Highway 97 Brewery's downtown move is official, and we have the exterior art

In 2013, Lorde's "Royals" dominated the charts and Candy Crush dominated our phones -- at least for those of us willing to admit it. And downtown Penticton was home to exactly zero (0) breweries.

Little did we know that a beer-fueled tidal wave was just waiting to crash ashore.

Bad Tattoo Brewery set the stage for change when it threw open its doors in 2014. Cannery Brewing swooped in from the Cannery Trade Centre a year later, and Slackwater Brewing and Neighbourhood Brewing hit with a one-two punch in 2019-2020.

And in six short years, the downtown core had become one of Canada's craft brewing hotspots.

But wait. Four, apparently, is not enough. By the time this summer rolls around, the quartet will become a quintet with the much-anticipated downtown relocation of Highway 97 Brewery.

The move from Highway 97's current spot just across the street from the SOEC to the former digs of Mile Zero Wine Bar on Ellis Street isn't exactly a surprise. It's been strongly rumoured for more than a year, but the licenses and permits are now in place and the City of Penticton has officially given the go-ahead.

And for the folks behind Highway 97, it's a seriously big deal. Not only will they get a chance to jump into the midst of a fully walkable five-venue brewery mega-zone, they also get a stunning 400% floor space increase.

"It's approximately 6,000 square feet," said a happy Highway 97 prez John Kapusty Friday. "Keep in mind that we bought both 200 and 202 Ellis Street. 200 was the Wine Bar, 202 was owned by the same people but used for a different business.

"So we're combining the two. We eliminated the property line between the two buildings."

For Kapusty, the massive size bump from the venue they opened just three and a half years ago isn't merely a welcome perk of the downtown move. It's the overriding reason they did it.

"We have to make more beer," he said succinctly. "We're getting asked to distribute to places we just can't commit to right now based on the volumes we're able to produce. But we'll be able to do that in the new space because we're adding all these new tanks.

"And our cold room size has been a real stumbling block. The new cold storage room is eleven times the size."

According to Kapusty, the brewery will crank out four times the beer they're producing now. And even more once a new allotment of tanks arrives in the near future. Needless to say, the brewery is also in the process of revamping its distribution game too.

"All our tanks are Canadian made," he said. "We'll have four 25-hectolitre bright conditioning tanks and two 25-hectolitre fermenting tanks. Arriving the week after next are two new 35-hectolitre fermenting tanks and two 12-hectolitre fermenting tanks, and we have four more coming after that."

But the need for space wasn't based on increased production alone.

"One of the big things is that people were coming in and saying 'Oh, the tables are all full,' and then turning around and walking out," said Kapusty.

Indeed, fully one third of the Ellis Street building will be dedicated to guests. Whereas the current spot cozily accommodates 20 folks inside and 16 outside, the new facility will handle 90 inside and 42 on what Kapusty calls a "redone" and partially covered outdoor patio.

In talking to the leader of the Highway 97 crew, it becomes evident in short order that the little building across from the SOEC was likely never a fully satisfying proposition - that the hunger for something more central and more substantial was always there.

"It all started," he said, "when the Greyhound depot came up for sale. We put an offer on that. But the city ended up buying it (in 2018).

"Having said that, before we opened in our current location and before Hoodoo Advnetures moved to where they are, we talked to the owner of that building about putting our brewery there. That's a cool building. We would have been there several years ago."

Regardless, he's thrilled with the new site.

"If you want to be part of the downtown crowd, much like you'd see in Port Moody at Brewers Row, we had to be there. We've had a lot of people say they'd like to be able to hit our brewery, but they're walking to the others and ours was just too far away."

That it happens to be directly across the road from Cannery Brewing is something Kapusty sees as a positive.

"Knowing the Cannery and knowing what they’re like, it's just great," he said. "They've lent us so much over the years. We work well together.

"It really is true that cooperation between breweries happens here on a big scale. Everyone seems to realize there's strength in numbers."

Once open, the new facility will offer 22 taps -- nearly triple their current eight. And apart from a huge selection of sugar-free brews, guests can expect red and white wine taps, a cider tap, and a "nitro" tap where the beer is pushed by nitrogen only. Kapusty says that changes the texture, and who are we to argue.

The food menu will also see an upgrade.

"We're pretty basic right now," said Kapusty. "Though we haven't finalized the menu because we want our new food and beverage manager to have input, it'll definitely be more elaborate."

"Still, we won't be a restaurant. We want to be more of a snack thing. Finger foods, that sort of thing, while you're having a beer."

The décor inside 200 Ellis will trend toward "rustic," with plenty of metal, concrete and wood, and the seating area will dominated by 12-person sharing tables. "Sort of a beer hall feeling," said Kapusty.

And as for that grand opening date, Highway 97 is hoping for late spring but believes early summer is more realistic. Tentative hours once open will be 11 am to 9 pm weekdays, 11 to 11 Friday and Saturday, and 11 to 6 Sunday.

"We just want to make good beer and have an unpretentious, comfortable area where people can have fun," said Kapusty is summing up. "We just can’t wait to be part of the neighbourhood. We're going to be busy for the next three months."

For more info in the coming weeks, head here or follow the brewery on social media at @hwy97beer.