Jason Zahn

For tourists downtown in St John's, this place is a good brisk 40-minute walk away and involves a little bit of incline. We walked via the lake loop trail which did have a nice dedicated pedestrian path but wasn't as nice and scenic as you would think, passing by the large penitentiary and run down medical facilities. It did give us a nice chance to get a more complete feel for the town than just the tourist waterfront streets. You could always take a quick 5-minute cab ride. Arrived at an adorably cute little harbor (the one you imagined when you first thought of New Foundland) with the brewery right at the end with all the best views. Lots of personality and LOTS of beers with local ingredients (ex. Blueberries) and local themes (ex. Iceberg). Walk up a narrow staircase to the main brewery floor and bar. Place was full from a wedding event but we quickly grabbed seats at the bar. They were busy and hustling but we were quickly served our 16oz pour beers ($6.50 USD converted from CAD after taxes but before gratuity), which were delicious. Staff were helpful but too busy to be particularly "friendly" (aka. you may need to flag them to request your drink or check). Packed with friendly locals (not sure if any tourists) and great views of the boats and water. They were setting up for some local folk music (fiddle, guitar, tin whistle) which sounded like it would be amazing. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stick around but we can definitely say this would be our go-to brewery and is worth the effort to get to - don't miss it.

Clean, lots of seating, some greenery, could use a little more shade in summer (but will have some when young trees get taller). Right next to Planet Word museum (free) inside Franklin School building.