BC ALE TRAIL
BC ALE TRAIL / VANCOUVER ISLAND
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DISCOVER 2021
Gladstone Brewing in Courtenay; Land & Sea Brewing and New Tradition Brewing in Comox; and Cumberland Brewing in the town of the same name. A side trip out to the west coast of the Island on Highway 4 will definitely reward beer lovers. The mid-Island city of Port Alberni is home to three excellent breweries — Alberni Brewing, Dog Mountain Brewing and Twin City Brewing, each of which serves great food along with their brews. Continuing west will lead you to Ucluelet Brewing, which is based in a beautifully renovated church. You’ll have to decide for yourself which is better: the gorgeous tap room that shows off the “bones” of the building or the patio with its views of Ucluelet Harbour. While
you’re debating this, you can sample the beers and enjoy some snacks. And no visit to the west coast of the Island would be complete without a stop at Tofino Brewing. Back on the Island Highway, Qualicum Beach’s Love Shack Libations is a one-man operation with limited hours so definitely check ahead before visiting. Mount Arrowsmith Brewing in Parksville has a big tasting room and an excellent kitchen. (Another brewery called Fern + Cedar Brewing is in the works in Qualicum Beach so check and see if it is open at the time of your visit.) Nanaimo has several breweries to check out, including the Longwood Brewpub and the separate Longwood Brewery, Wolf Brewing, and two downtown breweries that are right beside each other: Cliffside Brewing and White Sails Brewing. BC ALE TRAIL
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hether you already love beer or if you are hoping to learn more about it, visiting a craft brewery and sampling a few different styles of beer is the perfect add-on activity following an outdoor activity like surfing, kayaking, hiking, or biking. Most breweries have tasting rooms where you can try a flight of three or four different beers served in small glasses or full pints of your favourites. Many fill growlers or offer off-sales of their beers packaged in cans or bottles to take away with you. You can also look for local beers at Cascadia Liquor Stores, which has locations in several communities up and down the Island. With more than 40 breweries to choose from on Vancouver Island, you can plan a multi-day excursion to visit an assortment of breweries while you explore, or you can just pick one area and visit all the local breweries over the course of a few days. Many of the Island’s breweries have their own kitchens serving top-notch food so you can turn your visit into a meal stop as well. Vancouver Island’s newest brewery is also its northernmost: Devil’s Bath Brewing, located in Port McNeill. The brewery’s name is an homage to a local geographical feature, the Devil’s Bath cenote, which you can also visit on a trip to the area. The brewery features a diverse line-up of beer along with delicious pizza and other food. Moving south down the Island, the next brewery to check out is Beach Fire Brewing in Campbell River, which also has an excellent restaurant. Nearby, the Comox Valley is home to several breweries, including Ace Brewing and
BC ALE TRAIL
There are so many wonderful places and experiences to enjoy on a visit to Vancouver Island — and top of the list is tasting beer at some of the Island’s many craft breweries – Joe Wiebe
