Twin City Brewing Company — Attraction in Port Alberni

This month I finally visited Vancouver Island for the first time. People have been telling me for years that I NEED to see Vancouver Island. My expectations were high.

I landed in Victoria, and was thoroughly disappointed. There was nothing to see. The highway is a boring tunnel through a typical forest.

I made it to Nanaimo expecting a cute port town, but found an industrial monstrosity.

I turned off the highway to take the scenic route through Parksville and Qualicum beach. I expected ocean vistas and sparkling waters, but only slowed down for the seniors crossing the road with their golf clubs in their quiet town.

As we drove toward Port Alberni, the island opened up. After crossing though a mystical forest of giant trees we were treated to views of jagged mountain peaks for as far as we could see as we dropped into Port Alberni. Hungry, tired, thirsty, and finally feeling inspired, we stopped at Twin City Brewing.

The outdoor seating was rocking busy, but there were still seats available inside. The decor had tasteful throwbacks to the industrial heritage of the area. You enter through a grand door, and huge windows flood the interior with natural light.

I ordered a flight of beer. They were all perfect. The stout was perfectly nuanced with rich depth that still allowed you to appreciate the contribution of each element from the grain bill. The IPA was juicy, tasted off the vine fresh, and begged for another mouthful. The lighter beers were crisp, on style, and flavor forward. The sours were complex, well balanced, and pleasing to the palate. The in house cider was extremely refreshing and lively on the tongue. The handmade pizza lacked nothing; no shortcuts were taken, and it tasted better than could have been promised, yet, as I looked around, I was still jealous of the meals I saw on the tables around me because they looked just as incredible.

Is this the best brewery in BC? I came back a week later to make sure. Yes. Yes it is. Don't go to Vancouver Island, go to Twin...

A fabulous blend of Big city cool, basic old Port Alberni in the decor. How many of us have had our favorite beer in rooms made out of corrugated metal, of thick plank flooring, a rough stout table where your elbows were at ease as you leaned into the time with a bunch of friends? If you have not had that kind of place before you can enjoy the nostalgic, modern style of Twin City. As a backdrop, the shiny industrial brewery itself.

Fantastic pizza, and I do not really like pizza; I have just never eaten any pizza like this pizza. Have tried every pizza on the menu. With a crust like this pizza crust, you could drizzle it with olive oil and toss on some basil, any fresh herbs, and you would be eating a stunning pizza. The toppings on these pizzas are surprising and delicious, but I always go back to Margaret. Simple fresh toppings and, oh, that crust. And the lettuce wraps are not to be missed.

Delicious beer, and I don't really like beer, but from here on in I am a convert. They had me with Tickety Boo.

Wonderful servers, especially Andy who not only remembers everybody's name, but remembered a weekold promise to my friend, who celebrated his birthday LAST WEEK at Twin Cities. As we were leaving the pub, then, Andy chatted with us for a bit, and when she heard that it was my friend's birthday, she promised him a belated birthday beer the next time he came in. Our group returned this week, to celebrate an anniversary. As we stood at the bar to order, Andy came up near the till and ensured that my friend got his birthday beer.

Twin City Brewing Company has exceeded all expectations, and has added another dimension to food and drink in our town, that was unexpected, is...

I sent this as a private message to comment about our lunch experience last week and received no response. I had family visiting from Nashville and was excited to show off a local spot. There were five of us, we sat on the patio. I really like that there is table service now. My son and his friend ordered a large pizza to share, my cousin and her husband ordered a large pizza to share, my husband ordered chicken wings and I ordered a personal Maui Wowie pizza. After enjoying our drinks, everyone’s food arrived, except mine. Everyone at the table was eating for about 5-7 minutes while I had nothing. My husband finally got up and asked our server where my meal was. She came out a few minutes later and said that the kitchen had forgotten to make it. Not sure why she didn’t realize that one of her table’s orders was missing. I told her to forget it as the others were more than halfway through their meals. My lunch was one chicken wing and a slice of my cousin’s pizza. Thankfully the portions are generous so they were able to share before a long hike. My item was taken off the bill but there was zero apology, neither from our server nor the manager. I still left a tip but was not impressed with the lack of apology for...