Photo courtesy of Rock Bridge Brewing Co.

Columbia can now say it has its very own local brewery.

Rock Bridge Brewing Co., located at 612 Big Bear Blvd., officially launched as a company on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting at Shakespeare’s Pizza downtown and a subsequent kick-off party.

Rock Bridge, Columbia’s first wholesale craft brewery, introduced Cysquatch IPA, Sif’s Blonde and Farmer’s Daughter Peppered Rye Saison on Wednesday as its first three new beers.

Co-founder and President David Brouder says Bleu Restaurant & Wine Bar is the only restaurant carrying them at the moment but the brewery will begin distributing them to other restaurants and bars this week, including 44 Stone Public House, 1839 Taphouse, Sycamore and Shakespeare’s. The brewery’s beers will be on tap in more than 12 local establishments by this summer.

Brouder says the company will eventually aim for about 15 beers total including specialty and holiday beers. He hopes to keep five permanent brews year-round on tap.

“We’re always going to want Columbia to be our main focus as far as market, company pride, loyalty,” Brouder says. “But we would very much like to distribute regionally eventually.”