Brewery opens in T. Falls

After almost five years, the long awaited Limberlost Brewing Company has opened its doors. Self-proclaimed as brewing the first commercial batch of beer in Thompson Falls since prohibition, the brewery officially opened on Saturday.

Limberlost has three beers on tap, with many more on the way, according to owner Zach Whipple-Kilmer. They have a hazy IPA, a light tasting stout, and a golden ale.

One of the many plans they have for the establishment is to provide customers with markers to record their hopes for the brewery. Through the process, Whipple-Kilmer and his wife Kate have been asking people what they would like to see, whether it is beer styles or the atmosphere in the place. The markers are for customers to further that advice, in the form of comments on the brewery windows. Whipple-Kilmer said that advice is for him and his wife, who runs the business with him, to bring the area what it wants to see in a local brewery. "We are trying to have an interactive environment, and a creative space," said Whipple-Kilmer. "I think dreaming is a big thing, but you've got to have reasonable benchmarks."

To keep with that vision, they also want to have rotating local artist's pieces and pictures of the community, both historic and modern. The brewery is in an old Chevy shop and is decorated with local Forest Service signs, old saw blades steeped in the history of Montana and a retro rustic paint job. "We want to pay homage to the past," he explained.

"Conservation is important to us," said Whipple-Kilmer, speaking on the many Forest Service maps around the brewery, and the air of nature. "Classic Montana," he said. Whipple-Kilmer then talked about the bar, which is made out of planks from the old Corona Lake Ski Lodge, that was located on the mountain overlooking Plains many years ago.

Whipple-Kilmer expressed that he wants the place to be involved in the community, and to help out wherever it can. To him it is more about the community than the money. They want to bring in live music like classic rock, country and bluegrass. "Music really builds a community," explained Whipple-Kilmer. They also want to create a space where families can feel comfortable. "This isn't a bar," said Whipple-Kilmer. "We grew up in a small town, so we want to keep going with tradition. It is really about the beer and the sense of community."

As for the name, Whipple-Kilmer referenced an old swamp in Indiana where a farmer lost a sheep. The farmer went in after the animal and disappeared only to resurface years later. The swamp was named after that man's story, who's name was Limber. Whipple-Kilmer loved the name so much that they adopted it for the brewery. Whipple-Kilmer said the main reason for the interesting name was because they wanted something more original than "Thompson Falls Brewing."

That air of the mystery of the outdoors echoes in their variety of beer names, like their upcoming flagships Barefoot Blonde ale, Backcountry Woodsmen stout and Snow Ghost seltzer. As for the rest of the beer varieties, Whipple-Kilmer wants to do a lot of experimentation. "A lot of the stuff here will be new and creative, with a lot of spins on the classics. We don't want all of our beers to be the same color," said Whipple-Kilmer.

Beers are priced from $4 to $6, depending on the product. "People will be willing to pay a little extra for a good local beer," Whipple-Kilmer stated. With a five-to-seven-day turnaround tied up in the brewing process, and the expense of materials, they believe their pricing to be conservative.

Limberlost Brewing Company is a two-person operation, and Whipple-Kilmer brings with him 15 years of home brewing experience and 10 years of experience working and volunteering in breweries. The brewery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturday noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.