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Well you know that when in town we're going to try a brewery. Whistle Buoy is a small batch with some experimental beers, I.e pastry sours, kelp and algae gose, etc..I stuck with the usual subjects, hazy and pale. Pretty decent flavor profile, not an abundance of hops, but still a nice beer. Just outside China Town, defiantly worth a visit in this part of town.
Great location for drinks on a nice summer day visiting the city. Glad to stop by after having dim sum in the nearby Chinatown. Better to sit outside for our three flights than sit inside. The Ube Bae Bae Bay was the winner for the drafts. Had a pretty distinct taste while my family enjoyed their IPAs, lagers and porters. They offer cans to go and games to entertain the little ones while the adults relax a little. Service was quick with her pouring the drinks just as they opened at noon. Even their NA drinks were good too. Will be a while since I'll return so have an extra drink for me in the meantime! Cheers!
Whistle Buoy was my favorite beer from our recent trip to British Columbia. Their selection and variety were outstanding and fun, and the bartender was extremely personable. I loved their outdoor beer garden, which made for a perfect night cap under the fairy lights. I really enjoyed the coffee stout. Location is ideal, walking distance from pretty much anything you'd want to see and do in Downtown Victoria, which makes it a great spot for visitors.
We were in town for a bit from the cruise and the lady at the information desk recommended it as the most authentic local place for the beer. It is located in the Market Squiare, which is a fun place to browse, and looks like a favorite spot for many locals. We were there around 4-5 pm, and the place was pretty full. They had a lot to offer, and I was partualrly interested in their raspberry sour, but they did not have it on tap :( Lot's of other worthy options, though - we enjoyed ourselves!
The location of this brewery is great since it's perfect for people watching on a nice day. I appreciated the different varieties of beer they had available and that they had the option to order a flight. I really enjoyed the ube beer - very interesting and unique. I also enjoyed the coffee stout, but the other two (peach sour and dark lager) were nothing exciting. As there are not too many breweries in Victoria, I would likely return to this one again. But on my next visit, I would definitely seek out a different one to go to first.
I love the outdoor seating here and the food available. The beer is outstanding. The cold lager was perfect for me and my partner liked the low vis. Service is always quick and friendly. Every time I'm in Victoria I try to stop by this brewery and it's always a treat. If you're lucky there might also be live music! It's a great area of the city.
This is my first Six Star review. We passed by on a late Friday morning, but WBB didn't open till noon. Sooooo glad we circled back because these beers were FANtastic. I asked the beer tender for his recommendation on the 3 best beers. He suggested a wet hop stout, a wheat and the stout on nitro. The wet hop was money. The wheat had a super fruity aroma. They both tasted great. Chances are your beers will be very different as they rotate beers consistently. I chatted up Connor who turns out is a co owner. They have a lot of pride sourcing ingredients locally. I sample a couple of ipas and went with a very well executed hazy ipa over the west coast and their Coastal pale ale which is their flagship. It was good but man that hazy was worth another. Got my wife a stout. Let me tell you, Chills! That beer was so on point. Delicious. Creamy. Light yet roasty AF. These beers are way Legit. Beer Nerd Certified 100% I asked Collin how he felt about Customers stealing glasses. He said it wasn't the worst thing to have his branded glasses in customers cupboards. They have 3 sizes and the 7oz was super cute and unique. Plenty of room inside. Games. Clean restrooms. Fridges with cans to go and merch. We sat outside in a large covered patio. It was comfortable with good views of the market. And on top of singing hi praise, my new beer buddy , owner extraordinaire COMPED me a glass. ok choking up now, kindness & gratitude. Whistle Buoy congrats on 5 years in biz, cheers to many many more!!!!!!
This place is super cute and located centrally in Victoria. It's easy to walk to if you are staying in town and the most easy to access brewery I discovered, although it can be a teeny bit hard to find as it is located with it's entrance in a courtyard. I did appreciate the placards guiding my way, but if you come from varying directions you may feel like you are lost and heading nowhere. The courtyard looks like it would be inviting in warmer weather, there is currently an outdoor tented area if you are in to that kind of thing. I was also thankful that they had all day hours from 11 am to midnight allowing me to visit twice on a 3 day trip. There were a variety of beers on tap, but I am now recalling I was disappointed to not find their taplist on their website as this would have helped me add it to my to do list, it is now keeping me from referring to the beers I tried here directly. I do recall I had a couple and they were tasty. What I am was most excited to try was the vegan shaft, I guess this is a Victoria thing but they are normally not vegan so it may be worth a trip just to check this out if you have dietary habits like me. It is also worth noting this is located very close to a vegan restaurant, I believe they allow you to bring in your own food as well if you prefer your vegan food with a beer. The vibe here was nice, not too crowded or loud on a busy holiday weekend. More than 1 bathroom which I always appreciate in a place that encourages beer drinking. All the employees I interacted with were super helpful and friendly.
While in Victoria, BC during a port stop on a cruise we went on an Ale Trail excursion and the first 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. read more
Located in Market Square, there seems to be outdoor patio, but we came on a rainy day so we sat inside. The brewery is very casual for hang out, and offers some board games. For our flight, we chose Marketplatz German Pils, fuzzy peach sour, lemon lime fizz and the Shaft coffee stout. My favorite two were the Pils and peach sour, the stout was also solid, not a fan of the lemon lime fizz tho. read more
Well you know that when in town we're going to try a brewery. Whistle Buoy is a small batch with some experimental beers, I.e pastry sours, kelp and algae gose, etc..I stuck with the usual subjects, hazy and pale. Pretty decent flavor profile, not an abundance of hops, but still a nice beer. Just outside China Town, defiantly worth a visit in this part of town. read more
Great location for drinks on a nice summer day visiting the city. Glad to stop by after having dim sum in the nearby Chinatown. Better to sit outside for our three flights than sit inside. The Ube Bae Bae Bay was the winner for the drafts. Had a pretty distinct taste while my family enjoyed their IPAs, lagers and porters. They offer cans to go and games to entertain the little ones while the adults relax a little. Service was quick with her pouring the drinks just as they opened at noon. Even their NA drinks were good too. Will be a while since I'll return so have an extra drink for me in the meantime! Cheers! read more
2 months ago
Great vibes, even better food! While the menu is very small, the sandwiches and grilled cheese were divine! The beetroot aioli I could eat by the bucket. There are boardgames and good vibes, all around, plenty of seating outside, quick lines and good service from the staff. Would go back! read more
Whistle Buoy was my favorite beer from our recent trip to British Columbia. Their selection and variety were outstanding and fun, and the bartender was extremely personable. I loved their outdoor beer garden, which made for a perfect night cap under the fairy lights. I really enjoyed the coffee stout. Location is ideal, walking distance from pretty much anything you'd want to see and do in Downtown Victoria, which makes it a great spot for visitors. read more
10 months ago
We were in town for a bit from the cruise and the lady at the information desk recommended it as the most authentic local place for the beer. It is located in the Market Squiare, which is a fun place to browse, and looks like a favorite spot for many locals. We were there around 4-5 pm, and the place was pretty full. They had a lot to offer, and I was partualrly interested in their raspberry sour, but they did not have it on tap :( Lot's of other worthy options, though - we enjoyed ourselves! read more
The location of this brewery is great since it's perfect for people watching on a nice day. I appreciated the different varieties of beer they had available and that they had the option to order a flight. I really enjoyed the ube beer - very interesting and unique. I also enjoyed the coffee stout, but the other two (peach sour and dark lager) were nothing exciting. As there are not too many breweries in Victoria, I would likely return to this one again. But on my next visit, I would definitely seek out a different one to go to first. read more
I love the outdoor seating here and the food available. The beer is outstanding. The cold lager was perfect for me and my partner liked the low vis. Service is always quick and friendly. Every time I'm in Victoria I try to stop by this brewery and it's always a treat. If you're lucky there might also be live music! It's a great area of the city. read more
This is my first Six Star review. We passed by on a late Friday morning, but WBB didn't open till noon. Sooooo glad we circled back because these beers were FANtastic. I asked the beer tender for his recommendation on the 3 best beers. He suggested a wet hop stout, a wheat and the stout on nitro. The wet hop was money. The wheat had a super fruity aroma. They both tasted great. Chances are your beers will be very different as they rotate beers consistently. I chatted up Connor who turns out is a co owner. They have a lot of pride sourcing ingredients locally. I sample a couple of ipas and went with a very well executed hazy ipa over the west coast and their Coastal pale ale which is their flagship. It was good but man that hazy was worth another. Got my wife a stout. Let me tell you, Chills! That beer was so on point. Delicious. Creamy. Light yet roasty AF. These beers are way Legit. Beer Nerd Certified 100% I asked Collin how he felt about Customers stealing glasses. He said it wasn't the worst thing to have his branded glasses in customers cupboards. They have 3 sizes and the 7oz was super cute and unique. Plenty of room inside. Games. Clean restrooms. Fridges with cans to go and merch. We sat outside in a large covered patio. It was comfortable with good views of the market. And on top of singing hi praise, my new beer buddy , owner extraordinaire COMPED me a glass. ok choking up now, kindness & gratitude. Whistle Buoy congrats on 5 years in biz, cheers to many many more!!!!!! read more
We loved this place! The girl working was so sweet, nice, and patient. she was helpful and answered all questions. we loved trying to flight to get a little taste of everything. one of my favorites was the smoothie! it's in a convient area and there's so much around to walk to after! read more
Me a double IPA followed by a nitro Dryrish Stout, delicious.... The Boss, she got the Shaft! A local concoction with coconut added! Dangerously amazing. Server was friendly and knew her stuff. The brewery is comfy with lots of seating save plenty of match to go home with. read more
4 years ago
This place is super cute and located centrally in Victoria. It's easy to walk to if you are staying in town and the most easy to access brewery I discovered, although it can be a teeny bit hard to find as it is located with it's entrance in a courtyard. I did appreciate the placards guiding my way, but if you come from varying directions you may feel like you are lost and heading nowhere. The courtyard looks like it would be inviting in warmer weather, there is currently an outdoor tented area if you are in to that kind of thing. I was also thankful that they had all day hours from 11 am to midnight allowing me to visit twice on a 3 day trip. There were a variety of beers on tap, but I am now recalling I was disappointed to not find their taplist on their website as this would have helped me add it to my to do list, it is now keeping me from referring to the beers I tried here directly. I do recall I had a couple and they were tasty. What I am was most excited to try was the vegan shaft, I guess this is a Victoria thing but they are normally not vegan so it may be worth a trip just to check this out if you have dietary habits like me. It is also worth noting this is located very close to a vegan restaurant, I believe they allow you to bring in your own food as well if you prefer your vegan food with a beer. The vibe here was nice, not too crowded or loud on a busy holiday weekend. More than 1 bathroom which I always appreciate in a place that encourages beer drinking. All the employees I interacted with were super helpful and friendly. read more
1 year ago
Had two chill visits here while in Victoria for about 24 hours. We arrived in downtown Victoria and the very cool Market Square area was a short walking distance from the bus drop off. Very cool place with a great selection of shops and food places, we just needed a beverage before checking into our Airbnb. Really enjoyed the beers we had in their outdoor patio area. The next day, we had some time to kill before getting back on a bus to the ferry station-Whistle Buoy was the perfect last stop in Victoria. I would love to come back here if I ever get back up north. Very nice place. read more
While on a cruise from Seattle to Alaska, one of our stops was in Victoria, BC, and my fiancé and I decided to just walk around town to see what we found for the few hours we were there. We stumbled upon Whistle Buoy brewery and decided to stop by for a drink. We immediately loved the vibe of this cute courtyard and the very locals feel. My fiancé opted to try one of their Hazy IPA's (as usual) and I decided on a non alcohol kombucha. Generally, I enjoy a flavored kombucha, but this was not flavored and it was really very delicious. In fact, I could have had another can if I had the time and space in my stomach! My fiancé also liked his Hazy and said it was the best one he had throughout our stops on our cruise. He's looking forward to adding the Whistle Buoy sticker to his brewery sticker collection. read more
4 years ago
What a fun spot in Victoria! My partner and I were walking around downtown Victoria and spotted Whistle Buoy as the outdoor patio area was lively and fun, and located in a nice courtyard area. We had to check it out. Whistle Buoy had a good amount of beers to choose from, as well as other drinks. I liked that for the outdoor patio area, there was a bar there, so we didn't have to wait for a server to take our order, but could order ourselves at the bar. They were also hosting a pop-up oyster bar, and nearby was a pupusas food cart. My partner and I shared a local kombucha on tap, which was spiked with vodka and we also shared the IPA. What's nice at Whistle Buoy is that since they offer an intriguing list of drinks, they have different sizes of glasses, so you can get a smaller size than a standard pint. Our drinks were solid, and it was nice to try some local, Canadian brews. I'd recommend checking this spot out if you're looking for some brews out on a dog-friendly patio. read more
Really lovely! The "strawberry kiwi smoochie" is a beer I still think about a lot, as something that really expanded my horizons of what beer can be like. The space also seemed nice! A bunch of games to play if you're there with friends. (Alas, I was traveling alone and had 20 minutes before the bus.) read more
B, N and I came here for crafty beer. Whistle Buoy is located in the old part of downtown. It is somewhat hidden inside the market. It was not easy to find. We decided to do a flight (4 glasses). A flight cost $12. B got Hype Beast, Discovery Coffee Mild, Garden City Sour - Blackberry and Coastality Pale Ale. Out of the 4, he liked the Discovery Coffee Mild and second favorite is the Garden City Sour - Blackberry. They are very flavorful. We also picked up 3 large 946ml cans to go for $11 each. They were huge. We got Hype Beast, Discovery Coffee Mild and Garden City Sour - Blackberry. The cans were full to the top. The Hype Beast tasted different compared to having it there. It seemed like sweeter and coconutty which B is not a fan of. We shared the can with B's best friend and we still have some left in the can. Anyways, there are indoor and outdoor seating at Whistle Buoy. If you come here during the weekend, they have an oyster bar. The oyster looks really good but I was too full (we came after lunch). Great place to catch up with friends for sure. B said he would recommend this place to friends. I had a sip of B's beer and the Coastality Pale Ale beer suited me the best because it had less of a barfy flavor. read more
4 years ago
Located below the market square on the bottom level. There is an outdoor space I did not dare use on this freezing day in Canada when I found this brewery. Flights come in 4 or 5 selections. Super chill vibe here with friendly service. All the beers tasted similar except for the tiramisu stout which was my favorite. It had a sweet coffee and chocolate flavor without being a super heavy stout. The vibe of this brewery is friendly and inviting with gender neutral bathrooms. Games for customers are available too. I imagine this spot is also great in warmer weather to enjoy the outdoor patio. Future goals lol. read more
2 years ago
I had the fuzzy peach sour and the lager. Both tasted amazing and the customer service was very nice. I adored that they had different pour sizes. They also have a corner full of games and a cool venue. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I liked this brewery! It's pretty easy to get to. They had quite a few beers on tap. I had a hazy pale. I enjoyed it. They have indoor seating as well as an outdoor tent. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I biked here and it was so wonderful The vibe was lovely, the service was great quick and so so nice The drinks there were definitely the best ones around price and taste wise read more
6 years ago
Great deals from this local brewery and even greater hospitality. Had a very flavor rich craft your own beer flight which was a good deal... a lot better than some in the states especially back in Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington. The Saison was probably one of my favorites in the mix, but the pale ale and ipa hit the spot. They have some gnarly cocktails, growlers, merch and others deliciousness for sell as well. They have a cooler near the door when you first walk in with some pints, cans and other grab n goes for later. The inside is very spacious, however the outside sectioned off large benches patio area is where the fun is... especially when the weather is ideal... and when the sun goes down the string lights are quite a sight. Everyone we encountered was plenty friendly. Definitely hope to come back by in the future. read more
Found this place during a brief stop in Victoria. Plenty of seating outdoors and some indoors. You seat yourself and order at the counter. Bartender was very nice. We ordered a flight and she labeled it well. Generous pours and reasonably priced. Unfortunately we just didn't really like any of the beers. I'm a wheat/sour lover and they didn't have any of those. We ordered an ale, a lager and two IPAs. Husband likes IPAs but did not care for these. The spruce pine ale tasted like...a spruce tree. Interesting. Anyway, today I saw they posted a new Blackberry Berliner on their Facebook page. I'm sure I would like that one, but the night we stopped in just wasn't my night. Also really liked that they had a serve yourself water tap. read more
3 years ago
Secretly the beer is a 3, but the experience is a 10: Sitting at the tables in market square in the sun, ordering flights of beer, bringing food from all the surrounding options (ayo eat for fresh spring rolls, green cuisine for pad Thai). read more
5 years ago
One of the best breweries I've been to in SO long! I was so happy to stumble upon this place - especially on a sunny day, they have an amazing patio area. Had some awesome oysters and a flight and I've recommended it to everyone since! Beer game on point. read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago
The only reason there are no reviews of this place is because people want to keep it a secret. The sour and lemon... so good! All the beer is. Sandwiches, nuts n such, dogs and outside food ok! read more
7 years ago
In love with the peach and ginger kombucha, or can I say addictive. Let night shopping around the corner then hopped in to have some drinks before the night ends. read more
5 years ago
Great environment! Outside patio is beautiful, service is great. IPA is a good choice, the Pale Ale is my favorite. read more
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More info about Whistle Buoy Brewing
560 Johnson Street
Unit 63
Victoria, BC V8W 3C6
Canada
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Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Review Highlights - Whistle Buoy Brewing
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1 review that is not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
6 years ago
Whistle Buoy Brewing - breweries - Updated July 2026
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