It occurred to my while building our database of fine Okanagan craft breweries that we had too long lingered in the Central Valley and had neglected our friends in the south. This had to be remedied and with a clear sunny day and a clearer docket, I had no excuse but to jump in the vehicle for a spin down to Penticton and Summerland to get reacquainted with some of my favorites stops in the area.
Now I wasn’t sure how the day was going to play out as I hadn’t initially factored in that it was Super Bowl Sunday and how that might affect the hours and availability but with the province on partial lockdown I liked my chances of getting in and getting comfortable nonetheless. The streets were particularly quiet and when I arrived at the first of my destinations, Canneryhttps://cannerybrewing.com/ Brewing, finding a table was easy. As is my regular jam I hit up a flight of selections from the tap to enjoy with the free shawarma flavored popcorn waiting at my table. The choices I went with this time out was their best selling flagship brew the Naramata Nut Brown, two limited release stouts – the Darkling Oatmeal and the Heist Maple (both of which were delightful), and closed it off with a particularly tasty Sunblink Berry Sour.
I had a good chat with the owner as I was finishing up and she asked if I wanted to check out the rest of the facility to which I always reply yes. In their efforts to safely accommodate as many patrons as possible, they have repurposed areas of their location to create inviting spaces, even going so far as to build walls out of pallets of empty cans and partition the production areas away from the new simple but tastefully appointed cozy corners with ample seating and ambience. Add that to the outdoor compound and the main tasting tasting area and Cannery is ready to play host this summer with live music and great tasting brews.
Next stop was close by in the downtown core and I was looking forward to seeing what the kids at Bad Tattoo brewing had been up to since my last visit. I am told that they have one of the youngest brewmasters in BC yet BT is boasting one of the most solid and diverse menus on tap. I swung out a flight from the seasonal menu and was pleased with all of my choices. The Nordic Nights winter ale was creamy and smooth and both the chai stout and peanut butter chocolate porter were delicious but I was most pleased with the red plum winter sour.
Our final stop on our southern run was a small operation in Summerland, Detonate Brewing. It’s definitely off the beaten track in an industrial area but the modest little brewery was a treat to visit. We tried a flight including a particularly tasty IPA and a nice wheat ale and got to chatting with the owner/operator who was cool enough to give us a look at the facilities.
Always love getting down to the south valley. I will be back again before long as I am overdue to check out some of the cideries that have been popping up down this way.
Until then, Live Local….