Justin McElroy, a CBC Journalist who you might remember from his viral competition to find the best Canadian TV show of all time, has made another set of rankings: The Best Breweries in Victoria.
Using a somewhat scientific method, McElroy and a select few tasters scored each brewery out of 50 points, with five distinct categories making up the total.
- QUALITY — 20 points: how do the beers generally taste?
- STANDOUT — 5 points: Do you have a favourite beer from the brewery?
- DIVERSITY — 10 points: How many selections do they have in the tap room?
- INNOVATION — 5 points: Do they put their own spin on beers?
- EXPERIENCE — 10 points: How did you feel coming away from the tasting room?
According to McElroy’s blog, “A score below 25 is bad. A score above 30 is fully acceptable. A score above 35 indicates real quality. A score above 40 is elite.”
As with any set of subjective rankings, McElroy’s have already generated some controversy. In fact, they’ve already drummed up dozens of not-so-supportive comments across social media and on Reddit:
— Jan Zeschky (@JanZeschky) March 1, 2018
Also of note, three breweries in the area have been excluded: Sooke Brewing Company and Bad Dog Brewing for being too new, and Mayne Island Brewing, because of its limited opening hours.
Justin McElroy’s Rankings of Victoria Breweries
*To be clear, Victoria Buzz doesn’t endorse these rankings.
15 | Vancouver Island Brewing | 23.92 |
14 | Twa Dogs | 24.5 |
13 | Canoe | 25.25 |
12 | Sooke Oceanside | 27.5 |
11 | Moon Under Water | 28.3 |
10 | Lighthouse | 31.4 |
9 | Spinnakers | 32.58 |
8 | Hoyne | 32.81 |
7 | Salt Spring Ales | 33.13 |
6 | Swans | 33.5 |
5 | Axe & Barrel | 35.6 |
4 | 4 Mile | 36.14 |
3 | Phillips | 36.75 |
2 | Category 12 | 37.0 |
1 | Driftwood | 38.7 |
What do you think of this top 15? Let us know in the comments.