East Vancouver Brewery Taps - Part 2 (Callister Brewing Co)

James Walton kindly pointed me west down Franklin Street towards Callister Brewing Co after my visit to Storm Brewing Ltd on Saturday 1 October, 2016. See Part 1 of this blog post for more about Storm Brewing. 

McLean Drive - looking north from Franklin Street

Looking north along side streets, like McLean Drive, which lead to the railway and Vancouver harbour, reveal that this area is mainly about commerce, industry and shipping.

Bicycle parking is provided at Callister Brewing Co.

The A board outside reinforces any positive thoughts about being close to a brewery!

The building is an art exhibition space / drinking area at the front with a bar in the middle and the brewery at the back.

bar in the middle

brewery at the back

Established in 2015 by Chris Lay and Diana McKenzie, Callister Brewing Co, 'is the first of its kind in Canada and operates as a co-working brewery incubator'. It helps brewers to grow their business through access to equipment and commercial facilities. Current co-brewers are Boombox Brewing, Lightheart Brewing (Nathaniel Senff) and Real Cask Brewing (Adam Chatburn).

Food at the bar is limited to snacks like sausages, cheese and giant pretzels.

Flights are available but beers can also be ordered in 4oz, 12oz and pint (20oz) glasses.
For Can$2, my first beer was a 4oz glass of Callister's Mrs K's Crabapple Saison, pleasantly fruity and not too sour. 

I was lucky to be served by Nathaniel Senff (Lightheart Brewing), on a break from brewing. who kindly agreed to pose with a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's magazine, Ullage, next to the 3 handpumps mainly used for ales brewed by Real Cask and sourced from Blackburn. I took Nathaniel's advice for a good pale ale and ordered a 12oz (Can$4.50) glass of Boombox's Subsonic which proved agreeably hoppy.

With a glass in my hand, I didn't miss the opportunity to look at some of the art in the Goldmoss Satellite exhibit. 

Beer Flight - Lee Roberts

The towering Beer Flight sculptures by Lee Roberts used 'fir branches that fell on our property in Roberts Creek and Beer that I drank with that in mind.'

Boombox and Callister t-shirts are available and Vancouver CAMRA certificates for Callister and Real Cask are also displayed.
This was an enjoyable visit. I liked the big space for drinkers with high ceilings and natural light. It was interesting to be able to see all the brewing vessels in various shapes and sizes with barrels for ageing also visible on a walk around inside the building. Callister Brewing Co is the obvious place to call when also visiting other breweries in the area like Storm Brewing Ltd, Strathcona Beer Company and Powell Street Craft Brewery. 

While chatting, back at the bar, Nathaniel suggested Strange Fellows Brewing, south along Clark Drive, as a brewery to visit with a good reputation for barrel aged and sour beers. However, continuing west, Strathcona Beer Company is more easily reached on foot and this would be my next stop. 

Callister Brewing Co,
1338 Franklin Street
Vancouver
BC
Canada
'in the heart of Yeast Van'