USA, MT: Backslope Brewing brought local beer back to Columbia Falls

Backslope Brewing brought local beer back to Columbia Falls, Great Falls Tribune reported.

Carla and Darin Fisher opened the brewery in March after a Kickstarter campaign to raise capital.

“We very much want this to be a community space. We want to make sure we’re providing something the community is looking for,” Fisher said. “We wanted capital and the community to feel invested in the business.”

And, the $15,000 campaign helped spread word of the new brewery. People who pledged money received incentives such as stickers, growlers and other items with the Backslope logo.

“The excitement was palpable. Anywhere Darin and I went, we’d get the question: When are you opening?” Fisher said. “We were happy people were so excited about it.”

The building owner invested in an extensive remodel, which slowed the opening but resulted in a big, open space.

“We didn’t think it would happen, and then when the opportunity came up to purchase the brewing equipment than had been Desert Mountain’s, we were able to do this,” Fisher said. “We decided we were ready to give it a try, and we saw the community was excited about it and looking for something like this.”

So far the most popular beer has been the Crooked Wind IPA, with the Pilgrim Kolsch, a blonde ale, a close second.

Columbia Falls’ Desert Mountain Brewery closed a bit more than two years ago, and the Fishers bought their equipment, a four-barrel brewing system.

The brewery plans four standards and three to four rotating beers. But, they have already run out of Pilgrim and Crooked Wind for a week this spring.

“It might happen with Crooked Wind again because that takes a little longer to brew and it’s really popular,” Fisher said.

This summer Buxom J. Ginger Beer will come back into the lineup. It was “super popular” when the brewery opened. Summer will bring some pale ales and new IPAs, too.

A cold-weather brew on rotation, Sweater Weather Stout, used dark molasses, specialty malts and four months of aging in Glacier Distilling whiskey barrels.

Jake and Becky Sorensen run the kitchen and developed a menu of familiar pub food and exotic twists.

“They’re just amazing,” Fisher said. “They put in a lot of creativity.”

The brewery serves some small plates for sharing items such as hot wings, fried pickles or flash-fried green beans with sugar and cayenne. Burgers, sandwiches and rice bowls round out the menu.

The brewery, which is along Highway 2 in town, has a popular patio as well.

20 May, 2016