A Google Streetview image from 2017 depicts 1209 Lyall Street, a property in Esquimalt that was formerly a convenience store and a residence, and is now a residence and a 'nano' brewery for Howl Brewing. The company is seeking approvals to operate a small tasting room fronting Lyall Street. Google
Howl Brewing submits plans for tasting room on Lyall St. near Fraser St. in Esquimalt
Mike Kozakowski, Citified.ca
Published January 6, 2025
Greater Victoria’s brewing industry incubator could have a new hang-out spot for beer lovers, if an application currently before the Township of Esquimalt gets the nod from council.
A boutique brewery established in 2018 as a small-batch producer in North Saanich has set its sights on a tasting room as part of a new ‘nano’ brewery on Lyall Street, Citified has learned.
Howl Brewing, formerly operating in North Saanich from a small space adjacent to Mills Road’s Fickle Fig Farm Market, moved to the 1200-block of Lyall Street in 2024 after securing approvals to brew beer on-site, and has now submitted a rezoning application plus an official community plan amendment to permit a public tasting room.
The property at 1209 Lyall Street currently serves as both a small brewery and brewmaster Dan van Netten’s residence. With a portion of the home formerly used as a convenience store along its Lyall Street frontage, the proponent hopes the Township of Esquimalt will permit a proposal to accommodate approximately a dozen seated patrons within the former commercial footprint, based on architectural plans.
Howl Brewing describes its products as using locally sourced ingredients leading to an ever-changing line-up of beers produced based on ingredient availability.
Esquimalt is known for its significant role in the proliferation of craft brewing not only on southern Vancouver Island, but also in Canada. The township was the start-up spot for major success story Phillips Brewing & Malting Co., now based in the City of Victoria.
The municipality is currently home for local brewing stalwarts Lighthouse Brewing and Driftwood Brewery, and Esquimalt Wine Company along with its sister brand, Rootside Bitters & Mixers.
And just across the border in Vic West, Spinnakers Brew Pub opened on Catherine Street in the 1980s as one of the first brew-pubs in Canada, which drew thirsty patrons from across the region and from across the world to the Vic West/Esquimalt community. Howl’s van Netten, in fact, was a familiar face at Spinnakers for many years, working at the brewpub as one of its most notable bartenders. C
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