Canada, BC: Victoria’s iconic Swans Brewery to close

Seeing breweries close, sell and shift their operations is nothing new, but it’s never easy to say goodbye to a longstanding part of the community. Swans Brewery, which opened in 1989, has gone through its share of struggles and changes, but it looks like the end has arrived, Monday Magazine reported on August 19.

Founded by the late craft beer legend Frank Appleton, with the one and only Sean Hoyne as the original brewmaster, it was the only downtown brewery until Vancouver Island moved in at the corner of Bay and Government in 1995. The brewhouse, hidden in the back of the ground floor of the hotel, churned out some of the region’s best-known beers. Appleton Brown Ale, Buckerfield’s ESB, Pandora Pale Ale, and Riley’s Scotch Ale all flowed through the taps of the iconic corner pub overlooking the Johnson Street Bridge.

2006 brought national honours with a win for Brewpub of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards, when there was a new energy behind craft beer in Victoria, B.C., and across the country.

Tastes changed, and brewers came and went, with Andrew Tessier and Chris Lukie handling the brewer’s paddle for much of the growth stage in the mid-2010s and into the pandemic, adding new favourites like Tessier’s Witbier, Venerator Doppelbock, and their 2017 BC Beer Awards Best in Show-winning Flammenbier collaboration with Nanaimo’s White Sails Brewing.

This led to the time that plans were in the works for a renovation of the pub space, which reopened with a modern feel in March 2019 to mixed reviews, including complaints of a lack of the artwork the space had become known for.

With an expansion in the number of taps, including several dedicated lager taps from the brewhouse’s cellar, it was exciting to imagine the possibilities for the brewpub until the pandemic hit. Unfortunately, the impact on hospitality businesses has been immense, leading to closures, lower alcohol consumption, and in turn, closures of breweries, which brings us to the end of the story for Swans.

After 35 years, Aug. 31, 2024 will be the final day for the brewery at Swans. There’s no further information regarding the impact, if any, on the pub, but there will no longer be beer on tap brewed in-house once those kegs run dry. So if you can swing by while there’s still some of their beer flowing, take some time and honour 35 years of legendary brewing.

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