Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co.
Trail, British Columbia, Canada · Est. 1896
Tally's Take
Why this matters
One year, and a name three times longer than its life: SFU dates the Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co. at Trail from 1896 to 1897, and that is the whole record — no brewer, no beers, no cause. Trail was a smelter town being built at speed, and this is what a first attempt at a brewery in one often looks like.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1896Opens
Trail.
- 1897Closed
One year; nothing further is recorded.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://www.sfu.ca/archives/archives-program/research/bc-beer-history-archive/bc-beer-history-archive-resources/timeline-pre-prohibition.html for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1896, 1897.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co.
- Is Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co. still open?
- No. Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co. has closed. BC Pass 57. SFU dates this Trail brewery 1896-1897.
- When was Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co. founded?
- Kootenay Brewing, Malting and Distilling Co. was founded in 1896 in Trail, British Columbia, Canada.
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