WHISTLE BUOY BREWING COMPANY FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

FOUR YEARS YOUNG IN 2023, VICTORIA’S WHISTLE BUOY BREWING COMPANY CHAMPIONS TANKFRESH BEER, ENSURING CUSTOMERS CAN ENJOY THE BEST BEER POSSIBLE AT THEIR MARKET SQUARE TAPROOM. BUT FOR THE TEAM, THE BUSINESS IS ALSO MORE THAN JUST THE BEER. THE BREWERY OFFERS A SAFE, INCLUSIVE SPACE THAT IS ENJOYABLE FOR ALL, REGARDLESS OF IDENTITY.

OH AND THEY KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN, TOO.

Can we interest you in a beer?

You might fancy a Lager, a Stout, or maybe even a Strawberry and Banana Smoothie-style Sour. And if they aren’t of interest, then how about a Hazy Pale Ale produced to a recipe created by AI? Well at Whistle Buoy Brewing Company, you’ve come to the right place. That’s if it hadn’t swiftly sold out, of course.

Earlier this year, the brewery based out of Downtown Victoria BC, released Robo Beer - a Hazy Pale Ale generated by AI tool ChatGPT - to produce the beer recipe and description. Since its launch in November 2022, the team has been playing around with the AI chatbot to test its ability to write things such as product descriptions for their website, social media captions, or “dumb jokes” about beer.

“We decided to take it a step further and asked it to write us a beer recipe for a Hazy Pale Ale, and 10 seconds later, there it was, a full recipe that actually made sense. Minds blown, we decided to give the recipe a shot and the beer is tasting great!,” says Isaiah Archer, co-owner and marketing manager at Whistle Buoy.

Of course, AI can’t take all the credit though, as the team were required to collaborate with the powerful machines to steer the product in the right direction and because they still have useful things like hands, judgment, and empathy.

For Archer, the beer sums up a lot of what Whistle Buoy Brewing Company are about. Making favourful beers, expressions of creativity and having fun while doing it.

“Making beer is an expression of our own interests so it’s fun to be in that position. We’re very interested in new technology, and where things are going in that space. And having a brewery is a really great canvas for things like this. It’s something of a social commentary on culture and where things are at,” he explains.

“We’re not really trying to make a political statement about anything, more just a platform of things we fnd really interesting right now. As brewers, we always want to express ourselves and we’re not hurting anyone while we do it, either.”

Whistle Buoy Brewing Co is a locallyowned craft brewery and taproom based in the Historic Market Square, Victoria. Having opened its doors on June 26, 2019, it boasts a space designed by Studio Roslyn from Vancouver.

It’s the brainchild Isaiah Archer, Matt West-Patrick and Iwan Williams. A trio that were later joined by Nina Colovic and general manager Colin Curtis.

Archer and Wiliams, originally from Scotland, went to university together. While Williams has an economics background, Archer specialised in political science. “Which has nothing to do with what I do now,” he laughs.

Upon graduating, Archer would go on to work for Phillips Brewing where he “fell in love” with the community and culture the industry has to ofer. But before progressing in the world of beer, he moved to Sweden for further education - with a Master’s Degree in strategic sustainability - before returning to Canada.

In their spare time, Archer and Williams would play softball which is where they met Matt West-Patrick. West-Patrick is born and raised in Victoria. He had been studying and working in the brewing industry for several years, including a brewmaster’s certificate from the Siebel World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Munich as well as experience working at Spinnaker’s where he would spend much of his time on the barrel-aged program there.

Bonded by a love of softball and outdoor ventures such as fshing and diving, the trio would partake in trips together. Trips in and around 2018 where conversation would turn to where their mutual careers were heading and the idea of looking for something new.

“We all shared a passion for craft beer and we discussed how cool it would be for Victoria to have something like a tasting room, because there wasn’t anything like that,” recalls Archer. “We had seen some great breweries in Vancouver where the taproom was the focus and it just so happened that the City of Victoria was undergoing a by-law change that permitted beer, wine and spirits production in the downtown core.”

Those conversations on the water would soon turn to a liquid of a diferent kind. Talk of small-batch experimental beers in the downtown area, produced on a small-footprint and with a low impact had the trio enthused, as did the idea of being business owners rather than working for someone else.

“All of these things would soon collide and we found ourselves asking ‘so are we really going to do this?’”

And the answer, was yes.

Business plans were drawn up, funding secured and the team was joined by accountant Nina Colovic and general manager Colin Curtis, friends that were living in Ontario that has been looking for the opportunity to return to the West Coast. “Colin and Nina had skills that we definitely did not. These were shortcomings that they both expertly helped us negate with the experience they have,” he adds.

By December 2018, a location in the historic Market Square on Johnson St was fnalized and six months later - following countless hours “furiously working” they would open their doors in June 2019. Shortly before going head-on into a global pandemic.

“For a business based on the model of tankfresh beer consumed on site, not being able to welcome any visitors had us fearing the worst. But we had to do anything we could to get by,” says Archer.

This would involve hand-seaming cans and delivering beers via bike, car, van and even skateboard. “The Victoria community really came through for us,” he recalls. “People knew this was not the way we intended our beers to be enjoyed but they told us that if we continued to make the beer then they’d continue to buy it.

“For a business that planned to rely heavily on the tourist economy, it swiftly became evident that it was the local community that would sustain us, for which we are hugely grateful. So in that respect, the pandemic had some silver linings. It showed us how fantastic that community is, and also that our team is our most valuable asset. Nothing now feels like a threat when we have that amazing team behind us.”

As they approach their fourth anniversary, Whistle Buoy continues to brew a raft of innovative beers for everyone to enjoy. These are produced in 8HL batches, primarily consumed at its buoyant taproom. It is also here that they are proud to promote an inclusive culture of respect, acceptance, and fun. They are working to create a safer space, and like the beer an experience that is enjoyable for all, regardless of identity.

“When we started our business, we had a clear vision of what we stand for, what we believe in and our role as a business. From operating on a small footprint and using local ingredients to treating everyone in the correct way,” says Archer. “These things don’t just happen. You need to be pretty intentional about them, otherwise what’s the point.”

The brewery’s Code of Conduct was produced in conjunction with Good Night Out, a BC-based non proft society committed to building community capacity to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault in all sectors, with a focus on hospitality, music, arts and nightlife. We do this through education, outreach and advocacy.

“Too often, the craft beer industry has almost been forgiven because people view it as beer fans “only going out for a few pints” rather than potentially more dangerous environments such as a busy nightclub or something like that. But the last few years have shown that this behaviour does exist in the sector. You can’t just ignore it, you need to be proactive and do your part to protect everyone. We hope we are doing our part as part of a culture shift.”

Such a Code of Conduct is front-andcentre for Whistle Buoy. An inclusive ethos for a business that can well expect to be welcoming more-and-more visitors in 2023 and beyond. Nearly one million cruise ship customers will pass through Vancouver in the coming months. Many of which are certain to fnd their new favourite brewery.

“We want to ensure we are consistent. For our team and for everyone that comes into our space. We want everyone to have a great experience and to feel welcome. And we hope they do.”