Since the closure of Desert Mountain Brewing in 2013, Columbia Falls has found itself without a microbrewery to call its own.

If Darin Fisher’s plans go the way he wants them, that could change in less than a year.

Darin and his wife, Carla, have begun preparations for Backslope Brewing to open in Columbia Falls, possibly in spring 2015.

“We want to be Columbia Falls-based and do a relatively small batch,” Fisher said. “Our goals are to make fresh, local beers with mostly tap-room serving; maybe limited distribution.”

Fisher’s brewing experience is a result of years of home brewing as well as helping Desert Mountain get off the ground. He bought almost all the equipment from that brewing company on Nucleus Avenue and will seek a new location somewhere in town.

He admits his Columbia Falls predecessor had its flaws, but it made some important strides.

“What Desert Mountain did was prove there is a market there,” Fisher said, although in his opinion, “There were problems with consistency and quality control at the end.”

When Backslope Brewing opens, Fisher hopes to have a solid core of American-style beers ready to go: IPA, porter, stout, kolsch and a pale ale. He has brewed Belgian-style and barrel-aged beers as well and might try limited batches of those.

The equipment bought from Desert Mountain is a four-barrel system capable of producing eight kegs per brewing session. Currently, come of the equipment (bright tanks and fermenters) are being used by Graham Hart, head brewer of Bonsai Brewing Project, a nanobrewery in Whitefish.

Fisher, who works full time with the Forest Service and also serves as a Columbia Falls City Council member, said the name is a nod to the beautiful, rugged country around his new hometown.

“One of the reasons we picked this name is not so much that it has a specific definition, but instead that it is evocative,” he said. “Some people think skiing, others think hiking. It’s a technical term, but also a nice word.”

Fisher enjoys brewing Belgian styles such as dubbels and tripels and makes a scotch ale smoked over peat moss.

“I have a lot of confidence in my recipes and brewing techniques,” he said. “We’re looking at about a year to open, but we’re absolutely not going to rush it.”

Carla has a small garden where she grows ingredients such as lemongrass and black pepper. It has become a brewing garden in recent years. She manages Montana Coffee Traders in Columbia Falls.

With a 2-year old daughter, Hazel, running around, the Fishers have found themselves awfully busy since they moved to Columbia Falls in 2009. The two met in college at Bowling Green University in Ohio.

“It’s never a ‘good time’ to have children or start a business,” Carla said. “We just want to take stock of what we can and can’t do. We have pretty realistic goals and we are very excited about what’s ahead.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.