Sunday in Victoria turned out to be much more relaxed than I expected.  Woke up somewhat early, so I ambled around downtown until I found a decent-looking cafe (with free wi-fi) for a caffeine pick-me-up.   Back at the hostel, I leisurely packed my panniers before deciding it was finally time for the mellow bike ride to Spinnakers Brewpub.  It’s a somewhat upscale place, which is why I scheduled it for a late brunch — dinner was a little too pricey for my not-quite-employed budget.  They had eight brews on tap, and the first flight I selected (pictured below) was quite nice, so I doubled down and ordered a second to try them all.

Liquid brunch at Spinnakers — Victoria, BC

Rob’s Picks
• Cascadia Dark Ale – 6.5% – Smooth and creamy, with good roasty malt and coffee flavors. Not the usual dry CDA — pretty cool.
• North West Ale – 5.5% – Floral and citrus aroma. Good floral and citrus hop flavor mix, with great malt balance. Really smooth, creamy, and drinkable. Lingering bitterness.
• IPA – 7.1% – Light citrus and floral aroma. Lighter maltiness than NWA, similar hop flavor mix but muted by more bitterness. Also really smooth and creamy.
• Tsarist Imperial Stout – 7.75% – Coffee and alcohol aroma. Interesting. Creamy, with coffee and alcohol flavors. Pretty smooth but makes you think.
• ESB – 5.2% – Strong caramel start to a bit of a bitter finish. Nothing too interesting, but very drinkable. Subtle floral notes.

The Rest
• Raspberry Ale – 4.8% – Strong raspberry aroma. Pretty strong raspberry flavor, with breadiness. Unfortunately, doesn’t overcome my hurdle of not liking fruit beers. If only it were a sour!
• Hefeweizen – 4.2% – Nicely balanced hefe — light banana/clove and lemon flavors, breadiness, with a slight spiciness on the tongue. Pretty smooth, but a touch watery.
• India Session Ale – 4.5% – Floral aroma. Strong floral hoppiness, light maltiness, lingering bitterness.

On the way out, I stopped by their bottle shop/gift shop and picked up a logo glass, which has the dubious honor of being the most expensive piece of brewery glassware I’ve purchased.  Maybe it will make every beer I pour into it taste like a little pint of heaven.