The Firehall Brewery has begun bottling its three beer products.

Previously a “draught-only” brewery, the Firehall Brewery now is able to sell its beer to cold beer & wine stores, as well as more restaurants & pubs. Currently, the 650ml bottles will only be available in the South Okanagan because only “small lots” of limited bottles are produced.

The Firehall Brewery aims to have its bottled products expand market exposure in order to increase draught sales at local restaurants & pubs. The brewery is also now able to satisfy the demand of tourists visiting from Central & North Okanagan, the Lower Mainland, and Alberta who want to return home with Oliver’s beer.

Bottling is a challenge for a small microbrewery because without large and expensive bottling equipment, filling bottles is time consuming. At this time, the Firehall Brewery will remain focused on its draught products, which means its beer will still be packaged primarily into kegs for local distribution to restaurants, bars and pubs.

The Firehall Brewery has attended beer festivals as far as Victoria, BC, and has gained television & radio news exposure for itself (as the “Beer of Wine Country”) and the town of Oliver across the country. The craft beer industry has begun to boom in British Columbia during the last few years, coming a long way since the market was created only a few decades ago. The “Craft Beer Revolution” is not just growing in BC, but has been sweeping the globe, as beer drinkers are becoming educated about the brewing process and the beverage’s long history. Even the government is considering catching up with the times; the BC Liquor Distribution Board will be conducting a review of its practises. Though it hopes to update legislation dating back to prohibition, the LDB refuses to accept a reduction in its taxation revenue, so it is questionable whether the review will actually benefit the liquor business in BC, especially small enterprises like the Firehall Brewery.

The Firehall Brewery is a small family-owned operation, managed by a father-son team, Jim & Sid Ruhland. Sid Ruhland is an Okanagan School of Business alumnus, now applying business theory to his home-brewing skills learned in the college dorms. Kegs and 1.89L refillable glass jugs of draught-beer-to-go called “growlers” are available at the Firehall Brewery. The new 650ml bottles are not available for sale at the brewery. Tours are available by appointment.