Vancouver tap dance
The Australian, June 2009
It’s 1 p.m. on a cloud-free Saturday afternoon in lotus land Vancouver. But rather than soaking up the rays around Stanley Park or strolling the shops of Yaletown, I’m hunched over a jet-black glass of beer in the corner of a local bar. Of course this isn’t just any old beer.
British Columbia has undergone a microbrewery renaissance in recent years with dozens of eclectic craft beer makers popping up around the province. With an afternoon to spare, I’ve hit the city streets to find the region’s most exotic local tipples. First stop: the Alibi Room on the edge of Vancouver’s heritage Gastown district.
Sipping an organic Back Hand of God stout from Crannóg Ales, I’m surprised at how much lighter it is than Guinness, with a distinctive but not overpowering coffee-like finish. “It’s probably our most popular beer,” says Alibi co-owner and chief booze selector Nigel Springthorpe.
Among the 14 taps lining his bar – it’s Vancouver’s biggest B.C. beer selection – are lip-smacking concoctions from Chilliwack’s Old Yale Brewing, Squamish’s Howe Sound Brewing and Victoria’s Swan’s Brewery. For drinkers, it’s a chance to taste trip around B.C. without even leaving town – especially since the Alibi’s small tasting glasses are just CDN$3 each.
Tempted to spend the afternoon slowly sliding under the table, I knock-back a fruity Salt Spring Golden Ale then head back onto the sunny streets. Strolling along nearby Water Street, I soon reach the landmark Steamworks Brewing Company, one of the city’s leading brewpubs.
Half-filled with chatty locals, I snag a corner table and peruse the own-brewed beer selection. Mulling Oatmeal Stout and Empress India Pale Ale, I instead opt for a glass of Lions Gate Lager, a light brew that slides down easily. I also study the lunch menu: booze apparently doesn’t cover all the food groups, so Steamworks offers hearty fish and chips and thin-crust pizzas.
Weaving back outside after an hour or so, I climb uphill to the intersection of Dunsmuir and Seymour Streets in the heart of downtown. With a convenience store dominating the corner, it’s easy to miss the unassuming entrance to the upstairs Railway Club, Vancouver’s best old-school bar.
The grubby carpets and dinged wooden tables here recall traditional English pubs. But along with its diverse roster of nightly live music, there’s a connoisseur’s approach to B.C. beer, with taps from Central City Brewing, Tree Brewing and Phillips Brewing jostling for bar space. Almost empty on my visit, there’s a sleepy feel to the afternoon’s proceedings.
Accompanied by a creamy glass of Big Kettle, I ease into a window table and smugly watch the rest of the city bustling by below. Within a few minutes, I’ve moved on to a hoppy Red Truck Ale. Soon feeling slightly fuzzy-headed, I’m starting to wonder if I can keep up the pace – I convince myself this has nothing to do with being almost 40.
Reluctantly peeling away from my comfy nook, I sober-up with a stroll to nearby Howe Street, where a 10-minute bus ride takes me to tourist-friendly Granville Island. Eschewing the popular public market, I head straight for Granville Island Brewing, the beermeister that kick-started B.C.’s craft beer golden age.
Established in 1984, production has now mostly shifted to a larger, out-of-town facility. But the original brewhouse remains and is now home to small-batch beer making and a bar that showcases its brands. It’s also the site of the city’s only brewery tour.
Joining a small group of eager beer-lovers – including two visiting lads from Tasmania – an engaging guide leads us around the small brewing operation, complete with its stainless steel kegs and bottling machinery. Thirsts duly triggered, we’re soon back in the bar for some generous sampling.
The Robson Street Hefeweizen turns out to be frothy and fruity – an ideal summer quaff – while the lager-like English Bay Pale Ale is similarly light and smooth. Much more distinctive, the seasonal Killarney Irish Stout has an overpowering java-like aftertaste. My favourite is the rust-coloured Gastown Amber Ale, which is full-bodied and slightly bitter.
The chatty young Aussies are not sure which they prefer, so they pour another round from the pitchers left on the table just to make sure. In contrast, my groggy head feels like a bowling ball on a toothpick, so I decide to bring my B.C. beer crawl to an end. I guess that’s the difference between being nearly 40 and being nearly 25.
If you go:
• Railway Club (604-681-1625; www.therailwayclub.com) is at 579 Dunsmuir Street. Cover charge after 7 p.m.
• Granville Island Brewing (604-687-2739; www.gib.ca) is at 1441 Cartwright Street. Daily tours ($9.75) are at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.