New Westminster’s relationship with beer did not start with the current wave of craft brewing. Sapperton was home to one of the first commercial breweries in British Columbia back in the late 1800s, and that site went on to operate under various owners, most recently Labatt, until it finally closed in 2005. So when we talk about the city’s craft beer scene today, we are not describing something that appeared out of nowhere. We are describing a much older story picking back up after a gap.

That story now plays out mainly in two places, a working brewery down at the river and a large multi tap house up in Sapperton, with a former industrial brewery site nearby that has been redeveloped but still carries the name forward. None of this is a sprawling beer district the way some cities have, but what New Westminster has is genuine and easy to spend an afternoon or evening in. Below we walk through where to actually drink, how the city’s brewing history fits together, and a few practical tips for making the most of a visit.

Steel & Oak: A Working Brewery on the River

Steel & Oak is the closest thing New Westminster has to a flagship brewery, and its setting is a big part of the appeal. The brewery broke ground in 2013 and opened its tasting room the following year, tucked into an industrial pocket near the end of the Quay boardwalk with the Fraser River close by. It is a working brewhouse first, so the tanks and equipment are right there alongside the tasting room rather than hidden in a back room somewhere.

The tasting room itself is unfussy in the way a lot of good breweries are, with a handful of house beers on rotation spanning the usual range of styles along with the occasional seasonal release. There is no full kitchen on site, but food trucks regularly set up outside for evening and weekend service, which keeps the experience casual and lets people linger over a flight without needing to plan a separate meal.

Outdoor space is one of Steel & Oak’s stronger points, with more than one patio area and a garden bar for warmer months, so it tends to fill up quickly on a nice afternoon. It is an easy stop to pair with a walk along the boardwalk at the Quay, since the brewery sits close enough to that stretch of waterfront to fold naturally into the same outing.

Sapperton District Taphouse: 33 Taps in the Old Brewing Neighbourhood

If Steel & Oak is where you go to drink beer where it is brewed, Sapperton District Taphouse is where you go for breadth. The taphouse runs a rotating lineup of roughly three dozen taps focused on BC craft beer, which makes it one of the better places in the city to compare several local breweries in a single sitting rather than committing to just one.

The space leans into the neighbourhood’s brewing past without being a museum piece about it, mixing exposed brick and warm wood accents with a genuinely modern gastropub kitchen. Expect elevated pub food rather than basic bar snacks, along with the kind of big screen setup that makes it a comfortable spot to catch a game while working through a few different pours.

Sapperton itself is worth knowing a little about here, since the taphouse sits in the same part of the city where BC’s early brewing industry actually got its start in the late 1800s. Sitting down for a beer in this particular neighbourhood carries a bit more weight once you know that history, even if the building itself is new.

The Brewery District: A Name That Outlasted the Brewery

One of the more interesting quirks of drinking in New Westminster is that its largest brewery related landmark today is not a brewery at all anymore. The Brewery District, a mixed use development along Brunette Avenue, takes its name directly from the site’s long run as a working brewery, most recently operated by Labatt until that plant closed in 2005 and was demolished.

Before Labatt, the same stretch of land had been home to a succession of breweries reaching back into the 1800s, part of the same early Sapperton brewing story that Sapperton District Taphouse now nods to a short distance away. Rather than erase that history entirely, the redevelopment leaned into it, and the site today carries the Brewery District name into its new life as retail, residential towers, and office space.

It is not a place to go looking for a pint, since there is no working brewery on site anymore, but it is a useful piece of context for understanding why New Westminster’s beer identity runs deeper than a couple of modern taprooms. The industrial roots are still visible if you know to look for them, even in a neighbourhood that has otherwise been rebuilt from the ground up.

Getting Around and Making a Beer Focused Day of It

The two main stops for drinking in New Westminster sit in different parts of the city, so it helps to think about logistics before you head out. Steel & Oak is down near the river at the edge of the Quay, walkable from the New Westminster SkyTrain station, while Sapperton District Taphouse sits up on East Columbia Street in Sapperton, closer to the Sapperton SkyTrain stop. Both are reachable without a car, but they are not a quick walk from each other, so treat them as two separate outings rather than one loop unless you are comfortable with a longer walk or a short transit hop between them.

A reasonable plan for a full day is to start at whichever spot is closer to wherever you are coming from, spend an hour or two, then take transit to the other rather than trying to squeeze both into a single tight window. If you are only doing one, Steel & Oak pairs naturally with an afternoon at the Quay, while the taphouse pairs well with exploring the rest of Sapperton’s shops and eateries along Columbia Street.

As with any brewery or taphouse, remember that tap lists, seasonal releases, and hours can shift without much notice, so it is always worth a quick check before heading out, especially if a specific beer or event is the reason for the trip.

Why New Westminster’s Beer History Runs Deeper Than It Looks

It is easy to assume a city’s craft beer scene is a purely modern phenomenon, but New Westminster is a case where the history actually predates the current wave by more than a century. Sapperton was home to one of British Columbia’s first commercial breweries in the late 1800s, and that same general site kept operating under different owners, eventually becoming a Labatt plant that stayed in business until 2005.

That closure left a real gap, and it was not until Steel & Oak opened its doors in 2014 that the city had a working brewery of its own again in the modern craft sense. The Brewery District development and the Sapperton District Taphouse both gesture back at that older industrial identity in their own ways, one through its name and site history, the other through its neighbourhood setting, which makes New Westminster’s beer scene feel connected to something older rather than invented from scratch.

Tips for a Brewery Visit in New Westminster

Check the food situation before you go. Steel & Oak relies on visiting food trucks rather than a full kitchen, so if you are planning a meal around your visit, confirm a truck will be on site that day, especially on a weeknight.

Treat the two spots as separate trips. Steel & Oak and Sapperton District Taphouse are in different parts of the city, so plan your transit or driving route accordingly rather than assuming you can easily hit both in a couple of hours.

Go early on weekends if you want a patio seat. Outdoor seating at both spots is popular in warmer months, and Steel & Oak’s patios in particular can fill up fast on a sunny afternoon.

If you only have time for one stop and want variety, choose the taphouse. With roughly three dozen rotating taps, Sapperton District Taphouse is the better single stop for sampling multiple BC breweries rather than just one.

Questions Often Asked

Is there an actual working brewery in New Westminster?

Yes. Steel & Oak Brewing Co. operates a working brewhouse and tasting room near the Quay, having opened its doors in 2014. It is the city’s main functioning craft brewery.

Where can I try multiple BC breweries in one place in New Westminster?

Sapperton District Taphouse, on East Columbia Street in Sapperton, runs a rotating lineup of roughly three dozen taps featuring beer from breweries across British Columbia, making it the best single stop for variety.

Is the Brewery District a place to drink beer?

No, not anymore. The Brewery District is a mixed use residential and retail development along Brunette Avenue that takes its name from the site’s long history as a working brewery, most recently a Labatt plant that closed in 2005. There is no working brewery on the site today.

Does New Westminster have a long brewing history?

Yes. Sapperton was home to one of British Columbia’s earliest commercial breweries in the late 1800s, and the same general site continued brewing under different owners for well over a century before finally closing in 2005.

Can you get to New Westminster’s breweries without a car?

Yes. Steel & Oak is an easy walk from the New Westminster SkyTrain station near the Quay, and Sapperton District Taphouse is close to the Sapperton SkyTrain stop, so both are reachable by transit.