So Vancouver is awesome, and I want to move there. It has a total Pacific Northwest vibe – the people are super friendly, it’s laid back, and it doesn’t hurt that there are also tons of craft breweries that are AMAZING.

There are loads of breweries, and I was only able to get to three of them because I just had the one afternoon of free time, but they’re all really close together, so if you have a full day then totally check out more if you can. I’ve included a list of the ones I wanted to get to at the bottom (all the reviews I read online and people I talked to in Vancouver reco’d them as well)!

Here is a little about the 3 I made it to – spoiler alert, I loved them all, but there were some things that stood out at each over the others.

• 33 Acres Brewing Company: as an IPA fan, this was my favorite brewery when it came to options. There were SO many IPAs to choose from, so of course I opted for a flight. They had a huge selection of non-IPAs as well, and several rotating beers to choose from. The menu was really inventive, actually – everything was 33 Acres of [something]. I tried the 33 Acres of Ocean, 33 Acres of Echo, 33 Acres of Cid3r, and 33 Acrew of Nirvana. The only thing I would have changed was remembering there was the rotating draft wall (whoops!) and I would have tried the 33 Acres of Nu or 33 Acres of Genesis – Batch #5 IPAs in place of the Cider and Ocean pale ale. I still loved all four of the beers I tried, though, and hey – now I have an excuse to go back! Also if you’re a picky cider fan and only like dry ciders like me, definitely try this. It was SUPER dry, not sweet at all. The vibe of the place was also super cool – the kind of place you’d want to grab a pint (or two!) and do some work on a Friday afternoon. If you’re in Vancouver and could only go to one brewery, this would be my top reco. Flights start at $8 and you get 4 different 6oz beers. 33 Acres gets a 5 out of 5 from me!

• Brassneck Brewery: Contrary to 33 Acres, Brassneck didn’t have any IPAs on tap while I was there, but they did have some great recommendations of other beers. The staff was great about helping me find beers I enjoyed, which I really appreciated. I ended up trying the Brassneck Ale (figured I had to try the house brew), the Ten x Ten, the Passive Aggressive (dry-hopped pale ale), and the Main Squeeze (dry-hopped wheat beer with black lime and citrus). For not being IPAs, I really enjoyed all of the options actually, just would have liked one true IPA at least. My friend who I traveled with has the complete opposite beer taste from me, and this was her favorite of the day. The vibe was really cool too – a bit darker than 33 Acres, so probably more of an evening spot than an afternoon, but still a great experience overall. Flights started at $8 here, too, but the pours are 4oz (vs the 6oz pours at 33 Acres). Just because they didn’t have the IPA selection, I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5, but if you can get to two breweries while you’re in Vancouver, this would for sure be my second reco!

• Main Street Brewing Co: Just around the corner from Brassneck is Main Street Brewing. This was the only brewery we went to where you could actually see the brewery itself, which was pretty cool. Better selection of IPAs than Brassneck, too, which made me happy. I tried the BY HOOK OR BY CROOK (Bohemian Pilsner), Naked Fox (IPA), Fresh Hopped Cashmere Farmhouse Ale, and the El Dorado Smash Cask Pale Ale. The only one that was a bit underwhelming was the El Dorado Smash, which just didn’t have the flavor I was expecting for a cask beer. It was still cood, just didn’t pack quite the punch that I’d been expecting. Also, the tasting room overall didn’t have quite the same Vancouver vibe of the other two, but the feature wall with all the beers was really awesome. I think the flight was around $10 for 4 beers, 4 oz each. I’d give it a 4.25 out of 5. Definitely worth checking out if you have the time!

The others I wanted to get to but couldn’t are Off the Rail Brewing Co, Red Truck Beer Company, and Faculty Brewing Co.

Have you been to any of the breweries above in Vancouver? Any additions to the list? Or any thoughts on the ones I mentioned that I didn’t make it to? Would love to hear from you!