I think I have to bump up the stars since my last beer experience here…read more On our latest trip to our northern neighbor we had another beer from Driftwood that we immensely enjoyed. That beer was the Spiff Corn Lager. It was such a refreshing beverage to have as we were ready to get out of the hot mugginess of summer. Flavor features with this delightful beer are a natural sweetness along with crispness and a clean finish. The beer is very light bodied and extremely persuasive in having you get another one.

We researched before traveling and knew we needed to stop by for a Fat Tug IPA for my partner. We…read morehad a round then a group of people who had already drank away enough of their inhibitions for the day sat down next to us: we opted to leave. As I paid the tab they were asked to leave. We opened a second tab and were so glad we did. We truly had a lovely time. The staff were thoughtful and offered great and friendly service. By dealing with an uncomfortable situation they made us feel comfortable staying for a second round. If we lived here, we'd be back! I loved the raspberry sour! So light and refreshing!

I'll start off with the positive... good beer! Had the flight and enjoyed them all. The person I…read morewas with had one of their slushy drinks from the machine and it was undrinkable. Tasted like they forgot to add any flavoring or something... just off. The posted hours on their website didn't match their actual hours, according to the server, so we had to rush out just after we were served. Not a place I'd return to.

It wouldn't be a proper trip to Victoria if we didn't partake in some of the local craft beer scene…read morewhile visiting. Phillips was long on my list of breweries to try and despite Canada being very close to where we are located trips there remain highly infrequent. So finally getting to try some more breweries from the north was an extra perk to our trip! The beer that Steve and I had from this brewery was the TILT Lager and it proved itself to be a good one also! With a nice breadiness and a natural sweetness to it. There is a clean and crisp finish to this beer which we always enjoy experiencing with beers. This beer is light bodied and is easy to have more than one of but we behaved ourselves and shared this refreshing lager.

Love brew pub! They sponsor my friend's cricket team, so he likes to shop here when he can…read more We stopped by to pick up a bottle of whiskey they brew. The place wasn't too busy and the bartender poured us a sample of four different whiskeys. The #11 was my fave. A nice rye. Not too spicy. I also purchased a bottle of dark cherry infused whiskey and a 4 pack of Irish Red Ale, which was nice. They had a DJ with trivia on a Thursday night.

Moon Under Water was a brewery we got to try on a recent trip to Victoria, British Columbia…read more(Canada) and we liked their beer quite a bit! We only got one beer and it was a beer type we don't often get, a Dunkel style beer with a funny name called Creepy Uncle. The logo is fun on the bottle and it will be a name for a beer I won't soon forget. With the beer in the flavor profile you can expect to find maltiness witha hint of vanilla and nuttiness with an appropriate amount of sweetness. The beer is smooth and light bodied. It's a good one to sit down to and relax when you have that desire to unwind.

Excellent beers - especially for folks who might not love the traditional beer experience. Unique…read moresours, fun stouts, and interesting flavors make this a must-visit for beer folks in area. The have what appears to be a captured food truck, if you're look for a bite to eat. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the Ecailleur Gose (Oyster shells, citrus, chilies), Depense Saison (spent grape saison), and Jamaique Gose (hibiscus & cinnamon), and all three were delicious. My only regret is coming here after a big meal and not having enough stomach capicity to try more things. The location is in interesting neighborhood - if coming after dark, I might be a little cautious about walking around this part of town alone. Ile Sauvage is a magical little gem in an unsuspecting place, and their beer is some of the best.

My favorite brewery in all of BC! I happened on it and was amazed by the quality of sours and…read morestouts! The more usual hoppy beer is good too, but the FC + Stout was probably the best stout I'd ever had. Wonderful location and ambiance, and you can even order pizza that is supplied by the next door Pizzeria Prima Strada!

Our last stop before boarding the ferry at Swartz Bay to Vancouver:…read more We had an enjoyable time at Vancouver Island Brewery while waiting for the ferry. Lucky for us, we were able to savor the last few days of warm sunshine on their patio. We went during happy hour and flights were only $5. There were a lot of choices including Lemon Drop Star Anise Sour and Merri Berri Cider. The food menu is limited. We ordered a bag of chips and a jar of salsa and both were very fresh and tasty. One jar was not enough. We ordered another one to finish off the rest of the chips. They also allowed us to bring outside food to pair with their full flavoured beers. On the table: Happy hour flights: Tuesday-Thursday 3-6pm 5 Adrianas Corn Chips & Justos Mango Jalapeno Salsa (| GF | Made in Victoria) 10

The staff here was very nice and helpful. The beer was pretty good too. The location is a bit…read moreinconvenient but there is plenty of parking.

While in Victoria, BC during a port stop on a cruise we went on an Ale Trail excursion and the…read morefirst of three stops was Whistle Buoy. Talk about hitting out of the park with the first stop! Whistle Buoy is located in a Market Square that's a beautiful open air area surrounded by shops, boutiques, restaurants, assorted businesses, and vast tracts of land with chairs and tables. Since it's surrounded by buildings on all four sides the wind would be challenged to ruffle your hair once inside. For this stop of the Ale Trail excursion we were each allowed one glass (not a taster...a full 12oz glass) of one brew. They have roughly a dozen taps that run the typical gamut of beer styles. I immediately gravitated toward the Shaft Coffee Stout. Not my usual go-to, (I'm usually more of an IPA / Pale Ale kinda guy) but something about "Dark. Coffee. Chocolate" grabbed my attention (Here's the part where Jim has an advantage. Jim's wife doesn't drink beer, so Jim gets her selection, too, so she (ok, I) chose the Froth Hazy Pale for hers (ok, for me).) I didn't expect the highlight of the excursion to be the very first beer I had, but the Shaft Coffee Stout was quite possibly the best beer I've ever had. It was smooth and rich and had such an amazing flavor. Honestly, it was more like dessert. I'm not saying my wife's beer (ok, my 2nd) wasn't awesome, it's just that the Shaft set the bar REALLY high. ( I'm just talkin' 'bout Shaft! ) Our group sat in the outdoor, covered beer garden, the weather was slightly overcast, and we were surrounded by like-minded beer lovers (except my wife, who donates to my cause.) As we sat the Market Square was busy with life as people walked their dogs, visited businesses, and a group of elementary school kids was escorted through the square. Sometimes it's nice to sit back and watch the world go by. The restrooms (gender neutral, thank you) are small...ok, tiny. There's barely enough room to change your mind. I do have to call attention to two things, though. First, it has the tiniest sink I've ever seen. Surely this thing had to be custom made. Second, they have a Code of Conduct posted on the wall, which I genuinely appreciated. Nothing outrageous, just a focus on respect and common decency. If I were able to get Shaft Coffee Stout at home I'd never leave home (actually I would just to get more Shaft Coffee Stout). It was only a brief visit to Whistle Buoy Brewing, but if I ever found myself living in Victoria, BC, there is no doubt this is where I'd hang out.

About 20 unique beers make this stop very popular. The hazy IPA and stout were excellent. The food…read moreofferings might have seemed questionable to some were actually outstanding. (If a brewery is busy at an off-time, it's more than the drink!)

I'd give them 5 stars if they got rid of those super uncomfortable metal chairs that every brewery…read moreseems to have now. Come on, we want to hang out and drink beer, spend a bit of money on good seating. This was my first time at this brewery and as a self professed beer snob, it was great. The beertender was super friendly, they have nice charcuterie snacks, and their beer is solid. I fully enjoyed the Hail Santa - spruce tip red rye ale, the Quiet Man Stroopwafel Herfsbock, and the Tropicano sour. A great vibe and good beer, would definitely go back.

Love the vibe at Herald Street. We have really enjoyed Monday open mike night - as much as the…read morebeer. All the beers we have tried have been great. Service is always quick - even on crowded nights. I wish I could remember the name of the dark, slightly sweet beer I like here, it was a porter or a stout, and it was great - I probably drank a little more than I usually do because it was so good.

On a recent trip to British Columbia we created our own brewery crawl on a Saturday on Vancouver…read moreIsland. This was one of our favorites on the crawl. It was a perfect way to spend a few hours. It was a pleasant Spring afternoon and it was busy. There is seating indoors and outdoors. We chose seats at the window indoors. Once a big crowd left, it was a lot more pleasant for us -- we like a bit of space and quiet brewery whenever possible. It seems timing, depending on what you prefer is the key to success when visiting here. The beers were delicious. I went with a dark beer, high abv. It was the Doppelback. My husband had a saison Brett for ironic reasons. They were both delicious. It was so lovely just hanging out and enjoying the brewery. Staff were friendly and seemed like they loved every bit of their job. The washrooms were clean. There was a Mac and Cheese pop up stand/truck. Families ordered from it while we were there and the kids sure seemed to enjoy it. Parking can be tricky when it's busy. We ended up parking on the side of the road. Who cares, though. The beers were worth it! See website for more details.

On a recent family vacation to BC, I tried about six breweries. This was my favorite. We had two…read moreflights, totaling 8 beers. They were all good, but the sour on tap that day was my favorite. The bar tender was friendly, but not overwhelmingly so. I'd be back I lived closer.