Victoria BC Breweries and Brewpubs With Food

Victoria BC breweries are the reason the city has a place in Canadian beer history. Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, on the Inner Harbour's Songhees side, opened in the spring of 1984, shortly after brewpubs became legal in Canada. Today brewpubs and taprooms pair careful pub food with house beer, and a weekday visit is quieter.

Victoria's craft scene also loves pizza, and a number of taprooms have pizza ovens or pizza trucks. Most taprooms are smaller and more informal than the brewpubs, so they suit a short stop rather than a long meal.

A brewpub makes its beer on the premises and serves food prepared to go with it, which differs from a restaurant with taps. A brewery tour is not the same as a meal, so start with a meal before a flight.

Why do Victoria BC breweries matter?

Because the city is where the modern Canadian brewpub began. A brewpub makes beer on site and serves food to go with it, and Victoria's pioneers proved the model worked. The industry that followed turned the island into a craft beer region, with breweries in nearly every town. A visitor who tastes in Victoria is tasting the start of that story.

What are the Victoria brewpubs like?

Part restaurant, part brewery. The oldest sits on the harbour with a sizeable patio and a menu cooked with the house beer, and others across the city follow the same pattern with smaller rooms. A brewpub is a good place for a long lunch or a long dinner, since the kitchen is run with the brewer's care, and the brewer is often only a few steps away from your table. Check hours, since some close early on weekdays.

What is Victoria craft beer food?

Pub food made carefully. Expect fish and chips in beer batter, burgers on house buns, pies, mussels in a beer broth and dishes that borrow a malt or a hop. Chefs at the better places match plates to beers, and a server will often offer a pairing. Vegetarian choices usually include a bean burger and a grain bowl. Ask which beer was used in a sauce and why.

How do Victoria taprooms differ?

They are smaller and more informal. A taproom is a room built around the tanks, with a short menu, a few snacks or a food truck outside. Many welcome dogs and children at certain hours. Taprooms suit a short visit and a flight. Pair them with a meal elsewhere, and rate each stop separately.

What about Victoria beer and pizza?

The city's craft scene loves pizza, and a number of taprooms have pizza ovens or pizza trucks. A wood-fired pie and a crisp lager is a very good lunch. Ask about gluten-free bases and vegan toppings if you need them, and tell the kitchen about any allergy plainly. The fish and chips guide covers the other classic pairing.

How do you plan a tasting day?

Start with a meal. Walk or take transit between stops, and choose two or three places at most. Share a flight with a friend, drink water between pours and end with food. A taxi, a shuttle or a designated driver keeps the day safe. The harbour walk from Fisherman's Wharf to the Inner Harbour connects several stops on foot.

How should you rate a brewery meal?

Rate the food on its own terms, and mention the beer in your words. Say what you ate, how it arrived and what you drank. Tags such as Taproom or Brewpub, Dog-Friendly, Kid-Friendly and Outdoor seating help the next visitor. "The fish and chips and a pale ale, Saturday at two, crisp and hot" is a rating that works. Group tables can use Group Dining when it fits.

How can friends build a beer day with you?

Open the Mosey app, rate each stop and save it in a list called Victoria beer and food. Invite friends through a link so each can add a stop, and use "Who were you with?" to tag the people you follow, who can add their own rating of the same meal. On the map, Friends' picks shows places the people you follow rated or saved.

How does a brewpub differ from a restaurant with taps?

A brewpub makes its beer on the premises and serves food prepared to go with it, which means the brewer and the cook often talk to each other. A restaurant with taps buys beer from outside. The difference shows in seasonal pours, small batches and menus that mention the beer in a sauce or a batter. Ask your server which beer is brewed on site and which dish uses it. The answer tells you how serious the kitchen is.

Is a brewery tour the same as a meal? No. Tours are separate events, so check what each brewery offers.

Can you go on a weekday? Yes, and it is quieter. Check the hours first.

For other food in the city, read the Victoria food guide, and for the province start at the Food in British Columbia page. Other provinces are in the Canadian food guides.

After your next flight, get the Mosey app, rate the plate that went with it and share your beer list with the friend who always asks.