Crosstime Saloon offers craft brews
-- Photo courtesy KRIS LONBORG Richly polished wood creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere at the Crosstime Saloon.
-- Photo courtesy KRIS LONBORG Proprietor Kris Lonborg hopes to open the doors of Bonners Ferry’s newest saloon in the near future.
-- Photo courtesy KRIS LONBORG Cool cases filled with around 150 varieties of craft brews from the Northwest and beyond await beer connoisseurs at the Crosstime Saloon. The new establishment is next door to Heart Rock Wines on Kootenai Street.
BONNERS FERRY — “We’re the same business, essentially. I had beer and mead and cider, but I started to crowd her out of house and home,” said Kris Lonborg, co-owner of the new Crosstime Saloon. The bar is located downtown right next to Heart Rock Wines, another business he and his wife Lilly own.
The couple doubled their floor space and added a second entry by renting an adjoining shop in the building at 6371 Kootenai St. The extra space will accommodate coolers, taps, a bar and seating. Lonborg specializes in Northwest craft beer and regional hard ciders, but he offers other craft beers, too.
“At first, the selection was primarily Northwest, but we had special requests, so now we carry mostly beer made west of the Mississippi. We have a few from the East Coast, Belgium and Scotland, too,” Lonborg said.
All told, his selection includes 35 ciders, five meads and around 150 different brews.
The decor of the Crosstime Saloon is a significant departure from the warm, intimate Heart Rock Wine shop.
“It is a very, very different atmosphere for Bonners Ferry,” said Lonborg. “A come-as-you-are beer hall with a different theme than you’ll find anywhere else. Kind of a chill zone. A place to sit and contemplate a really nice beer.”
He has tapped into his extensive sci-fi and fantasy collection for much of the bar’s decor, so patrons might encounter the Starship Enterprise lit up in neon or posters of galactic warriors bristling with weapons. Lonborg plans to consistently have six varieties of beer on tap, including selections from such breweries as Odon, Rogue, McCall, Great Divide and many more.
Eventually, the couple plans to add food to the Crosstime menu. Heart Rock serves antipasto platters to compliment wine tastings.
The wine business has done well this past year, according to Lonborg. A resurgence of Candadian visitors as well as a warm reception for the community have helped. In the future, Lonborg would like to have special events at the saloon such as trivia night, and may install a big screen TV.
“But it’s not going to be a sports bar,” he said.
The saloon and tasting room are one of the stops on Friday’s Pilsner, Pinot and the Pearl event, and Lonborg is aiming to have the kegs flowing by then.Meanwhile, he is working toward a grand opening date sometime in the future.
“It’s a bit of a labor of love for me. It will open when it opens,” he said.
Information: www.facebook.com/crosstimesaloon, Heart Rock Wines at 208-290-4397.