VICTORIA, BC – The Times Colonist newspaper reports that Phillips Brewing has leased a building adjacent to its brewery in Victoria, and plans to convert it into a new retail store and tasting lounge.
According to the article, brewery owner Matt Phillips originally had “no interest” in setting up a tasting lounge when they were approved by the provincial government several years ago, as the existing facility was “built […] to be a distribution brewery and […] had no room to put one in.”
However, the popularity of taprooms at other B.C. breweries – especially in Vancouver – gave him second thoughts:
“The reality is Victoria is and should be the craft beer capital, and to not have a tasting room started to feel like a loss,” Phillips said. “For us, we liked the idea of being able to give our customers an experience that was indicative of the brewery, so when the Nirvana spot came available, we jumped at it.”
The mentioned “Nirvana spot” is a 4,000-square-foot location at the corner of Government and Discovery streets that previously housed Nirvana Pet Resort dog groomers. Once it opens, the new “larger retail space, storage and large tasting room to show off the beer” will replace the 900-square-foot retail store in the existing brewery.
While renovation and rezoning are both needed, Phillips hopes to have the new retail store open by the summer, with the tasting room to follow soon afterward.
For more details, see the full Times Colonist article.