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 last July, Kettle River Brewing Co. has quickly become a staple in the local craft beer scene.
"The idea was to start something in the vein of what was going on in Vancouver and other cities like Portland in terms of a small shop doing beer centered stuff," said Kettle River Brewing co-founder Chris Dedinsky.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Dedinsky moved to Kelowna to start Kettle River Brewing with his business partner Russ Higgs.
"I was working in Vancouver doing advertising work for bigger breweries like Molson and Granville Island and living in that area I got to see when Parallel 49, Powell Street, and then Callister opened,” said Dedinsky.
“It was exciting for me to see these small shops doing really cool beer and it seemed like a fun environment to see beer outside of the big corporate agency side.”
Part of the microbrewery experience is the unique environment they operate in and Kettle River’s tasting room is full of style and character you just won’t find in a basic liquor store.
"Starting with tasting room itself, all of the lumber comes from an old barn that was on Russ's folk's farm in Grand Forks and we moved it all here and framed everything with it," explained Dedinsky.
"It’s comfy, the space feels like someone's garage that you can just kind of hang out in.”
The walls of the brewery feature art from graduating UBCO Fine Arts students including stunning paintings from Ben Arcega and cool Archie comic prints from Pam Turner.
While the brewery’s space offers a fun and unique environment, what brings the people in is Kettle River’s innovative microbrews.
“Our staples would be the Loose Canoe IPA, the Under The Weather stout and our Open Season Saison,” said Head Brewer Brad Tomlinson.
“With spring here we’re moving away from darker beers, bringing in lighter more seasonable ales with some citrus to keep you refreshed and lower alcohol percentage so you can a couple if you’re outside.”
Kettle River’s tasting room offers tasting flights and growler fills to take your favorite microbrew home.
“If all goes well with our licensing plans, hopefully by summer you will be able to have a few drinks in here and we’ll offer some food with a licensed patio area where you can sit outside and enjoy a beer or two.”
“It’s cool coming from Vancouver and to see the craft explosion happening down there and I feel like it’s just starting in Kelowna right now,” said
“To be on the cusp of that is unique and I’m glad to have my foot in the door now.”
It’s a door that will stay open for Kettle River Brewing as they continue to produce some of the city’s favorite craft beer. Stay up to date with the brewery through its Facebook and Instagram pages by clicking right here.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
