Who We Are
Thank you for taking an interest in what we do!
We are a team who are passionate about making craft beer, wine, seltzers, ciders and coolers; who are determined to provide the best quality beverages that are enjoyable and affordable.
We enjoy spending time with those who come into our stores to make and bottle with us ,and are grateful to have the opportunity to meet and talk with people who are passionate about this craft and so many others!
Both our BA Brewmaster and BA Winexpert stores are located on the traditional and unceded lands of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and we are very grateful to be able to operate here within this community. We hope to always keep learning and improving, and to be the best that we can for our community here and throughout the interior.
Shannon, Laura, Logan, Melissa, Jeff and Kevin at BA Brewmaster
and Nadine at BA Winexpert.
What is an
On-Site Brewery & Winery?
An On-Site Brewery & Winery is a facility where equipment and ingredients are available for customers to make their own beer, wine, ciders and coolers. The customer must add the ingredients (yeast) to begin the fermentation and we can do the rest (rack, stir, settle, filter) to look after your batch until it is ready to be bottled.
If you are interested in learning how to make beer and wine with us yourself, and be more involved in the process (rather than only pitching the yeast and bottling), please let us know. We are hoping in the future to organize classes or one-on-one sessions for those who would like to learn more about the craft.
THE BA STORY
1992 - Two Brothers had an idea
Having always loved good beer and wine, two brothers living out in Thunder Bay, Ontario - Kevin & Jeff Rex - shared a dream of bringing affordable craft beer and wine to a community. They also had a calling out West...
Early 1993 - A Home in Kamloops
Where better to make beautiful brews than a beautiful city? Kevin and Jeff moved to Kamloops, BC, BA Brewmaster's Home. Building work began, and thanks to the hard work and help of friends and family, the premises was completed in 1993.
1993 - Doors opened on Cariboo Place!
Doors on Cariboo Place opened in 1993! Many will recognise Jeff, Kevin and Brian below who are still working at BA today, as well as the kettles that have seen many beers during their years of service!
1995 - Cheers to Beers
Thanks to word of mouth, more and more people joined the community of brewmasters who made beer and wine at BA Brewmaster - a lot of whom still make and bottle with us today!
1998 - A Canning Line is Added!
Until 1998, beer could be bottled into plastic and glass bottles at BA Brewmaster. Having talked to our customers - a lot of whom enjoy going out to the lake, camping, or taking beer over to their friends' places - we decided to add cans to our line-up to make it easier for them! We installed a state-of-the-art canning machine, along with our signature (and now classic!) BA cans.
1998 - Present - Supporting Local
We love to support local initiatives, charities and events; a few being Operation Red Nose, Girl Guides of Canada, Kamloops Pride, and Western Canada Theatre. If you run any initiatives and would like our support please feel free to contact us!
2006 - BA Winexpert opens in Valleyview!
As demand for delicious craft wine grew, so did our business! BA Winexpert opened in Valleyview, adding a second location to make quality wine in Kamloops. Now managed by our amazing Nadine!
2018 - Ciders!
BA Brewmaster introduces Ciders, being the only location in Kamloops to make carbonated ciders and coolers. Traditional cider flavours such as Apple & Pear, and tasty fruit combos like Raspberry Lime & Peach Passion, make for happy brewmasters in the summer.
2017 - Nadine joins the team!
In 2017, we were so lucky that Nadine joined our team! If you have been to our BA Winexpert store in Valleyview, you will know that Nadine is incredibly hard working, friendly and talented, and has been managing the store - and making delicious wine with patrons there - since 2018. If you're looking for a wine expert, look no further!
2018 - Logan joins the ranks!
In 2018, Logan became our Master Brewer. With a passion for natural ingredients and sustainability, Logan brought a whole new ethos to our brewing and our beers have never tasted better. Friendly, talented and incredibly knowledgeable, we recommend talking with Logan if you are looking to make a particular style of beer or hope to create your own recipe - plus he's just a stand-up person to be around!
2020 - KTW Winner for the 19th Time!
We were so happy to win the Kamloops This Week Reader's Choice Award for the 19th time!
A huge thank you to all who voted in the Kamloops This Week Reader's Choice Awards. We will continue to strive to give you the best beer, wine, ciders, coolers and service possible!
2020 - Return of familiar faces!
Shannon and Laura return to BA Brewmaster after spending 5 years in the UK (where they learned a lot about British beer and European wine) to manage our BA Brewmaster store and bring fresh ideas for the next part of our journey!
2021 - A new year
28 years on, and we're going into 2021 with a new logo, a new website, and an increase in homebrew supplies for homebrewers, with the same dedication and excitement as back in 1993! Cheers to the new year!
2021 - Best of Kamloops!
We were so grateful to be voted Best of Kamloops for Wine and Brew Supply Retailer! We have been working hard to improve our selection of brew supplies so that local homebrewers and breweries alike can get their much needed equipment and ingredients locally right here in Kamloops!
2021 - KTW Winner for the 20th Time!
We were so incredibly grateful to win the Kamloops This Week Reader's Choice Award for the 20th time in a row!!!
We love making wine, beer, ciders and coolers with our amazing community here in Kamloops and we are so glad that the love is felt both ways 💛 Here is to many more years of brewing and merriment!
2021 - Mel joins our team!
Mel joined in August 2021 and since then has been making, racking and readying your wines for bottling day! She is an absolute joy to work with and we are so grateful to have her Viking warrior mentality as part of our BA team!
2022 - The launch of our Hard Seltzers!
After almost a year's worth of research, testing, and trial and error, we cracked the Seltzer code and launched our very own Hard Seltzers! Led by Shannon, our team created hard seltzers that have more flavour than similar commercial equivalents but the same benefit of freshness with very low calories. To see our seltzer flavours click here!
2022 - Best of Kamloops again!
After continued efforts to provide quality brew supplies to the region - including Gambrinus Malting, Escarpment Liquid Yeast, and Bredenhof Farm hops - we were so happy to have received Best of Kamloops for Wine and Brew Supply Retailer for a second time! Thank you so much, Kamloops home brewers!
2022 - KTW Winner for the 21st Time!
We were so grateful to win the Kamloops This Week Reader's Choice Award, this our 21st year!
With the launch of our seltzers, additions to our team and with doing our best to continue to improve what we offer here at BA we were so grateful to win the Readers' Choice again this year. Thank you to all who voted for us, and cheers to you! 💛
2023 - All Grain Beer Series Launched!
With the original 1993 set up being suited to brewing beers that are a combination of malt extract and grain, we started to dream in early 2022 about creating all grain beers so that we could really fine-tune our offerings and provide the option to make the very best craft beer possible.
Being a small local business we couldn't afford the huge infrastructure change that it usually takes to brew with grain on a large scale. After a lot of trial and error, and hard work from all of the team, we managed to find a way to make it work with our current system! On May 5th we launched 11 All Grain Beers, and we are happy to say that our patrons are really enjoying them!
2023 - Best of Kamloops!
With continued additions to our brew supply and equipment selection, including a wider range of yeast for brewing and distilling and in-house made beer brewing kits - we are very happy to have received Best of Kamloops for Wine and Brew Supply Retailer for a third time! Thank you so much, Kamloops home brewers!
2022 - KTW Winner for the 22nc Time!
We were so grateful to win the Kamloops This Week Reader's Choice Award, this our 22nd year!
With the launch of our all grain beers, renovations in our premises and with doing our best to continue to improve what we offer here at BA we were so grateful to win the Readers' Choice again this year. Thank you to all who voted for us, and cheers to you! 💛
BA In The News