Creemore Springs Brewery

"One hundred years behind the times"

Nestled away in the sleepy village of Creemore, ON, stands a former hardware store on the main street that was turned into a local brewery in 1987.

Creemore Springs Brewery was founded on the heels of marketing executive John Wiggins in 1987 offering citizens another option in the beer segment. Unlike the National brewers at the time, that brewed mainstream, fuzzy, carbonated lagers; Creemore introduced a premium lager brewed with darker malts giving off an amber colour and pure natural spring water. The beer was also direct fire (fire under kettle) brewed and fermented for a shorter period. The beer was an instant success and the rest is history.

As I entered the small town of Creemore with some friends, we immediately felt like we were in a movie about a small town. The downtown region is very nice and local friendly as it seemed everyone knew every one's name. We found the brewery by sniffing our way there as they were in the middle of brewing a new batch and the smell hovered over the village.

It is a beautiful old building painted in a nice cream colour that fits in well with the other maintained storefronts located in historic buildings. Walking through the front door leads you into the retail store that sells hats, t-shirts, bottle openers, jackets and most importantly - beer! I made my friend who just happens to be a Bohemian (I know) drinker pick up a six pack and he actually loved it. We also visited as the brewery was introducing their summer beer Creemore Springs Pilsner which was nice.

The tour was great and very informative. We walked through the brewery as the workers (around 50 or so) were in the middle of canning their products. They were nice enough to talk to us and the group we were with about the brewery and the beer which is great for people looking to gain more knowledge of craft beer. Even though Creemore was purchased by Molson in 2005, it appeared to me anyways, that the brewery was still run on a smaller scale keeping it personal.

It was a good visit to the brewery and everyone there treated us great. My friend left with a greater appreciation for craft beer and the girls loved the Pilsner. Creemore no longer associates with the Ontario Craft Brewers Association but people that follow the 'brewery map' should make a stop in Creemore and check it out.

**Creemore Springs is set to release their annual winter session beer "urBock" October 1st. Enjoy.

139 Mill Street
Creemore, ON
(705)466-2240
www.creemoresprings.com/live/

Photo credits: http://www.torontolife.com/features/scenic-routes/ Pete Gaffney.