The Kelowna Beer Institute appears in this 2019 photo.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK:Kelowna Beer Institute

A Kelowna brewpub has been fined $7,000 for serving a 17-year-old a can of stout.

According to a recently published July 29 BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch decision, the teenager was part of an undercover sting operation conducted earlier this year at the Kelowna Beer Institute.

The decision said the 17-year-old grabbed the $5.85 tall can of stout from a cooler, took it to the till and handed over a $10 bill.

The employee was training a new member of staff at the time and didn't ask for ID.

In the lengthy 19-page decision the brew pub argued it had done its due diligence, but unfortunately a mistake had been made.

The pub said it had been open for 10 years and had not had a single infraction. The brewery also pointed to the decades of experience its management had in the hospitality business and the prominent signs which read "Did you check ID?" and "19yr – on or before today 2005" to remind staff to check for two pieces of ID.

The employee who served the minor the beer submitted a written statement saying it was "purely a slip of focus" and "not a reflection of the training process."

The pub argued it had taken the incident very seriously and had taken many procedures to ensure that it did not happen again.

However, none of this was good enough for the Liquor Branch which pointed to multiple issues in the pub's training of staff.

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The Liquor Branch said there was a lack of staff training in how to identify those under 35 years old and how to feel comfortable asking for ID.

It also said there was a lack of written quizzes which should be given on an ongoing basis to "reinforce the training."

The Liquor Branch noted there was no reference in the brewpub's training on the "deleterious" effect alcohol consumption has on minors.

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"I find that despite its perfect record over a long period of operations, its professed concern with the sale of liquor to (a) minor... and its clearly stated intentions to be in compliance with the (law), the Licensee has not met the legal onus placed on it and has not clearly demonstrated the atmosphere of ensuring compliance," the Liquor Branch said.

The Liquor Branch said the "evidence clearly demonstrates" that the store clerk did not mistake the customer for someone over 35 years old and therefore didn't need to ask for ID, and instead served the minor "without at any point" considering their age.

Ultimately, the brewpub was fined $7,000.

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