Seattle/Vancouver

YES.

 

Vancouver beer scene is decent but you could probably knock the good ones out in one day. Absolutely worth the trip up, though.

 

FTFY

 

If you hit all our good beer in only one day you'd be smashed. 2-3 days to properly enjoy imo. Hit up this thread in Canada BA section for tips:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/vancouver-summer-2016.412385/

I guess we should prolly start a Winter 16/17 thread.

Plenty of taprooms, breweries, bars, events etc to check out there's no way you could do it in a day trip.

We also get some fun US breweries that WA doesn't

 

Hahaha. Yes, definitely worth the trip and no, definitely can NOT "knock the good ones out in one day". Lol

 

Since you didn't specify, we're assuming you mean Northern Vancouver, and not Southern Vancouver. You definitely can't knock out all the good breweries up there in one day. My personal favorites are Central City and Brassneck.

 

3 in each, with a day in Bellingham in between.

 

Shoot me a message when the time draws near, be happy to show ya around town. Melvins new spot might be open by then too.

 

So it's been a couple years since my last Vancouver trip and I'm sure there are some new breweries but I have very much considered Vancouver a second tier beer city. Plenty of good beer but nothing that made me want to go back just for the beer. The food is a different story and the main reason I go every couple years but that's a different story.

Bellingham, at maybe half the size, seems to have twice as much great beer.

I don't mean to disparage Vancouver at all. I love the city. I just don't love it for its beer, like Portland, where I just wander the city drinking from the moment I roll into town until I'm forced to leave.

 

BC is really up and coming. Dageraad, Driftwood, Parallel 49, Brassneck, 33 Acres, Yellow Dog and Strange Fellows are all making good beer. Hell, I've heard Steamworks has stepped up their game with a new IPA. And Four Winds out in Delta is probably my favorite.

I know I'm forgetting or unaware of others (I probably hit Vancouver once or twice a year max).

 

Storm Brewing is a unique must visit.

 

We're definitely no Portland, but past few years has seen a huge increase in breweries in the city and lower mainland: http://vancouversun.com/business/lo...pen-as-craft-beer-boom-continues-in-vancouver

 

Basing a city's beer on what you had 2-3 years ago is quite hilarious. Not like the industry has expanded or anything

I wouldn't even base the YVR beer scene on where it was a year ago. To say the quality has shot way way up is an understatement. But hey like WA we're also just as happy to keep our awesome beer a secret. Nothing to see here.

 

I'll be in Vancouver on December 17th for an overnight stay at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. I'll have a few hours to wander around while my wife does some spa treatments. Probably gonna stay around the hotel/downtown area and grab some bottles at Viti and hit Steamworks and Postmark, two breweries I've never been to before. I know Steamworks is the "old toursity" brewery, but it seems like their new flagship IPA is good? What else should I hit in that vicinity? We're already planning on brunch at Alibi Room as soon as we hit town, btw.

 

There's so many breweries that I know nothing about in Vancouver. A visit to Alibi Room or a bottle shop usually has my head spinning while I try to absorb all the "new".

I really enjoy Yellow Dog's IPA, and hunted for their fresh hop earlier this fall (with no luck).

Four Winds is one of my favorite tap rooms to visit. They do classics, IPAs, and sours well. And I usually leave with a case of beer for under $100 USD.

I've got a couple bottles of P49 barrel-aged stout stashed away. And I rarely pass up a Fat Tug.

Up and coming relative to Seattle and Portland, I can see that. But for the most part, visitors are going to be in beer heaven.

 

Definitely. "Up and coming" is in comparison to when I first started going to Vancouver a couple times a year and the best offerings were limited to Driftwood and Central City. And easily obtainable Cantillon.

 

The point of my post was that I haven't been in a while, so my opinion is out of date. No need for the eyeroll. What would be more helpful would be some tips from a local for my next trip up there in a couple months.