Nelson’s Backroads Brewing has recently completed a major expansion, doubling its brewing capacity and nearly doubling its interior seating capacity—just in time for the West Kootenay Brewery’s second anniversary next month.
Backroads began the expansion project in May 2018—just a little more than a year into its existence.
Since opening in March 2017, the brewery on Nelson’s bustling Baker Street has been bursting at the seams.
“The brewery has consistently seen huge demand for its beer and it struggled to keep up with the Kootenay’s insatiable thirst for locally made craft beer,” CEO Brent Malysh stated in a press release on Tuesday. “The additions to the brewery tank farm now put Backroads in a position to keep up with local demand and potentially start distributing beer beyond the West Kootenay.”
In addition to the tank farm increase, Backroads also renovated its taproom, which allowed it to apply for and receive a new interior person capacity. The brewery will now be allowed 103 people in the taproom and an additional 20 on the patio in the summer—up from 56 people inside and 14 on the patio.
“This significant increase should mean that the brewery will not have any more lineups to get inside, which previously was a regular occurrence,” said Malysh.
All the increases are perfect timing, as the brewery is set to celebrate its second anniversary on March 23 and 24.
The completion of Backroads’ expansion comes just days after the nearby Savoy Brewery announced it was closing its doors for good, effective immediately. The Savoy Brewery was located in the recently renovated Savoy Hotel, also on Baker Street.
