Highway 97 Brewing moving downtown

Photo: Contributed

John Kapusty, left, and son Nick Kapusty at the current Highway 97 location in Penticton in 2017.

Highway 97 Brewing has an official thumbs up from Penticton city council to move forward with their plans to take over the former Mile Zero bar on Ellis Street.

The brewery decided to move from its current spot across from the South Okanagan Events Centre back in the spring of 2020, making an accepted purchase offer on the space at 200 Ellis Street.

Now, they have also received approval from the city for their liquor license to transfer to the new location, thanks to a unanimous vote from city council Tuesday.

They plan to have a patio, which will not operate beyond 11 p.m., and no amplified music beyond 9 p.m.

"I know the noise is a concern to many residents," reads a letter sent to city staff from Highway 97 owners.

"It is our intention to be an excellent neighbour and ensure that excess noise coming from our brewery is never a factor. We look forward to being part of the downtown brewery experience."

The move puts them just up the road from Cannery Brewing and a few blocks over from a burgeoning downtown-area brewery zone, populated already by Neighbourhood Brewing and Slackwater Brewing.