Drinks

Travel: Checking Out Tofino Brewing Co.’s New Digs

It's a much bigger space, but you still might have to wait for a seat. 

By Stacey McLachlan /

It’s a much bigger space, but you still might have to wait for a seat. 

After nearly a decade of operating in a cramped, plywood-lined room under a strict, liquor-board-implemented, 12-ounce-per-person-per-day policy that discouraged lingering, Tofino Brewing Co. has both new digs and looser reins.

The growler fill station provides a grab-and-go option, but it’s hard to resist sticking around for a tasting flight.

In a high-ceilinged, West Coast casual tasting room on the other side of the warehouse, craft beer pilgrims share high-top tables with friendly locals, all in it for the long haul: with a dozen taps (plus several decent cider options), everyone’s happy to settle in and make a day of it.

Though the craft brewery can churn out 570 hectolitres of beer at a time, the local demand is so high (you’ll find it everywhere from the Hatch Pub to the Wick) that most of those bottles and kegs don’t ever leave Tofino. But when you’re in the heart of the action in the buzzy room, packed to the rafters with regulars sharing Mason jars full of snack mix and swapping samplers from tasting flights (is Kelp Stout a fair trade for a Spruce Tree Ale? Asking for a friend), we’re just surprised to hear that any of it makes it out the door at all.

READ MORE
Your Tofino Getaway Guide

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey is a senior editor at Western Living magazine, as well as editor-in-chief of sister publication Vancouver magazine. She loves window shopping on the job: send your home accessories and furniture recommendations over to [email protected]