Moving to Vancouver from SF

Discussion in 'Canada' started by beepill, Jul 21, 2015.

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  1. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    So I got a semi-permanent work transfer from San Francisco to Vancouver starting in September. I was browsing a few threads about recommended breweries, and I am sure I will try them all.

    Since I am from California, I was just wondering what California craft beers are available in Vancouver? If they're available, how fresh are they? What are the other readily available US craft beers? A friend who lives there right now (and isn't much of a drinker) told me that I can only buy from govt-run liquor stores. Is this true? There are no independent bottle shops?

    Can anyone tell me about growler fills from breweries in Vancouver? In California, a lot of breweries make you buy a growler from them, and they can only fill growlers from that brewery. Some make exceptions by covering up other breweries logos. What are growler fill rules in Vancouver?

    Also wondering if kids are allowed in brewery tap rooms there. In the city of SF, almost no brewery allows anyone under 21 past the front door, and when I travel to other cities and countries, I always ask if my kid can come in with me. I find that most other places outside of SF think that is a weird question. Anyways, hope some BA's up there in BC can answer some of those questions before my move. Thanks!
     
    #1 beepill, Jul 21, 2015
  2. hoser

    hoser Initiate (0) Feb 17, 2003 Canada (AB)

    The price of American beers with taxes and 77 cent Canadian dollar is just going to make you cry. There are lots of brands from Ballast Point to Stone but with the Canadian dollar being so low you can expect 6 packs to in the $25 + range or more. There are so many good BC breweries that will be better priced. BC is a strange liquor system there are items that only go to private stores which are higher priced, have cold beer and better hours. There are items that go to both the private stores and the government stores which don't refrigerate. Then there are government stores which have the best pricing. Hope your an expat still on the American payroll as that extra money you will be making while in Canada will make up for your expensive American beer sadness. Enjoy Vancouver it is an amazing city!
     
    #2 hoser, Jul 21, 2015
  3. FondueVoodoo

    FondueVoodoo Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2012 Canada (BC)

    Hi beepill,

    I'll answer a few of your questions now and try and pop back later for a more fulsome response (unless someone else responds by then).

    California Beers:

    Not much to be honest. Others who know better will chime in, but in BC you will find more from Oregon, Washington and some of the east coast beers.

    Off the top of my head you will find a few of the offerings from Sierra Nevada, Anderson Valley, North Coast, The Bruery and Lagunitas.

    Growlers:

    You do not need to buy a growler from the specific brewery. Provided it fits their filler then you can bring any growler or flip top bottle for a fill.

    Kids:

    Kids are allowed now in tasting rooms at the breweries. They are not allowed (under 19) in bars.
     
    #3 FondueVoodoo, Jul 21, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2015
  4. Beervana

    Beervana Initiate (0) Apr 15, 2014 Canada (BC)

    Your friend gave you some false info, there are definitely private bottle shops in BC and if you're a beer lover, that's likely where you'll do the bulk of your shopping.

    There is a bit of California craft beer up here and it does come in pretty fresh, usually only a few weeks after bottling, but, since most beer drinkers stick to the BC breweries, it usually sits on the shelves for quite a while. For that reason, it's worth it to take a look through the bottle shop's twitter/instagram before you go shopping rather than just plucking American craft off the shelves.

    More so than California craft, we get a lot of great Oregon breweries up here. Logsdon, Cascade, Breakside, Upright, Pfriem, Gigantic, Double Mountain, Laurelwood, Ninkasi, Rogue, HUB, Deschutes, The Commons, etc...

    From California we do get Stone, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, North Coast, Green Flash, The Bruery, (no Ballast Point unfortunately, which was mentioned earlier) and a couple others.

    We also get a pretty good selection of beer from Europe (Including Cantillon, 3F, Tilquin, Westvleteren) as well as some other American craft and a few gems from Quebec. To be quite frank though, there's probably enough great beer brewed right here in BC to keep you satisfied, plus the price is right. Cheers and enjoy Vancouver!
     
    #4 Beervana, Jul 21, 2015
  5. hoser

    hoser Initiate (0) Feb 17, 2003 Canada (AB)

    Ballast Point used to be there with Beerthirst and is entering the market again soon with another agent (AFIC).
     
    #5 hoser, Jul 21, 2015
  6. Beervana

    Beervana Initiate (0) Apr 15, 2014 Canada (BC)

    Hmm, maybe I do remember seeing it a long while ago, certainly not in the last 3 or 4 years though. Awesome news that their coming back!
     
    #6 Beervana, Jul 21, 2015
  7. wesbray

    wesbray Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2012 Canada (AB)

    Will they be coming to Alberta too?
     
    #7 wesbray, Jul 22, 2015
  8. hoser

    hoser Initiate (0) Feb 17, 2003 Canada (AB)

    Yes four beers are now listed in the catalogue Sculpin and Grapefruit and Longfin and Even Keel, as to when they arrive don't know. Ask you favourite retailer or email the agent.
     
    #8 hoser, Jul 22, 2015
  9. JonnyBeers

    JonnyBeers Savant (1,211) Oct 24, 2012 Canada (BC)

    Firestone Walker also rumored to be coming here (Horizon I think) with the Duvel deal it makes sense, Boulevard has yet to show up but I keep hearing 'soon'. Moylans I think just came back. Bear Republic afaik is still here.
     
    #9 JonnyBeers, Jul 24, 2015
  10. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    hey thanks for the info. yeah i'll be on a u.s. payroll, but i'll try to stick with canadian beers, haha. i am not trying to pay $20+ for some stone ipa. i was just curious since sometimes i just crave for some lagunitas brews every now and again. im sure ill find some stuff to crave for in canada.
     
    #10 beepill, Jul 25, 2015
  11. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    thanks for this info.
    not too concerned with what i can get from california now, i guess. i was just curious as to what i can expect once i am there bc sometimes me or my wife craves a local brew, and i'll run down to whole foods just to get a bottle of something specific if shes cooking something that pairs well with it.
    i have about 6 different growlers laying around from calif breweries. some have the logos covered (with tape/stickers) so i can fill them at other establishments. how much do growler fills go for at the local breweries? do all of the bc breweries do growler fills?
    good to know i can bring my kid to brewery tasting rooms. i know kids and breweries arent always a good fit. i used to not like seeing kids running around while i was drinking. but this was before i had my son. now i realize that sometimes you just need to bring them in, if your stopping by for a few minutes, or if you cant find a babysitter on short notice for just an hour or two job. sf is not very kid friendly in terms of brewery tap rooms, even if i am just stopping by to fill a growler, sometimes my wife has to wait outside with the kid while i get it filled. we liked how in oregon, a lot of breweries had play areas for kids. something i have never seen in california. i can understand the bar age limit though, but never wanted to bring my kid with me to a bar haha.
     
    #11 beepill, Jul 25, 2015
  12. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    thanks to you too for the extended info. i will definitely lean toward the locally brewed beer. i just gotta find some that makes me forget about the stuff im used to! i am sure i will.
     
    #12 beepill, Jul 25, 2015
  13. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    by the way, if anyone is down for some bottle share/trades when i get up there, i have a lot of limited edition stuff from cali breweries (i.e. russian river, fifty/fifty, drakes, almanac, bruery, marin, etc) that i will prob be bringing up with me. i need to update my list on BA, as I havent done so in over a year. it will prob be in inaccessible storage while i look for a place to live, but hopefully i will have it all by mid-october.

    and my friend was cleaning out his garage and gave me his old home brewing kit (with some pieces missing). i was wondering if you guys can recommend any home brew supply stores in the greater vancouver area that i can check out. i havent home brewed in nearly 5 years though, so i dont know how soon i would be starting up again.
     
    #13 beepill, Jul 25, 2015
  14. hoser

    hoser Initiate (0) Feb 17, 2003 Canada (AB)

    Why would you brew on the American payroll the BC beer will be pretty cheap for you besides cleaning homebrew gear is sucks, plus you have to drink 5+ gallons of one of your beers you may not groove on.
     
    #14 hoser, Jul 25, 2015
  15. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    Good point, lol. Cant forget the main reason my friend and I stopped homebrewing. Too much time and ended up watering his garden with a lot of our bad beers.
     
    #15 beepill, Jul 26, 2015
  16. Derek

    Derek Grand Pooh-Bah (3,107) Apr 2, 2005 Canada (BC)
    Pooh-Bah

    We get the fiftyfifty stouts, but they're over $40 a bottle.

    As for locals, Driftwood fat tug and central city IPA are good for a hop fix.

    If you get back into homebrewing, check out:
    http://www.vanbrewers.ca
     
    #16 Derek, Jul 27, 2015
  17. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    $40 CAD (~$30 USD) is probably about what they cost at beer shops in SF. At the brewery in Truckee, they're slightly cheaper, but still in the $20+ USD range. Expensive, but so good. Definitely looking forward to trying some new beers, so thanks for the tips. I saw Central City Red Racer IPA at a beer store in SF the other day but I was hesitant to buy it since there was no bottle date I could find on it. Any recs for local DIPAs? And do any of the local breweries brew any Triple IPAs?
     
    #17 beepill, Jul 27, 2015
  18. beepill

    beepill Zealot (515) Nov 28, 2012 Hawaii

    btw, forgot to ask you, what are the private bottle shops you recommend?
     
    #18 beepill, Jul 27, 2015
  19. Beervana

    Beervana Initiate (0) Apr 15, 2014 Canada (BC)

    Four Winds Vexillum and Driftwood Twenty Pounder when they're available. Otherwise, Persephone IIPA, Lighthouse Numbskull, Red Racer IIPA, and Powell Street Right Kind of Crazy are all great. The only local triple IPA I can think of is Phillips 3rd Blind Mouse.

    I'm out on the island but spend a fair bit of time in Vancouver, Brewery Creek is my go-to when I'm in town. I just discovered West Coast Liquor in Kerrisdale which is a nice spot too. I know many like Firefly as well.
     
    #19 Beervana, Jul 27, 2015
  20. Lurkaholic

    Lurkaholic Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2013 Canada (BC)

    To add to @Beervana's recommendations - Parallel 49 makes a fantastic DIPA / TIPA called 187 on an Undercover Hop, which is on at their taproom now. Their standard lineup of IPAs is a little inconsistent (they've gone through I think at least 7 different recipes of Gypsy Tears) but they occasionally produce The Hopnotist too, which is pretty fantastic. Persephone DIPA is probably the best consistently in town, but they don't date their bottles and there's been some batch variation too.

    Bottle shop wise, Firefly's lost a lot of their beer-centric staff over the past few years. Brewery Creek is superb, West Coast Liquor is great, and Legacy Liquor Store has the occasional surprise too. Viti comes up occasionally for people living / staying downtown, but I had a really bad experience there and I'm not alone.
     
    #20 Lurkaholic, Jul 27, 2015
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