Your guide to craft brew in Kelowna: BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery

The craft beer revolution is in full swing in Kelowna, with multiple new breweries opening shop to serve thirsty beer enthusiasts in the city.

After opening in the summer of 2015, BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery has quickly become a staple in the local craft beer scene.

"BNA is a passion project, it came to fruition via a group of people that wanted to work together," said BNA's Marketing Director Jill Jarrett.

"We always say we're not afraid to make a beer people don't like, we're afraid to make a beer people don't find interesting."

BNA's readiness to experiment with distinct flavours like blood oranges and earl gray tea has become a trademark of the brewery's brand.

"BNA's owner Kyle Nixon has these crazy ideas and our brewmaster Liam McCormick has been really successful with taking the crazy ideas and making them work."

Nowhere is this collision of imagination and collaboration more apparent than in BNA's flagship beer The Earl.

A collaboration between BNA's micro-brewed pale ales and Chaibaba's Tea House's earl gray tea blends, the beer is a natural fit considering they're neighbours along Kelowna's Ellis Street.

While on paper Earl Gray tea and a pale ale may sound odd, The Earl has been such a hit that the brew was BNA's first choice to officially bottle.

"The Earl was our flagship brew and it very quickly became our most popular beer," said Jarrett.

"Craft beer nerds love it, macro drinkers will enjoy a pint and even wine drinkers enjoy The Earl."

One of the first liquor stores to carry The Earl was Kelowna's Public Liquor, which carries over 400 craft beers from almost 70 microbreweries, most of them within B.C.

"The reception to BNA's beer has been really positive," said Public Liquor's owner Dominique Dooley.

"We definitely try to support each other the best we can and they happen to be making awesome beer so it makes it easy. I mean if it wasn't good we wouldn't sell it, but they definitely make fantastic beer."

According to Dooley, when Public Liquor opened its doors two years ago they wanted to create a store that really focused on local products, especially small production craft beers and local wines.

"We kinda put all our eggs in one basket with such a focus on craft beer and local wines, which are two items with a shorter shelf life," said Dooley.

"But they honestly sell so quick that it's not a worry and I think it shows Kelowna as a community has a great appetite for craft brews."