I usually spice up my regular Vancouver trips with visits to Alibi and the Railway Club. I had heard good things about St Augustine, but never checked it out until yesterday. This place should be on everybody's Vancouver bucket list. Yes it was loud and the food was crappy, but the beer list and the staff were awesome.
I was to meet some friends there at 7pm, but due to a rainy day and boredom, I headed over about 5pm. There was already a long line to get in. When I asked the person at the door about prospects, she said they only let as many people in as they have seats. In fact they won't serve you without a seat. I asked about getting on the list for a table for me and my friends v.s. getting on the list to just sit at the bar. While she was working on the options a group in line behind me chimed in that their table was ready and they had an extra seat so they invited me to join them; a truly unusual Vancouver experience given the reserved nature of the town. Things only go better as I made a whole bunch of new friends over the course of a couple hours. In short, an awesome crowd at this bar!
I also insist on drinking local, so I was focused on Vancouver and B.C. beers, but the bartender kept insisting I try a new beer from Elysian. She was quite adamant. I have always liked their beers so I gave this new one called Idiot Sauvin a try. Thankfully I have now tasted one of the best beers ever - INMHO!
Finally, now that Elysian had my attention again, I tried their Jasmine IPA. I don't much like jasmine, so this was a personal reach. This beer turned me around on the ingredient - a real winner. But not as good as the Idiot Sauvin. Get your paws on it a try it I say!
