Welcome to the fourth Official Lower Mainland Brewery Review, focusing on some of the lesser talked about establishments to grab a drink. You can find the first, second, and third installments here. Today we’re talking about Black Kettle Brewing in North Vancouver.

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Nuts and Bolts

This brewery is a fairly unassuming establishment, located in an obscure industrial area on Copping street. I don’t blame you if you don’t know where the hell Copping street is, but I’m sure you could figure out how to search for the brewery on Google Maps.

Opening in 2014, Black Kettle offers a much different experience than every other brewery in North Van. This place has more of a pub feel, offering up some interesting food specials alongside their brews. There’s basically nothing else around this place, so there are very few people stumbling upon it. You’ll see a fair share of regulars sitting at the bar, as most people outside of North Van probably don’t really know about it.

The Beers

Black Kettle offers a nice mix of core beers with seasonal options. I had a white IPA that was simply scrumptious. They also had a jalapeno IPA, which I don’t think I’ve ever heard of before. I found it to be a little too much jalapeno and too little IPA, but I appreciated the attempt. I also like that they had an array of canned beers that were completely different than what they had on tap. This isn’t always a good thing, since you may be out of luck to find take home beers if you really like one. However, for someone looking to try as many beers as possible, having a flight or two in the taproom and taking home a four pack is always a good idea.

The Taproom

The second I walked into this brewery for the first time, I immediately knew I loved this place. It had such an unassuming feel, and truly seemed like a neighborhood pub. Some breweries come off a bit pretentious, but this place seems super friendly and welcoming. They also have some awesome artwork on their walls, which act as the designs for their canned beers.

The coolest thing that Black Kettle has going for them is their food, and more specifically, their food deals. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a brewery in the Lower Mainland have wings, but Black Kettle has 89 cent wing nights every Wednesday. Oddly enough, they only have two flavours (salted and hot), but both are solid. The best deal that this brewery has happens on Tuesday nights. They offer a $10 deal for a beer and smash burger. Isn’t that wild? $10 gets you dinner and a beer. At most places, the beer alone will cost you that.

I love these food deals because it reminds me of suburban Ontario bars where I grew up. It doesn’t seem like these kind of cheap food deals are as common in the Lower Mainland, especially at a brewery.

Final Word

Black Kettle gets major points for an awesome taproom and insane food deals. The beers are also solid, and they aren’t afraid to push the envelope. The random location might be the only drawback, although this also adds to the charm.

I’m giving Black Kettle 9.5 fermented sodas out of 10.