Beer, sun and fun!
Every hour is happy hour here in the BVI! A very common saying is “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” The islands are well known for their rum and cocktails but in recent years, local breweries have been popping up around the Caribbean and in the BVI, we have two that are crafting some delicious beer!
For many years Cooper Island was just known for its lovely resort and ample amounts of friendly turtles swimming around the mooring field. The Cooper Island Resort has been in operation for quite a while and has
maintained a laid back yet elegant feel to the property. Not only do they have an excellent restaurant but they also have their own microbrewery on the premises. Cooper Island is self sufficient, they produce all their electricity from solar panels, have their own vegetable garden, and produce their own drinking water. They use this water to produce their 6 beers that they have readily available on tap! One of their most popular beers (and my favourite) is the Lager, but they also have a Pilsner, Amber Ale, Bitter and an Oktoberfest and Stout during the high season. Their Turtle IPA is also a crowd pleaser and $1 from each one sold goes towards the BVI Sea Turtle conservation.
They pour the beer into reusable branded Cooper Island cups, which are 
a great momento to take home! They pride themselves with being as eco friendly as possible! They also sell growlers, which they will fill for you once you’ve decided which is your favourite, and these can be refilled at any of your local breweries back home and would be an interesting topic of conversation!
Tola Brewery, located at Burt Point, on Tortola is still a newbie to the island. It was established before Hurricane Irma but the hurricane set back the opening date. The brewery is located on the water’s edge in Road Town. It offers outside seating in the sandy area where you can watch the boats go by. Inside they have an expansive seating area, which gives you the view of the all the brewery machinery. It’s very impressive! Right now they have four beers available but have three more coming soon, including a chocolate stout! My personal favourite is 1864, it’s their classic lager and is nice and
refreshing.
The beers are available in some supermarkets for purchase, so you can drink any of their beers while relaxing on the beach or when out on a boat trip! The brewery does offer pitchers which is fun when you have a big group! The vibe is very chill at Tola Brewery and is definitely worth a stop when you’re in Tortola.
So whether you are a beer connoisseur or just enjoy trying new beer, these two spots are worth checking out!
