Plenty of sun, good friends, and a guided tour to four of North Vancouver’s craft breweries can only make for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Burnaby Tours and Charters, a new boutique tour company, is now offering brewery tours to suburban locales that don’t seem to receive the same attention as those within Vancouver. The other version of their tour visits four breweries spread throughout Port Moody, Burnaby, and New Westminster. And if by some chance you haven’t had enough beer by the end of the tour, there is also a chance to win a growler from one of the breweries.
Complete with pretzel necklaces, our tour began with a scenic drive from Burnaby over to Black Kettle Brewing. This brewery, nestled in a small industrial park, was opened by two friends in 2014; despite their tight quarters, they’ve managed to squeeze a small bar into their space. We started off with samples of their wheat ale and IPA, and were able to choose a pint of one of those. I’ve never been a fan of IPA, but I enjoyed a glass of the lighter ale.
Our next destination wasn’t far away at Lonsdale Quay. Green Leaf Brewing has been open since 2013, and they have a more polished storefront with long wooden tables and gleaming vats at the front of the shop. We were treated to a flight featuring four of their beers including their Pie Hole Pale Ale, a Bitter Leaf IPA, and the seasonal and aptly named, Les Saisonniers. With earthy décor and a view of the water, our stay at Green Leaf was topped off with a short stroll on the Quay.
Originally named after the Lions Gate, Bridge Brewing is now housed in a warehouse near the Ironworkers Memorial. At this stop we were able to go in the back and see where the magic happens. We sampled a few of their beers including the Hopilano IPA and All Out Stout, and one of the brewers explained how they turn hops, barley, and yeast into beer. There were different varieties of toasted barley to smell, and a glass of condensed hops that we were warned not to sample due to its intense bitterness.
Opened in 2012, Bridge Brewing has seen a lot of growth over the past year and has gone from a couple of employees and hand-bottling all their beer to a sophisticated operation with about 13 employees. Located in a rather industrial area, Bridge has done a nice job of creating an inviting bar space adjoining the brewery.
Our last stop was at Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers, which opened in 2013 (and is unfortunately not in Deep Cove). The bar area was larger and more spacious than our other stops, and I was pleased to see that they are very dog-friendly. If you lived in the area this would be a great destination for a dog walk where you could pause for a beer, and Fido could share a pepperoni stick.
By this point in the tour we were all quite relaxed, so I’m not sure if it was the beer talking or if the atmosphere at Deep Cove was simply calming. Nevertheless, the stacked barrels, wood accents, and gleaming golden vat on display along with the chrome tables gave the space a fresh, bright appearance. They also feature live music and special events on weekends. We sampled their very potent non-alcoholic ginger beer, smooth Trapper John’s Lager, fruity Sun Kissed Tea Saison, and a very delicious Rye IPA Grapefruit Radler.
With craft beer becoming a booming industry in BC, new breweries seem to be popping up all over, and North Vancouver has an impressive lineup of their own. So maybe it’s time to get in on the ground floor and take the Craft Beer and Brewing Essentials Certificate through continuing studies at SFU. Who knows? Maybe someday this tour will be visiting your own backyard brewery.
For more information, visit burnabytours.com.
