Archive record · Brewery
Torchlight Brewing Co.
Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
- Founded
- 2014
- Closed
- 2026
- Archive ID
- TB-QCJBNZZ2
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
The archive is still digging. That is a gap in the research, not a finding of independence.
Know who owns it? Tell us, and we will correct the record.
From the record
Summary
Opened as a nano-brewery in June 2014 and expanded into a microbrewery/lounge in May 2017. Owners announced a permanent closure in February 2026; final day was February 28, 2026.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Opened as a nano-brewery in June 2014 and grew into a microbrewery and lounge by May 2017 — the standard modern path, walked in three years. The owners announced a permanent closure in February 2026 and the final day was 28 February. It comes five weeks after Lighthouse shut in Victoria, which means British Columbia lost two established craft breweries inside the first two months of 2026.
Ownership & corporate history
- Owned by Craig Swendson; Josh Secord2014 – 2026
What the sources say
First-party team page and closure reporting.
- Owned by Craig Swendson2014 – February 2026
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
First-party team page and closure reporting. Pass source id: SRC-CA-1311; SRC-CA-1312
- Owned by Josh Secord2014 – February 2026
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
First-party team page and closure reporting. Pass source id: SRC-CA-1311; SRC-CA-1312
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
Where it brewed
- 125 Hall Street, Nelson, BC V1L 7B4Nelson, British Columbia
PRODUCTION
Operated by Torchlight Brewing Co.
Site detail
Opened as a nano-brewery in June 2014 and expanded into a microbrewery/lounge in May 2017. Owners announced a permanent closure in February 2026; final day was February 28, 2026.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2014Opens as a nano-brewery
June 2014.
- 2017Expands
Becomes a microbrewery and lounge, May 2017.
- 2026Permanently closed
Announced February 2026; final day 28 February.
The People
Behind the beer
First-party team page; historical after 2026 closure.
First-party team page; historical after 2026 closure.
The Beer Library
Beers
Awesome Flavour
RetiredHazy IPA
Final-era first-party beer menu; brewery closed Feb. 28, 2026. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Level Up Lager
RetiredLager
Final-era first-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Rhubarbarian
RetiredStrawberry Rhubarb Raspberry Nordic Kveik Ale
Final-era first-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Noise Cult Pilsner
RetiredPilsner
Final-era collaboration beer. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Black Metal Logo
RetiredSchwarzbier
Final-era first-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Big Orange Beer
RetiredNordic Orange Wheat Ale
Final-era first-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Oh Baby It's Cold Outside
RetiredWinter Ale
First-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Idyllic BC IPA
RetiredIPA
First-party beer menu. (HISTORICAL / FINAL-ERA) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →On the record
Awards
- 2024
Award — Specialty IPA
BC Beer Awards
- 2024
Award — Session Hazy/NEIPA
Canada Beer Cup
- 2024
Award — X Tenth Anniversary Ale (Specialty IPA)
BC Beer Awards
- 2024
Award — Hazer Beam Hazy Pale Ale (Session Hazy/NEIPA)
Canada Beer Cup
- 2024
Session Hazy/NEIPA — Hazer Beam Hazy Pale Ale
Canada Beer Cup
- 2024
3rd Place — Specialty IPA — X Tenth Anniversary Ale
BC Beer Awards
- 2024
Specialty IPA
BC Beer Awards
- 2024
Session Hazy/NEIPA
Canada Beer Cup
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
2 organisations
Connected suppliers & bodies
- bc beer awardsAwarded2024Award — Specialty IPA
- canada beer cupAwarded2024Award — Session Hazy/NEIPA
- bc beer awardsAwarded2024Award — X Tenth Anniversary Ale (Specialty IPA)
- canada beer cupAwarded2024Award — Hazer Beam Hazy Pale Ale (Session Hazy/NEIPA)
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://www.castanet.net/news/Nelson/600515/Torchlight-Brewing-calling-it-quits-after-12-years-in-Nelson 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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 2014, 2017, 2026.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 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 Torchlight Brewing Co.
- Is Torchlight Brewing Co. still open?
- No. Torchlight Brewing Co. has closed (2026). Opened as a nano-brewery in June 2014 and expanded into a microbrewery/lounge in May 2017. Owners announced a permanent closure in February 2026; final day was February 28, 2026.
- When was Torchlight Brewing Co. founded?
- Torchlight Brewing Co. was founded in 2014 in Nelson, Canada.
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