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Britannia Brewing bringing 㽶Ƶֱby the water roots㽶Ƶֱ to the Okanagan

Britannia opened in 2016 in Steveston and expanded to Ladner in 2021
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A popular brewery in the Lower Mainland is coming to Lake Country in a big way.

Britannia Brewing opened its doors in Steveston in 2016 and expanded to Ladner in 2021. Now, the brewery is making their biggest move yet. Not only will their new Lake Country location be the Okanagan㽶Ƶֱs newest brewery, but it will also be Britannia㽶Ƶֱs newest manufacturing location.

㽶ƵֱAs the business was growing, we realized we had to scale our manufacturing and production,㽶Ƶֱ said Britannia co-owner Lloyd Kinney. 㽶ƵֱWe wanted to identify a location that would allow us to both manufacture and have a retail as well as a tasting room option. Doing that in the Lower Mainland wasn㽶Ƶֱt the most feasible way of growing the business so we identified the Okanagan.㽶Ƶֱ

Kinney moved up to the Okanagan five years ago and fell in love with the area, driving him to bring a location up to Lake Country. During these last five years, he㽶Ƶֱs been commuting back and forth between the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland to support Britannia㽶Ƶֱs two other locations.

The Britannia co-owner also works in the construction industry and when he found out the business that was taking over this Lake Country location was having troubles, him and his team had to jump at the opportunity.

㽶ƵֱWe were hired out to build an extraction facility and at the time, there were a lot of cannabis businesses in the neighbourhood but as it fell through, we took the opportunity to buy the land,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney.

Even since, Kinney and Britannia Operations Manager Justin Fowler have been working on bringing the brewery to town.

㽶ƵֱOverall, I think it㽶Ƶֱs been a good process and we㽶Ƶֱre really excited to be over the hump and we㽶Ƶֱre on the back side of things now which is exciting,㽶Ƶֱ said Fowler. 㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre starting to get to do the fun things now like outfitting the brewery, tasting room, and more.㽶Ƶֱ

Britannia Brewing is aiming to open sometime this summer as Kinney and Fowler put together the finishing touches.

Fowler also explained that this project started before the pandemic but like many businesses, have had to deal with pandemic-related delays and inflated material costs over the last few years.

Despite what they㽶Ƶֱve had to deal with, Kinney thinks it㽶Ƶֱs pretty incredible that they㽶Ƶֱre getting close to opening.

㽶ƵֱBeing in the construction business and having worked on a number of brewery and restaurant fit outs, as far as I㽶Ƶֱm concerned in the last 12 months, to erect a 10,000 square foot building and be at the finishing stages is not far off of a small miracle,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney.

With being a building of its size, Britannia also has a large outdoor space as well.

㽶ƵֱThe place is going to be the primary manufacturing facility for Britannia Brewing,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱIt will also be a tasting room with a full kitchen and large bar as well as an outdoor patio and picnic arena.㽶Ƶֱ

Because this new location is their primary production location, award-winning head brewer Mike Nicholson is making the move up to the Okanagan as well. Also while some breweries are beer-centric, Britannia is also very food-centric, having won best restaurant in Richmond multiple times.

Britannia Brewing will be located at 8999 Jim Bailey Road, which is just a small walk away from the Okanagan Rail Trail, which is something exciting for Fowler, who was born and raised in Kelowna.

㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre really excited to be so close to the [Okanagan] Rail Trail, we think it㽶Ƶֱs a great way to access a brewery and not have to drive,㽶Ƶֱ said Fowler. 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs a great access point for families and bring us back to our 㽶Ƶֱby the water㽶Ƶֱ roots. Maybe we㽶Ƶֱre not right by the water like Steveston or Ladner but there㽶Ƶֱs quick access to Kalamalka and Okanagan Lake, Wood Lake, Duck Lake, we㽶Ƶֱre excited to keep a bit that nautical feel here.㽶Ƶֱ

While right now the Rail Trail isn㽶Ƶֱt fully continuous, the nearly seven kilometre stretch between Kelowna and Lake Country is set to be approved to open soon, connecting the entire path.

㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre literally the perfect place to stop halfway in between on that journey,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney, referring to the Rail Trail.

Britannia will also have a section outside for people to charge their electric bicycles (e-bikes) and are currently working to have rentable e-bikes on site as well. On top of that, there㽶Ƶֱs many parking spots for vehicles for people who want to drive on down.

For both Kinney and Fowler, the history of Jim Bailey Road makes their new location even more meaningful to them.

㽶ƵֱI think it㽶Ƶֱs really cool that not only ourselves but other similar style businesses are starting to come and develop this area,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs something we learned when we got here.㽶Ƶֱ

Beside Britannia and off of Jim Bailey Road is Hiram Walker Court, who created Canadian Club Whiskey. His first in Western Canada was at this same spot.

㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs exciting to keep the area in the realm of brewing and distilling,㽶Ƶֱ said Fowler.

With the history of the area, the history of Britannia, and the importance of staying local, Kinney and Fowler are doing everything they can to bring their Lower Mainland product to the Okanagan and localizing it as much as possible.

㽶ƵֱMoving from the Lower Mainland to the Interior wasn㽶Ƶֱt an easy decision but we do understand craft beer and the mechanics and the importance of having a hyper-local representation,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre definitely going to be seeding our roots here, this is home base for Britannia and we㽶Ƶֱll still have focus on all our local communities we service.㽶Ƶֱ

READ MORE: 㽶ƵֱEnjoy a vibe and have a couple of beers㽶Ƶֱ: Lake Country Brewing is open for business

READ MORE: Bad Tattoo no more, as Kelowna restaurant rebrands under new ownership



jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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