A very convenient dinner stop after squeezing in a few last hours of climbing at Skaha is the Firehall Bistro in the small town of Oliver, BC. Perhaps more importantly, it is directly above the Firehall Brewery. The brewery’s tasting room is open to the public on Fridays, but, since I was there on a Monday, I had to content myself with the three beers of theirs on tap upstairs in the Bistro. The sampler flight included four tasters, so I included Tin Whistle’s Scorpion Double IPA, which I hadn’t tried while in Penticton.

Extinguishing my thirst at Firehall Brewery and Bistro — Oliver, BC

Rob’s Picks
• Holy Smoke Stout – 4.5% – Smoke aroma and flavor that goes well with the roasty malt and coffee/dark chocolate flavors. Smokiness does linger.

The Rest
• Backdraft Blonde Ale – 4.9% – Pretty light, fairly crisp. Touch of honey sweetness and some banana/clove flavors. Little bit watery but easy drinking.
• Stoked Ember Ale – 4.8% – Amber. Some caramel maltiness, but not much else. Maybe some subtle herbal hoppiness. Quite drinkable, though.

As far as I can tell, those are the only three beers they make so far. I’ll have to stop in again during my next Skaha trip and find out if there are more.