KELOWNA, BC – A Kelowna brewery and taproom that was originally an off-shoot of Tree Brewing but which was subsequently spun-off has announced a name change that makes its independence clearer to the public.
Kelowna Beer Institute was opened in 2014 as the Tree Brewing Beer Institute, and offered a more customer-friendly experience than Tree’s production brewery, with a small-batch brewery, restaurant, retail store, and education centre, all in a more convenient downtown location.
The Institute was purchased in 2016 by Tree’s general manager Chris Stirling and brewer Dave Gokiert, and changed its legal name to Kelowna Beer Institute at that time, but kept the Tree name and branding for its public-facing identity.
An announcement about the name change was posted on social media late last week, and stated the following:
We feel that it is time to bring this name to the forefront as it better reflects who we are and what we brew. We are proud to be a Kelowna based brewery that brews on site and has a passion to educate people about the wonderful world of making craft beer.
As of today you will notice a few changes around the Beer Institute as we get our new name up and out there but we promise the changes are only cosmetic, the beer is still the same great beer made by Dave and served unfiltered tank to tap, the food is still the same delicious beer inspired items you love, and our fantastic team of beer geeks and kitchen staff are still here to ensure you have a fantastic time when in the Kelowna Beer Institute.
The original Tree Brewing facility was closed in 2018, and a series of negotiations with Big Rock Brewery led to its beers brewing produced at the Big Rock facility in Vancouver, an arrangement that has continued since then.
Source: Kelowna Now
Photo: Kelowna Beer Institute Facebook page