In his history of beer making in Canada, Brew North, Ian Coutts credits the rise of modern craft brewing to an article written by Frank Appleton and published in this very magazine over 40 years ago (“The Underground Brewmaster,” Harrowsmith, May/June 1978, pages 84 to 97). In the intervening years, hundreds of breweries have opened up across this great country, offering modern drinkers a range of choices that their grandparents could never have imagined. In Ontario alone there are now almost 300 craft breweries, and together their brewmasters produced over 70 million litres of beer in 2018—enough to fill 28 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
It is only fitting that the National Capital Region is now home to several such microbreweries. Ottawa has almost two dozen establishments making everything from light kolsch beers the colour of hay to rich chocolate stouts that could eclipse the sun. Almost all of these facilities are open for tours, tastings and off-sales, and for residents and visitors alike, there are a number of ways to easily sample a wide selection of their highly quaffable wares.
At the Craft Beer Market on Bank Street, one can choose from more than 100 different beers, many of them local, before taking in a hockey or football game at the nearby stadium or, in the winter, heading out for a skate on the Rideau Canal.
For those wanting a guided tour of the capital’s best breweries, local operator Brew Donkey offers a variety of set and customized trips around the city, often mixed in with meals and activities. The Sip, Axe and Relax tour, for example, combines (somewhat bravely) a visit to two east-end breweries and a session of indoor axe throwing. How much more Canadian can it get?
One of the finest local establishments that you can visit for a pint is the Stray Dog Brewing Company in Orléans. This gem was named one of the best new breweries in Canada in 2017, and with offerings such as the Anytime Pale Ale, a fruity concoction perfect for a summer evening, or the Jagged Little Pilsner, winner of a gold medal as the best European-style lager at the 2019 Canadian Brewing Awards, it’s not hard to see why. Owners Justin MacNeill and Marc Plante started their company in 2017 when they realized that two regular guys could make great beer.
“We wanted to do what we loved,” Plante says, “and we didn’t want to let the fear of fail