A year-round destination on the west coast of Vancouver Island, brimming with rugged beauty and its own craft brewery, is just one way to describe Ucluelet.
This small town of about 2,000 is a 30-minute drive from the community of Tofino. The word Ucluelet is an anglicized version of the name of the local Yuułu?ił?ath Ucluelet First Nation (pronounced yoo-thlew-ilth-uhht). Roughly translated it means “people of the safe harbour or place of safe landing.”
This little gem of a town has beautiful beaches, salmon fishing, Ukee Days, which is a three-day festival celebrating all things West Coast, cultural heritage festivals, and the Pacific Rim Whale Festival, where you can watch the world’s largest (up to 20,000) grey whale migration.
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Don’t assume because it is a small town that it is boring. Far from it.
The first time I heard of and visited Ucluelet was in 2020; I still have to say it to myself before I say it out loud to ensure I’m correct, U [you] -clue-let. Recently, I had the pleasure of a return visit and a chance to explore locally owned eating spots and watering holes.
One of my favourites is the Ucluelet Brewing Company. Not only is it a top-notch craft brewery; like most places I write about and enjoy, it has an interesting story.
Constructed in the 1950s, the building was originally home to St. Aiden’s Church. Built on top of a hill overlooking the beauty of Ucluelet and the Pacific Ocean, for decades the church was a hub of activity from a place of worship to group meetings. However, over the years, activities and attendance waned while the need for continual maintenance and upkeep escalated. In 2010, the church was, deconsecrated, at which time local builder Leif Hagar purchased the building.
It was around 2015 that Dennis Morgan, the current co-owner and manager of Ucluelet Brewing Company, had discussions with Hager and Jonny Ferguson, a local builder and shareholder in the brewery, about building a microbrewery on the site. At the time, craft breweries were taking off and Morgan felt a brewery would enable the location to reclaim its role as a local gathering spot.
Shortly thereafter, planning, designing, sourcing material and building began. It took three and a half years from concept to opening. The vision was to restore and repurpose what they could, while introducing modern conveniences and warm elements. The intent was never to create a party atmosphere; rather the vision was for a comfortable, friendly spot where families are welcome. This is exactly what I experienced.
Time, effort, and a great deal of thought went into the rebuild. Aspiring to maintain the authenticity of the church, the original shape was kept. Much of the lumber could not be repurposed, but the front doors were reconditioned. The bell tower was restored, adding to the memory and church origins of the building.
Much of the lumber was not salvageable, but unique and high-quality local wood was sourced, including Pacific Yew for the bar. An uncommon wood grown mostly along the coast of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, Pacific Yew is one of the hardest hardwood trees of the Pacific Northwest. It was difficult to find pieces large enough for their bar; nevertheless, some neighbours donated large pieces.
Another friend had beautiful fir on hand to help refurbish the existing stairs to the lower level. The floor joists were salvaged from a large hole cut to accommodate the brewing equipment being placed in the lower level. The joists originally came from one of the Second World War buildings at the Seaplane Base. These were removed and repurposed as the frontage of the bar and kitchen. With a rare rustic rough-cut look, the joists are into their third life!
The Ucluelet Brewery is a licensed restaurant, but minors are allowed, which works well because the demographics of Ucluelet hover around the “young family” age.
The menu features customary bar snacks, several hand-held choices, a small assortment of charcuterie boards, and traditional soup and salad options. While the menu selection may sound familiar, there is a unique twist to each dish. With an in-house herb garden that includes a variety of nasturtiums, locally-sourced ingredients are used as much as possible. The seafood is mainly from Vancouver Island with a handful of ingredients from the mainland. When you order from the menu, you are getting fresh.
As a charcuterie lover, it was easy for me to make up my mind on lunch, but I had a tougher time deciding which beer to try.
Traditionally, there are about 12 beers on tap, of which seven are generally a constant, while the others change seasonally or to accommodate periodic guest taps. The Party Wave – Hazy IPA is packed with intense flavours of citrus and tropical fruit.
This east coast style IPA is hop-forward, yet very approachable. Adding flaked wheat and oats coupled with a consistent dry-hop regime results in a beautiful thick, hazy appearance. While it is heavily hopped, it is not bitter. It is the biggest seller.
Kolsch, crisp and clean German-style lagered ale, is balanced between floral hops and grainy malt, resulting in an amazingly refreshing beer.
Fresh Hop SMASH (single malt and single hop) pale ale was recently introduced and become another popular choice. It is a light pale ale with grassy and floral elements with a slight bitterness.
The tasting flights are super popular, particularly in the summer, providing guests an opportunity to sample a variety of beers. I can speak to this first-hand because that is exactly when I knew what to order.
In the spirit of using local, Ucluelet Brewery also features a selection of locally sourced cocktails and a small flavourful selection of wine from the Saanich Peninsula, just a short 30 minutes from Victoria. Gin and vodka come from Pacific Rim Distilling, a small craft distillery in Ucluelet started by a fourth-generation distiller.
Brewmaster Alan Cukier sources top-end ingredients, with the majority from across Canada and some from the United States; he has also tried some European hops.
“Microbreweries are growing in popularity. There are a lot of breweries of this size making specialty beer in limited quantities, and that is truly a thing of beauty,” Morgan said.
In 2021, they targeted 60 batches, which is 84,000 litres of beer. While he feels they will exceed this target in 2022, they are not interested in huge growth. Rather, their goal is to maintain status as a microbrewery, focusing on serving the local area. This also enables staff to have a great work-home balance.
When asked what he enjoys most about owning and managing Ucluelet Brewery, Morgan said, “just seeing people having a good time, enjoying the space we created, and services we offer. The brewery fills a niche. We designed it to be comfortable and a place to meet up with friends and have a good beer, good food, or both.
“Ucluelet has been seen as the little sister to Tofino, but that is changing now as people are seeing Ucluelet as a destination and the brewery has contributed to that.”
Adele Buettner is a farm girl (at heart), foodie, volunteer, business owner and lover of all things relating to agriculture and food. She is located in Saskatoon.
