Recently, we paid a visit to The Dockside Brewery located in Beautiful Granville Island in Vancouver. There we were treated to an amazing selection of craft beers that are sure to appeal to a wide variety of taste preferences. The Dockside not only features a solid rotating selection of quality craft beer on tap. Patrons can also enjoy some excellent food from the restaurant menu with their Beers. But now, let’s get into the beers!
Surrounded by the Dockside Brewing’s invitingly warm decor, we enjoyed tasting a featured selection of five different craft beers. Each beer has its own unique flavouring and qualities, and they were all delicious. The wide range of craft beer options found at the Dockside Restaurant ensures there is something for every visitor to enjoy, no matter what their taste preferences happen to be.
First up is the easy drinking Marina Light Lager. A German Helles-inspired light lager made with Saaz and Huell Melon hops. This beautiful golden lager will likely appeal to most beer drinkers thanks to its familiar light flavour and smooth, crisp finish. Inspired by the traditional Helles recipe native to Southern Germany, the Marina Light Lager is an excellent option for people who aren’t looking for strong flavours in their beer.
Next we enjoyed a delightful sour ale that featured flavours as playful as the beer’s name. The Mango Wango Peachy Tango wild sour wheat ale (say that five times fast) is a brightly coloured sour ale that features an excellent blend of distinct, refreshing fruit flavours. This beer is one of the best sour ales we’ve tried all year, and the flavourful notes of fruits like peach, watermelon, mango, pineapple and strawberry will take you back to the sunniest days of summer even as you look out the window and see cool fall weather approaching.
For a brewery known for their pale ales, the selection at the Dockside Brewery certainly does not disappoint. The first pale ale in our selection is the Cartwright Pale Ale. As far as pale ale’s and their distinct, hoppy flavours go, this beer is definitely one of the most approachable options on tap. Made with Amarillo and Vic Secret hops from Australia, the Cartwright Pale Ale blends the distinct pale ale flavour with a light, easy drinking finish.
For those looking for more hop flavour in their beer, Dockside’s Tight Squeeze West Coast IPA provides the perfect balance of hop aromas followed by a crisp finish that enhances the unique flavours of this beer. With its lighter golden colour, the appearance of this beer can be deceiving, until you taste the explosive hop flavours that most West Coast IPAs are known for.
The final beer in our selection from Dockside Brewery happened to be a seasonal beer that featured a true autumn flavour in the Pumpkin Pie Ale. This seasonal ale is part of a small batch release that gets featured on Fridays at the Dockside Brewery. This light coloured ale is specially flavoured to feature a baking spice aroma that is reminiscent of a freshly baked pumpkin pie. Perfect for the season, this ale can be enjoyed for a short time at Dockside Brewery, so be sure to pay them a visit before its all gone!
Special shoutout to @Dangerdan_yvr for these great pics, for more great craft beer photos and updates be sure to checkout his page!
Want to try them? Head over to this post below to enter out Giveaway!
Craft Beer Market has breweries in Portland, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Vancouver. We were invited to Craft Beer Market Vancouver, for a food and beer tasting and boy was it good!
Not only does the Vancouver Brewery have an old school farm-house vibe, but it also shows it in the restaurant design! With their open concept room, vaulted ceilings and wooden tables, it comes together nicely to create a great atmosphere to have casual drinks with friends or for large group events. If you look up, you’ll even see their beer lines that flow beer daily to their taps!
As we end the fruity beer season that Summer brought, we look forward to what Fall introduces… When we think Fall, we think of Fall colours, leaves that go from green to red, orange pumpkins, Thanksgiving and having cozy times with the family. This is how we selected Octobers Beer of the month
The Charcoal Porter by Coal Harbour Brewing based out of East Vancouver is an easy-drinking porter brewed with activated charcoal. It’s light-bodied and has a nice roast, and chocolate-like notes, with a deep dark hue from the charcoal. Some say they get a hint of smoke to it too!
The alcohol content is 5.2% and one thing to note is this porter is on the lighter body side when compared to other porters. It is quite tasty and a great brew to sip on as the weather dips into the single-digits.
You can view our Instagram post to see all our food and drink pics! They even gave away $75 in Gift Certificates!
If you own a brewery or food establishment and would like us to do a tasting, please reach out through one of our partner accounts including @VancityEats and @MainMenus.
I had an opportunity to stop by the Big Rick Urban-Vancouver Brewery recently, to see what the Eatery has been up to since my last visit. Conveniently located between the Canada Line Olympic Village Skytrain station, and the 99B Line bus on Broadway Street, Big Rock Urban provides a beer-inspired menu and a variety of beverages with a sessional focus.
Beer of the Month
As the summer season approaches, the beer style that I tend to gravitate towards is refreshing, easy on the palate, and food pairing-friendly. Big Rock Brewery’s newly launched, Canadian style Craft Lager, meets all the criteria. Using Canadian ingredients, this clean, subtlety flavorful, but drinkable lager is all about balance, by keeping hop bitterness, and heavy mouthfeel to a minimum.
It really gets the job done when you’re snacking on the hop salt and pepper 16-hour dry ribs, or digging into the ‘Thirsty Bird’ pizza, topped with “drunk’n” chicken chunks, double smoked bacon, fior di latte, roasted garlic crema, caramelized onions, fresh basil, and chili flakes. Craft lager is available in 6 pack cans, or 4 pack tall cans, so it is perfect to take to go when you’re heading out to a barbeque, or a beach campfire with friends!
In addition to the craft lager, the eatery and retail shop also offers a Grapefruit Radler from Kelowna’s Tree Brewing Company. German for cyclist, a radler, or shandy, is a thirst-quenching light beer blended with a citrus fruit juice. Tree’s Grapefruit Radler is a 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards Gold Medal winner, brewed at the Big Rock Vancouver facility, and clocks in at 2.5% ABV. So don’t feel guilty if you want to have another glass or two.
The citrusy notes and juiciness do wonder when you are munching on their “heat n’ sweet” chicken wings, or Korean fried cauliflower, sprinkled with a bit of cilantro, lime, green onion, sesame seeds, and coconut crust.
Not in the mood for beer? The eatery and retail shop are featuring a Rock Creek Dry Rosé Cider. Made with Okanagan grown apples, and natural rosé wine flavors, this bubbly treat is fruity, floral, sweet, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. I’m sure you can find a tasty snack or shareable item on the menu to pair it with when you visit!
Special shoutout to @Dangerdan_yvr for these great pics, for more great craft beer photos and updates be sure to checkout his page!
One of Vancouver’s most notable and iconic neighbourhoods, Yaletown makes for some of the best bars and patios for people watching and wondering what they all do for a living. It’s easy to empty your wallet doing this, so we’ve listed some of our favourite places to enjoy a cheap drink and snack while appreciating the local wildlife during Happy Hour Yaletown –
with $6 craft beers, $5 house wines, and $4 highballs.
Living proof of Oxford’s rollicking athletic and party rituals, the New Oxford is a nod to British sporting culture and the oldest university in the English speaking language. Its gun-metal millwork, traditional furnishings and ‘study room’ adorned with ivy-league antiques are bridged by a 50-foot-long cantilevered bar serving fashionably classic cocktails. Some bloody good local, organic pub food washes down easily with the assortment of craft beer taps and imaginative wines. Spirits are always high on game-days, most notably as home to the Chelsea FC supporters club.
The Distillery Bar + Kitchen is committed to serving up straight forward Italian-American style dishes and boozy handcrafted cocktails. The menu was developed with an emphasis on sourcing local ingredients, taking the time to make products from scratch and being inspired by the way that ‘Mama used to make it’. Smack dab in the middle of the restaurant hosts a long 30 person communal table ideal for large groups, family-style dining or getting to know your neighbour. Guests can also sit outside on one of two heated patios to people-watch with a bottle of wine and flavourful pasta.
with $4 Red Truck beers, $5 wines, $5 highballs, and $6 food menu.
Designed with traditional and modern Thai décor principles, Urban Thai Bistro offers a wide selection of traditional authentic Thai dishes to their signature fusion creations.
The inviting new bar area has an illuminated onyx bar top and flat-screen TV for sports and playoff action. They’ve also extended our new lounge area, an ideal space for unwinding, great drinks and lighter fare. During the spring and summer months, enjoy a signature and refreshing Thai cocktails on our heated outdoor patio, facing an always vibrant and bustling Hamilton street.
with $3.25 beer, $3.50 highballs, $6 wines, and daily specials.
Great beer, amazing people! This space celebrates premium craft beer, cider, and spirits. The 40 draught taps showcase the best craft beer in BC, providing a huge variety of beer styles and breweries. In addition, they are now serving growlers! In addition to the best of local craft beer, they offer a premier pub menu, including a unique build your own burger program, handcrafted pizzas, and classic pub fare, all of which pair perfectly with your favourite craft brew!
Happy hour 2 – 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM until close everyday
with $5 beers, $6 wines, and $5 highballs.
Housed in two of Vancouver’s most iconic buildings, Homer St Cafe and Bar is a contemporary restaurant set in the historic Homer Building and new Beasley building in Vancouver’s Yaletown district. Classic comfort cooking takes centre stage thanks to a fire engine red rotisserie that roasts all manner of proteins. A decidedly adventurous wine and cocktail list rounds out the menu. The restaurant features two spaces that consist of an open concept kitchen “Chef’s Bar” where one can get up close and personal with the culinary team, a private dining room with reclaimed factory windows, and bespoke seating complemented by antique tiling.
Yagger’s Downtown has rolled out their ridiculous Happy Hour menu! $3.50 cans of Pilsner, $3.50 Highballs, and $5 Appetizers… like I said, ridiculous!
Yagger’s Happy Hour menu is proof that establishments that are passionate about providing Vancouverites the opportunity to go out drinking and not break the bank still exist. What a concept!
Last week I visited Yagger’s and got to indulge in the Happy Hour goodness. I grew up drinking Old Style Pilsner and was stoked to find out they’re only $3.50. The perfect time to call up the bros and get down to some serious drinking. Not a beer drinker? Not a problem, Yagger’s is offering $4.13 glasses of wine as well as $3.50 highballs! Imagine, you can pay for the entire bill, look like a boss, and you’ll still have money to waste at an over priced night club!
Do yourself a favour and check out Yagger’s downtown restaurant & sports bar. The drink prices are definitely some the best in the city and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food is. Yagger’s is proud of making all of their items fresh and in house. Soups, sauces, burger patties, and wing sauces are all originals and made from scratch! I love a great deal so hit Yagger’s Happy Hour from 3-6pm Monday to Friday and 4-6pm Saturday and Sunday.
Thanks for reading and following along as we drink our way through Vancity!
For more information:
YAGGER’S DOWNTOWN 433 W PENDER ST. VANCOUVER, BC V6B 1V2
