Rain or shine, the tasting rooms on the Port Moody Ale Trail are ready for you. Blogger Yasmine Hardcastle from West Coast City Girl explores Brewers Row in her soon-to-be new community.
Ever since the Skytrain expanded to the Tricities (Port Moody, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam) in 2016, Port Moody has become a very accessible and popular day trip destination — particularly for craft beer lovers. Murray Street (a.k.a. Brewers Row) is home to five breweries:
- Twin Sails Brewing
- Yellow Dog Brewing
- Parkside Brewery
- The Bakery Brewing
- Moody Ales
All are unique and just a 10-minute, mountain-view stroll from Murray Street station. (And if you checked out this 2020 brewery openings blog, you know that Fraser Mills Fermentation Co. will be joining the Port Moody Ale Trail soon!)
Prior to moving to Victoria a few years ago, my partner, The Brit, and I lived a few stops away from Port Moody and it was brilliant. We’d go for a walk along Rocky Point Pier and have a pint (for him) and a flight (for me) at one or two tasting rooms. And eat tacos. But I’ll get to that in a minute.
We’re actually moving to Port Moody next month, so on our recent weekend home-hunting trip — with success! — we took some time to explore a bit of our new neighbourhood and popped back onto Brewers Row for some date night brews.
Come rain or come shine in Port Moody
In true Lower Mainland fashion, it was bucketing with rain on the Friday night. But here’s the thing about Metro Vancouverites: weather doesn’t stop us when we need or want to be somewhere. When we popped into Yellow Dog Brewing the growler-fill and tasting room business were brisk. But we snagged my favourite seats that face out onto the outdoor patio. I love to see the trains go by, and the people watching is fantastic when the patio is open. I’d also forgotten how much I enjoy their Shake a Paw Smoked Porter. They also had nitro Shake a Paw and coconut porters on tap, so guess what was in my flight?
Speaking of patios, they are a great feature at all the breweries along Murray Street, and they are also dog-friendly. Which is amazing in the summer, but especially popular on a coveted sunny winter’s day. We went back to Murray Street the next afternoon and all the patios were full. Everyone was bundled up, determined to enjoy the sunny day until the sun went down.
Come to think of it, The Brit and I have previously enjoyed a pint and a flight on the Moody Ales patio after a snowfall and we weren’t upset about it. Nor were we the only ones!
Shake up your flight at The Bakery
When I was back on the mainland in November, a friend who lives in Port Moody and I wandered down to the newly opened The Bakery Brewing. Aptly named, the brewery used to be an Italian bakery. I love the experimental, barrel-aged flavours they are creating, and the Raspberry Stout is FAB. They were sold out (no!) this past weekend — but the Blackberry Sage Saison swooped in to round out my flight with its lovely colour and kombucha-like quality.
When you’re feeling peckish
Whoever approved the licensing for food trucks in Port Moody probably feels quite smug every time they visit a brewery. Because if you’re feeling peckish for something aside from a delicious soft pretzel, there is usually at least one food truck serving up savoury “take-out” (it’s really take-in) at each brewery. But if you’re looking for more of a sit-down meal, the Boathouse is down by the pier and my personal favourite, Taps and Tacos, is up around the corner. Yes, I’m back to the tacos! You’re welcome.
I found Taps and Tacos on a Google maps search a couple years ago. The Brit and I accidentally ended up in Port Moody one afternoon, and decided to stay for lunch and a pint. (How does one accidentally end up in Port Moody? A story for another day, but I will say you need to pay attention when you take the train…) They have Port Moody and other local breweries on tap and their food menu is full of fresh, creative options. We go every time we in Port Moody — and since that’s going to be our new town, I foresee more yam tacos in my future.
Other tasty delights within vicinity of Brewers Row include: Gabi and Jules for breakfast and pies, Pajos for fish and chips, and Rocky Point Ice Cream for (well, do I have to tell you what they serve?)
Port Moody is also home to other restaurants, beautiful hikes and many other things The Brit and I look forward to re-discovering (rain or shine!) when we move to the Port Moody Ale Trail. If you have any Port Moody recommendations, feel free to DM me on Instagram @westcoastcitygirl. And you can click here more info on the Port Moody Ale Trail.
