{"id":22279,"date":"2021-08-11T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=22279"},"modified":"2022-03-06T13:46:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T21:46:22","slug":"cycling-breweries-delta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/cycling-breweries-delta\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling from Victoria to the Breweries in Delta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this summer, just after regional travel restrictions were lifted, I ticked off a cycling trip I\u2019d been dreaming about ever since the pandemic started. It involved visiting breweries in Delta \u2014 Four Winds Brewing and a newer farm-based brewery that had opened nearby early in 2020 called Barnside Brewing.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Back in November 2019, I was invited to give a guest lecture at KPU\u2019s Brewing School<\/a>. I live in Victoria so, after I took the ferry to Tsawwassen, I dropped in at the breweries in Delta. I started at Four Winds Brewing<\/a> for a quick visit. While I was chatting with brewmaster Brent Mills, I asked him what he knew about Barnside Brewing<\/a>, which I\u2019d heard was going to open nearby. Brent smiled and pointed to a couple of guys sitting in the tasting room nearby. \u201cAsk them,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re the owners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I chatted with the Barnside folks for a bit and then drove over to check out the site about 5 km away. The brewery, which wasn\u2019t quite open yet, was housed in a purpose-built barn showcasing century-old beams and wood gathered from heritage barns throughout Delta. It looked great! Before I continued on my way to KPU, I assured them I\u2019d pop over for a visit again when the brewery opened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But then came COVID. In fact, that trip late in 2019 was my last time off Vancouver Island for more than 18 months. Throughout much of 2020, I often fantasized about post-pandemic trips I might enjoy, and one of those fantasies was to cycle between those two breweries in Delta. <\/span>So when the provincial government opened up regional travel restrictions and the forecast called for glorious weather, I proposed a Delta bike trip to a few of my cycling pals. They quickly agreed, as did a couple of friends from Vancouver who I hadn\u2019t seen since before the pandemic \u2014 they said they\u2019d ride down and meet us there.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Riding on the Lochside Trail on the Saanich Peninsula<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those of us riding from Victoria wanted to catch the 9:00 am ferry, which necessitated a 7:00 am departure. That\u2019s early for me, although I know a lot of cyclists love the early morning because the day isn\u2019t too hot yet and the roads are fairly quiet. But I set my alarm, drank a big mug of coffee, and was on my bike by 7!\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n

The 35-km ride to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal is flat. Most of it follows the Lochside Trail, a dedicated path for cyclists, pedestrians and even horses (in some stretches). Some of it does involve riding on roads, although most of them have painted bike lanes and are reasonably quiet in terms of vehicle traffic. Since much of it hugs the coastline, you get to enjoy some spectacular scenery, especially the long stretch heading into Sidney.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was joined by three friends, all of whom are faster riders than I am, so I had to work hard to keep up with them. The weather was cooler than forecasted, and when it clouded over and threatened rain, I realized I\u2019d forgotten to bring a jacket! Luckily, apart from a couple of drops, we stayed dry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We made it to Swartz Bay by 8:30am. According to Strava<\/a>, I had beat my personal best for riding to the ferry! I guess the combination of riding with faster guys and the incentive of not wanting to miss the boat pushed me like a strong wind at my back.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My pals Eric and Shawn on the Alex Fraser Bridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We enjoyed a breakfast on the ferry and then prepared to disembark on the mainland side. And then, just as we docked at Tsawwassen, my phone beeped. It was a text with a photo of my friends from Vancouver halfway across the Alex Fraser Bridge on their way to Delta. The race was on!<\/span><\/p>\n

Riding along the ferry causeway was not particularly pleasant because of the volume of cars and trucks roaring past us, but soon we were able to leave the highway behind. We turned left to head north right after the Tsawwassen Mills Outlet Mall. The route took us through some picturesque farms into the pretty town of Ladner. At River Road, we turned right and eventually joined a trail along the river. Although not fully divided for cyclists and pedestrians, it served us well. The best part was the cool underpass that took us under Highway 99 just south of Deas Island and the Massey Tunnel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\/app\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Under-the-bridge.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

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It was right around then that my friends from Vancouver sent a photo of themselves enjoying a beer at Four Winds. They\u2019d beaten us there! <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well, they had no ferry schedule to contend with, after all. In any case, that was incentive for us to stop lollygagging and start pedalling harder.\u00a0<\/span>We followed the Millennium Trail along the river on the east side of the highway, which took us almost all the way to Four Winds. The last stretch was back on River Road, now a fairly busy thoroughfare, but it had a painted bike lane, at least.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Four Winds Brewing has a tent set up in front of the brewery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arriving at Four Winds Brewing felt triumphant! <\/span><\/h3>\n

The brewery has long been a favourite of mine, both for the quality of their beers as well as the friends I have made among the family of owners. It was founded by brewmaster Brent Mills along with his brothers Adam and Sean and their dad, Greg, back in 2013. Since then, Four Winds has won numerous awards, including Brewery of the Year and Beer of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards. Sadly, Greg Mills passed away last year \u2014 following his death, Four Winds named a special beer in his honour: Greg IPA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n