After eight years of planning, daydreaming, government obstacles and a global pandemic, Delta’s own Four Winds Brewing Co. is about to unveil its long-awaited Four Winds Beach House & Brewery, located at 6350 Market Ave. in Tsawwassen’s Southlands development.
Its projected opening is in the first week of August; an exact date is still to come.
The multi-award-winning craft brewery first conceived the idea in 2014, following a conversation with real estate developer Century Group.
Century Group’s Southlands project, which combines residential and commercial properties, is North America’s largest community deliberately rooted in food and farming. Its 530-plus acres is directly adjacent to Boundary Bay Regional Park and Centennial Beach, and 80 percent of the site is public land.
Adam Mills, co-owner of Four Winds, says the Beach House was originally meant to open in 2021 or 2022, but Delta council rejected the first proposed structure in May 2019 for being too large.
Then the pandemic arrived.
But rather than bring the project to a halt, the pandemic provided Mills and his colleagues the opportunity to “go back to the drawing board,” he says, and design a smaller version that could still adequately accommodate a restaurant and a brewing facility.
“Basically, this entire project was planned through the pandemic — everything from financial details to the business plan, the architectural plans and working with Century Group,” says Mills. “It was extra stressful, because here we were planning this very lofty project, and it was hard to know what the future would hold.
“But we were optimistic. We’ve always really believed in this project.”
Mills is especially excited that the Beach House will be in Southlands, which was always Four Winds’ first choice.
“We had our eye on this development since its inception,” he says. “Being from Tsawwassen — we were raised here and we’re raising our own families here. And Southlands is such a cool concept, seeing this sort of stagnant farmland transformed into a productive 500-some-odd acres. And there’s something special about the land here. It has a unique feeling to it.”
Mills adds that the Beach House’s proximity to bountiful farmland means many of the crops grown nearby will find their way into the beers and food menu.
He describes the Beach House as “a West Coast interpretation of a European beer hall tradition. We’re doing a lot of traditional European-inspired beers, but then we’re juxtaposing that with the other half of our beer menu, which is modern beers — all kinds of innovative, interesting new takes.”
The Beach House will also have a cocktail program, and a wine list made up exclusively of B.C. bottles.
Meanwhile, the food menu is “inspired by the land and sea that surrounds us,” meaning guests can expect the likes of Salt Spring Island mussels, locally caught seafood, fish and chips, burgers, salads, bar snacks and more.
And fans of the original Four Winds taproom, on 72nd Street, needn’t worry. It will continue as always, with rotating beers on tap and a menu featuring tacos, quesadillas, burritos and burgers.
“We look forward to opening our doors and being here for a long time,” says Mills. “We can’t wait to serve our community.”
