Wine is to Kelowna like maple syrup is to Canada—it’s what we’re known for. But what you may not know is that we have an equally impressive craft beverage scene.

One with excellent patios that will be calling your name since it’s Spring in Kelowna (find the rundown in our patio guide). So while we’d never want to deter you from going for a wine tasting, you’d be missing out if you come for a visit and don’t try any of our local craft breweries, cideries, distilleries, or cocktail lounges.

To jump-start your exploration beyond the vines, we’ve curated a list of Sip Spots to seek out.

Why Kelowna's Craft Beverage Scene Hits Different

Kelowna-made beer, cider, spirits, and cocktails are exceptional thanks to our local terroir and tight-knit community.

Before wine took off, Kelowna was well-known for apples, cherries, peaches, and apricots. Fruit, especially tree fruit, thrives here because of the growing conditions created by the Okanagan Valley and the proximity to Okanagan Lake. So not only is our landscape beautiful to look at, but it also produces a bounty that Kelowna craft beverage producers and mixologists don’t take for granted.

Many of Kelowna's breweries, cideries, distilleries, and cocktail lounges proudly use Okanagan-grown ingredients, so what you’re sipping directly reflects what you’ll find at local farms, orchards, and markets. 

There’s also a strong collaborative culture among the businesses in our craft beverage scene. Cocktail bars like BTS Cocktail Bar & Kitchen feature spirits from Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, and breweries like Lakesider Brewing. offer other locally made beverages like Farming Karma soda and cider from Soma Craft Cidery.

There are also events like Kelowna Beer Week and the Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff, where local producers and talent come together to celebrate the industry.

The same things that make Kelowna a premier wine destination also shape the character of its craft beverage scene.

Where to Sip in Kelowna

Spring brings orchard blooms, the sun is sending sparkles across the still-chilly lake, and as we near summer, it's officially patio season, and it’s time to dig your sandals out.

Celebrate by getting a group of friends together to tour our best sip spots, planning a date, venturing out to a brewery, cidery, distillery, or cocktail lounge and sipping something while sitting on a patio.

Here’s where to head to get your craft beer, cider, spirit, or cocktail fix this spring.

Farming Karma

Farming Karma is more than a beverage company—it’s a family legacy cultivated over decades in the heart of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. You’ll find sodas, mocktails, vodka-fortified sodas, canned cocktails, and hydration drinks all sweetened with Okanagan fruit juice. In the taproom, you can look in on production through floor-to-ceiling windows as you try samples of the fruit sodas they are best known for. 

Lakesider Brewing

Lakesider Brewing is a casual craft brewery and kitchen centrally located in West Kelowna with a pet-friendly patio. 

When you first walk in, the lakehouse interior instantly puts you at ease, and so will the extensive selection of house beers inspired by the Okanagan lifestyle. Go for a tasting flight or a pint, and grab a pizza or some classic brewery fare while you’re at it.

Luckhurst Farm & Distillery

Head to Luckhurst Farm & Distillery to taste handcrafted spirits, tour the property, and say hi to some sweet goats. This small-batch distillery and tasting room in South Kelowna offers a rustic and highly personalized experience that’s full of whimsy. 

Try all kinds of cocktails made with Luckhurst vodka, gin, limoncello, whisky, and liqueurs made by the owners, who typically work behind the bar. 

Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery: Kelowna and Vernon

Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery has been turning BC-grown grain and fruit into spirits since 2004. This prohibition-inspired distillery makes every kind of spirit, from absinthe to whisky, including unique creations, such as colour-changing gin, Revolve, crafted from tree-ripened Okanagan apples and infused with wildflowers.

Drop in for a tasting, or book a tour or guided experience at Okanagan Spirits - Kelowna. Head to Okanagan Spirits - Vernon, where the open distilling area offers a behind-the-scenes look at the craft behind their spirits. While there, try the Cocktail Creation Experience, available exclusively in Vernon, where you’ll learn the basics of cocktail making and tour the distillery. Both the Kelowna and Vernon locations also offer cocktails and spirit flights served with mixers on the side, making it easy to explore their spirits at your own pace.

Soma Craft Cidery

The Soma Craft Cidery tasting room is now open for the season on weekends, and the lounge, Ricardo’s at Soma, will reopen for the 2026 season starting May 1. 

Sip classic and seasonal ciders made from apples grown onsite, feed friendly alpacas, and enjoy polished yet approachable Italian plates all in a quiet and serene setting. 

Truck 59 Ciderhouse

Owned by Jason Parkes Customs, the group behind several West Kelowna wineries known for their imagination, Truck 59 Ciderhouse keeps that tradition going with wine-cider hybrids and wild flavours like blueberry hazelnut cider. Never fear—they also offer signature flavours, and if you prefer a drier cider, this spot has you covered.

With a pet-friendly picnic area and lawn games galore, their tasting room and patio in West Kelowna is a great stop for groups and families. 

BTS Cocktail Bar & Kitchen

During the day, you know this place as Born To Shake, the cocktail supply store. At night, it turns into BTS Cocktail Bar & Kitchen, a vibey speakeasy serving quality cocktails crafted with premium ingredients. The team also makes many of their own syrups, bitters, and cocktail components in-house, while sourcing local ingredients, including juices used throughout the cocktail menu.

Grab a drink and a bite for date night or a night out with friends, or book a cocktail class with a group to learn how to mix your own creations.

Wards Cider

Wards Cider has been rooted in Southeast Kelowna orchard culture for more than a century, with the family property dating back to 1918. Today, the cidery and tasting bar operate out of the original 1922 packinghouse, one of the last remaining historic apple packinghouses in British Columbia.

Sip small-batch ciders crafted from estate-grown apples, then wander through the orchard or settle in for a picnic beneath the old-growth apple trees. Available from May through September, their orchard picnic experience pairs tasting flights with gourmet charcuterie in a peaceful farm setting.

Explore Kelowna’s Sip Spots

With fresh fruit flavours courtesy of the Okanagan, and a finished product that reflects the pride and craftsmanship that goes into every sip, Kelowna’s craft beverage scene is sure to impress.

View our Sip Spots guide to plan ahead for your trip to Kelowna, or your next night out. And for even more spring outing ideas, explore our must-visit spots in Kelowna.