Spinnakers Victoria Gastro Brewpub and Guesthouses

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub is located just a quick harbour ferry ride across Victoria’s inner harbour and is the home of Canada’s first purpose-built brewpub. Spinnakers produces at least ten different types of ales (not lagers) and they turn around new beers each month, often designing custom brews for community events and fundraisers.

During our visit we were lucky enough to sample some menu items, which were absolutely divine — I must have heard John say “Wow” at least a dozen times throughout the meal.

We had been to Spinnakers before but I think we just ordered pizza (which in itself is great) however we’re much happier to have explored the rest of the offerings.

Our flight of beer included a Hefeweizen, Stout, and Porter paired with lavender white chocolate truffles, dark chocolate raspberry, and another chocolate truffle topped with barley. Our final drink was a Brandenburg 3 paired with Saltspring Island cheese.

We also discovered that adjacent to the brewpub, just across the grassy courtyard, there is a selection of guest houses with lovely rooms. They include a continental breakfast, local paper and an assortment of baked goods supplied each morning. In the off season the guest rooms go for about $149 a night (and up) and in the peak summer months you can rent the entire Mary Street Cottage for $279.

Spinnakers offers local ingredients, fresh seafood, chocolate truffles made in-house, wines, vinegars (made on-site), and of course the hand-crafted beer. On top of that, they even create their own special mineral water. It’s a culinary delight in a comfortable atmosphere (darts and pool tables upstairs) with a glorious view of the harbour. Spinnakers is the epitome of eating local and is a highly recommended stop during your next trip to our Province’s capital.

Our stop at Spinnakers was during our Coast Hotels ‘New Victoria for New Media’ tour – view my Flickr set for more images.