Swans Brewpub / Buckerfield Brewery

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

All dark and dank wood, this brewpub means business. English style for sure and packed to the gills with great beer, great tunes, and great value! The atmosphere is killer. Dark wood, many rooms, and a killer jazz/blues band. Quality was great as well. the IPA is killer, as is the rasp ale, cider, and cask bitter. Selection is great as well. 8 hand pumps and 6 taps let you know what is going down. Service is fast and friendly, and the food looked and smelled great! Definateley one of the best in BC's Capital city!

05-13-2005 07:18:23 | More by francisweizen

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.46/5  rDev +12.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

We met some friends at Swans for a couple of beers. We got there a little after dinner time and it was busy, but there was room at the bar. The atmosphere was upscale, but still pub like. I had the IPA and thought it was quite good, nicely balanced with plenty of citrusy hop flavor. My girlfriend had the brown ale, which was also quite good. Next I had their oatmeal stout, which was a highlight for me. One of the best I have had. It was rich and creamy, and full flavored.

The service was okay, we got offered fresh pints whenever we were low, but when it was time to settle up, it took about 15 minutes of waiting to get our bill. It was busy, but frustrating to watch the bartenders fill multiple orders that came after we had asked for to settle up.

As the night went on, the place got a little more rowdy, and there was some live music. Overall it was a little on the pricey side, $6+ for beers, but they were full pints, and I'd say the beer was worth it.

09-12-2010 02:13:42 | More by ericj551

saskguy

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +9.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

Michael Williams, the original owner passed away a couple years back. He donated the pub and his extensive art collection to the University of Victoria. Some of his art collection can be seen in the pub.

Swans has consistently made good beer over the years. My second favourite brewpub in Victoria for beer.

11-12-2003 02:41:28 | More by saskguy

BashOnABike

Alberta (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $

Note: only inexpensive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays ($3.87 pints/$10.87 pitchers respectively)

This place had a decent atmosphere, live music daily during tourist season (summer) and great craft beer. None of us really tried the food, rather using the location for session drinking.

Sitting at the far back of the patio affords a beautiful view of the inner harbour and the pack-rusted Johnson St Bridge.

On weekends it gets pretty crowded. A more-or-less middle-aged clientele, but gets younger as the night wears on.

I recommend the Coconut Porter and Scotch Ale (8% abv)

09-16-2011 00:24:32 | More by BashOnABike

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

It was an old granary/feed-store, and in the heart of the city, it was reportedly Victoria's ugly duckling. Once renovated, it became the beautiful Swan that it is today! It continues to store grain (most of which is barley).

I had lunch at the Brewpub, and dinner at the Wild Saffron restaurant. They offer 4 oz samples for a very reasonable price (at both places). It's too bad their not a little larger, perhaps 5 or 6 ounzes? The pub and restaurant both have a nice atmosphere.

The pub was quite busy, so service was a little slow. The food was quite good, and an excellent value. I had slow roasted pork, which came on a mound of mashed potatoes, and was surrounded by beans. The ample portion was more than enough (I didn't finish the potatoes).

We had dinner early in the week, so it wasn't very busy. Service was exceptional. We chatted with our waiter about traveling and beer. It was a little pricey, but still a good value (the food was really exceptional).

Their beer is good/better-than-average.

12-24-2005 19:31:21 | More by Derek

josiahschlender

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Swans Brew Pub is set in a cool old reconditioned building turned into hotel, brewery and pub. It reminds me of a McMenamins establishment where I'm at in Portland, only with better beer.

The pub area is updated with quality, classy touches that seem pretty new. It's located on a busy city corner downtown near the inner harbor, so it gets quite a bit of foot and vehicle traffic that seem to keep business hopping. Not the most crowded place I've been, but pretty bustling on a weekend evening.

Our waitress was attentive and friendly. She seemed to have a lot of tables to wait, yet never seemed to keep anyone waiting. A team of bus staff helped, as well.

Swans had a surprising number of beers on tap, more than a dozen, I think. A solid, well rounded lineup that covered most major brewing bases but didn't hit any home runs. I tried the strong Riley's Scotch Ale (good, very malty traditional beer), their seasonal Coconut Porter (very one-dimensional coconut, but good), Oatmeal Stout (solid, roasty, malty) and the Extra IPA (despite the menu description, it didn't mean extra hops, but a good balanced IPA).

The side room we sat in was fairly quiet and insulated from the noisier bar, which suited us. It even deadened much of the volume of the cover band that started playing halfway through our time. We heard a band playing there another evening when walking by... whether that's a pro or a con for you, it seems to be a frequent occurrence.

The only food I tried was the mixed yam and potato fries, which were good, but fairly expensive for what you get to this American... so went it with just about every place I went in Victoria. However, Swans seemed in line with the other establishments I visited.

Worth a stop if you're getting a feel for the beer part of the town in Victoria. If it were in my hometown, It probably wouldn't be my most often stop, but it would be regular on the rotation. Kind of interesting, somehow Swans ended up having the highest overall rating I gave after visiting and reviewing the three Victoria brewpubs, but I think I'd be more likely to visit Spinnakers or Canoe if I was a local. I guess the standout service and good selection is maybe what skewed the numbers.

09-15-2009 04:18:44 | More by josiahschlender

jreitman

California

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4

Swans is a nice little brew pub in the swans hotel in downtown Victoria, BC. Live music is often playing on the weekends and can be loud, but sitting on their wonderful enclosed deck reduces the noise level quite a bit. I had their beer sampler initially and found all the beers to be quite nice. Food is the standard pub fare with a fair bit of seafood as well. The attached brewery/wine shop sells their pub brews in nicely labeled bottles for take out if desired. Worth checking out if you are in town.

04-16-2002 09:14:33 | More by jreitman

walshclimb

Nevada

4/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

We sat in the greenhouse-like patio overlooking a nearby bridge and were fortunate to have a nice sunny day. The bar has lots of wood and a good pub feel. The patrons were a mix of locals and tourists on the weekend. The service was good, quick, and friendly. She even brought me a pen because I forgot mine. The only thing we ate was the poutine appetizer, which was very tasty with fresh potato fries, cheese, and gravy. If you haven't had this before, try it! They have a good selection of house brewed beers and a good menu. I would definitely recommend stopping by. We tried 3 of their beers on tap or cask, and they seemed a little watery but with good flavor.

07-10-2007 15:44:07 | More by walshclimb

mjbotsch

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I visited in July 2009. Located about a 10-to-15 minute walk from downtown Victoria one block away from Government Street. There is no tasting room in the brewery; instead the beers are served in the restaurant on the street corner, next to the hotel entrance. The dining room is large and didn't seem too crowded, even though we were there at lunch time. We sat in the glassed-in patio, which accommodates perhaps ten tables and catches a nice bit of sunlight.

The selection of beers was quite large (ten to fifteen) and all from their on-site microbrewery. Everything is served on-tap. We chose the flight of six samplers. Our server was friendly, informing us about the seasonal specials, and prompt though not too attentive. We ordered the mix of regular and sweet potato fries to accompany our beer, which came with a delicious dijonnaise dipping sauce and was attractively served in the Belgian style, in a cone.

In summary, Swan's is a pleasant and clean establishment for a sit-down meal and beer tasting. The beers were all good and a couple were excellent; I will certainly go back the next time I'm in Victoria.

08-06-2009 20:14:17 | More by mjbotsch

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.96/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

We checked out Swans in the afternoon, and even then it was still fairly busy. Beautiful old rennovated heritage building on the corner of a busy intersection. The wood and ornaments within the bar are classy and well done, gives the whole place a comfortable and cozy feel to it. We sat in the L-shaped atrium on the outside of the building and watched the action happen and go by outside--great view and scenery.

A curious side-note: Swans is just up the street from some sort of drop-in centre, so if you sit in the atrium along Wharf you get to hear the screeching of tires and horns honking, plus intermittent screams and shrieks as random crackheads wander or run out right into traffic every 20 minutes or so.

Service was polite and professional, or at least our server was very friendly and accomodating. I had the most surreal encounter/conversation I've ever had with a server from another section who started out by shouting at my turned back, "Hey, pay attention to me!" Before that hadn't heard her over the din of the music and other patrons. What ensued I'll write off as just an acid flashback instead...

I sampled a few different pints (brown, stout and pale) and my friend went straight for the sampler option of 6 4 oz. glasses from their decent style selection. I found the beers I tried to be a bit mediocre for their styles, and for the most part on the watery side. Didn't get the opportunity to sample any food this time around, but I've heard from others that it is excellent.

Still, I was thoroughly content with the atmosphere of the pub, the beautiful decor, and sitting in the atrium on a pleasant sunny day, watching the citizens of Victoria bustle along their way, and witnessing the occasional wigged-out crackhead nearly getting mowed down by what was turning into rush hour traffic by that point.

I'm definitely planning on going back again, to sample a few more beers and give them a fair try, as well as to finally try the food. Definitely a place I'd love to spend an entire evening.

03-02-2008 21:02:04 | More by IronDjinn