Victoria, BC Canada – September 2000

practical-guide
Updated Mar 15, 2023

In Search of the Perfect Brew The Egyptians did it. The Danes did it. Even the British did it – and still are. Now, Victoria, that “little bit of Britain” in Canada, is doing it – brewing beer, that is. And they’re doing it right. Fresh beer, locally produced and made from the finest ingredients,

In Search of the Perfect Brew

The Egyptians did it. The Danes did it. Even the British did it – and still are. Now, Victoria, that “little bit of Britain” in Canada, is doing it – brewing beer, that is. And they’re doing it right. Fresh beer, locally produced and made from the finest ingredients, is on the rise.

In this very British city, that shouldn’t come as any surprise. After all, for centuries in Britain the monasteries were big beer producers – that is, until Henry VIII, eager for their riches, did away with them. But, not to worry – almost every household in Britain was into the “U-Brew” business. Beer flowed like water. Even Queen Elizabeth I drank a quart of the stuff for breakfast. Every village hosted its local pub, where not just fresh beer, but fresh gossip, was on the boil.

While Victoria’s brewpubs will probably never become the institution that the British pub is, they’ve certainly mastered Britain’s tradition of brewing fresh beer. And Victoria is fast developing its own beer culture as customers search out distinctive tastes and quality brews.

First Island Tours, Ltd. has just made the search easier by providing full day or overnight brew tours for beer lovers. Currently running monthly (but tours can be arranged for groups at other times), the guided tours include trips to two breweries, Lighthouse Brewing Co. and Vancouver Island Brewery, where visitors get a behind-the-scenes look at the brewer’s art. Then it’s on to the brew pubs themselves – Spinnakers Brewpub & Guesthouse, Hugo’s, Swans Suite Hotel and the Harbour Canoe Club – where tastings are offered up with a bit of food and great conversation.

Paul Hadfield


Of all the current brewers on the Victoria scene, Spinnaker’s Brewpub is the leading light in Victoria’s claim to beer fame. In 1982, a sampling of basement homebrews amongst a group of beer lovers provided the impetus. One of those enthusiasts, publican Paul Hadfield, took the bull – make that “brew” – by the horns and two years later Victoria’s real ale culture was born.

“The challenge”, recalls Hadfield, “was to provide quality and consistency of brew and bring the right styles to local consumers.” Today, Spinnaker’s leads the way in serving traditional ales and lagers along with outstanding pub food, and Hadfield is justifiably proud of the results. The brewpub and restaurant’s comfortable, cozy atmosphere is not one that traditional British pubbers would recognize – even though the bar’s porcelain and brass handles came straight from England – but it suits Victorians’ taste to a “T”.

Spinnaker’s current brewmaster, biochemist Matt Phillips, produces hand pumped traditional brews as well as colder brews. An E.S.B. (extra special bitter) to try is Mitchell’s, with its malty body and flowery hop aroma. It’s a favourite with regulars. Or there’s the Tsarist Imperial Stout, a strong, full-bodied beer that uses four different malts. Customers hail it as the best Stout they’ve ever tasted.

Swan’s brewpub bar


Down the road, Swan’s Brewpub is making a name for itself. What’s the best part of brewmaster Chris Johnson job? He grinned and said, “getting to name the beers”. He adds that he believes filtering takes the life and aroma out of beer, and pasteurization – necessary for long shelf life – gives the beer a cooked flavour. He said, “My ales are brewed without compromise in the true British tradition”, he states, “no sugar, no chemicals, additives or preservatives.”

Swan’s offers what it calls “taster nests” – 4 to 6 small samples of its beers. You can try, among others, Buckerfield Bitter – a coppery-coloured “best bitter” with a long hoppy finish. Or how about the Pandora Pale Ale, an aromatic beer with a fruity flavour? Johnson likes to experiment with different flavours. A case in point is cherry ale – the cherry juice is added during the fermentation process.

Gerry Hieter, brewmaster at Lighthouse Brewing Company, Victoria’s newest microbrewery, believes being a small brewery gives microbreweries an edge when it comes to quality. His ingredients include grain from Simpson’s, a small British company that still makes malt the old-fashioned way – on the floor. Another of his well-known secrets is the use of a popular British hops, East Kent Goldings, famous for its distinctive flavour and aroma. Lighthouse’s Race Rocks Ale, naturally carbonated and unfiltered, is malty enough to lure Scottish whiskey drinkers from their favorite tipple. You can find it at many of the local pubs.

The bottling room


Over at Vancouver Island Brewery, a craft brewery that also bottles their beers for local consumption, hospitality Manager Ken Wilmshurst quotes the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 as the company’s first rule of thumb: all ingredients must be 100% natural – no flavoring or spices are added. He shares samples of two ales that won silver medals in their categories in the World Beer Championships in Chicago: the Blonde Ale perfectly balances its malt flavour with the spicy aroma of imported hops; Hermann’s Dark Lager, a Bavarian Lager, has a richly roasted malt aroma and just a hint of smokiness. But it’s the seasonal beer, Hermannator Ice Bock, so called because it’s frozen for 45 days, that arouses the most interest among consumers. Its sweet taste is like drinking a plum-filled fruitcake. Definitely a taste that needs developing, but well worth the effort.

Two other venues – The Harbour Canoe Club and Hugo’s – are hard-edged, high-ceilinged, spacious, brick and wood brewpubs, a far cry from the British style pub. Still, if loud music and the new century style watering holes suit you, their beers are just as carefully brewed in the traditional style using the same high quality ingredients as the other microbreweries.

Benjamin Schottle


Hugo’s brewmaster, Benjamin Schottle, is typical of the new breed of brewers. Only 28, he’s using his university degree in biochemical engineering to create unique beers. What’s the difference between fresh beer and mass-produced bottled beer? He explained that fresh beer is like eating your veggies straight from the farm field as opposed to buying them canned in the grocery. One taste of his seasonal specialty, Super-G, a Ginseng Cream Ale with a smooth body and a satisfying gingery finish, will have you nodding in agreement.

Harbour Canoe Club’s brewmaster, Sean Hoyne, touts his newest brew, the Great Canadian Maple Wheat Beer, which uses Quebec’s organic maple syrup and Canadian wheat malt. Mildly hopped, it has a smooth velvety mouth feel. Hoyne, like Victoria’s other pub brewers, is willing to experiment with different tastes. But one thing is consistent – the brewers all are passionate about beer – fresh beer, brewed with only the finest natural ingredients. They all state that consistent quality, variety, and tradition are the keys to great beer.

Fresh beer can’t travel far or last long. So you’ll have to make it to Victoria to sample these tasty and varied brews. With more than 50 different ales and lagers to try, Victoria’s Brew Trail provides the perfect excuse for the beer aficionado to try them all.

Brewing Fresh Beer: How It’s Done

Over at Vancouver Island Brewery, hospitality manager Ken Wilmshurst explains:

  • Malt is cracked and then steeped in hot water, making a mash.
  • The water is drained off and the resulting liquid is called “sweet wort”.
  • Hops are added to the “wort”.
  • The wort is boiled in a brew kettle. Seasonings and flavours, if desired, are added at this point.
  • The hops are removed and the resulting mix is transferred to a fermentation tank.
  • Yeast is added and the fermentation process begins. Fermentation time varies but is usually from 3 to 7 days.
  • The yeast is pumped out of the tank.
  • The beer is aged, usually for two weeks to two months. The beer may be casked or pulled directly through hoses to a bar, or it may be bottled for local sale.Ingredients in Fresh Beer

    Water

    Soft water is best for 80% of fresh beers according to Victoria’s brewmasters.

    Malt

    Brewers buy it from malt producers. Malt is produced by sprouting grain, then drying or roasting it. Barley is the most commonly used grain but wheat may be used.

    Hops

    The cone of the hop plant, used to give beer its bitter flavour. English hops has long been a favourite, but hops also come from Washington State’s Yakima Valley, the Czech Republic and other sources.

    Yeast

    There are two types. One is for brewing lagers, the other for ales.
  • It’s the right mixture of these four ingredients at the right time in the right amount that creates the magic.
  • Essential Information

    To book a Brew Trail tour, contact First Island Destinations & Travel Ltd.

    Ph: 250-658-5367. Email: firstisland@islandnet.com

    Day tours: $109 per person (all prices in Canadian dollars)

    Overnight stays can be arranged at Swan’s Hotel or Spinnaker’s for $249 per person double occupancy, $339 single occupancy.
  • Spinnaker’s Brewpub and Guesthouse

    308 Catherine St.

    Toll free for reservations and general information: 1-877-838-2739

    Email: spinnakers@spinnakers.com

    Room rates vary depending on style of room and season.
  • Swan’s Suite Hotel and Brewpub

    506 Pandora Ave.

    Toll free for reservations and general information: 1-800-668-7926

    Email: swans@islandnet.com
  • Hugo’s Lounge

    625 Courtney St.

    Phone: 250-920-4844. Fax: 250-929-4842
  • Harbour Canoe Club

    450 Swift St.

    Phone 250-361-1940. Fax: 250-361-1950
  • Lighthouse Brewing

    Unit 2 – 836 Devonshire Rd.

    Phone 250-383-6500. Fax: 250-383-0005
  • Vancouver Island Brewery

    2330 Government St.

    Phone: 250-361-0007
  • Events

    Transport yourself back in time and attend an old-fashioned style country fair. The Saanich Fall Fair at the Saanich Fairground on Stelly’s X Road. (Car or city bus will get you there) is on September 2-4, from 9am. This agricultural fair presents animals, a midway, farm games, contests, food, displays of prize food and flowers – everything an old time fair would showcase.
  • Classic Boat Festival: at the Inner Harbour September 2-4. More than 100 boats, built before 1955 line the docks for a maritime open house. There’s a sailpast and a Sunday schooner race.
  • Victoria Art Gallery: from August 4 to November 26 will mount a special exhibition “Jade, the Ultimate Treasure of Ancient China“. This exhibition is comprised of 120 exquisite objects of jade from the People’s Republic of China. Most pieces are from archaeological digs and date from Neolithic times to the early 1900’s.
  • The exhibition is the finest jade collection to ever go on tour from China. One of the most interesting pieces is the 2nd century mortuary jade suit of Princess Dou Wan, which is composed of 2156 plates of jade sewn with 703 grams of gold thread, estimated to take more than ten years to complete.
  • Quirky Stuff

    Victoria has its own Loch Ness monster, called the Cadborosaurus Willsi, or Caddy, for short. It’s named after the area known as Cadboro Bay, where it was first “observed” in 1933. Over the years more than 200 other people have reported sightings of a serpent-like creature. So far it has remained, like the Loch Ness monster, elusive, to say the least.
  • ©2000 by Barbara Ballard. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from the author is prohibited.
  • Questions?

    If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.
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  • Location

    Victoria, a world renowned tourist destination and capital city of British Columbia, is nestled on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
  • It’s about as far west as you can get in Canada – just across the Strait of Georgia from the city of Vancouver on Canada’s mainland and 85 miles northwest across the Juan de Fuca Strait from Seattle.
  • The jagged coastline boasts stunning views, and the mild climate allows gardens to run rampant. It’s no wonder Travel and Leisure voted it one of the 10 best cities in the world to visit.
  • The downtown, embraced by the water and the bustling Inner Harbour , is busy and vibrant. Tourism is big business here, and it’s royally catered to.
  • Once a British colonial outpost, Greater Victoria (Victoria and its outlying areas) now sports a population of more than 300,000. Although it still retains remnants of its past in high teas, hanging baskets and shops filled with British goods, Victoria today is alive with sidewalk cafes, night life, cosmopolitan dining, superb shopping and cultural activities.
  • The Victoria Visitor’s Information Centre is located on the Inner Harbour. There are free maps and brochures on accommodations, attractions, restaurants, services, tours, cultural events, festivals and more. There is also a ticket outlet in the Centre.

    Call them at 1-800-663-3883 or

    (250) 953-2033

    Email info@tourismvictoria.com
  • Map link to Victoria
  • Seeing the City

    There are lots of ways to get around Greater Victoria. The least expensive are the public bus system (B.C. Transit, 250-385-2551, from $1.25) and bike and scooter rentals.
  • Being a tourist Mecca means several companies run scenic tours – there’s double-decker or horse-drawn carriages plying their wares, but they aren’t cheap. Tiny water tugs ply the Inner Harbour for great views of the shoreline.
  • There’s always car rentals (not really necessary here where everything is either accessible on foot or by bus). Taxis are available but costly. From the airport take the Airporter mini-bus, cheaper than a taxi, to downtown Victoria.
  • Money

    It should be noted that all prices in this guide are in Canadian dollars. For up to date currency rates, click here.
  • Weather

    Best site for weather and local forecasts.
  • Smoking

    Victoria is totally nonsmoking indoors. Restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, hotels, public transportation, office buildings, etc. etc. No one is allowed to smoke anywhere inside any building. Outdoors is okay.
  • The Author

    I grew up in Texas (friendly people), summered on the Gulf Coast and lived in several other states before moving to Canada. The Rockies and the Yukon were home for a while.
  • Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island is my permanent location, unless I win the lottery. Then I’ll be off to Britain, the land I love. My hobbies are history, historical architecture and reading.