Vancouver Island Brewing
- Established: 1984 TAPROOM CLOSED SEPTEMBER 14,2024
Island Pacific Brewing was founded in 1984 by small business owners in southern Vancouver Island and serviced the pubs on Vancouver Island with brands such as Goldstream Lager, Hermann’s Dark Lager and Piper’s Pale Ale. Outgrowing their home in central Saanich in the mid-90s, they moved to their current home on Government Street in 1996, accompanied by a name-change to Vancouver Island Brewery. The facility was purpose-built and was the first production brewery in downtown Victoria since Labatt levelled the old Victoria-Phoenix Brewery in 1982.
UPDATE: SEPT 2024
“After 40 years of serving the craft beer community on Vancouver Island and beyond, it was important for us to find a craft brewery whose operators also have deep, local roots and whose commitment to excellence and quality matches our own,” said Riley. “Phillips Brewing is a recognized and respected leader in the Vancouver Island and B.C. craft beer sector. Their operations team consistently maintain high-quality standards, and we look forward to ensuring a seamless transition of our production in the coming months.”
In addition to production oversight responsibilities, Riley will be responsible for building new brand recipes for VIB in its small-batch brewing facility that will remain in operation in approximately 10% of its current Government Street space. In keeping with its license requirements, VIB will produce test batches for new products and produce one-off small-batch specialty products that will appear on-tap at VIB partner establishments around the province.
Except for the continuation of its small batch brewing operations, VIB’s relocation process will see its taproom close on September 14th and operations at the main brewery cease effective November 1st.