For beer and cider people
Beer & cider
The valley's breweries are small, local and food-led, and none is more than 20 minutes from the inn. Three of them, plus a distillery, sit on one street in Duncan. Add two cideries and you have a day that competes with the wine loop.
- Breweries
- Five between Ladysmith and Salt Spring
- Cideries
- Merridale and Salt Spring Wild
- Distilleries
- Three, two with tasting rooms
- Food
- Every brewery has a kitchen
The Chaster Road afternoon
Duncan's craft cluster is one short street off the Trans-Canada, 20 minutes from the inn: Red Arrow, Deadhead and Stillhead Distillery share a block, with Craig Street Brew Pub a five-minute drive downtown. Park once, walk between them, eat at whichever kitchen appeals, and the designated driver has three good non-alcoholic options and a patio. Pair it with the Saturday market in the morning.
The north loop
Serious Brewing in Chemainus (10 min) for a lunchtime pint and the murals, then Bayview Brewing in Ladysmith (10 min further) for the sours and an early dinner on the heated patio; First Avenue's heritage storefronts are a two-minute walk. Home on the Chemainus Road along the shore in 20 minutes. Fits neatly into Route 3.
The cider day
Merridale in Cobble Hill is the anchor: a cider flight, the orchard walk, lunch on the covered patio and a bottle of apple brandy for later. Holocene Distilling is ten minutes away for tours and tastings from Friday to Sunday. Finish at Cowichan Bay for the docks and ice cream. On Salt Spring, Salt Spring Wild Cider and Salt Spring Brewing are both south of Ganges and ten minutes apart; see Route 4.
Further afield
Nanaimo (45 min) has a brewery cluster of its own: White Sails on the waterfront, Longwood Brewery and Wolf Brewing. Ask us for current hours; the city's beer scene changes faster than we can print.
Every stop
| Place | Where (drive) | Type | What to expect | Food |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayview Brewing Company | Ladysmith (20 min) | Brewery + kitchen | Sours, especially dessert sours, plus blonde, pale and IPA; local cider on tap. Small, cosy room and a heated year-round patio over Dogwood Drive. Daily 11–9. | Fusion menu, nothing deep-fried |
| Serious Brewing Company | Chemainus (10 min) | Brewpub | Chemainus's brewery, in the Oak Street complex with Sawmill Taphouse. House lagers and a Mystic Beach IPA, garden patio, live music most Saturdays. Daily from noon. | Pizza, wings, pretzels |
| Red Arrow Brewing Company | Duncan (20 min) | Brewery + kitchen | Duncan's first production brewery (2015), in a former motorcycle shop on Chaster Road. Approachable ales and lagers, big sunny patio, live music. Daily from 11. | Pub menu, pizza, samosas |
| Deadhead Brew Co. | Duncan (20 min) | Brewery + kitchen | Next door to Red Arrow in the old Small Block space; nearly every beer is gluten-removed. Indonesian-inspired kitchen (Sibu) and a dog-friendly patio. Wed–Sun. | Satay, sliders |
| Craig Street Brew Pub | Duncan (20 min) | Brewpub | The valley's original brewpub, downtown on Craig Street. Full pub menu and house beers; the easy choice after the Saturday market. | Full pub menu |
| Salt Spring Brewing Co. | Salt Spring (ferry) | Brewery | A hillside taproom on Furness Road south of Ganges with one of the best patios on the island. Dog-friendly inside and out. Wed–Sun 12–6. | Hot dogs, snacks |
| Merridale Cidery & Distillery | Cobble Hill (35 min) | Cidery + distillery | BC's oldest craft cidery on a 20-acre orchard: cider flights, apple brandy and gin, self-guided orchard walk, farm store. Daily 11–6, later Fri–Sun. | Bistro, Neapolitan pizza, Sunday brunch |
| Salt Spring Wild Cider House | Salt Spring (ferry) | Cidery | Wild-fermented ciders from heritage island apples, tasted in the orchard on Sharp Road. Seasonal hours; check before the ferry. | Light food, seasonal |
| Stillhead Distillery | Duncan (20 min) | Distillery | Small-batch gin, vodka, rye and whisky in the Chaster Road cluster with Red Arrow and Deadhead; guided tasting flights and a short cocktail list. Tue–Sat afternoons. | No |
| Holocene Distilling Project | Cobble Hill (35 min) | Distillery | A tiny, beautifully kept distillery making liqueurs and spirits from local and rescued ingredients. Tours and tastings Fri afternoon, Sat and Sun. | No |
| Ampersand Distilling | Duncan (25 min) | Distillery | Family-run, farm-based gin and vodka distillery west of Duncan; visits by appointment, or find them at the Duncan Saturday market. | No |
Riot Brewing in Chemainus, which appears in older guides, closed in 2024. Hours above were checked in October 2026; breweries change them seasonally, so confirm before a special trip. Cheers Cowichan Tours (see Wine) runs brewery tours as well as wine.