that day. Very pathetic indeed! I’m ashamed to bring anyone there now, and regret the work I put into putting this blog article together.

If you’ve been going out to pubs and restaurants in the Vancouver area for any amount of time, you almost definitely have seen at least one kind of Granville Island beer on the menu. It is probably the most popular beer brand in Vancouver, with many different flavours to suit the taste buds of almost any beer drinker.

Well, today, even though it was cloudy and on the verge of raining at any moment, I decided to head over to Granville Island to try out all the Granville Island beers at the place where it all started — at Granville Island Brewing.

It’s very easy to get to if you go there by ferry. You can also drive in if you have a car and don’t mind paying for parking, or you can take the bus and then take the short walk under the bridge to the shops of Granville Island.

On my way to Granville Island on a Falsecreek Ferry

Once you’re at Granville Island, you can find Granville Island Brewing around 2 blocks south of the ferry dock and Public Market. You just have to walk down the street for around 5 minutes toward the large yellow and brown buildings. The yellow building is the Kid’s Market, and right across from it in the brown building is Granville Island Brewing.

There it is up ahead

Almost there. It's right under the bridge.

The main entrance, taken on a much sunnier day last week.

Granville Island Brewing is made up of 3 main sections:

• The brewery where GIB Limited Release beer is made
• The taproom where you can taste all their current selections of beer
• The store where you can buy GIB beer and merchandise, and other things as well.

My main interest for the day was just trying out the beer. I thought about trying out the tour of the brewery, as well, but they were booked up during the time I was there. I am planning on going back another day to try it out, though, possibly with a few friends, and I got the following information:

• Tours begin every day at 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm
• It costs $9.75 / person, but includes 4 tasters (a $7.97 value)
• Tours usually last around 45 minutes
• Following the tour, there is a special table for the tour group where they can enjoy their beer tasters. I saw a group sitting there while I was there, and it looks like the table can hold around 10 to 15 people.

Well, I didn’t have to sign up for a tour to order beer. All I had to do was take a seat in the taproom and order some. Unfortunately, I had to wait around for around 10 minutes because the taproom only opens at noon, but I finally got in and took a seat at a table right next to the brewing room.

Inside the taproom

The bar. They usually have around 8 beers on tap.

The table where I sat, right next to the brewing room.

On each table was a small menu set in a wooden frame, and a pad with sheets for ordering tasters. I didn’t use the taster pad for ordering, possibly because there was almost nobody there at the time. On one side of the menu were the beer prices:

Of course, I had to order every beer they had at the same time so I could sample all the beer at once, so I placed an order for 2 taster rounds for a total of 8 tasters. Unfortunately, they were out of the Maple Cream Ale, but they had 2 special ones available: the Rogers Chocolate stout, and the London Pride ale.

The server brought over a laminated placemat with the names and descriptions of all the beers, as well as 8 special round logo spots for placing the tasters so you can keep track of what’s what. She then brought over the beer and said the name of each one as she placed it down. Now the fun was about to begin.

The menu and taster order form

The placemat to help you keep track of what you're drinking.

Am I in heaven? The one in the back is the London Pride.

I noticed they didn’t have a big selection of food items, and when I asked why, the server said it was because they didn’t want to compete with the other restaurants in the area — restaurants that buy and sell GIB beer. Well, their menu was as limited as it could possibly be, and the only thing that really caught my eye was the Chicken Fingers, so I ordered that. Better not to drink so much beer on an empty stomach.

Here are the names of all the beers I tasted here, and my impressions:

Well, that’s about it for this brewpub experience. A lot of people would say that this is not a brewpub at all, since they don’t even really have food there, but it’s close enough for me. The main thing is that the beer you drink there is also made there.

For more information about anything related to Granville Island Brewing, please check out the following links:

• Granville Island Brewing (the official site)
• Wikipedia article about GIB

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:

• The Dockside Restaurant website
• The Granville Island Hotel

One of the things I really enjoy about living in Vancouver is the superb selection of beers that I can get in almost every direction. I have many favorite beer drinking places — some of which I will mention in future articles — but I have to say that my all-time favorite place to go for enjoying all kinds of different tasting beers is to the brewpubs. 

Now, a brewpub is any pub or restaurant that features beer that is brewed right there on the premises. One of the things that is neat about them is that you can usually see tanks, fermenters, and some of the other equipment used in producing the craft beers, and you know that the beer you’re drinking was made using it not that long ago. 

Perhaps the best thing of all about going to a brewpub, though (at least to me), is the ability to try tasters of all the beer that is available. These usually come in smaller 4 to 6 ounce glasses, and you can get anywhere between 4 and 8 at the same time, depending on the place you go to and what is available at the time. 

Your typical taster glasses

Over the next little while, I’m planning on visiting a number of brewpubs in the Metro Vancouver area to try out some of the best craft beers that a mouth can taste, and also so I can share the experiences on this blog. I’m going to try to visit these brewpubs, not necessarily in this: 

• Dockside restaurant/pub on Granville Island, located at the Granville Island Hotel.
• Granville Island Brewing taproom.
• Yaletown Brewing Company in Yaletown
• DIX, on Beatty Street near BC place. (Sorry, DIX is now closed permanently. RIP.)
• Steamworks, next to the Waterfront Station
• Taylor’s Crossing in North Vancouver
• Central City Brewing Company in Surrey
• The Big Ridge Brewing Company in Surrey

Recently, I discovered that there are also a few perhaps less known brewpubs (and places that used to be brewpubs) in the area, and I’ll definitely be stopping in to try out their beer, too. The ones I found out about so far are: 

• Pat’s Pub. They brew their own Pat’s Classic Lager on the premises. Check out their website.
• Sailor Hagar’s Brew Pub. I don’t know how I missed this one all these years. They have 6 hand-crafted recipes for you to try out. However, it’s not really a brewpub anymore, since the beer is now brewed off-site. Check out their website.

Stay tuned for my upcoming posts about these brewpubs, and others I happen to find out about in my travels.