Brewery Review: Marten Brewpub
Every city should have a brewpub. A local place where people can hang out grab a beer, some good food and meet some good friends. In Vernon, British Columbia Marten Brewpub is the place.
By Shira Kogut on Nov. 14, 2017
Roll Into The Local Pub – Marten’s Brewpub in Vernon, British Columbia
When you think about it times haven’t changed that much. In the old days, you rolled into town, a stranger in a strange land and where did you go? The local inn/alehouse. These days, it may feel a little awkward to sit and have a beer by yourself, but if you can tear yourself away from your phone and engage there are some cool conversations to be had.
At Marten Brewpub, the staff was friendly and made good suggestions, and I got to have a nice, big booth all to myself. From there, I could survey all the big, cool beer tanks, stretch out (which was definitely needed after a 7-hour car ride) and enjoy the surroundings. This brewpub ain’t no small local dive, it is huge and really nice. All wood and wrought iron with three levels of seating.
When I’m visiting and know I might not get to come back again (although I hope my path will take me through Vernon again), I always like to try a beer flight. This way I can try as many of the beers as I can. In most places, they have a standard beer flight and you get what you get, so I liked that I could choose what I wanted on my flight.
The Beers on my Beer Flight:
1) Word to the Weizen:
Brewed with German yeast, barley and wheat, this is a refreshing and authentic Hefeweizen. It has a cloudy golden hue and the banana and clove flavours you’d expect from a hefe, but with additional notes of pineapple and bread.
2) R&R Saison:
Its description says “hazy pale straw colour” this batch seemed to be a bit darker perhaps the R&R (rhubarb and raspberry). It has aromas of rose, pepper and field fruit with a tart finish of dry spice.
3) Oh My Gourd:
This seasonal favourite uses red kuri gourd smoked in-house with hickory. Then it is brewed to perfection with rye malts and weizen yeast. There are hints of fennel and coriander and is definitely a notch above your standard seasonal pumpkin ale.
4) Chatterbox IPA:
This is a combination of their Chatterbox nitro coffee blend and their BC Bud IPA. The result: a smooth medium malt IPA with coffee, orange and herbal notes.
5) Cookie Monster Stout:
This beer is the local favourite. It is opaque black with slight chocolate notes and a subtle toasted finish. They use nitro for this beer which gives it a smoother finish, but sadly (as I found out) makes it difficult to take home, so you’ve got to consume on the premises. No growlers of this delicious delight.
Brew Review: The Beers at Marten Brewpub
The Cookie Monster Stout was definitely incredible and deserves the title of local favourite, but I took a growler of that Chatterbox IPA home. The other beers were all very good, fresh and delicious, but generally what I’d expect of each style. The Chatterbox IPA, on the other hand, was all kinds of WOW! Definitely not what I expected from an IPA, but such a unique and interesting flavour combo. Can’t wait to break open that growler!
Check out more articles on beer and beer education:
British Columbia Craft Brewery List: A Guide and Directory to Canadian Beers