The Four Mile Brew Pub began life as the Four Mile Roadhouse in 1858, the fourth oldest house in Victoria’s history, and is now thriving more than ever.
A young Scot, Peter Calvert, opened the roadhouse and started a staging service offering a breather to working horses and a chance for dazed travellers to quench their thirst. Legend has it they even had a parrot in a tree outside the roadhouse that would chirp “Whoa!” to the horses.
World War I and the Prohibition years put a halt to activity at the roadhouse, until it reopened as a dine-and-dance venue (The Lantern Inn) in the late 1940’s. The upstairs housed a brothel frequented by sailors which was raided by local police and later shut down.
Four Mile then stood neglected from the early 1950s until 1979, when it was bought by its current owners, Graham and Wendy Haymes, both 28 years old at the time. And after extensive renovations, the building was brought back to life.
After the early 80s recession and several iterations of the business (they tried a furniture store, a tearoom and then a restaurant), the couple finally seemed to hit their luck when they applied for a neighbourhood pub license. They built the pub in 1988 and two years later, a beer and wine store went into the basement.
“We managed to have five kids throughout," Haymes said. "They all worked with us as they came of age. Now they sit around the table when we get together and claim we ran a child labour ring, but we were really just keeping them out of jail!”
Chef Dave Johannessen has been at the Four Mile for over 30 years and sous chef Mike Nightingale for 15 years. Both prepared a delicious spread of food for me to sample.
I enjoyed the Buddha Bowl, a tasty vegan dish with a house-made dressing and fried tofu for protein; house-battered fish & chips, featuring cod and Four Mile’s own Citra Ale beer in the batter; the spicy cowboy burger, which comes topped with jalapeno, cheese, bacon and an onion ring and is accompanied by a Caesar salad. Plus, Four Mile’s signature beef dip (sandwich) with fries.
Meanwhile, Four Mile’s beer is award-winning, including their Hazy Citra Pale Ale, which has won first place twice at the BC Beer Awards for a North American Pale Ale, Level Ground Coffee Ale (second) and their Cole Island Session IPA (third).
Front-end manager, Tara Andersen, said their on-site brewery was added in 2014, and there's also a sports bar in its basement with eight big-screen TVs.
Johannessen said owners Graham and Wendy really look after their employees, including the longest-serving server Sue, who started in 1996. “I’d say the average person stays 10-12 years. It’s a very nice place to work. There’s a friendly atmosphere and they treat you like family.”
Andersen chimed in. “And on anybody’s first day, Wendy would greet them with a hug. So that’s your first impression – they’re so warm and welcoming to everyone.”
The Four Mile House also has a trio of ghosts, the White Lady, the Man with the Bowler Hat and a kid called Jake.
“The White Lady’s history is that she had a man — a Scottish captain — who was lost at sea and she died waiting for him to come home,” Johannessen said.
“Then there’s the man with the bowler hat,” recalled Johannessen. “He was an old guy who was here forever — you still hear stories about him [sitting at a table before vanishing].
"And then the last one was Jake, a young kid. There used to be a well out front and he fell in and died. But he was mischievous. And whenever anything went missing Wendy would say, ‘Jake?! Give it back'. And it would turn up the next day. She named her youngest son after him."
Graham and Wendy have also decked out the pub and restaurant areas with unique artwork and memorabilia, a lot of which they found in the attic when they bought the place.
However, most of the decor comprises items they’ve collected — English-style, Andersen said.
“You’ll see a lot of it in the pub just around the outskirts of the room. And Wendy said they didn’t have a lot of money to begin with, but once they did they’d go antiquing. That was her treat; always wanting to go and find something unique to add to her collection.”
Andersen reflected on her Four Mile highlights to date — the connections she’s made with the guests over the years.
“Our most prized regular is Barb, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday here. She doesn’t live independently anymore, but she used to come every single day. We have a little plaque on her stool for her. She still will come for a visit, but it’s harder as she’s in a chair."
Nightingale added that every Christmas and Halloween, she'd bring the kids candy bags with their names on them. "A really great lady."
As employers, Graham and Wendy are held in high regard by their staff.
“When I first started here I was a single parent with a five-year-old son,” said Johannessen. “Being a chef, sometimes your hours could go longer than planned. But I could always count on Graham and Wendy to look after him and feed him while I finished."
Nightingale added to the sentiment.
“To say how good Graham & Wendy are as people: we had two fires here and they still paid us some wages while the repairs were done.”
Andersen said the pub also hosted the delivery of a baby in the parking lot a few weeks ago.
“The husband and wife were on their way to hospital and got stuck in some construction. Things escalated quickly and they had to zip into our parking lot. Fire trucks and an ambulance rapidly arrived — and the baby was delivered in less than 20 minutes. The family are all doing well and are happy and healthy.”
Nightingale, whose six children include four who’ve worked at Four Mile, said the pub has two happy hours per day, with the second (8:30pm-to-close) attracting the most guests.
Johannessen said: “We do well because Victoria is a destination spot, so when the cruise ships come in the regulars don’t want to go downtown and come to us instead.”
To learn more, visit www.fourmilehouse.com
