Recently, I was asked by a fellow home brewer (who is new to Ottawa) where he could find good craft beer. I'm so glad he asked, because I think the Ottawa region is the new craft beer 'hot spot' in Canada. Yes, places like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have had established microbreweries for some time, but I think there is a thirst (pun completely intended) in Ottawa for beers that go against the big commercial grain (see what I just did there? grain? beer making? C'mon, try to keep up).
Apologies for any that I have missed. These are the ones to my knowledge and that I have actually drank/purchased/visited. Any comments made by me are my own and should only serve as a guide. I certainly encourage you to try them for yourself and make your own judgements. Feel free to comment on any you've been to.
BTW, if anyone has any money and wants to invest in the Orleans area....
Beau's - Vankleek Hill - you can get most of their products in the LCBO. They are a great story of a little guy doing big things - the class of all area micros, in my opinion.
Cassel Brewery - Casselmen - Train/railroad themed beers. If you're going to go to Beau's, you really have to stop at Cassel Brewery on the way.
Clocktower Pub - Several locations, but the one on Bank St is where they make the beer. Love their pumpkin ale and am a big fan of their Kolsch.
Beyond The Pale - on Hamilton Ave in Hintonburg (near Tunney's). Fan-friggin-tastic brews. They make very very good beers! Truth, not all are home runs, but many are. They are not afraid to try different things, always have good variety, collaborate often with other brewers. Overall great dudes. They have a big social media presence, which allows you to know what they are stocking and what they are out of. They brew Mondays to Wed, so not open to the public. Open Thurs-Sun, and can often run out of popular beers.
Broadhead Brewing Company - 81 Auriga Dr #14 off West Hunt Club. I've only been there once, but really enjoyed talking to them and sampling their beer. Again, home brewers going nano. The place is hard to find, but worth the trip out.
Mill St. Brew Pub - the first one was in Toronto, and the Ottawa location is downtown near the war museum. Always lots on tap, most of it pretty good. You can get a good selection at the LCBO, but you get a better selection at the brew pub. They have a retail store there.
Kichesippi Beer Co - 866 Campbell Ave near Carling. You can find their Natural Blonde at the LCBO, and 1855 on tap. Both are very good. They also make cream soda and gingerale under the name Harvey and Vern.
Turtle Island Brewing Co - JP Fournier is also behind the National Capital Craft Beer Week and Winterbrewed here in Ottawa. He brews under contract at Broadhead until he gets his own place. Beer is pretty good. Only available on tap at select bars.
Ashton Brewing Co - Ashton Station (45 mins or so in the far west of Ottawa). Never been to the place, but the beer is quite good. Had it at Murray Street eatery and really enjoyed the amber. They sell their beers in growlers, but again, it's a hike for us eastern folk.
Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery - right behind IKEA off of Pinecrest/Greenbank. Big Rig Gold can be bought at the LCBO, but they offer many more at the brewpub. Kind of a neat place, and the beer is okay. Only went there once, wasn't overwhelmed. One of the owners is Sens d-man Chris Phillips. You can buy growlers of beer on premises.
The 3 Brewers restaurant. Bank and Sparks. Never been, can't really comment. All I can tell you is that it's there.
Les Brasseurs du Temp (BDT) - 170 rue Montcalm Gatineau. If you can get to Mill St. you can get to BDT (about 5 mins on the Quebec side). They have about 12 - 15 different beers on tap, they make it on premises; a really cool set-up. Get someone to drive or only have one or two, because many of their beers are BIG. The food is good as well.
Perth Brewing Co. - Perth, ON - A very nice town west of Ottawa, it's worth the drive since you can only get their products at their shop.
Whitewater Brewing Company - Foresters Falls, ON - these guys are pretty cool. Way out past Cobden (between Renfrew and Pembroke), they are rafting guides who like beer. You can buy it at their brewery, they are more than willing to give you a tour, and even let you sit in on a brew day if you have the time. They have four different beers, all good but nothing spectacular. Making a name for themselves in the Ottawa Valley (which is hard to do in the land of Bud and Canadian die-hards).
To come - Square Timber Brewing - Marc Bru is currently building his nano in the back of his place out in Rankin ON (near Pembroke). When he gets it up and running, he'll have some really interesting beers.
Covered Bridge Brewing - another home brewer guy who is ready to go but is being held up by red tape.
I know that's a lot of info, but it should get you started. I don't think I missed anything. Anyway, there's a service that just started in Ottawa. BrewDonkey is owned and operated by Brad Campeau - good guy. His business offers two things - tasting tours (I'm actually mc'ing the Nov. 17 one) and a craft beer growler delivery service. So if you don't want to drive to each of these places, put in an order and have them delivered right to your door.
2 comments:
Great article. There really are so many great breweries in Ottawa. And great events too with the Craft Beer Festival and Winterbrewed. Good to see tours kicking off through Brew Donkey as well. My favourite beer is Broadhead. These guys with all their beards are such a pleasure to talk to and they make excellent beer. My favourites are the Long-shot White in the summer and the Grindstone Amber anytime.
Thanks Chris. I'm starting to think that a beard is part of the brewing uniform.
As for Broadhead's beer, I like their Wild Card Ale.
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