Our Story
Cumberland Brewing Company was created with the desire to share a beer in a place that would be inclusive and inviting to everyone in our community. We believed if we constructed a space where we wanted to share a beer, others would also enjoy it. Good ideas start here, bad ideas end here, and everything in-between. Our mandate has always been to make great beer, great food, and a welcoming space for our guests. This in turn creates good jobs in our little Village, and a tight circular economy that is also sustainable.
In October 2011 Michael and Caroline Tymchuk started Riders Pizza, and it slowly became a foothold in the community. When the brewery was built beside Riders Pizza in 2014, our first thought was to offer pizza to our customers, so we cut a hole in the wall and did just that. But the little pizza shop couldn’t handle the increased customer base and moved across the street to a larger location. You can no longer get pizza at the Brewery, but you can get CBC beer at Riders Pizza! On Feb 2, 2016, CBC created its own kitchen, and it continues to create interesting, quality-made food.
Michael’s career in Food and Beverage started early in life. His first efforts were in the kitchen, but 2 years into working at Canada’s first “In-House” brewpub (Spinnakers in Victoria), he was asked if he had any interest in learning to brew. The rest is history. In the following 30+ years Michael has brewed, taught brewers, assembled new systems all over the world, and started a family. After many successful endeavors in the industry Michael and Caroline started Riders Pizza in Cumberland. Opening a brewery was always on their mind – they were just waiting for the right people to come along.
In early 2013 Darren Adam and Michelle Forslund met the Tymchuks for the first time while enjoying their pizza. When Darren heard of Michael’s experience and history, he hatched a plan to convince his new friends to partner in a Brewery for Cumberland. It took a little longer than planned for Darren to sell himself to the Tymchuks, but in the end, he was able to (con)vince them.
The business model at CBC is described as a “Community Brewery.” Decisions and ideas are proposed based on the concept that it contributes positively to the community. No distribution outside of Cumberland, and no bottling or canning. We believe that beer tastes best right at any brewery, and that is why we say, “If you want our beer, come here.”
***Update***
Slight change in operations. After 9 years of saying “We will never can our beer” Darren is eating his words. June 2024 we began production of our five core beers in cans. Yes, we will always fill growlers and we thank our customers for using this environmentally sustainable option! Our cans will only be available at the Brewery at the present time. If you have questions about what has caused this change, feel free to pop in and ask Darren for the whole story…
We want to acknowledge the amazing support that we have always received from our “Peers in Beer.” Every brewery that we have ever contacted with questions or issues has always been helpful and supportive. We are happy to do the same. The craft beer industry is full of talented community-minded people and we feel so lucky to be a part of it.
If you have experienced our brewery, thank you for coming. If you have not, you really do owe it to yourself.
We look forward to seeing you soon.