One of our favourite memories of the place was a drag show from November of 2019. Not just any old drag show, but a fundraiser for the edgy Snakebite Film Festival.
Hitting the scene at a time when drag shows were still rare in Penticton, it was held in the venue's brewery room where attendees and performers alike could go wild.
It was unusual, it was exciting, and it was a big step forward locally for diversity.
Then there were the pizzas -- some of the best in town, including a fling with crocodile a few years back.
And the generosity. If there was a local brewer, be it professional or amateur, who needed a helping hand, they knew where to turn.
Bad Tattoo Brewing has been fun, it's been magnetic, and it's been memorable.
It was the first-ever brewery to open in the downtown core. And it's played a key role in establishing Penticton as the national, and international, craft beer hub it has now become.
But on Dec. 18, just nine days from now, it will disappear. At just eight years old.
What happened?
Luckily, nothing too dark and/or sinister.
The short story is this: Bad Tattoo co-owner Lee Agur wanted a change in direction. He was tired of the long days at the brewery and wanted to spend more time with his young family.
He's known the folks at Port Moody's highly regarded Yellow Dog Brewing for a good long while. The two breweries developed at approximately the same time and opened at approximately the same time. And the ownership teams like one another.
And when in 2019 Mike and Melinda Coghill from Yellow Dog moved to Penticton to open a brewery here -- Neighbourhood Brewing, just a block from Bad Tattoo -- the relationship between the Agur and Coghill families grew even tighter.
Indeed, while Neighbourhood was enduring construction teething pains, Bad Tattoo let Coghill and Co. brew beer in their facility.
So when Agur opted to pull the plug, he talked to just one group of people -- the folks behind Yellow Dog, who could now conveniently be found right in the Neighbourhood.
They agreed to buy it and the deed was done.
Going forward, the Bad Tattoo space isn’t going anywhere, and Penticton isn’t losing any of its eight breweries. The Yellow Dog team, with loads of experience and a great rep (here and here), will extensively renovate it and open it before the summer of 2023 as the Penticton branch of…wait for it…Yellow Dog.
Wednesday afternoon as the social media announcement of the deal was still sinking in, an excited Mike Coghill chatted with PentictonNow. At least we think he was excited. Coghill's not overly demonstrative.
But he sure was smiling.
"We've always been good friends with the Agur family," he said. "They helped Neighbourhood get open. So when they approached us to say they were closing and wanted us to take over, we were humbled.
"They thought Yellow Dog would be a good fit as Yellow Dog is now one of the larger breweries in BC. So we thought about it and we're committed to Penticton as a town and we thought 'Let's do it.'"
According to Coghill, discussions on the subject had been ongoing for some time.
"They're closing their doors on Dec 18th and we take possession Jan 1st," he said. "And then we'll take some time to figure out a plan for the space and renovate it and decide what exactly what we'll do there now."
Coghill said it will be a "bigger" renovation that will take months to enact.
"The front will look different and likely larger," he said."The patio will probably stay the same size, and the Badlands (side patio area) will probably change a bit.
"We'll basically try to freshen up the front side and renovate the back for the standard of beer we brew at Yellow Dog."
That includes, he added, batches of "new beers" when they see fit.
We asked Coghill if Yellow Dog was now getting so big that it's blown through the traditionally homey concept of a craft brewery.
"In the grand scheme of things," he said, "we're still a small player. This is just adding a second location in the province for Yellow Dog. In a town we love as much as Port Moody.
We also asked if the loss of an owner and a downtown original is a negative indicator for a local industry that's otherwise been so psyched over its own growth in the past few years.
"We're sad to see someone leave the industry," said Coghill, "But like in any growing industry there will be some changes. And I think in the end we're excited by what Yellow Dog can bring to the Penticton scene.
"And don't forget -- Neighbourhood and Yellow Dog are completely separate ventures."
To Melinda Coghill, expanding Yellow Dog beer production facilities in a mid-province locale couldn’t have come at a better time.
"For the last couple years we've been trying to find ways we can do more production and put out new and exciting things. We've been looking at the opportunities down in Vancouver and in the Okanagan.
"There have been a few things that have cropped up, but nothing that's made total sense for us. And now this, it's just a great fit."
There will be a food program at the Penticton Yellow Dog, one that will likely include pizza, but no plans as of yet for live music.
However, one certainty is that the revamped and renamed brewery will, like Neighbourhood Brewing, employ in the "neighbourhood" of 40 people.
"There's maybe 40 here right now," said Mike Coghill, referencing Neighbourood, "and a lot more in the heat of the summer. It'll probably be the same over there. We're still figuring out our plans and timelines, but we will do our best to keep as many of the Bad Tattoo staff who want to stay."
Bad Tattoo's Lee Agur, meanwhile, seemed pleased with every aspect of the deal and its outcome.
"We started this nine-ish years ago, and it's been an awesome adventure," he said Wednesday. "But there's been lots of change in the industry and lots of change personally. And I think one of the biggest things for me personally is that I'm looking to spend more time with my family.
"Penticton in the summer takes a lot of time, effort, energy and passion, which I have. But my situation has changed. I have two little kids and I don't get to see them grow up.
"I still love the industry and look forward to visiting the breweries on the other side of the bar, but I'm looking for a family change."
According to Agur, his discontent germinated during the pandemic.
"I think the pandemic was a massive factor," he said, "During that time there were so many unknowns and with me working a lot and not seeing my family, I would say that was the tipping point."
For a while he pondered the idea of stepping back from the day to day operations, but ultimately decided it was best to divest fully.
"It was just a great time to hand off to Yellow Dog and say good luck," he said. "They're an amazing group. I'm very lucky to have that connection and to hand it off to them."
And Yellow Dog was indeed his only target.
"I only went to them," he said. "When I looked at who could take over this space and do it well, that was the first name on the list for sure."
We asked him if the move was reflective of a suddenly crowded brewery industry. Was it simply time to get out?
"It's more to do with a life change than anything," he said. "A lot of breweries are shipping province-wide so they're not wholly reliant on Penticton.
"And I'm just really excited for Yellow Dog. In my opinion, they're one of the best craft breweries in BC. And again it goes back to their loyalty, their community service, how they treat people. I feel really good about them taking over here."
As for the Kelowna Bad Tattoo that opened just recently in 2021, Agur said it has a "potential sale," adding that "they would (continue to) operate it as a pizzeria and taproom."
And finally, we asked Agur what Bad Tattoo did best. We know about the events, the beer, the pizza, and all the times they'd allow others to brew batches in their tanks. But what was the common denominator?
"I think it comes down to people," came the reply. "There are so many customers who feel like family. We love them and enjoying hanging out with them and serving them. That was our super-power."
Looking ahead, Agur will "take some time off and see what happens" before looking into future employment/work opportunities.
As for Bad Tattoo, you have 'til Dec 18 to drop by for a brew. And then, several months later, Penticton gets its own Yellow Dog.
