Taster Tray Series – Doan’s Craft Brewing in Vancouver, BC: Today’s feature is Doan’s Craft Brewing which is located in Vancouver, BC near the center of the East Van brewing district. Mike and Evan, the owners of the brewery, were actually the little brothers of my childhood friend Jon so it was pretty interesting to see them as craft brewers now versus the kids who used to tag along at baseball card shows or hang around when we were at Jon’s house back in the day. I finally got a chance to go check this place out and see what they’re made of and chat with them for a bit.

Doan’s Craft Brewing: After what seemed like years of social media updates as the Doan’s worked through the arduous process of finding a location, financing a brewery, applying for licenses and so on they eventually opened up in 2015 at the old Powell Street Brewery location which was recently vacated when Powell expanded and moved down the street. They basically gutted the place and put their own spin on it, making the tasting lounge much bigger than before and adding some cool artwork on the feature wall to make it pop. I have to admit, I was impressed by the art and the woodwork as it was both unique and interesting – something very hard to achieve in today’s craft beer world.

The Taster Tray / Flights: I paid $6.00 + tip for my three 5.5 oz samples of their beer which included (from left to right in the title picture) a Kolsch, an Altbier and their Rye IPA which were served in some very cool looking branded sampler glasses. Overall the value was decent as the taster glasses are larger than your standard 4oz pour, plus they were clean and each came with appropriate foam which had dissipated slightly by the time I took the picture. I always appreciate a good clean proper pour, well done! Now I will say, something I’ve noticed about a few of the younger brewery owners out there, they get the whole social media thing. I mean these glasses look awesome in this picture, they are perfectly branded and look beautiful on the wood finished table which makes them perfect for Instagram photos. For any brewery out there, take note and brew great beer and brand your taster glasses if you want better branded social media exposure! 

Here’s their tap list at the time and a few other food options they offer

The Beers: Now for the beer, the Kolsch was a simple refreshing beer as expected and not a style I gravitate to very often but there’s a market for it and it’s well executed for the style. However, the Altbier and the Rye IPA were both excellent beers that I would gladly return to anytime. I was happy to see another Altbier on the market as it is a great style that is rarely brewed here and this one is quite authentic to its German origins. It must be something about this building, I don’t think it can house bad beer to be honest so I’m glad Mike and Evan have carried on that tradition so far!

Final Impression: The Doan’s have done a good job revamping the location into a good little joint that’s their own where you can sit down and enjoy some samples, a pint or fill your growlers with ease. The beer is great, the ambiance is cool and it’s a great place to visit amd support an independently owned local business. I’ll be back for more beer soon for sure. Below is a snap from their Facebook page showing what it looks like on the outside so you know what to look for on your way to the brewery, be sure to like their page to stay up to date with tap lists and other news.