Vancouver Urban Winery

In the past, I've written about a few places that weren't really pubs.  Tonight, I'm going to be stretching the definition of pub past it's breaking point.  I don't particularly care, though.  This place is awesome, and I want to write about it.  I'm talking about the Vancouver Urban Winery.  The coolest place you never knew existed.

The Vancouver Urban winery is situated in an often overlooked little neighbourhood just East of Gastown.  Past the boundaries of Vancouver's hippest enclave, and just North of some of the sketchiest parts of the Downtown East Side, is an area no one really explores.  Why should they?  There's nothing but warehouses, and residences.  One of those warehouses has been refurbished as a winery.  They do a little bit of everything wine related.  They make wine for The Roaring Twenties Wine Co.  They sell, and distribute wine for producers all over the province.  They house a company called FreshTAP that's dedicated to bringing on-tap wine to bars and restaurants all across the country.  A lot of people give a look of disgust when they hear the words "wine on tap" but I think that's an old fashioned attitude.  Like corks, (which are finally starting to be phased out,) wine as bottle only product is a result of a misplaced sense of propriety.  The idea that to serve wine any other way would be wrong.  This attitude is changing, and if popular Vancouver area wine writer, Jurgen Gothe can get on board with wine on tap, who am I to argue.

It's wine taps which make this place special.  They have a tasting bar with dozens of taps.  Each of which pours a different, delicious, (and very affordable,) wine.  I was blown away by everything I tasted, and at an average of $5 a glass, it's a good way to over-indulge for the budget conscious.  It's also visually gorgeous.  The whole space is one massive room. Barrels and aluminum tanks line the walls.  There is a big, ornate fireplace, surrounded by a few easy chairs, and long tables for those not lucky enough to grab a softer spot.  

Accessing the bar is a little more difficult.  As this place is primarily a winery, they don't generally cater to the bar-hopping crowd.  A few times a month, they open what they call a pop-up bar, and their big, beautiful room is open to the public for the evening.  When I went it was an open-mic night.  The place was absolutely packed.  There was some real talent too, the audience was treated to some amazing voices (and one terrible rapper).  There is food, but it's mostly small snacks designed to highlight the wine.  Have a proper meal before hitting the winery.  I will most definitely be heading back.

Vancouver Urban Winery

Alibi Room

Located on the very edge of Gastown, this funky brick bar overlooking a rail yard is something of a beer mecca.  It's definitely trendy, and often packed, but this is the place to go if you're looking for a brew you've never even heard of.  

When you first walk down Water street, it's hard to shake the feeling that you're about to drown in Tourist kitsch.  However, as you go further east, and Water street ends, the touristy joints dry up, and refurbished townhouses and apartments abound.  Just before you hit the Downtown East Side, if you're paying attention, you'll pass by Alibi Room.  An unassuming place at first glance, it's one of these pubs that manages to somehow be way bigger inside than it is outside.  Two levels, bare wood, exposed brick.  Classic urban reclamation.  It looks cool, but you didn't come here for the decor.  

The food is alright.  It's a little pretentious, though.  Who goes to a pub and orders pâté with crostini anyway?  It's not bad.  Prices are reasonable for the area, but keep in mind the area is downtown Vancouver.  You didn't come here for dinner.

You came for the beer!  So many different kinds of beer.  Alibi has an enormous beer list.  At least thirty beers on tap at any one time, and a healthy bottle list.  The beers are always changing, so don't bother picking any favourites, they probably won't be there again next week.  They come from all over, local micros, craft imports.  If it's good and produced in small batches it's welcome.  The management also seems to have decided to give Alibi a heavily (but not exclusively) IPA themed beer list.  The list is loaded with changing IPAs.  (They even have a hoppiness scale).  India Pale Ales are often something of an acquired taste.  It sometimes takes beer drinkers a while to develop an appreciation for the strong flavour of hops.  Once you get there though, it's very well worth it.  

My favourite thing about Alibi, though, is it's one of the only places in the city that's always pouring cask ale.  I've briefly mentioned cask ale in the past, but as a quick refresher, cask ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized beer that goes through a secondary fermentation in the cask.  This means that the beer is still alive.  It gets carbonated in the cask instead of having carbon dioxide artificially added like most beers.  This means it's has a lighter sparkle rather than a dominant fizz.  The taste is harder to describe.  It just tastes... better.  I know several people who don't like beer, but quite enjoy cask ale.  Something about it just tastes natural.  I suggest you try to find some cask beer and give it a go.  Beer purveyors aren't generally wild about producing cask ale.  It's a pain to deal with, and there's a greater chance it'll go stale before it can be sold, but like with most things in life, the extra step appears to be well worth it.  

I don't know what more you need to hear.  Alibi Room.  Great beer.  Go get some.

Alibi Room

EXP Restaurant & Bar

So Vancouver has a video game bar.  ...Sort of.  I first heard about this place from friends a few months ago, and being a bit of a nerd, I was quite excited to check it out.  However, when we actually got there, we found that it's really more of a video game themed bar, and ultimately, I'm still not sure what to think of it.

I think the big problem for me was being disappointed by the concept.  Video game bars are a fairly new idea, but (I think) a good one.  Go to the bar with your friends, have some food, drink some drinks, play X-Box, or Playstation, or classic Nintendo, or whatever.  Given that most people in Vancouver live in closets, this makes getting a bunch of people over to play games a lot easier.  However, this isn't what EXP offers.  EXP is, as a friend of mine put it (a sports bar for video games).  There is one truly massive screen on which up to four people can play a game, then there are dozens of other screens showing cut-scenes from famous games, or showing an old Mario level walk-through, something like that.  It was visually gorgeous, but pretty distracting.  (Also, as an aside, am I the only one who thinks Chun-Li's outfit is decidedly impractical for an Interpol agent?)  The rumour mill has it that EXP wanted to offer more gaming, but the province's liquor licensing body only understands "video gaming" in the context of things like video poker.  So even though the games EXP should be offering would be in no way connected to gambling, the province is proving intractable with it's love of the letter of the law.  Though I should point out, this is just what we heard that night, and I haven't been able to corroborate it, so maybe the video game theme was the point.  

Video games, however, are not the usual reason one goes pub crawling.  EXP has a respectable beer list.  I got to try a couple of beers I'd never had before, and that's become rare enough that it improves a bar's standing noticeably in my book.  They also have an impressively creative cocktail list.  Most of the drinks looked a bit too sweet for me, but if you like weird, fruity martini's (and lotsa people do) it might be worth heading down.  The food was quite good.  They've done a good job of embracing nerd culture's love of disgusting, but delicious food.  For example, a poutine burger.  Horrifying in concept, wonderful in execution.  It was definitely a good meal.

So, overall, I'm torn, it's not what I thought it was (or what it should be), but it's a good place to get a drink and a bite, and it's not packed to the gills on a Saturday night, which is rare for Vancouver.  Check it out if you're in the area.

EXP Restaurant & Bar

Update: 23/10/2012: After a little research I have found that it is indeed the city which is holding back the idea of a videogame bar, Georgia Straight.

The Irish Heather

The Irish Heather is a "European Gastropub" in the heart of Gastown.  Despite always having found the term gastropub to be somewhat ridiculous.  I quite like this place.  The building is a perfect blend of modern design and old world brickwork that makes contemporary Gastown such a cool place.  It's a fairly narrow establishment.  If you want to get in on weekends reserve ahead, or show up before seven.

Last week I checked out a place that specialized in a wide variety of beers.  This week, it's a place dedicated to a wide variety of whisky.  Whisk(e)y (some countries use the e and some don't) has nearly an entire side of the menu devoted to it.  There are hundreds of them from all over the world.  The lion's share of the selection belongs to scotch whisky (as it should), but you'll be spoiled for choice no matter what you're looking for.  There's even a decent selection of whiskies from India.  The Heather also hosts a little whiskey tasting lounge in the back called Shebeen.  I said you'd probably have to reserve to get into the bar, but you'll definitely have to reserve if you want to see the lounge.  That being said, while whisky is the star, this is still a full bar.  There's a great beer list, and loads of wine, spirits and cocktails.

The food here is also very nice.  The Heather hosts a regular event they call their "Long Table Series." This is a communal dining experience that takes place at the eponymous long table.  I must admit, this is something I've never tried, though the idea certainly intrigues me.  I have eaten from the normal menu at The Heather more than once, however, and have always been pleased with their delicious pub food.  Somebody clearly knows what's going on in the kitchen.

A fun, friendly atmosphere, with live celtic fiddling in the background.  A great experience and an absolute must for any Vancouver area pub-goer.

The Irish Heather