The Spotlight is a series of interviews with the craft beer heroes behind local organizations who are helping grow the beer scene in our fine city. Commune Cafe is a restaurant with a penchant for craft beer in downtown Vancouver. We chatted with Co-Owner Amir Samei about their beer selection and their cask program.
How long have you been around?
Since August 2010
How would you explain Commune Cafe to the uninitiated?
Commune Cafe with a cosmopolitan attitude, the downtown destination for great food and craft beer enthusiasts. We ensure to make up to 80% of our ingredients in house and being sustainable as much as possible.
What sparked the idea to set up Commune Cafe?
To offer something dynamic, approachable without compromising the quality.
What beers do you have on tap?
We focus on local and Canadian breweries. Here is the current:
– Phillips Blue Buck
– Howe Sound (rotates)
– Driftwood (rotates)
– Steam Whistle
How often do they get rotated?
Every 2-3 month
Do you do any beer tasting dinners or casks?
Yes. We do cask last Sunday of each month and beer tasting once in a few month depends on breweries schedule.
Does beer find its way into any of your cooking?
Yes, one of our mussel dishes (FRESH MUSSELS: ale style beer, chorizo and cream). We use beer for braising too. We sometimes use them for our Sunday roast (There is Sunday roast and craft beer for $16 every week).
There are a few beer cocktails on our drink menu as well:
– Spicy Blood Beer: ale style beer, tomato juice, hot sauce, olives
– Strawberry Mimosa: fruli beer, sparkling wine, fresh strawberry
What’s your favourite brew right now?
Tough call! I have lots of them in my mind.
Local: Parallel 49th Ugly Sweater (Milk Stout), Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (Quebec ) and SteamWhistle (Toronto)
International: Rochefort 8 – Belgium (if I pick one only)
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Commune Cafe is located at 1002 Seymour St and can be found online here. You can also check them out on Facebook or Twitter.
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