Silver Medal – Unsung Hero
Tucked between the lakes and mountains in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, Penticton has long been a destination for happy hedonists. Earlier this year, Expedia.ca named Penticton the second best beer town in Canada, and a lot of the credit for that goes to Cannery Brewing. For almost 20 years, the brewery has been quenching thirsts and delighting local palates, helping to form the cornerstone of the Okanagan craft beer scene.
Despite being one of the veterans of the B.C. craft beer industry, Cannery has always managed to stay ahead of the curve. It was one of the first breweries in the province to package a New England IPA—its Hop Chowdah IPA—and its recent seasonal tall can series has been getting attention thanks to eye-popping label illustrations by artist Skyler Punnett.
In 2015, Cannery moved downtown to a spacious new 12,000-sq.-ft. facility, complete with a tap room, growler fill station and kitchen. The modern brewery has quickly become a social hub, welcoming the masses with live music, old school board games, and a dog-friendly patio. The extra space has meant more freedom for the brewing team, too. Regularly on Fridays, they release a new beer as part of their ExBEERimental test batch series.
Cannery might not get the attention and hype some of its Big City counterparts do, but they continue to do everything right.
