Buffalo Rouge Brewing

Keep it simple: drink good beer, eat more plants.

This brewery’s very unusual name has a great story behind it.

The first half comes from the fact that it was founded by a couple, Crystal and Liam, who met and fell in love while living and working in Fort McMurray, also known as the Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Apparently, they each have a buffalo tattoo to acknowledge that connection. The second part has to do with Liam’s red hair — his side business, a plumbing company, is called Red Giant Plumbing. But what sealed the deal was when a friend referred to him as “Papa Rouge.” Voila: Buffalo Rouge.

When Liam and Crystal met, she was running a food truck called The Grub Wagon. Later, when they moved to Kelowna, they brought the food truck with them and have been operating it as The Wagon there ever since, featuring an exclusively vegetarian menu. That focus has been carried over to the kitchen menu at Buffalo Rouge.

The beer menu ranges from traditional styles to one-of-a-kind and seasonal brews, and the kitchen offers funky takes on comfort food classics — all vegetarian or vegan, of course.