It鈥檚 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鈥檛 be happier to open the Central Okanagan鈥檚 25th brewery.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited, it鈥檚 been an ongoing construction feat we鈥檝e overcome,鈥� said Kinney. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

鈥淪ince we did the ground-up construction, our project goes a little longer than someone who just takes over a pre-existing building,鈥� adds Fowler. 鈥淚t made it more rewarding and nice to be able to see it from the start to the final product.鈥�

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.

鈥淲e always knew we wanted to add multiple locations, we just didn鈥檛 know when,鈥� said Kinney. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 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,鈥� said Fowler.

For both Kinney and Fowler, opening before the holidays is the best Christmas gift they could ask for.

鈥淲e were always hoping to be open well before December rolled around but it鈥檚 never too late,鈥� said Kinney. 鈥淭he fact that we鈥檙e 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 鈥� even if there鈥檚 no snow yet so far this year.

鈥淲e鈥檙e 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鈥檒l have the lawn bowling up and going,鈥� Fowler continues.

Britannia鈥檚 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鈥檛 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.

鈥淭he last few months have been tweaking the minor adjustments, making sure everything is working properly,鈥� added Kinney.

For Fowler, being a part of this is special to him since he was born and raised in 琉璃神社.

鈥淚 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.鈥�

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鈥檚 more daylight.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a really fun road to get here and we can鈥檛 wait for people to come through the doors and get to meet the people of Lake Country,鈥� said Fowler.

Britannia Brewing is located at 8999 Jim Bailey Road.

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