Hops Among Friends is designed to showcase the people who make up the craft beer scene on the BC Ale Trail. In this latest installment, Kim Lawton interviews Gary Brucker from Barn Owl Brewing.
My most recent Hops Among Friends interview was with Melanie MacInnes from Locality Brewing. At the end of our discussion, Melanie recommended that I speak with Gary Brucker from Barn Owl Brewing for my next Hops Among Friends interview. Gary is one of the co-founders and the managing partner at Barn Owl Brewing, which was established in 2019 in Kelowna on the Kelowna and West Kelowna Ale Trail.
Gary and I have met several times because we are both based in the Okanagan. We met in person for this interview at Detonate Brewing in Summerland. I had a great time chatting with Gary, and it was really awesome to be able to talk face-to-face over a beer
You can read through all of my previous Hops Among Friends articles here. It’s been an absolute privilege to interview so many amazing leaders in the craft beer industry over the last few years.
Kim: How did you get started in craft beer?
Gary: Accidentally. I grew up in Southern Alberta and I became a lover of beer through my curling experience, and then later on through my men’s fastball league. Beer was always a part of our social experiences. I was very much a lager and pilsner drinker. When I moved to the Okanagan, 1516 from Okanagan Spring became my go-to beer. Then I tried Boddingtons through a friend who was selling this international brand for Labatt. I began to realize I had a wide palate and that I’m willing to try any style of beer.
Having said that, I still also enjoy getting razzed by my friends for enjoying a Saskatchewan Old Style Pilsner. It takes me back full circle.
Myself and a couple of friends were all looking ahead to the next 20 years of our lives. None of us had ever owned our own business before, but we all loved craft beer. It was a unity of spirit, if you will.
We had been joking about craft beer for some time, but when the barn became available, we thought it was a great fit. I wanted a space where we could provide a craft beer experience. It was very important to all of us that we created an experience for our guests. That has really helped shape who we are.
From here, Barn Owl Brewing was born. It was founded by three beer-loving friends—a doctor, a teacher, and a church worker. I was the church worker. In fact, I remained a church worker for the first four years that we owned the brewery. One piece of advice we got early on was to not give up our day jobs for the first few years of owning the brewery. Thankfully, we listened.
We are located in a restored 1920s heritage barn. When we first saw it, it had a dirt floor and a ladder to the loft. There were 21 applicants for the building, but we were selected. We had a home builder help us with the plans and then they built it, complete with a vaulted loft, a fireplace, antique furniture, shuffleboard, board games, and plenty of seating.
It was 10 months from the time we applied for our liquor license until opening day. We took over the space on Feb. 1, 2019, and we opened in July. We had eight months before the COVID shutdown, which allowed us time to figure some things out. It also endeared us to the community, so there was definitely understanding from the community when we had to lay off our staff. Even in that short time, we had great community support, and people would line up on Saturdays to buy our crowlers to support us. This really accelerated our role as a community gathering place.
After about a year, we realized that the three of us founders had different visions. For the sake of the business, we had to make a shift, and we ended up moving to two owners, myself and Tim (the doctor). Tim and I make it work because we have very different portfolios and areas of responsibility, and we each stay in our own lanes.
We like to say that between myself and my partner, we’ve had over 100 years of beer-drinking experience. Our wide palates are reflected in the brewer we hired at Barn Owl, and the variety of beer styles, and the experiences we offer.
When I think back to the early days, before we even opened the brewery, we spent a lot of time visiting other breweries. I wasn’t just a consumer, I had my eyes wide open to everything. I remember visiting Field House Brewing in Abbotsford numerous times. I saw the employees hanging out together. The staff were hugging each other. It was a family.
I said often in the early days, that we would know we were on track when we reached a point where our staff would want to bring their friends to our place. By year three, this is what we had created, even during COVID. It was and is amazing to see.
Kim: Tell me more about the Barn Owl theme.
Gary: We wanted to be able to say “We’re going to the barn”. We had a long list of possible names that tied to “the barn”. The night we were planning to make the final decision on the name, an owl was sitting on the neighbour’s roof the entire evening while we had dinner in my backyard. Additionally, the barn was known for having all sorts of different breeds of owls in the space. And from there, the Barn Owl name came to be.
Our logo was created by a beer lover in Edmonton. We ran a contest on Instagram. We selected the logo she sketched out, and we had a graphic designer finish it.
The more we learned about the history of the barn, the more interested we became in its rich past. It was the largest working dairy farm in the entire Okanagan Valley in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the farmhouse (most recently a salon) became an eatery called the Ritz Diner for those building the KVR (railway). It even became a brothel for the railway workers.
When the barn was a working dairy farm, the building that was right beside us and attached to the barn was the milk shed where they milked the cows. We have taken over this space now as well, and we operate it as the Milk Shed Coffeehouse.
Kim: What makes Barn Owl unique?
Gary: We were going to do live music once or twice a month, but during COVID, our liquor inspector talked to us about bringing in more live music as a way to support musicians. We’ve been having live music twice a week, every week since then.
We’ve become the community gathering spot that we envisioned. Maybe even more than we envisioned. We get some tourism traffic, but our location is far enough away from downtown that we are truly a community gathering spot for the locals who live in the Mission. The coffeehouse has enhanced that even more.
Also, it’s important to us that we are reflective of the community. We have four quality wines on at any time. We have local Kombucha, Karma Sodas, and alcohol-free beer. Plus we have Grey Fox gluten-free beers.
We have crib nights and a running club. There is no room for a kitchen here, but we have four restaurants across the street that people can order in from. And then we have food trucks that draw their own crowd (6 days a week in the summer months). We also have the Little Tokyo Ramen food truck onsite every weekend year-round.
Back when we interviewed our brewer candidates, we ended up selecting Colin Pistawka who was brewing at Swans in Victoria. He was from Kelowna, and he wanted to move back home to Kelowna. He understood what we wanted. We have 14 of our own beers on at any time. We know that it’s a bit crazy to have this many beers in our little facility, but we like to have a broad range of beer styles available.
Colin is a constant learner. He was a biochem major, heading to be a doctor, but realized he liked brewing more. We know that beer is science. And he loves it. He loves learning about brewing beer, the process, and the beer market. His greatest satisfaction is when people come in saying they don’t like beer, and by the end of their time with us, they’ve found a beer that they like. That’s in part because of the wide range of beer styles that we offer. Colin is now a shareholder in the business.
Kim: Tell me about some of your proudest accomplishments at Barn Owl.
Gary: People tell me they love our beer and the experience of the Barn. That’s all we need. We can barely keep up with beer production. We are 5.5 years in now. Colin feels like he’s found the recipes people love, the ingredients he loves, we have the history to know what we need seasonally, and we have the flow in the brewing space. Colin doesn’t need awards. He’s very proud of what we are doing.
For me as an owner, what I’m really proud of is that we are a community gathering space. Families come in together. You can see the kids playing a game, while Grampa’s having a beer, and Gramma’s having a glass of wine. Having created an intergenerational family gathering space is really rewarding for me. Last night we had a retirement party in our loft, and last week we hosted a baby shower and birthday party. It’s amazing to see the range of people coming in for events.
We are also very proud of the consistency of our staff. Other than students, we have not had much staff turnover in the last 5.5 years. Our staff tell us they are treated well by us and by our customers. They know our regulars. The consistency of our team has helped build our brand.
Kim: Let’s talk about your community involvement at Barn Owl.
Gary: Early on, the food bank came to us and they said they always have leftover donated whole grain bread. They get so much donated bread and they can’t use it quickly enough before it goes stale. They explained that other food banks in Europe were partnering with breweries who were using the leftover donated bread to make beer. So, we started taking the food bank’s leftover whole grain bread and using it to make Breaking Bread Amber Ale. Our brewer roasts the bread and uses it in the mash. We give $1 from each beer sold back to the food bank. We’ve donated around $15,000 now back to the food bank from this beer. This really connected us with the community.
We said from the beginning that we wanted to be a contributing member of the community.
We have had other collaborative partnerships too. We have partnered with Mamas for Mamas. We have a partnership with our local radio station, New Country 100.7, and we brew a Casey Clarke Show Kölsch. People would come in for this beer alone.
We have also collaborated with the Bridge Youth and Family Services and another local radio station to produce our Beach Radio Blonde Ale.
We’ll have one or two community brews on at any time, where we give a portion of the proceeds to a community organization that aligns with our values.
Kim: What do you have planned at Barn Owl for this winter?
Gary: During the winter, we are continuing with our Monday night run club. We have a lot of runners in our community.
We are also going to do a bit more food in our kitchen. We can now do limited food offerings in the Milk Shed in the evenings after the coffee service ends.
We are trying to make this a year where we maximize everything we are doing. We feel like we are working well in our niche. We are going to keep doing what we do well.
The biggest boost for us is using the loft space for events. We can have 54 people for an event in our loft. Events do really well.
We are also planning to run another two Barn Bites and Brews events. This is where we partner with a local chef who pairs our beers with a variety of dishes.
Kim: I understand you use an innovative BREWHA brewing system to make your beer. Can you please tell me more?
Gary: The BREWHA system allows us to operate within a much smaller brew space, so we can have a larger variety of beers available. It also contributes to environmental sustainability by using less water, chemicals and energy. It’s pretty cool because when other breweries are looking at a BREWHA system, the manufacturer recommends that the brewery folks come and spend a day with us to learn.
Kim: We are in a period of uncertainty around the world right now. What keeps you up at night?
Gary: Honestly, nothing. If anything were to keep me up, it would be our debt load. But, I have a lot of peace. Kelowna’s real estate market is strong. And we’re confident in what we’ve built. It’s more than just beer. If it was just beer, I’d be terrified. I remember Ken Beattie saying something along the lines of ‘if you’re just about beer, you’re probably going to fail. Gone are the days when it’s just about beer.’ We’re confident in what we do, and we’re grateful for that.
Kim: If you had one piece of advice for someone wanting to get into the craft beer industry, what would it be?
Gary: Sometimes you don’t know what will work until you try. Just try some things and see what works. Experiment and find your lane. See what sticks for your neighbourhood and your business. Don’t be afraid to fail. Try it, and learn from it.
I’ll also share the same advice we got when we started: don’t give up your day job. It’s important to keep a steady stream of income.
Lastly, I would say, surround yourself with people that know more about everything than you and use them. When people learn that we have never owned a business before, they are surprised that we have been so successful. But we surround ourselves with people who know more than we do, and that has really helped us.
Kim: What is your favourite beer to enjoy in the winter?
Gary: I’m a weirdo. I have no consistent style. I will have our blueberry sour, an IPA and then a stout. And I enjoy all three. My consistent go-to beers at our place are our Headturner Hazy IPA and our Don’t Give a Hoot Pale Ale. Or our Blueberry Beret Berliner Weisse. This is the only beer that I’ve specifically asked our brewer to make. I wanted a beer with blueberries in it.
Kim: What are you drinking when you aren’t drinking alcohol?
Gary: Water. Tap water. And one coffee a day. I will drink the occasional non-alcoholic beer also, such as an Athletic IPA. I’m all about balance.
KL: What do you love about the craft beer scene in your area?
Gary: We were the seventh brewery to open in Kelowna 5.5 years ago. Then the industry here really blew up. We now have 22 craft breweries in the Greater Kelowna area. Everyone is really trying to find their alleyway. Everyone is trying to find their way in the community without going down.
I truly believe that gone are the days when you could just make good beer. Kettle River relies on their amazing food offerings. For BNA, it’s their smash burger and bowling lanes. For Red Bird, it’s their live music and offering the younger person’s party vibe. Everyone is just trying to find their way. And no, I don’t think everyone’s going to survive.
Kim: Can you tell me about some hidden gems in your area?
Gary: Well I love to run. So I would say go for a run. I suggest going for a walk or a run along the waterfront.
Hike Knox Mountain. Within 20 minutes you have incredible views of the lake. You can see down the lake to Peachland and up the lake to Vernon. I’d also say rent a bike and go for a ride along the trestles at Myra Canyon. It is definitely worth doing.
There are numerous great spots for amazing food and cocktails. One of my recommendations is Skinny Duke’s Glorious Emporium. It’s like walking into your grandma’s place. They have amazing cocktails and great food. Born to Shake is my new favourite cocktail place. They are creating an amazing cocktail experience.
There are so many fantastic dining experiences here. The unique, smaller local places are very special.
And of course, you have to check out our incredible craft beer scene.
Kim: Is there anything else you want to share?
Gary: We’re still learning and growing. Mostly we’re thankful for places like Cannery Brewing and Field House that have been so open with us and share information and advice.
It’s an industry where people are more on your side than against you. We’re all trying to survive.
Also, our fun collabs with Mel and Andy at Locality Brewing are life-giving. I love that we can share wins and losses and grow together. People often wonder how we connected with Locality because they are in Langley. It’s a funny story. I was working at the Coast, and I got chatting with a beer Instagrammer who suggested I go to Locality, and that’s what I did. They were closed, but I called and Mel and Andy told me to come by. Andy suggested we do a Farm to Barn collab. And that’s where it all began.
Kim: You get to pick who I speak with next. Who else in the craft beer industry do you find interesting and why?
Gary: I’d like you to speak with Josh Vanderheide at Field House. They built their brewery with crowd-sourced funding. I don’t know if they truly realize how much of an impact they’ve had on this industry. Josh is so great. He wants to help the industry in general. Even though he had already won Brewery of the Year a couple of times, Josh always made time for me when I was starting our brewery. He set the standard for what customer service in craft beer looked like and that was very inspiring to me.
Stay tuned for the next instalment of the Hops Among Friends blog series, where I speak with Josh Vanderheide, the founder of Field House Brewing in Abbotsford, on the Fraser Valley Ale Trail. Until then, cheers!
