So, why the name Small Gods?

This is the most frequently asked question we get, and as it is a bit of a layered explanation it is probably best to give you the whole story here...

We felt it was important to have a business that would appropriately fit within the fabric of our community. As Sidney is Canada's only book town, meaning it has more bookstores per capita than anywhere in Canada, a literary theme seemed like something our community could get behind! On top of that one of our founders, Sierra, is an author with a master's degree in creative writing from UBC, as well as the proud recipient of National Magazine & National Newspaper awards, providing us an authentic connection to the literary world.

Once we decided on this theme we began working on a name for the business. Having spent his entire career in marketing, one of our other founders Chris felt it was important to find a "patron saint" author that represented what the business is all about - food, drinks, and literature.

After a meticulous search, we ultimately landed on Jim Harrison, most famous for writing Legends of The Fall, but also world-renowned for his food and drink writing in publications such as Esquire, making him the perfect muse to inspire us. Digging into his works we came across a poem titled Small Gods, which we felt tied to Barm, the brewer’s equivalent of leaven, which used to be referred to as Godisgoode because it was thought to be a gift from God by the Monks who brewed beer.

Having identified the "small gods" we were in search of as yeast, a critical ingredient in making beer, we also knew we found our name in the process having come full circle from literary inspiration through to brewing practice. 

Also, for those that don't know any of that - it simply sounds cool...