Craft Beer Market

classy place not too far from main hotel strip. lots of taps but most were astringent or had off flavours.lower turnover? 50 percdnt max occupancy.

 

Despite being a craft beer gastropub that has over 100 beers on tap, it really isn't a great spot for a craft beer nerd. The list of beers include mostly unremarkable local brews that have no description and not even an abv. Furthermore, none of the "rotating taps" are advertised. Lastly, the service is a bit icy. I find it incredibly hard to get the attention of the many servers and bartenders there... they just seem to disappear.

One story: A friend and I were waiting for a third friend to show up from the bus station to meet us before a Vancouver Canucks hockey game. I ordered a powerful sour that was tastey, but a heavyweight. But our friend wasn't responding to our texts and we were worried he might be lost, so we decided that we wanted to leave and go find him before we missed the beginning of the game. We explained everything to our bartender and asked to pay our bill ASAP. I chugged 2/3 of my sour (not how I wanted to enjoy it!). And in the meantime, our bartender simply disappeared. We found him at another part of the bar flirting with two female customers. We stared but got no response. We eventually had to pretend like we were just going to leave without paying before we were finally addressed and were able to pay our bill. This was the most extreme example, but I've had problems paying my bill, ordering a second drink, or even getting the wifi password almost everytime I've gone.

Pros:
My beers were served in proper glassware, unlike the shaker pints too many places use regardless of the style of beer.
Service was decent, although I waited a long time to order my third beer, and almost as long for it to come after I ordered it. It was only when the server came with my bill and asked if I was ready to pay that I pointed out that I never got that beer. The server fixed it quickly, though, and I was with a large group of people, so I figure it's forgivable.
Over 100 beers on tap.
Food was decent, and it seems like there'd be something on the menu for just about anyone.

Cons:
They only do flights with their set selection of six beers - you don't get to choose. There was only one or maybe two beers in the flight I was interested in, so I skipped the flight.
Over 100 beers on tap is a lot, but it seemed like most of it was stuff that's readily available at the liquor store in bottles. A lot of it was stuff I've already tried. Also, they only have a small number of taps that they actually rotate, the rest are the same all the time.

 

Lets get straight to the point - there are 140 beers on tap. There is an emphasis on local BC craft, but there were not insignificant number of options from the US West coast as well. The menu is organized by style, although the ap and the website are actually more helpful as there are descriptions of each beer. The food menu covers all the bases with starters, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts. I had the BBQ chicken sliders appetizer which surprised me when it arrived with 4 sliders. I believe the menu said they tap a cask every Tuesday. The bar must have had 40-50 seats, and then there are plenty of tables if you prefer to sit down for a meal. There are additional tables outside on a patio. There are plenty of TVs so this place would certainly be an option to watch a game. Prices for beer were very reasonable - $6-$8 / pint. Food was slightly more with aps $12-$15 range and sandwiches and entrees more. My only complaint, which is minuscule, is the staff seemed unaware of the Craft Club loyalty program which is on the website. I'll certainly be back again though, for both beer and food.