To say that Emily Kokonas and Justin Larter live and breathe brewing would be an understatement.
The couple, who met in 2018 while attending the brewing program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in Langley, work at different breweries, but also live together and are raising two cats, a pair of bonded brothers named, “Mac” and “Archie.”
KPU’s Brewing & Brewery Operations diploma program, which was developed in consultation with the BC Craft Brewers Guild and an advisory committee consisting of brewery owners, local brewmasters, and industry experts, offers the only brewery diploma of its kind in British Columbia.
Today, Kokonas is an instructor at KPU and works her brewing magic as lead brewer at Four Winds Beach House & Brewing in Delta.
Meanwhile, Larter is head brewer at Barnside Brewing Co., also in Delta.
The Growler recently checked in with the couple to gain a glimpse of how life as successful brewers and romantic partners is going. I started by asking these talented brewers to introduce themselves.
Emily Kokonas: I’m a lover of all things fermentation. I love working with my hands and growing and creating things, especially delicious ones.
I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and moved to B.C. in 2018 for the Brewing & Brewery Operations Diploma program at KPU. I graduated in 2020. Peak Covid!
Justin Larter: I’m officially from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but I grew up in Kelowna. I graduated in 2015 from UBC with a major in biology then from KPUs Brewing & Brewery Operations program in 2020.
The Growler: How did you meet?
Justin: The very first day of class at KPU. I was feeling like a fish out of water and saw her from across the brewery.
Emily: We met in the brewing program at KPU in 2018. First day of brewing class you’re asked to choose your brewing partner. I felt this tap on my shoulder and I look up and this guy says, “I’m Justin. Wanna be my brewing partner?” We work(ed) really well together and our friendship developed during those years. We got together as a couple months after we graduated.
The Growler: Do you talk about beer a lot at home?
Emily: Definitely, but we never get upset with each other if one person says, “OK, no more beer talk today.” We have really great discussions that I think make us both better brewers, but you also need to disconnect once in a while so you don’t go crazy!
Justin: While we’re both passionate about high-quality beer, we’re both careful to separate work from home and pursue passions outside of our work. Emily is extremely passionate about food, gardening and spending time in nature, And, I’m a musician who’s always learning and growing my skills on stringed instruments.
The Growler: What inspired you to get into brewing?
Emily: I was a bit lost in early 2017, when I moved to Australia on a working holiday visa. I had just dropped out of the General Science program at the University of Alberta and was looking for direction. I had just started to develop a taste for beer and I looked for a brewing course for fun.
I enrolled in what I thought was an intro to brewing course, that actually turned out to be a draught-system maintenance course. Even though it wasn’t the most interesting part of brewing, I actually loved it and I realised how much science (and later, art) was involved in brewing.
I immediately became super interested. I got a job at a really great bottle shop where I worked with an amazing team of what I’ll generally call alcohol connoisseurs and I was hooked. Cue studying for the Cicerone certification program and drinking copious amounts of gueuze and imperial stout. Nine months or so later, I was reluctantly planning my return to Canada and I stumbled across the KPU Brewing Program. I enrolled and here we are eight-years later.
Justin: After graduating with my Bachelor of Science degree, I grew interested in food and beverage fermentation. Living in Kelowna naturally lead to working a season in the local wine industry.
While I enjoyed the viticulture side of wine making, I’d always preferred drinking beer over wine and I became intrigued by the then growing craft-beer industry. The rest is history!
The Growler: Did the Covid years have any effect on your work?
Emily: Absolutely. We were just graduating from the program and I was excited to find my way in the industry when Covid hit. We both already worked in breweries during the program, but it’s a bit different when you’re a student. I got a job brewing at Bakery Brewing in Port Moody (RIP), and was really looking forward to getting to work alongside the other breweries on Brewer’s Row.
My first day was March 17, 2020, and I got laid off at the end of the day. Thankfully after a week they hired me back and I gained a lot of great experience there working with Roxanne. I learned a lot during that time, but not being able to meet other brewers and attend conferences, etc. meant I was stuck in a bit of a bubble of brewing knowledge during those years.
Justin: We were lucky to be able to continuously produce canned product at Barnside while bars were closed, so it mostly impacted how we did things internally.
The Growler: How is the brewing scene in Delta?
Justin: Fun! With the addition of Four Winds Beach House, Delta is quickly becoming a hub of high-quality craft beers.
Emily: I think the Delta brewing scene is awesome! But I’m slightly biased. I was excited for Four Winds Beach House & Brewery to open — even if I didn’t get to work here. I’m lucky to get to work on a dedicated decoction brewhouse, brewing traditional and modern styles destined to be poured from one of twenty-four Lukr taps.
It’s been really exciting working with the team at Four Winds. And Barnside has been putting out some insanely delicious lagers in their premium lager series. There’s no shortage of delicious beers between the three breweries in Delta.
The Growler: What’s your favourite beer style and why?
Emily: I have a few and if I had to only drink one style for the rest of my life, I’d be sad, but I’m going to generally say pilsner. I love them because their “clean” fermentation profile showcases their ingredients and to me their hop flavour and bitterness are more balanced. Well done, they can be super flavourful and refreshing. Archetype is one of my favourite beers at Beach House, it’s an 11° Czech pale lager inspired by Pilsner Urquell.
Justin: Lagerbier. From pilsners to doppelbocks, I love them all. It’s the delicacy, drinkability and depth that always leave me coming back for more. Long live decoction and the coldest of fermentations.
The Growler: What trends are you loving right now?
Justin: The resurgence of Old-World lagers and pilsners are gaining popularity again. It helps me sleep easy at night.
Emily: Traditionally focused, but modern, well-done lagers. I’m also stoked on the push towards lower alcohol beers in the 3.5-4 per cent range.
The Growler: What are your thoughts on low or non-alcohol beers?
Emily: I love low-alcohol beers because I can have more. Non-alcoholic beer can be a bit of a struggle, especially when it comes to small scale where you don’t have the expensive equipment needed to simply remove the alcohol from a finished beer. You have to use arrested fermentation with alternative yeasts, which doesn’t have the same flavour profile as beer. With that said, I’m up for the challenge and I enjoy experimenting in this realm.
Justin: I’m here for it when producers take the time or spend the money to do it properly. Don’t cut corners.
The Growler: What’s next for you and your breweries?
Emily: Four Winds Beach House has a winery license, so expect to see some cider and wine products coming your way! We just released a cider and some wine spritzes this spring. These have been really exciting projects for me as I’ve always been interested in wine/cider production, but never had the opportunity to work with these products outside homebrewing.
The Beach House is a bit of a pilot brewery for Four Winds, so we hope to keep pushing the envelope as we grow. I’m stoked to keep learning, experimenting and tasting more.
Justin: More terroir-focused beers using our farm-grown ingredients!
