Overlooking the Salish Sea, up the hill from the pulp and paper mill, Townsite Brewing played no small part in revitalizing my hometown of Powell River, B.C. Two ferry rides from Vancouver at the northernmost end of the Sunshine Coast, it feels like a brewery at the edge of the world. Housed in a historic brick building, serving beers evoking cultural idiosyncrasies and local landmarks, it’s more than a watering hole — it’s a source of pride.
“If you do what you do well, this town will support you like crazy,” says Smith. “It’s been so incredible to be here and to have everyone’s support. People jumped right on our home-delivery offerings and were purchasing out of wanting to support us. And people were coming in and buying themselves $50 gift certificates for when we reopen. This town is incredible. We thank ourselves every day for making the move and coming here.
Having taken out a loan last year to buy Pit Caribou — a Gaspésian microbrewery in the fishing village of L’Anse-à-Beaufils, Quebec — co-owner Jean-François Nellis says he welcomes the challenge of seeing his business through the pandemic. With product in 1,700 stores throughout Quebec but their two pubs closed, and suspended keg sales due to restaurant and bar closures, their revenue has decreased by more than 30 per cent in the past two months.
Aaron Norris, Ribstone Creek’s business development manager, grew up in the neighbouring town of Wainwright. Since the brewery opened in 2012, he’s considered it his local spot. “Small-town main streets aren’t as busy as they once were, with people moving more to the bigger centres. So it was really cool to have that draw in downtown Edgerton,” he says.
“As much as this has been tough, I’ve heard of very few breweries that have actually closed permanently,” says Dalmazzi. “A number of them have closed temporarily, but because these breweries don’t have outside investment dollars — they’re owner-operators, and friends and family money — they’re going to do whatever they can to make sure this thing doesn’t go under.”
“Failure isn’t an option with this company because the owners have put everything into it. If the company fails, it puts the owners into bankruptcy and into a deeper poverty that would be harder to recover from,” says Coles, adding that in spite of the substantial challenges, local support has made a difference.
Here in BC we already had a strong craft beer market. I always bought craft beer, more so during the lockdown. I didn't want to see my favorite craft breweries die
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