London is gaining another microbrewery. Bar owner Mike Smith is going to be the newest addition to London’s small list of brewers. He’s starting up his own line of craft beers to serve in his restaurants. Smith believes craft beer is beginning to explode in Ontario.
The city is already home to Forked River Brewing Company among a number of other micro and home breweries.
Longtime brewer at London Brewing Co-op Aaron Lawrence says there’s definitely room for more brewers in London. “There’s a lot of new start ups and new craft beers. all over not just London. London is probably underrepresented in that regard. There’s three in a city of 350 thousand. So, we’ve got room for a couple more. ”
However, Lawrence thinks he knows why craft beer is becoming more mainstream. “There’s a lot more education out there about what’s going into our food and people are starting to take an interest. When you get right down to it, beer is food. It’s an agricultural product.”
Craft brewing is not always as easy as it seems. Lawrence says his first batch wasn’t what he expected. “We got started as home brewers, on a stove top and made our very first kit beer about 12 years ago and it was absolutely vile.”
Lawrence has been brewing locally for about 12 years and has no intentions of expanding to a global market.
Smith, however, hopes to join the likes of popular London Forked River Brewery and wants sell is beer to a wider audience.
There are approximately 40 craft beer breweries in Ontario. And that doesn’t even include home brewers.
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