Steamworks Brewery in the heart of downtown Van

  Step out of the Waterfront Station, a transit nexus for skytrains, buses, ferries, etc. and a few steps takes you into the Steamworks brewery.This establishment occupies the ground foor and basement oi a nice old building called the Landings.

  The inside features lots of dark old wood in the booths and on a nice banister that follows a spiral stair down to the more informal pub and the copper kettles.

  I had a pint of the Signature Pale Ale, a rich malty pale with a bit of toffee in the nose.  My server also had me try a bit of an experiment called North by Northwest. a hooped IPAish experiment that was more balanced than some of the hopzilla versions we see--more like Diamond Knot's/ What struck me most about Steamworks was the label art. They don't bottle here (growler fills the only off premise sales) so the labels are just visible on posters on the walls, on the coasters,and on the t-shirts they sell. Here are a few images:

   Lions Gate Lager features an artist's rendition of the eponymous bridge that soars majestically from Stanley Park to North Vancouver and Coal Porter is a nice evocation of show biz. I wondered if North by Northwest sticks, will they do a label with suggestions of the Hitchcock movie with Jimmy Stewart (shades of Naked City Brewing and their movie title labels!). If Canada gives an award for best beer label every year, as I noted at Mission Ridge last month, these guys should have scored a few golds.
  Across the street one can catch a # 50 bus to Granville Island, my destination for some Christmas shopping and one more brew stop.
(Visited 11/30/10)