A series of interviews with organizations who support CAMRA and the craft beer heroes behind them.
This week we chat to Leigh Stratton, the woman behind Vancouver’s first nano-brewery, Bridge Brewing. This pint-sized North Shore operation is making the jump from nano to micro soon and Leigh gives us the low down on what they are up to.
How long has Bridge Brewing been running?
Bridge has been a part of the community for more than one year, we opened July 2012.
What size brew set up do you have?
We currently craft 400 litres per brew and have a 1,200 litre system is arriving within weeks. In the near future we will be expanding our fleet of tanks to include an additional 30 barrels. This is the equivalent of 13,000 more pints of fresh, local beer to enjoy.
Why did you decide to go for a nano, small sized operation?
We started the brewery on a small budget and wanted to ensure we could grow at a sustainable pace. We focus on producing great beer and don’t feel the pressure to compromise on quality or answer to outside investors.
For you, what are the advantages of putting out small batches of beer?
We are able to stay current with what our customers want and experiment with new flavours to keep the brewery at the forefront of BC craft beer industry.
Do you have a vision of what size you’d like the brewery to reach or are you more interested in keeping it small?
Currently, we are selling to capacity every week so the addition of the new 30 barrel tank mentioned previously is a part of our plan. We’d like to continue our growth and expand to share our beer with more neighbours and beer aficionados. We are excited to see where the future takes us next.
What is your favourite beer at the moment?
Too many to choose from! Last one I really enjoyed was the Stout from Storm Brewing.
What plans do you have in the works for new beers?
To keep customers engaged, we tap a new cask each Friday available by the glass. Previous casks include a 40 Shot Espresso Stout and a Cascade and Fuggle Hopped Pale Ale. Also, our first full size batch of our Irish Red Ale will be ready at the end of September .
Tasting Notes:
Bridge’s Red Ale has a strong crystal malt and roasted barley backbone with slight residual sweetness. It’s easy on the hop bitterness with northwest grown English varietals. 20 IBU and 5.5% ABV
Where can people find your beers on tap?
The support we have received from the North Shore has been awesome and Bridge is a mainstay at many local establishments. We show up as a guest tap at a number of places throughout the Lower Mainland, so for a current and complete list, check our website www.bridgebrewing.com
Do you do tours and growler fills in your tasting room?
We do tours, we call it the 8 sec tour, as we have a very intimate set up. Customers are treated to a full show with each visit. We do growler fills as well, and will fill anyone’s growler. Bridge also participates in brewery tours operated by Wildside and Vancouver Brewery Tours (http://www.wildsidevancouver.
You can read more about Bridge online at their website, Facebook or Twitter. Or better still pop by and say hi in person – they’re at 115-2433 Dollarton Hwy, North Vancouver.
Leave a Reply