I just came back from a visit to central Vancouver Island (Shawnigan Lake in the south to Qualicum Beach in the North) and thought I would tell you about the three breweries I tried. Wish I could've made it up to Courtenay/Comox but that'll be next time. Looking forward to hearing your comments. Most of these breweries are pretty small so I can only imagine how packed they must be when the throngs of tourists descend on them in the summer. You've been warned. MOUNT ARROWSMITH BREWING (Parksville): just won 2017 BC Brewery of the Year at BC Beer awards. Their award winning Saison and Blonde Ale are both excellent. The other four beers I tasted were good to average. Small tasting room. WHITE SAILS BREWING (Nanaimo): Very nice tasting room with a fireplace, high ceilings, variety of high-top and comfy seating, decent nibblies, wide selection of beer plus wine and cider. The IPAs/Pale Ales I had were good but not great. Highlight: Mount Benson IPA. LOVE SHACK LIBATIONS (Qualicum Beach): Only open since 2016. Friends bought their beers so I only these in 500ml bottles. I tried seven beers and they were all over the place in quality. Some not nice at all (Pilsner), some average, and one that was very good (Porter). VERY limited hours: Wed 5-9pm, Sat 12-4pm. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri by appointment only. I went to Cumberland Brewing last year and seem to recall that I loved the place (historic building, nice deck) more than the beers. And if you're in to spirits, Ampersand Distilling in Duncan is excellent. For coffee, Drumroaster in Cobble Hill is one of the best on Vancouver Island.
