Burnaby Tours Does The North Shore – Craft Brewery Style
Burnaby Tours is a relatively new company, having just opened at the beginning of 2015. As the spring rolled around they found a thirsty group of customers that was itching to take a ride. Burnaby Tours started offering craft brewery tours in Burnaby and into the Tri-Cities but has since increased their reach. Beer Me BC linked up with a bus full of craft beer fans for a tour of North Vancouver’s finest craft breweries.
Starting off the journey on the east end of North Vancouver, stop number one was at the Black Kettle Brewery. The brewing team at Black Kettle lined up their Wheat Ale and IPA for tasting and a kick off to an afternoon of craft beer. Located in a relatively industrial part of town ,the Black Kettle Brewery still finds passer-byes and those that know where to head for the source of craft beer.
Stop two was at the tourist hot-spot of North Vancouver – The Lonsdale Quay and Green leaf Brewing. At the water’s edge, the Green leaf Brewery served up a flight taking attendees through the Hefeweizen, Lager, Pale Ale and of course, their IPA. For the tour we sat inside and enjoyed the brewery experience but when you visit on a warm summer’s day, you can enjoy a pint on the patio and some a-grade people watching entertainment to boot.
Next up Bridge Brewing. At their new location off of Mountain Highway, the Bridge team was still coming down from their high of winning a North American Brewing Award for their All Out Stout. Here came some delicious tastings but also the run-down on what makes a brewery tick. The Bridge crew walked the group through the basics of how beer is made and what goes into the magical liquid that we call craft beer. After a few hop pellets were consumed in ‘Fizzy Lifting Drink’ style, the tour moved on to one last stop.
The west to east, North Vancouver brewery journey ended at the Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers. At the final stop the group tried the award winning Sun Kissed Tea Saison, and among the other staples, the group split between a Ginger Beer, and new, Sour Ale that was on-tap. Ending the tour with some diversity of flavour brought the group full-circle to the wide range of flavour that comes from BC breweries.
Burnaby Tours offers tours throughout the lower mainland and the diversity of destinations is a recipe for repeat business. Those that want to experience an array of craft beer options come back to the bus time and time again to experience what each, unique BC brewery has to offer. If you would like to join Burnaby Tours on a craft beer exploration check out burnabytours.com
