Craft Beer - Visit Penticton

Cheers, Santé!

Set in the heart of wine country, in beautiful Penticton, you will also find another industry brewing. Penticton has been a leader of the BC craft beer scene for more than 25 years, with a strong collaborative community of craft breweries. The craft beer scene in Penticton is so vibrant that in 2020, that legacy was recognized by travel giant Lonely Planet when it named Penticton “Canada’s Craft Beer Capital.”

There is a saying that ‘it takes a lot of great beer to make fine wine.’ It’s therefore only natural, being in the middle of wine country, Penticton also has a dynamic craft beer scene with seven breweries, known collectively as the Penticton Beer Blocks, offering some unique local libations along the Penticton Ale Trail.

Penticton Beer Blocks Breweries

With 7 craft breweries, you’re sure to find something to please your palate here in Penticton. Be sure to visit the family-friendly breweries in each block to enjoy their unique offerings of craft beer, food, and experiences.

The Bench Block – Abandoned Rail Brewing
Ellis Block – Cannery Brewing and Highway 97 Brewery
Downtown Block – Neighbourhood Brewing and Yellow Dog Brewing
Midtown Block – Tin Whistle Brewing and Barley Mill Brew Pub

Many of the breweries also offer wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages, and some allow you a look into their brewhouses where you can see the brewing process in action.

All of Penticton’s craft beers are all natural, made fresh at the source, and often feature local ingredients or pay tribute to local destinations. When you visit the breweries, you can also purchase some local beer to enjoy at select Penticton parks and beaches, which allow for the consumption of alcoholic beverages outdoors in designated locations along the Okanagan and Skaha lakefronts from 12-9pm year-round. Please remember to drink responsibly and ensure no litter is left behind.

Craft Beer Festivals

Every year locals and visitors come together in Penticton to celebrate everything beer during fun-filled festivals and events. Amazing craft brews are accompanied by great food, live music and fun activities. Many locals accommodators will offer special package deals so you can spend a day or two enjoying the festivities.

Okanagan Fest of Ale – April
Penticton Beer Run – June
Penticton Beer Week – October

Local’s Craft Beer Tips

Be on the lookout for limited, seasonal releases like peach ales or cherry sours.

Have a bite to eat. Not only will this help to soak up the alcohol, but our craft breweries offer some delicious food, often paired with a select beer.

If you’re unsure of which beer you’d like or just want to try a few, opt for a flight, which will typically include 3 or 4 small servings (4-7oz).

Join a local Growler Club to receive access to limited release beers and more.

Visitors at select Penticton parks and beaches can consume alcoholic beverages outdoors in designated locations from 12pm to 9pm year-round.

Know Your Craft Beer

While there are many beer styles, watch for a couple of these as you hop (pun intended), from brewery to brewery in Penticton:

Lager: Conditioned at low temperatures lagers can be pale, amber, or dark, but are usual clear rather than cloudy. Lagers are typically clean and crisp tasting and easy drinking on those hot Summer days.

Ale: Brewed using a warm fermentation method, ales offer a much greater variety of flavour profiles. They tend to be fruitier with a deeper, richer taste.

IPA: India Pale Ale is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale. IPAs come in a range of styles, and aren’t necessarily bitter, as some assume, fruity flavours can also come from the hops.

Stout: A dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry, oatmeal, milk and imperial. Stouts primarily use unmalted roasted barley which gives them their signature coffee-like flavour.

Porter: Porter is the great-grandpa of today’s stout. Made with dark malted barley, a good amount of hops, and top-fermenting ale yeasts, it’s usually a dark medium-bodied beer with a nice balance of malty sweetness and bitter hoppiness.

Wheat Beer: Usually top-fermented, and brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are Weißbier, based on the German tradition, and Witbier, based on the Belgian tradition.

Hefeweizen: A type of Weißbier “white beer.” Hefeweizen itself translates to “yeast wheat” in German. Made up of >50% wheat, Weißbier is characterized by a strong presence of banana and clove, even vanilla or bubblegum, in the aroma and flavour.

Saison: French for “season,” this is a pale ale that is highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, and often bottle conditioned.

Find a list of craft breweries, as well as cideries and distilleries here.