Recently, Nick from the Thirsty Explorers Club went on a weekend ale-venture to the Shuswap region of BC, where he explored Salmon Arm and its three unique breweries. Get his take on Salmon Arm’s brew culture, the tasty eats, and community and sustainability values in practice here every day.
What Even Is a Salmon Arm?
Salmon don’t have arms, they have fins. At least, I think they do? Hold on a minute while I go check Google….
….okay, upon further investigation, I have determined that salmon do not have arms and the name Salmon Arm has nothing to do with the anatomy of a fish. My bad.
The truth of the name comes from one of BC’s most precious natural resources. Salmon Arm is one of four ‘arms’ that feed into the stunning Shuswap Lake in British Columbia. This particular arm has historically been a prime location for salmon runs during September and October. So, while the name isn’t about a mutated fish like the one Bart Simpson caught, it is about fish abundance. Makes sense now, right?
Now that we’ve learned a little bit of toponymy, let’s dive in to another Salmon Arm fact. Did you know it’s home to North America’s longest, curved wooden wharf? It’s true! I saw it with my own eyes while on assignment with the BC Ale Trail and the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society (SAEDS).
Beyond its impressive wharf and endless beautiful scenery, Salmon Arm also boasts a vibrant beer scene. Despite being a smaller city with a population under 20,000, it’s a must-visit destination for craft beer lovers. The three breweries I’m about to highlight each offer something unique and distinct to the region.
Ricochet Brewing
Located in the heart of downtown, Ricochet Brewing’s Taphouse fills a much-needed void in Salmon Arm, with a diverse selection of craft beer and cider from across BC. With 36 taps, including 10 of their own brews on tap when I visited, the Ricochet tasting room has something for all BC craft beer and cider lovers. They also offer delicious food sourced from local kitchens and restaurants. The meat pie I ate was perfect on a chilly winter day.
Ricochet is also a family-friendly spot that offers an array of games, kid’s food and drink options and, my kids’ favourite, the snack flight. It features two flight glasses of soda or juice, a glass of candy and a glass of cheezies. And let’s be honest here, it wasn’t just my kids’ favourite; it was mine too! So don’t be shy about ordering one for yourself, it isn’t just for the kiddos.
While their tasting room is relatively new (it opened in July 2024), owners Marc and Meaghan have already been brewing and supplying the Shuswap region with Ricochet beer for two and a half years. Their five-year plan of opening a tasting room came to fruition a bit earlier than anticipated, but the decision has clearly paid off. Their commitment to the community and focus on creating a welcoming space has been a huge hit with both locals and out-of-towners. They even won Salmon Arm Business of the Year for 2024. Add on the fact that Marc and Meaghan are two of the nicest, hardest-working people you’ll ever meet and it makes Ricochet a must-visit when you’re in Salmon Arm.
The Barley Station Brew Pub
A Salmon Arm staple since 2006, The Barley Station offers a classic neighbourhood pub atmosphere for pub-goers 19+. But unlike most standard pubs, their brewing prowess has earned them multiple accolades. The pub boasts a cabinet full of trophies from the Canadian and BC Beer Awards over the years, as well as the Best Ale Award at the 2008 Okanagan Fest-of-Ale for their Sam McGuire’s Pale Ale. On my visit I sampled a flight of some of their core beers and the standout for me was the Bushwacker Brown Ale.
Beyond their award-winning brews, The Barley Station boasts a cozy pub food menu with some interesting twists. While you can find traditional favourites, they also offer more adventurous options like the Haskap Bison Burger and Miki’s Berbere Sandwich. There’s something to satisfy every palate.
The Barley Station is also committed to giving back to the community. They donate $0.10 to the Salmon Arm Trail Alliance for every sleeve of Shuswap Trail Ale IPA sold. Additionally, their current Burger It Forward initiative, in partnership with Canada Beef, donates the equivalent of one meal to Food Banks Canada for every feature burger purchased. Beer, burgers and charitable initiatives? Count me in!
Crannóg Ales
First of all, let’s get the pronunciation of Crannóg out of the way so you don’t embarrass yourself like I did saying it incorrectly in front of Rebecca and Brian, the owners of Crannóg Ales. It’s pronounced “cran” “uhg”, not “cran” “awg”.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, I highly recommend checking out Brian K. Smith’s excellent article on the BC Ale Trail website about the history of Crannóg, Canada’s (and possibly North America’s) first certified organic on-farm microbrewery.
What I’m here to tell you about is what to expect on a visit to Crannóg Ales…
Crannóg isn’t actually in Salmon Arm; it’s about a 30-minute drive west in Sorrento, at Left Fields Farms, located on the unceded Secwepemc Territory. Also owned by Rebecca and Brian, Left Fields is a certified organic farm with a deep commitment to sustainability. From wastewater treatment and reuse to repurposing spent grains to feeding leftover beer to their pigs (lucky pigs), Left Fields and Crannóg strive to minimize their environmental footprint and not outgrow their farm.
This commitment also extends to their brewing process and to-go options. Crannóg grows its own organic hops and even sells hop rhizomes, playing a key role in the BC-grown hop revolution they sparked back in 2001. In regards to take-home offerings, they exclusively offer growler fills, available at the brewery, designated drop-off spots, and weekly farmers’ markets. This choice reflects their dedication to reducing waste from single-use packaging and not outgrowing the capacity of their farm.
Visiting the Crannóg tasting room requires a bit of planning. No, you cannot just show up any day of the week and drink a pint at your leisure. The only way to enjoy a beer on premises is by booking a tour, which typically run on Fridays and Saturdays by appointment, with a maximum of 6 people. While this may sound like quite the effort just to get a fresh glass of Backhand of God stout, all I can say is, trust me, it’s worth it.
Touring the farm adorned with Brian’s Celtic artwork, seeing all the amazing things they do outside of brewing great beer (making vinegar, yarn production, papermaking and more) and hearing Rebecca and Brian’s passionate advocacy for sustainability, organic farming, and human rights issues is truly inspiring. Also chatting with them about the Vancouver punk-rock scene and Brian’s band Immoral Minority, was another personal highlight for me. They’ve actually had Vancouver punk legends DOA play at their farm a few times.
It really is difficult to capture the entire Crannóg Ales experience in just a few paragraphs. There’s so much to talk about. Truly, the best way to understand it is to experience it for yourself.
Sláinte!
