The town of Rossland BC is known as a Ski town being located at the foot of the very popular Red Mountain Resort. Snow sports in the winter and an equally enthusiastic summer crowd makes this small mountain town rather busy year round and subsiquently rather thirsty. In a joint effort of entrepreneurial nature and craft beer enthusiasm Petri Raito and Ryan Arnaud partnered up and have opened the Rossland Beer Company.
Opening their brewery to the local and tourist crowds Rossland Beer Co is a Nano-brewery with a small, 7 Hectolitre brewing system which they purchased from North Vancouver’s Bridge Brewing when they decided to up-scale. This small and friendly brewery is located just off the main drag through town and is a welcoming frontage well worth stopping in to satisfy your thirst.
Inside the tasting room you will find a small area with a bar and a few small tables for tasting or filling your growlers. Bottles will be in the mix soon but for now local sales will consume the limited quantity of beer that can be brewed. Uniquely when you enter this small brewery’s tasting room you will be welcomed to a bird’s eye view of the brewery itself. With the brewery at the basement level while utilizing an open design the brewing takes place below as you enjoy a delicious brew from above.
A small brewing setup such as Rossland’s has its limitations when it comes to scale but with small batches also comes great opportunity. Limited size brews allows for this young and creative brewing team to explore beyond their staple Pale Ale and IPA brews and try new, innovative ideas on for size. As the shoulder season approaches in this mountain town the creativity hats will undoubtedly come on and new, experimental brews will surface.
Rossland has always been a destination for British Columbia tourists and now with a craft brewery in the mix the draw has never been higher. Whether you are a summer sport junkie or you prefer when the mercury drops down the town of Rossland and the Rossland Beer Company will welcome you with open arms and full glasses.
I really enjoyed the pale ale. Sadly it was the only one they had on tap. Luckly they should have a second one on tap before I leave the area.