Nearly three decades later, one of Kamloops’ favourite beers emerges from hibernation

“It was the second brewery in the Interior and I think it was the 15th or 16th brewery in BC, a new craft thing. Trying to sell a product that no one had had and weren’t used to, it was a tough slog,” Beardsell recounts.

Fast forward three decades and the craft beer industry in the province is thriving. With around 200 breweries in BC and six in Kamloops alone, the choice of beverages is almost endless. However, the thirst for one particular offering from Bear Brewing remains strong.

“I remember people coming up and saying, ‘Hey, I remember this great brewery in Kamloops, Bear Brewing?’ or, ‘Hey, do you know David Beardsell?’ and I would say, ‘Yeah, that’s my Dad,’” Lara Beardsell remembers. “They’d say, ‘Do you remember Black Bear? That was so amazing,’ or, ‘That was the first craft beer I ever had,’ or, ‘That was the first beer I ever liked.’ And then they’d say, ‘Well can you make it?’”

Lara and the brew team at Red Collar finally succumbed to the pressure. This week marks the return of Black Bear Ale — however, it’s not the exact same recipe from the Bear Brewing days.

“I’ve had not a great deal to do with this,” David explains. “Nick, our brewer, has really put most of it together – Nick and Lara.”

“Well, I mean we really delved as deep as we possibly could into your memory,” Lara interjects.

“Which is getting a little soft,” David replies, with a smile.

Back in ‘95, the reception for craft beer was pretty good — at least at the brewery opening. However, the success of Black Bear Ale was never a sure thing.

“The fact that this was the second beer we brought out, with Bear, it kind of blows my mind,” David says. “It’s not in any way, shape, or form a traditional product. It’s not a gateway product for anyone. It’s an English/Belgian beer that had fruit in it. It was not done… I don’t think anyone was doing a fruit beer in BC. I’m thinking, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ I don’t think it was a great business decision.”

“It was, though” Lara chimes in.

“In the end — I think at one point, by about 2000, [Black Bear Ale] was about 50 per cent of our production,” David adds.

So, 27 years later, does David Beardsell still think Kamloops is a beer-drinking town? Well, a lot has changed in that time.

“Back in the ’90s, you had to take someone that was a Molson’s or a Labatt’s drinker, and you basically had to break their arms and say, ‘Just try this!’” David says. “Now it’s super easy to get people to try it. The challenge is that you’ve got to get them on board and you’ve got to keep them believing.”

For many craft beer believers in Kamloops, David Beardsell’s dream of brewing is very likely the main reason they’re enjoying the many delicious beers our city has to offer.

by Adam Donnelly

Nearly three decades later, one of Kamloops’ favourite beers emerges from hibernation

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