Trail Beer Refinery

With a name that reflects Trail’s historic connection to mining, refining, and smelting, this brewery has a strong community focus.

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

For the 13 local business partners who joined together to open Trail’s first craft brewery, it was an obvious choice to link its name to the city’s main industry. Trail is home to one of the world’s largest lead-zinc smelting and refining complexes, which has been a major employer in the region for more than 100 years. The Trail Beer Refinery embraces that history with its decor and branding, and the local community shows its approval by keeping the 100-seat tasting room busy on a regular basis. Don’t worry, though, the locals are a friendly bunch who are happy to make room for visitors — as long as you’re up for a chat. While you swap travel stories with your new friends over some food and a Trail Ale or a Silver City Lager, maybe ask where the name of the local hockey team, the Smoke Eaters, comes from.

Fun Fact

Trail has had a hockey team called the Smoke Eaters dating back to the late 1920s. Twice winners of the Allan Cup, which is awarded to the top amateur Senior Men’s hockey team in Canada, the “Smokies” represented Canada in the 1939 World Hockey Championship. Leading up to that tournament the team toured Europe, playing a series of 55 exhibition games, losing only once along with one tie. At the World Championship, the Smoke Eaters acting as Team Canada went 8-0, outscoring their opponents 42-1. The Smoke Eaters also represented Canada at the 1961 World Championship and won that tournament as well. Today, the Junior “A” Smoke Eaters play in the British Columbia Hockey League. And where does the name come from? Apparently, it’s a reference to workers at the local smelter/refinery who – legend has it – inhaled smoke as part of their job.