Yeast Van’s Hoppiest Destinations

The East Van or as the craft beer lovers like to call it, “Yeast Van” has some of Vancouver’s best brews. Yeast Van has a bit of a “rough around the edges” vibe with their industrial connection to Canada’s busiest port. It’s is a multicultural area, where Luppula has deep Italian Roots and Andina Brewing gives it a taste of Columbia.

Storm Brewing

Storm is the first brewery to hit the East Vancouver area back in the 1990’s. James Walton has lead the brew team to produce over 400 different “brainstorm” brews, which gained Storm the reputation of being the most creative and innovative brewery in the country. Walton is renowned for his quality in crafter by both the media and the trade. When you enter Storm through their landing door, you will be “behind the scenes” of an active working brewery. Every Saturday, they have a new assortment of brainstorms, which are constantly changing and so is their beer board and off sales.

East Van Brewing

East Van Brewing was the idea of tan owner of the London Pub who decided to register the name when he saw a bunch of breweries opening in the area in 2012. East Van Brewing Co opened five years later. East Van has 12 taps with their core lineup as well as seasonal that are constantly rotating. They also serve paninis, calzones and other snacks from Bianca Maria, a local Italian restaurant. The tasting room is spacious and since COVID, they have opened a mezzanine upstairs and a side walk patio with a view of  downtown.

Andina

Andina Brewing’s name comes from the way you refer to women from the Andes Mountains, which stretch along the entire west coast of South America from Cape Horn to Panama, distancing 7250 kilometres. Andina represents where the Amaya brothers come from and provides them with the foundation to pursue their main objective: Promote South America but more specifically, Columbian heritage within their customers. The Andina Girl, which you cannot miss as she is painted across the side of the building, is named “Pola”. Pola is Columbian slang for beer and also the nickname of Policarpa Salavarrieta, a heroine who helped Columbia gain independence from the Spanish regime.

Andrés Amaya, the co-founder, is also the creator of the line up of ceviches Andina serves. Through his travels of only 52 countries, he acquired an impressive amount of skills which he is able to apply to Andina and it also embodies his ultimate dream “to own my own business before the age of 50.”

Ben Greenburg is the head brewer and he brews with the philosophy that beer is meant to be fun and enjoyed with friends and family. He started at Night Owl Brewing and some of his best memories were working behind the bar and talking with customers about what they enjoyed in each batch. This is what drives Ben’s passion of making craft beer at Andina Brewing. From their classic Lager to a Guava Saison and Hazy IPA, Andina will leave you wanting more.

Strathcona

Strathcona Beer Company was founded by an impassioned group of friends with connections to the neighbourhood and an appreciation of beer. They are located in the heart of Strathcona, which is Vancouver’s oldest and most diverse neighbourhood. Their interests from art, music, skateboarding and design have influenced their brand as they are striving to push the boundaries of the craft beer industry.

“We chose Strathcona for its strong community feel, character, vibrancy and are dedicated to contributing to the neighbourhood in a positive way.“ says Strathcona Beer Company President, Tim Knight. When Tim was approached to open the brewery in East Hastings, it was the perfect way to expand his roots in the Strathcona neighbourhood as he has been living there since 2002.

Strathcona has beers from their Premium Pilsner to the Big Sexy Funk IPA and one of my favourites for a hot summer day near the water, Beach Lemon Mandarine Radler.

Off the Rail

Steve Forsyth has equipped Off the Rail with a 2000 L brewhouse and with 2000 L, 4000 L and 6000 L fermentation tanks. They love traditional English Ales, german Lagers and US IPAs so those take up the majority of brews. Off The Rail’s tasting room features 15 taps, including 3 nitros, which are rarely available outside of the tasting room. Although they do no operate a kitchen, they serve local Jamaican patties, Potato pea Samosa’s, pepperoni sticks and chips, but their food truck, La Sella, serves up pizza on most weekends. The second story tasting room is the perfect spot to watch cyclists whip by on the Adanac route. Off the Rail has also scored big at the Canadian Brewery Awards with the Classic Pale Ale winning gold in 2016 and the Crazy Train IPA getting Sliver in 2017.

Strange Fellows

Opening in 2014, Strange Fellows has been inspired by the strange and the extraordinary. While struggling to come up for a name of their brewery, Aaron and Iain were declared that they were “just like the odd couple,” and the name came from there. Their vision for the brewery came from a common vision: two strangers can have a beer together, look each other in the eye and toast each other’s good health. They are known for their sour and barrel-aged beer but they also brew a broad range from hoppy and sessional to stouts to traditional Belgians.

Luppolo

Luppolo Brewing is owned by two couples: Eleanor Stewart and Ryan Parfitt, and Anique Ross and Federico Stucchi. Anique and Eleanor have been frinds for over twenty years and their love of beer and entertaining lead them to the dream of opening their own brewery in 2016. “Lupollo” meaning “hops” in Italian, has a refection of their Italian heritage and to embrace the concepts of craftsmanship, community and family values that are associated with Italian culture. They believe in experimenting is the key to developing unique and interesting beers. They spend lots of time investigating and researching to create less known beer styles and hybrids. They brew beers from Sours and Gose’s to Italian Pilsners and double hopped IPA’s. Along with their beer, Lupollo serves an assortment of Italian appetizers and pizzas.

On a rare sunny day in Vancouver, grab a bike, or if you can’t bike, just walk the Yeast Van breweries and you will be sure to find your next favourite pint.

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