Storm Brewing

Not your nicest brewery– but they are one of the nicest bunch of people. Everyone behind the register was awesome and helpful.
–Street parking, So be patient.
They give you a cup to sample their beers, and everything is by donation.
And should i mention that this is the first beer that i can think of that i have sampled to be 25% abv. straight beer. No other liquor additives. Go try it for youself. Its served in a shot glass. Holy cow– this beer can do damage if you had a full pour of this. Sip and enjoy. and Tip you fellow Storm brew-​tenders.
No chairs– pretty much taste and stand. The décor is pretty interesting. I would definately go back to Storm!
See you again Storm– til next time!

First of all, I kind of can’t believe I haven’t written a review of Storm yet!
This place is AHH-​mazing! You basically don’t get much more Eeat Van than Storm Brewing. Now, there’s no fancy tasting room nor can you get a pint, so if that’s what you’re used to be warned. What you get is a total lack of pretension, happy, friendly staff (shout out to the Heathers!), and some of the most creative beer I’ve had the pleasure of drinking. I mean Pineapple Upside-​down Cake Ale? Chocolate Lavender Stout? Orange Creamcicle Ale? Come on! *drools* And as if the Brainstorms aren’t enough, they also make a sour ale (the Imperial Flanders) that will blow your hair back, and a really good Pilsner (so says the boyfriend).
Bonus points for being so dog friendly — snarfing down the grain free treats they provide sure makes Elvis more patient while mommy picks

Seriously, don’t be fooled by the sketchy exterior! Delicious beer, fabulous service, big heart. You must check this place out!

I love this place.
— Variety of flavours from tradition to kooky.
— Staff is so friendly. Feels like you are being welcomes into someones home.
— Free (aka by donation) samples. You need to bring cash for a tip.
Best Brewery.

My dog Missy Elliott asks me to come here all of the time. She doesn’t drink beer often, but when she does its Storm.
We travel all the way from Tsawwassen to grab some samples (by donation) and socialize.
All around a nifty place with tremendous character with great employees to boot. Worth the drive.

Ohhhhhhh hello new favourite brewery!
Boyfriend and I took a delightful bike tour of the Powell St brewery area last Saturday, and this was both of our favourite spot! Our fourth stop on the tour, we were definitely feeling a little merry when we arrived! We chained our bikes up outside and followed the flow of people strolling happily through the sunshine to Storm.
We entered to find ourselves right on the brewery floor, and weaved our way through the crowd to find some very helpful signs letting us know the score: no flights, no pints, you get a glass and a max of six fills. SIX! And they really make sure you taste what you choose — no tiny sips here. We were gleeful — between two of us we could have tasted 12 beers! I… don’t *think* we tried that many… But every single beer we tried was unbelievable — unique, full flavoured, but not gimicky AT ALL!
We tried cream soda beer, pineapple beer, gin and tonic beer, iced mocha beer, a raspberry Berliner Weisse (I think) and hot damn there wasn’t a single one that wasn’t amazing. We filled our growlers with raspberry and pineapple delights, and I would have filled my boots too if I’d been wearing any.
I love that they have highlights from their Unilocal reviews written out behind the counter — it made for some hilarious reading while we sipped on Storm’s delicious creations! Next time I’ve GOT to ask about the plastic rats scattered through the brewery because I’m sure there’s a story there!
I seriously cannot wait to go back!

Storm Brewing is like Japanese porn. Usually it’s weird, sometimes it’s frightening but every once in a while it’s amazing.
How amazing? Also like Japanese porn everyone keeps coming back because, good or bad, it’s always memorable and a wild ride. James is prolific too. He’s experimented with ingredients and recipes most brewers don’t have the guts to attempt, Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t. But you have to respect that he remains, after all these decades, one of the great innovators on the craft beer scene.
Attending a cask fest featuring Storm Brewing goes something like this:
Cask 1) What am I tasting here? Is that lime gummy bears?
Cask 2) Ew I taste blackberry cough syrup and wet sponge.
Cask 3) Holy crap! That’s amazing! What is that? It’s a basil and orange zest IPA! Genius.
Cask 4) WTF is that? Chicken liver bubble gum Stout?
There’s something here for everyone. And if the weird guy next to you likes the subtle notes of bandaids in his beer then cheers to him and diversity!
James is like Andy Warhol working in The Factory churning out mad creations at an incredible pace. And just like Warhol if he shows up at your party it’s going to be anything but boring. Just like his beer –or just like Japanese porn or… anyway…
…enough with the similes; If you don’t get the picture by now just drink some of Storm Brewing’s concoctions and enjoy the journey. You’ll see what I mean.
Arigato Arashi Brewing. You’re 奇妙な and we love you because of that, not in spite of it.

Simultaneously the weirdest and best brewery I visited in Vancouver. Period.
Stick your nose up as much as you want, beer snobs, but Storm Brewing is seriously unpretentious and fun which makes them unbelievably awesome. So let’s start off by explaining *brainstorms* which are their rotating beer experiments that you get to try.
The Cream Soda one nearly blew my mind. They had SO many amazing flavors.
But wait… there’s more! The samples are free. No seriously, by donation only. Obviously you would be a rude, demon of a person to not friggin’ put some cash down after getting some amazing tastings of beer, but still. It’s pretty darn cool.
Pretty much what I’m saying is come in with an open mind and you will have a blast here.

Super supper duuuuper friendly staff.
It looks like you walking in a bad neighborhood on the outside, but it’s not. Great brainstorm beers they’re different from other breweries in the area.

At a time when Vancouver craft beer is flying and tap rooms are becoming more swanky and trendy Storm is a reminder that craft beer usually starts in a shed with some buckets and hoses.
Despite looking like a demented Leatherface version of Willy Wonker’s Ale Factory, the beer is sublime and more inventive than an HG Wells Christmas cook book. There’s a serious commitment to crazy flavour combinations.
There is no tap room to speak of, so this is a try and then buy a growler-​fill type situation (or try and tip — properly). The staff are bloody wonderful and will give you up to six free beer tasters. Which is just fucking awesome. Just don’t be an ahole who tries six free beers and leaves a $ 2 tip.
It’s the Lost City of Z of the Vancouver beer scene.

If there was only one brewey left in Vancouver let it be storm. The beers here are amazing. Cthey have a main stay group, ones that are always there. The Scottish whiskey ale and Black Plague are my favourite. The ale is light and refreshing with a stronger finish. The ibu is low so it’s almost like a lager. The black plague is a stout and very filling. It’s also got a great malty taste. Definitely going back!

If you like creative décor, you should go to Ikea. If you like creative beer, you should go to storm.

A dungeon of creative beverages. I recommend the cinnamon bun and anything with spice! Definitely worthy of a stop on your brewery tour.

Saw this reviewed on the front page of Unilocal on April 21^st and book marked it.
They have the most creative lists of flavors that I have ever seen. I tried a small bit of the pineapple and it was amazing.
There isn’t really a testing room, however, you can do a limit of 6 samples by donation.
It is more or less a fill and go station.
Staff were super friendly.
I love the creativity in the flavors.

Storm is a very ‘unique’ brewery, but man do they make some good beers! Don’t be scared away by the mad-scientist’s lab environment when you walk n or the fact that it kind of looks like an industrial shop that happens to hawk beer. They offer free samples (up to six tastes) to make your selection and they always have something interesting to offer. On our last visit we were really pleased with the Gin & Tonic Pilsner and Basil IPA, as well as the Sour Ale, which we tend to get a fill of every time we’re there.
Keep an eye out for the owner James, who can often be spotted in and around the brewery. He’s super friendly and usually happy to chat a bit about his beers and his facility/​history.
Always worth the stop!

came to Storm Brewing at the recommendation of our Vancouver Brewery Tour guide since this wasn’t a scheduled stop on our particular tour date. im so glad that we made the 30 minute bus ride from downtown to check this place out though! Storm Brewing may have been the most informal tasting/​tour that i’ve ever experienced, but it was probably one of the most fun and friendly at the same time. you walk into Storm and it’s literally just their brewing space. its not a fancy tasting room and there really is no seating either. and because of their license, they wont sell you flights or actually sell you tasters at all. 6 tasters are charged «by donation» only.
the beers are really just so innovative and creative and good! they have their mainstay beers which they brew on a regular basis and are always available… but what sets them apart is their Brainstorm brews. these are the beers where they get to experiment with different flavors and ingredients. on our visit, we got to the a basil IPA (really refreshing), gin & tonic pilsner (totally tastes like a real gin& tonic alcoholic drink but without any actual gin in it haha), vanilla whiskey stout (usually not a fan of stouts but really liked this one), and a cinna-​cran whiskey sour (not really my favorite but kudos for the creativity). my favorite beer that i tried was their imperial flanders sour ale. im becoming a big fan of sour beers and this one was really tasty.
what made the experience here even better was the staff was super friendly. they were chatting with us like we were old friends. it was nice to get a local’s perspective on things in Vancouver and to get their recommendations on where else we should visit. overall it was a pretty awesome experience here. please dont be stingy when you are ‘donating’ for the tasters. i think its a pretty cool thing that they’re doing at Storm and it should be supported!

Storm Brewing is a joy.
Having visited every brewery in the city (except for the Steel Toad) I can say that Storm is hands down my favourite.
The inside of the brewery looks as though the staff were told that they only had 10 minutes to turn the place into a ~tasting room. It is a breathe of fresh air. You will definitely find yourself talking to someone in hosing something or brewing.
The beer is delightful, inspired, and as wacky as the building. Their «Brainstorms» (how they title their class of zany beers) are definitely worth a go. The Apple Pie Beer is inspired.

Growing up around mechanic’s garages, this place had the feel of home– but with a still!
I have to bring some of my great uncles here… maybe even my dad!
O and the beers– James doesn’t appear to care about ‘dry hops’, ‘bottom’ or ‘top’ filter, or any technical talk; he is all about creating beer that you can drink by the gallon, and tastes of christmas trees, apple pies… anything other than beer (though if you ask him, I’m sure he could pull out an IPA somewhere…)
This place is heaven to greasemonkeys and maybe even a few racetrack workers!

Mad scientist dude in ghetto joint.
This guy’s been around forever. I had to finally check it out.
With no real tasting room, you walk right into the brewing shop and tasting is by donation. He’s got a long list of random concoctions like chai tea. Staff give you a plastic cup and are very generous with the samples. I got buzzed quick.
It feels like going to an uncle’s basement with his own brewing contraptions. I don’t remember which beer I liked, I just remember a lot of intriguing, wild ideas.
Worth going for entertainment value.

As ghetto as the place is, if I have to describe this place in 2 words, it would be «street cred».
Parking is available right in front.
I had tried many many times to get into this place, but always found it curiously closed, even during their horrendously short hours. Turns out I had been incorrectly trying their front door — the correct entrance is to R side. It’s really a door meant for vehicles or really obese people, but it works for me.
Just a note — as this is not a true tasting room, there are no seats or anything. You’re really expected to just try a sample or two, fill your growler, and leave.
What really amazes me is that the owners managed to create a brewery with so many different beers in such a small space! When you walk in, you’ll think you’re in a mechanic’s shop — you’re literally surrounded by tap parts, pumps, and other equipment. There’s a freezer in the back, a ghetto-​counter in front of it, and to the side are these vats. Oh, and don’t forget the mice scurrying around. Wow.
As they don’t sell tasters like most other brew pubs in town (I’m guessing it’s a licensing issue), one is forced to get free samples instead. It’s a really tough decision to make when you’re surrounded by some 20 samples. They do conveniently have a donation jar. Gotta love fighting legal technicalities with loopholes.
The staff were very friendly, and stopped cleaning their tanks just to serve my buddy and me. I had the orange creamsicle — it really does taste like the real thing we all had as kids. Truly beautiful.
One last note — it’s conveniently within walking distance from P49.