Beer, Wine & Spirits in Vancouver

Years ago, Derrick and Donna Smith began brewing a quartet of ales together, the steaming vats of barley filling their small facility with steam. They quickly gained the attention of beer drinkers and critics and expanded into a 10,000-square-foot space. There, they invite you to check out new craft brews such as Classic Nut Brown Ale, Bold Belgian Pale Ale, and Seasonal Citrus Wit. Rotating seasonal suds fill the recognizable frog-emblazoned bottles with beers whose flavors vary with the season. Derrick and Donna offer clients a peek inside their operation with tours and tastings.

Haely and Juhan Lindau had seemingly unrelated degrees in commerce and molecular biology. But they soon realized how complementary their backgrounds actually were to a career in winemaking and beer brewing. Armed with business and libation-crafting knowledge, the duo flung open the doors of Broadway Brewing and Winemaking in 1992, becoming the first on-premises winemaking shop in Vancouver. At the DIY winery, the owners and their knowledgeable staff guide students of all interests and skill levels through the process of making their own libations, assisting them in selecting the right supplies for home-brewing endeavours before giving them advice on what to do if beer starts drinking itself.

At Purple Castle Brewing's 4,300-square foot brew house, aspiring vintners create their own delicious red and white wines during brewing, bottling, labeling, and corking sessions. Amid rustic wooden barrels and shiny metal vats, seasoned wine experts teach visitors how to ferment, bottle, mature, and kennel-train a batch of fine wine. Patrons crush flavor-filled grapes such as an off-dry German gewtraminer or a rich Australian shiraz, crafting their own labels to slap on their handmade potables. Each 23-litre batch fills up to 30 750 mL bottles and lasts for up to two years, supplying amateur winesmiths with a good start to a collection or plenty of thoughtful gift ideas for any occasion.

Named for five underground creeks that converge near the eatery, The Five Point plies Vancouverites with innovative gastro-pub dishes crafted from fresh ingredients. An upbeat ambience and affable staff mix under the dining room's famed turn-of-the-century chandelier to yield a lively supping experience utterly devoid of orphaned pickpockets. Sample tastes traversing several national borders with appetizers including the self-proclaimed "ridiculously good hummus" ($9), Korean ribs with house-made kimchi ($14), and carne asada beef tacos ($13). The main course menu jet sets from Southeast Asia's lemongrass curried beef ($14) to Italy's fettuccini alla puttanesca ($16), while maintaining a dapper, airline hostess-attracting appearance. Brunch dishes, including the fiery eggs inferno with chilli and chorizo ($11), are built upon a sturdy foundation of mood-elevating omega-3 eggs. The Five Point's full bar stirs or shakes lists of house cocktails and martinis alongside fine wine and beer selections.

With more than 20 years of beer-making and winemaking experience, the fermenters at Wine Kitz pass on their libation know-how during two-hour group classes. Winemakers can choose from more than 30 grape-juice varieties from Chile, Australia, Italy, California, and grade schools around the world, and beer brewers choose from more than 10 of Wine Kitz's pure-wort kits. The professional potation creators house all of the necessary equipment, including an electric bottle-filling machine and a corking-and-capping machine. Pupils can wizen their hand-mixed saps in large glass carboys or in an oak barrel, choosing their preferred amount of oak flavour, dryness, sweetness, and karaoke-inducing abilities. Each student crafts up to five litres of wine or beer that can be picked up, bottled, and corked six weeks after the class (bottles are not included but may be purchased on-site for $1–$1.50; pickup process takes less than 30 minutes).

At WineMaster, patrons can participate in a fun hands-on spirits-making process without converting their backyard pools into grape-fermentation tanks. After selecting a malbec, merlot, sauvignon blanc, or Gewurztraminer style, participants will use a winemaking kit to easily prepare their batch. The vino vanguards will watch and protect your batch for two months of fermentation, after which time you'll return to bring your own banter-stimulating grape blood into the world during a fun, 20-minute bottling and labeling session. The entire process yields about 30 bottles of wine, which should be enough to get a circus-elephant drunk or keep a closet full of hostess gifts for future dinner parties. Additionally, visitors can take advantage of state-of-the-art winemaking equipment and a friendly and knowledgeable staff, ensuring batches won’t accidentally transform into fruit juice or a magical truth serum that turns dinner parties into awkwardly confrontational events.