Doan’s Craft Brewing

Doan’s Craft Brewing Company is a small family owned business that is located in the heart of East Vancouver, at what used to be the old Powell Street Craft Brewery. The brewing company took over the space and renovated it into a cozy 450 square foot 25 seat lounge complete with an arcade.  The lounge was designed with comfort in mind, as a way of ensuring that the interiors have a casual feel that is complemented by the works of Ola Volo and other contemporary artists. The brewery was opened in 2015 as a result of a collaboration between two brothers Evan and Mike Doan and fellow partner Kevin Sharpe.

Doans Beers

At first, the brewery started out serving three beers namely the Rye IPA, the Altbier and the Kolsch.  The fact that the partners opted for German styles for its main beers is what helps the brewery to stand out. Most brewers in the craft beer industry try to shy away from German beers such as Kolsch because they are considered boring and predictable.  However, the beers produced by Doan's Craft Brewing are delicious in their simplicity and refinement, which is what most clients identify with. Aside from producing the three varieties of beer, Doan's Craft Brewing company also collaborates with other breweries in the region.

The brothers choose to collaborate with other small breweries in the region as a way of standing up and fighting against the large breweries, which still control a large portion of the beer market. Aside from the camaraderie, the brothers opt to partner with other brewers because of their small capacity and as a way of learning new techniques from other brewing companies and more experienced brewers.  For instance, Doan's Craft brewers have worked alongside Moody Ales from Port Moody to produce a Rye Munich Dunkel.  The brewery has also collaborated with Sons of Vancouver Distillery, which is located close by. The batches that are produced as a result of collaboration are typically smaller that other amounts.

Currently, Doan's pours the three signature ales from the taps for tasters, as well as supply growler fills for customers.  While in the brewery, snacks are provided by the East Side Beer Food.  The brewery has been fortunate enough to win a few awards from the beer community including the Rookie of the Year at the 2015 BC beer awards and an award for their legendary American rye stout from the same awards.