Okanagan Spring Brewery

- Regional Brewery, Corporate subsidiary
2801 - 27A Avenue
Vernon
www.okspring.com

One of the early microbreweries in B.C., started in 1985 by German immigrants Jakob Tobler and Buko Von Krosigk, Okanagan Spring has dominated the regional microbrewery scene since the mid-90's. The product line was originally oriented toward lagers, but the company soon found out that there was a much more enthusiastic market for ales among drinkers of microbrewery beer.

The company has grown to the point where it may be considered a micro only when compared to Molson or Labatt. In 1996, the company was purchased by Sleeman Brewing and Malting of Guelph, Ontario, which continues to maintain the Spring product line. In 1999, Sleeman purchased Shaftebury Brewing and moved production to Okanagan Spring's facilities. Products are widely available in 6-packs and 12-packs of 341ml bottles, 6-packs of 355ml cans, and the pale ale is widely available on tap. (17/07/2006) More Comments [5 2.5 stars ] Add Your Comments/Rate this Brewery

Brands

1516 Bavarian Lager (Lager, 5%) - A straight-up no-frills lager, celebrating the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 to which the brewery rigorously adheres. More Comments [15] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Autumn Red Ale (Amber Ale, 5.6%) - (Seasonal/no longer available) A beer that nicely bridges the gap between a standard pale ale and a malty brown ale. Amber slightly reddish colour. Nice malty aroma with hops in the background. Firm mouth feel and clean malty flavour. Nice malty, but not sweet, finish. More Comments [2] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Classic Brown Ale (Brown Ale, 5.6%) - Never my idea of a 'classic', this is a medium brown colour, malty aroma, medium body; bit of a rough taste, with a somewhat unpleasant finish. More Comments [0] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Extra Special Pale Ale (Pale Ale, 5%) - The flagship brand, ubiquitous in bars and restaurants throughout the province. A decent enough pale ale: bronze-coloured, with a mild malty, slightly fruity aroma. Mouth feel is light, with a dry finish. Poor head retention. More Comments [5] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Honey Blonde Ale (Pale Ale, 5%) - A clear yellow beer with poor head retention. Faint hop aroma, fresh-tasting with a lightly crisp hoppy finish. More Comments [0] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Old English Porter (Porter, 8.5%) - A thick, black beer with complex roasty, nutty, sweet flavour that packs a punch. Unique and richly satisfying, it is surprising, but impressive, that a brewery that has strayed ever closer to the mass market has kept this one on. More Comments [10] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Premium Lager (Lager, 5%) - Pale straw colour; standard light-tasting, low-bitterness lager with slightly more flavour than a regular "big-brewery" beer. I guess that's why they call it "Premium." More Comments [0] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Spring Pilsner (Pilsner, 4.5%) - (No longer available) A crisp, refreshingly clean-tasting pilsner, with a nice smack of hops in the finish. Unfortunately, this superb beer has been discontinued. (Replaced in late 1999 by "Traditional Pilsner".) More Comments [1] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

St. Patrick Stout (Stout, 5.5%) - (No longer available) A not half-bad stout. 12/10/2002 More Comments [0] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

Traditional Pilsner (Pilsner, 5%) - Golden and crystal-clear, with spicy hop aroma and fluffy head, this is a light tasting beer with a some hop flavour and a bit of a bitter finish. Doesn't quite live up to the memory of the excellent Spring Pilsner that used to be produced, but not a bad rendition of a classic style. More Comments [0] Add Comments/Rate this Beer

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