Beer Lovers find Room at the Alibi
Posted by Jer Thorp on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008Tags for this Article: alibi room, beer, Craig Street, drink, Duncan, microbrew, review, Spinnakers
Over the last few months, Nigel Springthorpe has been quietly turning the Alibi Room into Vancouver’s best spot for microbrew & craft beers. The on-tap selection is excellent, with a collection of brews from British Columbia Breweries. You’ll find some of the local standards here (R & B, Russell, Crannog) mixed with a handful of taps that you will not find anywhere else in town – notably Vancouver Island stand-outs Spinnakers & Swans.
I dropped by last night for dinner and a few pints, and tried something new – a porter from the Duncan, BC based Craig St. Breweries. It was dark, nutty, with a grainy head, the way a porter should be. Perhaps a little bit less body than I would like in a porter, but I would definitely try it again. I also had a pint of one of my all-time local favourites, Spinnakers’ Nut Brown Ale. As far as I know, the Alibi is the first pub on the mainland to carry Spinnakers in tap – think of the savings in ferry fares alone!
Once you’ve toured through the tap list, you may want to look at the selection of beers in bottles. The list is long, and varied, with some excellent European brews mixed with standouts from the USA. I couldn’t resist a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale to fuel my walk home – perfect!
Nigel told me that he’ll soon be bringing in a handpump to serve cask-conditioned beer. Hopefully this means that we’ll be seeing some unique brews on tap at the Alibi starting soon.
The Alibi Room is located at 157 Alexander St., at Main St.
