Hang in there, friends—patio beers, festivals, and a break from the atmospheric rivers and March snow are imminent!
Spring is an exciting time here at The Growler: not only is it a chance to check in with all of the cideries preparing to open for the season, but we also get to work on our Spring/Summer edition! The season brings with it a plethora of events, including opportunities for Cantillon, and, thrillingly, some very long-anticipated openings:
NEWS
Hello, Cutwater!
Cutwater Brewing quietly opened last week in Lake Country! Marred by construction delays, Cutwater, not to be confused with the American RTD brand, has been five years in the making. The 108 person brewery and tasting room, located right off of Highway 97 at 2910 Robinson Rd, is billed as a retro-themed brewery with a substantial food menu, rotating small batch brews, and a purely Okanagan social atmosphere.
Definitely a road trip destination! Follow along here for updates.
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Revystoked is finally here! Well, almost.
In further excellent news, after relentless teasing, it seems that Revystoked will officially open next week! Our fingers, toes, arms, legs and eyes are crossed for this one! Mark your calendars for March 27th!
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Sea Cider Takes Home Serious Hardware at Canadian Cider Awards
Congratulations to Sea Cider on cleaning up at the inaugural Canadian Cider Awards! The Victoria cidery brought home two medals including:
- Gold: Bittersweet Heirloom Series — Heritage Cider (Traditional & Tannin-Forward Ciders)
- Bronze: Rumrunner — Barrel-Aged or Specialty
Sea Cider also received the Community Impact Award and were runners up for the Sustainability Award. The Community Impact Award recognizes a sustained commitment to community engagement, education and initiatives that create meaningful local economic and cultural impact.
The Canadian Cider Awards are presented by Cider Canada and celebrate excellence across Canada’s cider sector. Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Silverstar Brewing: Temporarily Closed Following Fire
Vernon’s Silverstar Brewing is temporarily closed following a fire that broke out in the early hours of February 24th. The fire caused extensive damage to the kitchen. No one was hurt in the blaze and arson is suspected.
A message from the founder on social media thanks Vernon firefighters, the RCMP and the community at large for its immense support during this difficult time and ends on an optimistic note. “Right now, our focus is on rebuilding and getting the brewpub open again as soon as possible…we’ll miss you for now, but this is only a setback. We’ll be back.”
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EVENTS
Battle of the Breweries: Keg Curling Fundraiser — March 21, 2026
This epic fun spiel is a friendly battle royale that brings together several Island breweries in what is billed as the 6th ever keg curl! Hurry hard and try it out yourself for just $5!
Admission is by donation and supports YANA.
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X-Men: The Drag Show — April 22, 2026
Join Sleepy Queers Productions at East Van’s R&B Brewing as 12 local drag artists bring beloved characters to life! Brunch, glam Professor X (presumably), and beer? Sign us up!
https://www.sleepyqueersproductions.com/
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Zwanze Day 2026 — April 25, 2026
Lambic fans rejoice! Four Winds Beach House has been chosen as Western Canada’s host location for Zwanze Day! Zwanze is global celebration of legendary Belgian Brewery, Cantillon. At noon, two special Zwanze beers will be tapped simultaneously at participating locations around the world. With 8 Cantillon brews on tap, if you like rare beers, you can’t miss this!
First come, first served. Reservations highly recommended.
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Have some news or hosting an event you think should be included in our monthly roundup? Send us a DM on social for consideration!
