Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
Combining excellent independent bars and cozy coffeehouse hangouts,
Main St is the kind of area you can nurse a drink all afternoon while you
type your latest epic blog entry on your MacBook. At time of writing, the
hotly anticipated new Craft Beer Market (
www.craftbeermarket.ca
)
pub
was also preparing to kick-off in the Olympic Village area. It promises
100-plus draft taps; check the website for the latest details.
RETURN OF BREWERY CREEK
Mainland Brewery, Red Star Brewery, San Francisco Brewery and, of course, Van-
couver Brewery. The names of the city's long-gone beer producers recall a time
when Brewery Creek - an area radiating from Main St around 7th Ave - was re-
sponsible for concocting the suds quaffed by many beer-loving Vancouverites.
The area is named after a rolling creek that originally ran roughly alongside part
of what's now called Main St - and was formerly called Westminster Ave. The
creek powered water wheels in the area and helped local producers fuel their
beer-making operations. Those in-the-know can still spot reminders of the neigh-
borhood's ale-making golden age - including two former brewery buildings still
standing just off Main St at East 7th and East 6th. But the best is yet to come for
thirsty nostalgia buffs: around 125 years after the first brewery set up shop in this
area in 1888, Brewery Creek is making a beer-tastic comeback.
Several brand-new breweries have opened or are on the cusp of opening in this
latter a hotly anticipated new project from the co-owners of Gastown's Alibi
Room (
Click here
)
, Vancouver's favorite craft-beer bar. Marks James Group, own-
ers of Yaletown Brewing Company (
Click here
)
, were also planning to open a new
Red Truck Brewery nearby on Great Northern Way. Check their websites to see if
they're up and running by the time you arrive. And be sure to raise a glass or
three to the historic area that started it all.
