It’s not the same when there is no brewery…

Posted June 13, 2012 | 3:57 pm, by Mirella

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I’m off to do some consulting for a new Ontario craft brewery today. The brewery is called Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. and it’s in Thunder Bay. I’m very excited to visit a new brewery and no matter how many breweries I’ve seen, I never get tired of brewery visits. Every brewery is different, every brewer is different and, as a result, every beer lineup is different. In the world of brewing, few things are more exciting than tasting a new beer in the company of the person who brewed it, at the location where it was brewed. It’s a fantastic experience.

While prepping for this visit, I started thinking about all of the new “breweries” that have opened in the past few years that I cannot visit. I can’t visit these new breweries because they aren’t physical breweries; they are brands that are contract brewed. In many cases, the people behind these brands are passionate about beer and decide to launch a new brand with the dream of one day opening a brewery. They will then either create a recipe or hire a brewer to create a recipe and then they will have an existing brewery make their beer on contract.

While the resulting beers are often quite tasty, as a craft beer enthusiast and beer geek, a huge part of the appeal of craft beer for me is how tangible and accessible it is. It’s the fact that I can drop by for a visit and have a chat with the brewer about the ingredients and techniques that she or he has chosen. I can sneak a peek at the brewing equipment and, if I’m really lucky, I can taste an unfinished version of the beer straight out of the tank. I would imagine that all of these experiences might be possible with contract brews, but I have yet to come across a similar opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s great that people who wouldn’t otherwise have the means to launch a brand have the opportunity to add to our beer landscape. Without a physical brewery, though, it’s just not as exciting somehow…