This rigorously researched deep dive into the history of craft beer in Vancouver makes an exciting addition to books on the city’s history, certain to appeal to beer-lovers and history buffs alike.

Few would dispute that these days Vancouver is a prime craft beer destination, with over 70 breweries in the greater Vancouver area and 35+ in Vancouver proper. Beer has shaped the city’s culture, and in turn, Vancouver’s idiosyncratic identity has also shaped its craft beer. But how did it all begin?

In this rigorously researched deep dive into the history of craft beer in Vancouver, beer historian and enthusiast Noëlle Phillips follows independent brewing from the city’s inception in 1886 to the onset of prohibition in 1917 and, hopping over the “big beer” period of 1920–1980, delves into the explosion of micro, small-batch and craft breweries that dot the city’s neighbourhoods today. She traces the smaller, lesser-known breweries, brewers, and owners through archival materials, newspaper accounts, and personal interviews. Along the way she uncovers stories and details that have been largely unknown even to local beer writers and aficionados.

Illustrated with photos, original newspaper clippings, and maps, with stops into basement archives and sunlit tap rooms, Brewmasters and Brewery Creek is an inviting and exciting addition to books on the city’s history that will appeal to beer-lovers and history buffs alike.

Noëlle Phillips is the author of Craft Beer Culture and Modern Medievalism and co-editor of the collection Beer and Brewing in Medieval Culture and Contemporary Medievalisms. She is a regular contributor to The Growler, BC’s craft beer magazine, and the BC Ale Trail blog. She teaches in the English Department at Douglas College.

Noëlle Phillips' profile page