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The Ale Trail continues to expand

Just how many breweries does Kelowna have?
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Credit: Pixabay

The largest city in the Okanagan Valley and the third largest in British Columbia is rewarding every type of traveller.

Kelowna’s craft beer scene dates back more than 20 years, and a recent surge of new breweries and an annual beer festival has given it fresh energy, making it a go-to destination for visitors and craft beer enthusiasts.

For more information on Kelowna’s brewing communities, check out Tourism Kelowna’s latest Ale Trail.

Craft beer lovers have lots of reasons to be excited, too. Tree Brewing is the well-established veteran on the scene, dating back more than 20 years. Over that time, it introduced a wide variety of craft beer styles to the local populace, including one of the first hoppy IPAs produced in B.C,. according to a Tourism Kelowna release.

In 2014, it opened the waterfront Tree Beer Institute, giving beer lovers a place to enjoy special, small-batch creations with a delicious snack or full meal, and maybe learn a bit about brewing at the same time. The Great Okanagan Beer Festival, an annual waterfront celebration that brings together more than 2,500 beer lovers each May, is another excellent way to explore craft beer.

Like to bowl while sipping craft beer? Then Freddy’s Brewpub is the place for you. It serves a wide range of standard beer styles, all brewed on site, alongside a range of delicious pub fare. The connected bowling alley has both ten-pin and five-pin lanes.

More recently, the arrival of BNA Brewing initiated a new era in Kelowna’s craft beer scene. Based in a historic downtown building, its gorgeously renovated interior will wow you the first time you see it, but the excellent beer and gourmet food will entice you to return again and again.

Since BNA opened, three more small breweries have joined the scene, and rumours have it that more are on the way. All the local breweries cooperate regularly on special events and collaborative brews.