2018 Victoria, British Columbia, Official Vacation Guide - 16

ANDREW KIELBOWICZ

Next up: art appreciation at Swans
Hotel, Brewery & Pub. Built in 1913 as
a granary and feed store, this brick-lined
and flower-framed landmark was reborn
as a brewpub and boutique hotel in 1989.
Besides offering tasty comestibles (think
11 house drafts, pulled pork poutine and
duck burgers), Swans is home to a museumworthy art collection. About 400 pieces,
including many First Nations works, hang
throughout the property.
Nearby, Darcy's Pub not only has a long
list of craft beers and outstanding pub fare,
but it also has live music every night of the
week starting at 10 p.m. Don't be shy. Get up
and dance!

Just down the street, the Scottishthemed The Bard & Banker Pub, in an
equally lavish 1885 bank building, pours 16
Victoria-made brews, including Victoria
Caledonian Brewery's Twa Dogs, Phillips
and Lighthouse. The bard in question is
the Klondike poet Robert Service, who
once worked at this very bank. At least one
server can recite his most famous work, The
Cremation of Sam McGee, by heart. If that's
your party trick, too, this is the place to do it.

TAPROOM TOURS
Don't fancy the walk? Try biking, boating or
pedaling a trolley around the pubs. Hop on
and hop off Victoria Harbour Ferry (also
known as Pickle Boats) to pubs around the
harbour on the Pickle Pub Crawl. Join the
Rolling Barrel, a ridiculously fun two-hour,
three-pub ride on a 15-person, pedalpowered trolley. Take a scenic bike ride (with
samples) to three brewpubs on the The
Pedaler's three-hour Hoppy Hour ride. Go
behind the scenes at three craft breweries or
join a craft beer and food pairing adventure
with West Coast Brewery Tours.
16 | Tourism Victoria 2018 | 800-663-3883

PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTORIA CALEDONIAN BREWERY

Head east on Government Street, where two
lavish former banks have been repurposed as
atmospheric pubs. The Irish Times, in the
1896 Bank of Montreal building bordering
Bastion Square, is Celtic but not kitschy, with
paneled ceilings, opulent chandeliers and
great people-watching patios. An impressive
40-plus line of taps pours 28 of British
Columbia's drafts, along with the essential
Harp and Guinness. There's Irish stew on the
menu and live music every night. Sláinte!

DOUG CLEMENT

BANK ON IT

Worthy of
Celebration
Another round? Catch, if you can,
VICTORIA BEER WEEK in March, a
series of beer-related events held
around town each March, or the
GREAT CANADIAN BEER FESTIVAL,

a celebration of the brewer's art in
September.

Go on an
Ale-Venture
Victoria is the ideal place to
launch a microbrew tour of the
province. The BC ALE TRAIL - the
definitive guide to breweries, pubs
and beer events throughout British
Columbia - has the coordinates.

top The Irish Times, Downtown Victoria;
left to right Brewery Tours in Victoria
Caledonian Brewery, Exterior view of
The Bard & Banker Pub

We are at the geographic
hub of the northwest coast of
North America. The centre of one
of the most dynamic regions on
the planet - Seattle and Vancouver
are a short skip across the Salish
Sea, over water or through the air.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018 Victoria, British Columbia, Official Vacation Guide

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