Cranbrook -Creston 2026

 Cranbrook - Creston 2026

Creston brewery tour/ Rest day

June 17, 2026

Brewery tour:

After the bike ride we headed across the street to the Kokanee Brewery.  It is actually the Columbia Brewery which is owned by Labatt Brewing which is in turn owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev.   They produce a wide variety of beers under different labels but the most famous is Kokanee.  Kokanee was first brewed in 1959 when the Columbia Brewery was built.  However it really got going with the highly successful ad campaign which featured the BC. sasquatch.  The basic brewery which was constructed in 1959 still forms the back bone of the operation.  Most of the larger vessels are still in use and only a couple of the copper kettles have been replaced.  There have been a lot of modifications and upgrades over the years. The facility is fully automated and a couple of operators control everything from a control room.  The canning line is the most recent facility upgrade.  It can process 1.5 million can a day.  It is really quite fascinating to watch the cans flying along the line.  After the tour we returned to the tasting room to try out some of different beers.  The tour guide was the same fellow who did the tour when we were here last year.  We had a lot of fun sampling the different beers.  

Rest day in Creston: 

I have been suffering from this horrid cold for the last couple of weeks and it just doesn't seem to be getting better.  Although the nasal congestion is a lot better, but the sore throat lingers on.  The effects of this cold have exaggerated by not getting a good nights sleep and hard days on the bike.  This morning I just felt awful so I decided to take a rest day.  Ken, Ed and Julie rode off and I laid down for a nap.  I don't think I was down for more than a minute before I was fast asleep.   I slept for 2.5 hours. I awoke feeling 100% better.  Julie arrived back and we went shopping for groceries.  The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun and sucking down root beer.  It is totally amazing how much better a 2.5 hr nap and a bunch of root beer can make you feel.

Terry