It㽶Ƶֱs been a long road but Britannia Brewing in Lake Country has opened its doors.
After a year and a half of blood, sweat, and tears, co-owner Lloyd Kinney and Operations Manager Justin Fowler couldn㽶Ƶֱt be happier to open the Central Okanagan㽶Ƶֱs 25th brewery.
㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre really excited, it㽶Ƶֱs been an ongoing construction feat we㽶Ƶֱve overcome,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱWe had a change in our planning that we had to make some adjustments for. It came down to the finishing touches and sometimes they can be the most finicky and time-consuming.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱSince we did the ground-up construction, our project goes a little longer than someone who just takes over a pre-existing building,㽶Ƶֱ adds Fowler. 㽶ƵֱIt made it more rewarding and nice to be able to see it from the start to the final product.㽶Ƶֱ
The 10,000-square-foot facility is the new central home for Britannia, which started in Richmond and currently has other locations in Steveston and Ladner. On top of being a brewhouse, it is also their new primary production location, with their award-winning head brewer Mike Nicholson, who has made the move up to the Okanagan.
㽶ƵֱWe always knew we wanted to add multiple locations, we just didn㽶Ƶֱt know when,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱWe wanted to make sure we did something unique for the Okanagan, specifically in this neighbourhood, but also we wanted to capture a lot of the essence from our other tasting rooms in Richmond and Ladner.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs very important, we worked really hard to build up those locations and we want to keep going so our customers expect the same quality and same beer and kitchen products,㽶Ƶֱ said Fowler.
For both Kinney and Fowler, opening before the holidays is the best Christmas gift they could ask for.
㽶ƵֱWe were always hoping to be open well before December rolled around but it㽶Ƶֱs never too late,㽶Ƶֱ said Kinney. 㽶ƵֱThe fact that we㽶Ƶֱre open and have people come in during the holidays is great, we love it.
The patio and picnic area are just waiting on approval, but Kinney said they will have the licence well before the snow melts 㽶Ƶֱ even if there㽶Ƶֱs no snow yet so far this year.
㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre excited to open the patio and picnic area come the spring, excited to have different facets of the business that are dog-friendly, kid-friendly, family-friendly, we㽶Ƶֱll have the lawn bowling up and going,㽶Ƶֱ Fowler continues.
Britannia㽶Ƶֱs opening is a soft launch. They are open to the public at a certain capacity with a full food-and-beer menu and beer tasting available.
Because lounge service is still waiting for approval, wine and cocktails aren㽶Ƶֱt available yet. When approved, Britannia will feature a wine list exclusively with local wine.
The brewery will also have an upstairs area perfect for hosting parties that is still waiting approval.
㽶ƵֱThe last few months have been tweaking the minor adjustments, making sure everything is working properly,㽶Ƶֱ added Kinney.
For Fowler, being a part of this is special to him since he was born and raised in Kelowna.
㽶ƵֱI was very excited to have the opportunity to do something like this in my hometown and start to get involved in the community even more than I already have.㽶Ƶֱ
With the soft launch, Britannia will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hours are expected to increase in the spring as the warm weather returns and there㽶Ƶֱs more daylight.
㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs been a really fun road to get here and we can㽶Ƶֱt wait for people to come through the doors and get to meet the people of Lake Country,㽶Ƶֱ said Fowler.
Britannia Brewing is located at 8999 Jim Bailey Road.
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