Born and brewed (ahem) in Victoria, I have a long and tasty history of exploring the British Columbia provincial capital’s dynamic craft beer scene.

It’s always fun to reminisce about that time I got handed too many tokens at the Great Canadian Beer Fest at Royal Athletic Park. Or that time I paired wood-aged sours and Imperial Stouts with Indian fried rice balls and smoked chicken quesadilla at the Victoria Public Market during a Victoria Beer Week event.

Year-round, I enjoy craft beer on foot in Victoria, perennially ranked among Canada’s most walkable and eco-friendly cities. Here are three routes for your next self-guided craft beer tour. The locations are all quite close, so mix and match as you wish.

CRAFT BEER PIONEERS: SPINNAKERS TO MARKET SQUARE

Founded in 1984 as Canada’s first brewpub, Spinnakers holds a special place in the hearts of beer-loving Victorians. With a big, homey, waterfront location in Vic West, it keeps patrons coming back with genuinely unique touches.

I’m a sucker for Spinnakers’ beer-and-chocolate pairings: it’s hard to resist, say, white chocolate with tayberry washed down with a classic Nut Brown Ale. Other core beers, like Departure Pilsner, are likewise brewed with pure mineral water from an aquifer 225 feet below the brewpub. And the food is pure local bounty, from chowder with sockeye salmon to charcuterie with Vancouver Island-made cheeses.

Afterwards, I like to take a 20-minute harbourside stroll along the Westsong Walkway. I view carver Tom LaFortune’s 30-metre-tall Salish Welcome Pole and seaplanes landing before I cross the Johnson Street Bridge into downtown.

Straight ahead is Swans, easy to spot with its glassed-in patio and hanging flower baskets. Attached to an artsy boutique hotel, the 1989-launched brick-walled establishment has recently moved from in-house beers to regional favourites like Driftwood Brewery’s Fat Tug IPA and 33 Acres of Ocean Pale Ale.

Or check out The Drake, at neighbouring Market Square, whose 29 taps dispense plenty of BC-focused variety. While sampling the Metro Vancouver-produced likes of Field House’s Dutch Pale Ale (Abbotsford) and Beere Brewing’s Limber Leopard DDH IPA (North Vancouver), I once started singing Vancouver-raised Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69.” Whistle Buoy Brewing – featuring summer-ready taste treats like Garden City Fieldberry Sour – is right downstairs.

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CHINATOWN CHEERS

Whether you’re admiring Chinatown’s Gate of Harmonious Interest or bound for a Victoria Royals hockey game at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, there are nearby craft beer options to enhance your experience.

On a sunny afternoon, it’s tough to top Craft Beer Market’s terrace facing the Inner Harbour. (It’s accessible, incidentally, via Victoria Harbour Ferry’s cute water taxis if you're weary of walking.) Choices are endless with more than 110 taps, mostly local brews, but also representing Belgium and Germany.

Fruity, retro-flavoured fun awaits cross-street at Swift Brewing. Smooth Operator, a hazy pale ale, and Disco Juice, a dry-hopped IPA, are groovy highlights. Then mosey up to Herald Street Brew Works and munch on 10-inch pizzas while guzzling inventive, boozy beers like the Immortal Corrupter Dark Saison or Sloth Clown Coconut and Purple Yam Milkshake IPA.

I get a nostalgic buzz whenever I wind up at the Phillips Tasting Room on Government Street. It’s built with reclaimed wood from the now-defunct Sports Traders store where I bought used hockey equipment as a kid. The ever-refreshing Blue Buck Ale and Electric Unicorn White IPA are ideal entry points at this award-winning Victoria institution.

INDUSTRIAL COOL IN BURNSIDE GORGE

Ready for a taste of industrial chic just north of downtown? Start your Burnside Gorge walking tour near the Bay Street Bridge at Moon Under Water. While it takes its name from a pub in George Orwell’s 1984, these brewers aren’t controlled by the Thought Police. Immerse yourself in a compelling mix of German lagers and wheat beers, plus experimental creations such as the Mango, Sea Salt, and Cardamom Sour. The dog-friendly patio even offers pooch-targeted bites like meatballs and chicken stew.

On low-key Bridge Street, experience the innovative and classy Hoyne Brewing, whose Dark Matter – a chocolate-tinged journey of delight – perennially wins Best Dark Ale awards. (If you also scream for ice cream, head next door to Parachute Ice Cream for maple walnut and vegan thin mint goodness.)

Three blocks away, Ile Sauvage Brewing is one of my favourite places to explore the allure of sours. I recommend a flight of four beers with flavours including raspberry, pink guava, watermelon, and blueberry. There’s always something special fermenting at this 2018-founded craft brewery.

Ready to raise a glass in BC’s capital? Lace up your walking shoes, grab your growler, and explore the best of Victoria’s craft beer, one pint at a time.