Eatdrink #80 November/December 2019 - The Holiday Issue

34 | November/December 2019
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Beer
Small Town Treasures
12 Small Craft Breweries Worth a Road Trip
BY GEORGE MACKE
Tiny breweries in small towns are
beginning to dot the landscape of
Southwestern Ontario, waiting to
be discovered by craft beer explorers
These are nano and microbreweries, labelled
as such by the small batches or annual output
they produce. Many sell their beer only from
an on-site bottle shop, in labouriously filled
500 mL bottles or 1.8 mL growlers. Some
hire a portable canning line to package beer
Caps Off Brewing Company
168 Curtis Street, St. Thomas. Opened in
2019, Caps Off was a hobby that’s become a
business for couple Rick and Fran Dunseith.
The low-key brewery on a downtown side
street gives
a tip of the
hat with the
beer names
— Under the
Brim Cream
Ale, Drop of
a Hat IPA, Straw Hat Saison, and Stove Pipe
Stout. A sampler tray is called a Hat Trick, and
it’s an excellent place to start. Caps Off was
at the Truly Local Craft Beer Festival hosted
by London Brewing in September, upping its
local ingredient credibility.
in tallboy cans. Some are farm-based, with a
hops yard literally out back.
They’re never mentioned in the same
breath as Steam Whistle, Mill Street, or
Muskoka and unless you live in or near the
rural towns they call home, chances are you
don’t know they exist.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but
here are 12 spots to explore, worth a road trip
of brewski discovery.
Natterjack Brewing Company
25929 Talbot Line, West Lorne. A family
brewery inspired by son Matt Soos, Natterjack
was opened in 2016 by a group of six family
members with rural roots in west Elgin
County. The beer
to take home is
Natterjack Toad, a
Belgian-style blonde.
The brewery has also
brewed interesting
seasonal or one-off
beers such as Easy
Breezy Blueberry
Squeezy, which was featured at Truly Local.
This dark ale incorporated fresh blueberries
grown on two West Elgin farms.
The New Heart of Downtown Sarnia
Gift
Certificates
Available
New
Party Room
for the
Holidays!
The Tin Fiddler Brew Pub
& River Run Brew Co.
146/148 Christina St. N, Sarnia
226-784-2337
TheTinFiddler