Your Guide To Craft Beer On Vancouver Island

Based in a converted barn at the base of Mount Bruce, this brewery uses water from a spring on the mountainside above and harvests hops and other ingredients grown on the island.

Weekends spent home brewing and dreaming of more finally resulted in this small-scale brewery that opened in 2016. Visitors should plan ahead since this brewery is only open Thursday to Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Small Gods embraces this booklover’s town with its literary theme. All of the top-notch beers brewed here feature names that connect with books — and they are also well-paired with the delicious food on offer, including house-made deli sandwiches and other delicious bites.

Sidney’s first brewery introduced this seaside community to craft beer when it opened in 2021. Beacon is a family-run operation that is committed to supporting the community they live in and call home by using local ingredients and supporting local companies as much as possible. The tasting room offers pints and flights of fresh beer made on-site, as well as local cider, wine and sodas, plus slices from Mariner’s Pizza and other local snack options.

Located on the Saanich Peninsula just off the highway on the way to the ferry and the airport, Category 12 Brewing offers a tasting room with an on-site kitchen that makes fantastic food. Its beers run the spectrum from standards to barrel-aged specialties—all excellent.

You’ll feel like you’re visiting Scotland when you stop by the welcoming tasting room at this single malt whiskey distillery and brewery. Be sure to take the entertaining and educational tour.

Named Rookie Brewery of the Year at the 2019 BC Beer Awards, Île Sauvage gets a lot of attention for its impressive beer list. Stop by the beautiful tasting room to sample from a beer list focused on sour beers, hazy IPAs and barrel-aged saisons.

Sean Hoyne started brewing beer professionally in 1989, first at Swans and then at the Canoe Brewpub. He finally opened his own brewery in 2011 and has only reinforced his legacy as one of Victoria’s top brewers.

This popular local brewpub has a solid beer list and a great food menu with many events such as music bingo that keep the pub packed. It recently added a distillery tasting room next door.

Dating back to 1984, VIB has been a strong presence in Victoria’s beer scene ever since. Its brewery has a recently renovated tasting room featuring local artwork and tasty beers that embrace the adventurous Vancouver Island lifestyle.

One of Canada’s most successful craft breweries, Phillips began as a one-man operation two decades ago. Its tasting room is a great place to sample its beers, gins and whiskies, along with non-alcoholic beer and craft sodas. Phillips’ Beer Shop features a growler bar, beer to go, and a great selection of merch.

Located on the north edge of Old Town near historic Chinatown, this brewery has a two-level tasting room with the brewing equipment as the central focus along with two patio spaces. All the beer is poured directly from the brite tanks, ensuring tank-fresh beer in every glass.

Recently updated, this is the first and only CRAFT Beer Market location with an on-site brewery. Based in a gorgeous heritage building dating back to 1894, its beautiful interior, excellent kitchen and sun-drenched, waterfront patio are all great reasons to visit, and the beer will keep you coming back.

Located at 450 Swift Street, our brewery is a place for you to enjoy a super comfy setting, combining the best of the old with the convenience and comfort of the new. Picture the delicious flavors and cozy feeling from your wild Aunt Linda’s kitchen and the retro nostalgia from your cousin Geo’s cigar room. It’s the right blend of old-school charm and modern-day comfort.

Once an “ugly duckling” of a building that was renovated into a gorgeous swan, this brewpub dating back to 1989 has a great pub with 48 beers on tap, 20 of which are brewed on-site. The hotel upstairs is a great option for staying right downtown.

Victoria’s downtown brewery based in historic Market Square, Whistle Buoy makes a rotating list of small-batch experimental beers using high-quality local ingredients. It has a cozy tasting room inside and a dog-friendly patio that’s sun-drenched in summer and covered with heaters in winter. Open every day.

Canada’s original brewpub dating back to 1984, Spinnakers’ location on the Inner Harbour offers gorgeous views to go along with delicious beers and an excellent kitchen that works closely with local farms and food providers. It even has guesthouses, making it the perfect home base for exploring Victoria’s beer scene.

Brewing the beer they love to make, Driftwood is best known for making bold west coast beers while aspiring to make the best beer they can. You can visit Driftwood’s Bar & Patio in the heart of Esquimalt and indulge in a myriad of fresh beers on tap, Driftwood Spirits cocktails, locally produced wine and cider, and an Asian-fusion menu from local legends, Dumpling Drop.

Lighthouse’s beers and marketing have always reflected a nautical theme inspired by its location in Esquimalt, home to Canada’s Pacific Coast naval base. Its tasting room and outdoor picnic area make it an attractive destination.

Built in 1858, the Four Mile was a roadhouse for stagecoaches and later automobiles, then a cabaret with a notorious brothel upstairs. Renovated and reopened with gorgeous decor in 1979, the brewery was added in 2014.

This small brewery started by three friends is located in what was once Metchosin’s schoolhouse, which more recently was converted into a community centre with space leased for local businesses like this. And you can’t get any more local — the beer is available only in the taproom to enjoy by the glass or takeaway in a growler.

SOB’s gorgeous new tasting room overlooking the Sooke Harbour is a great spot to meet locals and taste delicious beers with names inspired by local maritime history and the forestry industry.

Sooke’s “downtown” brewery is in a purpose-built building that has a big tasting room and patio. Enjoy a range of delicious beers along with a plate of charcuterie from the butcher next door or a meal from the on-site food truck.

Bad Dog Brewing is a charming brewery located in a rural setting with a tasting room, food truck, and a picnic area outside. Cyclists note that it is at the top of a long climb from central Sooke, but then again, that means you get to enjoy a long glide back down afterwards!

Make a pit stop at this Duncan brewery located in a converted custom motorcycle shop, a beautiful brick-and-ivy-clad building within sight of the highway. It has an attractive and welcoming tasting room and a licenced self-serve picnic area outside with a tall totem pole and a gargoyle named Christopher watching from his perch on the edge of the roof.

Check out Duncan’s cozy and quaint downtown for some shopping or sightseeing, and then pop into the Craig Street Brewpub for a meal and a beer. This attractive, multi-level building dating back to the 1940s has lots of different options for dining, whether it’s the downstairs pub with its beautiful, antique bar, the streetside patio, or the rooftop deck upstairs.

Ladysmith has long been well known for its picture-perfect main street and famous cinnamon buns, but Bayview Brewing provides another great reason to detour off the Island Highway: delicious beer and a top-notch food menu in a comfortable, family-friendly tasting environment.

Originally founded as Fat Cat Brewing in 2000, this brewery located on the south side of Nanaimo changed its name to Wolf in 2010. The new owners also expanded and revitalized the brewery with a snazzy new on-site tasting room.

Named for the sailboats that dot Nanaimo’s harbour, White Sails has a big, welcoming tasting room reminiscent of a German beer hall, with a warm, glass-enclosed gas fireplace at its heart.

Longwood Brewery partners with many small farmers for a wide range of ingredients, resulting in an obsessively local product that reflects the true terroir of Vancouver Island. In fact, the majority of all the barley and hops Longwood Brewery uses is sourced within BC.

The Longwood Brewpub has anchored the Longwood Station plaza in the north end of Nanaimo since 1999. It has a family-friendly restaurant upstairs and a pub downstairs, with a big fieldstone fireplace to warm a body up on a cold, wet Vancouver Island winter day.

Rusted Rake is a farm-based brewery and gourmet eatery. A family-owned-and-operated business, the Rake has a superb kitchen that serves a wide range of dishes using locally sourced ingredients first and foremost. Brewing the beer here is industry veteran Dave Woodward who has established a reputation for excellent, award-winning beers at several other BC breweries over the past 20 years.

Named Brewery of the Year at the 2017 BC Beer Awards, this stylish spot is the perfect accompaniment to Parksville’s beaches and resorts. Its tasting room kitchen makes it a great stop for lunch or dinner as well.

Located in a gorgeous purpose-built building with a distillery next door, this brewery offers a bold and tasty experience in the heart of Qualicum Beach, featuring small-batch beer in a fresh, live, green filled space. It is a haven for foodies and beer enthusiasts alike to come together in great discussions over local food and beer.

This small Qualicum Beach brewery is a labour of love for its charismatic founder who brews part-time and serves samples at the brewery two days a week. Be prepared to be entertained when you pop in for a sample flight.

Founded by an award-winning brewer and her husband who moved here from Alberta to open the brewery, Dog Mountain Brewing is a hidden gem that has a dog-friendly rooftop patio with a gorgeous view of the Alberni Inlet and Beaufort Mountain Range.

Alberni Brewing Company offers a selection of craft beers, weekly specials, and a menu in a cozy setting. Visit for a unique craft beer experience.

Since opening in 2017, Twin City has earned a great reputation for its creative beer line-up and fantastic food, including pizzas made to order and a tasty selection of smoked meat sandwiches (yes, the meats are smoked on site).

No visit to Vancouver Island is truly complete without a visit to Tofino: the beaches, the surfing, the spectacular landscapes, and don’t forget the beer! Tofino Brewing has been brewing locally for nearly 10 years.

This brewery was anticipated with great excitement for a couple of years before it finally opened early in 2020. Based in an old church, it is quickly making a name for itself as a great spot to visit.

It takes two ferries to get here from Vancouver Island, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Hornby Island is a relaxed, welcoming place with warm-water beaches and this small-footprint nanobrewery that is focused on producing artisan beers. Open weekends from 1-5 pm.

The small town of Cumberland is known for its coal mining history and its present-day status as a mecca for mountain bikers. Cumberland Brewing is an ultra-local spot that only sells its beer on-site. Have a seat on the covered patio for great food and beer, or enjoy the sister establishment across the street: Rider’s Pizza, which has some of BC’s finest craft beer on tap and in cans — and fantastic pizza, of course.

This Courtenay microbrewery celebrates the history of the Canadian Air Force in the Comox Valley through a vintage aviation theme reflected in the tasting room decor. There is a lot of space to socialize and 10 taps to choose from, as well as a Canteen kitchen that offers some tasty bites to go along with the beer.

With a name that celebrates the elements that define life on Vancouver Island — the land and the sea — this Comox brewery has established itself as a community gathering place. Its bright and welcoming tasting room showcases the brewing equipment front and centre, and the on-site kitchen offers great food to go along with the delicious beer.

Based in a one-time car mechanic’s shop in Courtenay, Gladstone Brewing embraces that heritage with a tasting room that is decorated with automobile memorabilia. The Gladstone kitchen serves up burgers, tacos, and house-smoked meats to keep your hunger pangs away as you sip and socialize on the all-weather patio, which is always busy with friendly locals ready to enjoy a conversation.

Located in Campbell River, Beachfire has a comfortable and stylish tasting room designed around sharing at communal harvest tables. Both the food and the beer are made in-house from scratch, incorporating local ingredients wherever possible.

Port McNeill is a resource town with stunning scenery and endless outdoor adventure potential. It has one grocery store, one pub, one general store, and, as of June 2021, one craft brewery: Devil’s Bath Brewing, which was named after Canada’s largest cenote located nearby. based in an old mechanic shop that was remodelled with a warm wood interior, the brewery has water views and a giant patio where you can linger while enjoying delicious food and drink.