Chris "Love's Good Beer" R.'s Profile

I love stopping at the Whistler Brewhouse after a day on the slopes.  The atmosphere is warm and comfortable, and the bar area is my version of guy heaven.  I particularly enjoy a few pints at the bar, watching hockey games in glorious high definition.  

The Brewhouse brews its own beer, which is excellent.  They often have a delightful seasonal and I am a big fan of their mainstay Wolf Creek Bitter and Grizzly Brown Ale.  The pub food is excellent, but the restaurant food is merely okay.  They do tours of the brewery on Fridays and Saturdays at 3PM, which I recommend to fellow beer enthusiasts.

People always tell me to go to Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar on Commercial Drive in Vancouver (there is a new one on Cambie too).  They rave about the awesome beer selection, but I'd never considered Stella's a destination worth seeking out.  I'd go to their website to check out their beer menu and not be particularly impressed.  What they have on tap is pretty solid, but not enticing enough to warrant a special trip. Turns out there is a whole other beer menu on the website under the Fresh Sheet tab that I'd been completely missing.

I finally made my first visit to Stella's after work on Friday with some coworkers.  The Fresh Sheet beer menu at Stella's is even more impressive than the one on their website.  I was delighted to find a six page menu listing many fine Belgian style beers.  There were so many that I had a hard time deciding what to have.  I ended up choosing Troublette, a witbeir from Brasserie Caracole, which was lovely.

I'd tried many of the sixty odd beers on Stella's menu, but there were a few rare gems that I've never even seen available before.  I'll definitely be making the pilgrimage to Stella's a few more times now.  The appetizers we shared were delightful and where we sat on the patio offered entertaining views of Commercial Drive's funky residents.  I know most Vancouver beer enthusiasts already know and love Stella's, but I highly recommend making the trip if you haven't yet.

If I was rating Central City purely on their beer, they'd be getting five stars.  A six pack of Central City Red Racer Pale Ale is the best value beer buy in BC, especially when you consider the $10.75 price tag and the quality of the product.  However, Central City Brewing offers up more than just their fantastic beer; they have a pub/restaurant attached.  Their food is wonderful, far superior to your typical pub fare, and, left alone, I can have a great time at Central City.  What irks me is the atmosphere.  I've had my picture taken, walked through a metal detector, and been frisked on my way in before, not exactly what you'd call welcoming.  Their waitresses also confuse exposing half of each boob with quality service and basic knowledge of the menu.  Every time I've been I've had my waitress question my beer choice with an "oooh, that one's a bit bitter, are you sure?".  I mean, have some pride in your product.  Central City could be great if they celebrated their best qualities, the beer and the food, and stopped pretending to be a nightclub.

The Whip is one of very few Vancouver establishments that features a cask beer special.  Every Sunday at 4PM, they tap a cask of some local tipple, which is available until it is gone.  Sadly, the last time I was there I showed up at 6PM, missing out on the cask conditioned goodness.  Not to worry, the Whip has an excellent beer menu.  The food and atmosphere also contribute to good times.

Why not five stars?  Well, my food was mostly tasty, but my Yam fries were undercooked.  Also, the Whip is a little out of the way and not in the loveliest of locales.  Still, it is worth visiting, especially if you love beer.

My review of Brewery Creek pertains only to their beer selection , which is fabulous (they also sell wine and spirits).  The owner Gerry and his staff are very friendly and knowledgeable; their recommendations have always been good too.  They have all of the best local beer and also work hard to overcome our liquor bureaucracy and bring in the best from the world at large.  You will not find a better beer selection anywhere else in BC.

The one knock you might have against Brewery Creek is that it is expensive.  However, if you are serious about beer, join CAMRA Vancouver.  Members get special discounts.

If the Vault was in Vancouver I'd only give it four stars.  But it's not in Vancouver, it's in Cloverdale and it deserves special recognition for being the jewel that it is.  The Vault is the best that Cloverdale has to offer and you'd have to go as far as White Rock, Fort Langley, or across the Fraser to find anywhere better.

The Vault has a great atmosphere, very good food, and an excellent choice of alcoholic tipples.  If you are in the area, you won't be disappointed with a meal at the Vault.

Big Ridge is one of only two brewpubs in Surrey and surely the one with the best atmosphere.  For what it is, a brewpub/restaurant with good pub food, it is the best place for a beer in the Fraser Valley.  Big Ridge is divided in two, there is a casual restaurant side and a sports bar side featuring many HD TV's showing sporting events, which is a great place to watch a Canucks game.

If you are a beer fan, you will find the beer to be good, but not particularly challenging, although their porter is delightful.  The brewer also has a seasonal to tickle the fancy of the beer connoisseur.  Recent seasonals included an intense espresso stout and a very hoppy IPA.  I've heard there is a brown ale on deck, but it all depends on when you pop in for a visit.

I go to Social not for the restaurant/lounge, but for the gourmet deli at the back.  I stop in once a week for lunch to get one of their tasty sandwiches made to order.  All of the ingredients are fresh and all of their deli meats are truly gourmet.  I am partial to the roast beef on whole wheat with everything on it, which includes Dijon mustard, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, roast peppers, salt, pepper, and provolone cheese.

I have been to the restaurant once.  I found it to be comfortable and moderately prices, but the food was merely above average.

The Alibi Room is the one stop shop for beer in Vancouver.  Nowhere else matches their beer selection, which includes 19 taps and 3 casks of BC's finest local craft beer.  They also have an excellent selection of bottled beer to tickle your import fancy.  I guess they have wine and spirits too, but who really cares about that?

In addition to the excellent beer selection, the Alibi Room features a great pub menu.  Their food is well prepared, very delicious, and comprised of fresh local ingredients.

The atmosphere is more that of a lounge than a pub; there are no tv's showing sporting events to be found.  The crowd is mostly made up of the Gastown hipster type, but all should feel welcome.