Bright Horizons for Grand River Brewing Co.

Grand River Brewing Co. opened for business back in 2007 and has produced some fine beers that have captured the hearts of craft beer drinkers in this province. Their line-up consists of a wide variety of ales and lagers that contain beautiful aroma's, full flavoured taste, and possess qualities that Ontario citizens have been craving for years. Rob Creighton, Grand River's brew master, has indicated that he will be introducing a number of new beers to Grand Rivers repertoire over the next several months, catching the eye of many curious drinkers.

For those who haven't been to the brewery before (located in Cambridge, ON), I highly recommend you take a day trip to see what transpires behind the scenes. It is a simple brewery, laid back and welcoming. It's located in a beautiful old building with a large event space that Creighton hopes to start using more and more. "We are attempting to start to use our very under utilized hospitality area and generate some interest on different beer styles and regional flavour differences," stated Creighton in an e-mail.

So what are they planning? The brewery is set to commence beer tastings in the event room starting in January, opening the doors to the public once a month to compare styles, provide tasting notes and educate individuals on the styles.

Introducing the Grand River Beer Club
Starting in January 2009, Grand River Brewing will host several comparative beer tastings discussing different styles of craft beers.

Tuesday January 13, 2009 will feature Winter Warmers
Tuesday February 10, 2009 will show case Indian Pale Ales
Tuesday March 10, 2009 will present Stouts and Porters

The meetings will be co-hosted by Rob Creighton, Grand River’s brewer and Bob Hanenberg Grand River’s president. Guest brewers will also be invited (more details to come).

Price $15 per session. No charge for designated drivers.
Time 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Brewery at 295 Ainslie Street S., Cambridge, Ontario.
Please call 519-620-3233, email jsouthgate@grandriverbrewing.com or drop into the store to reserve a spot. Each session will be limited to 25.

So, Indian Pale Ales, Winter Warmers and a Stout? Why these beers? "I'm a big proponent of creating beers that match your local conditions and suppliers. It makes no sense to me to try and create beers exactly the same of the next guy or some mythic brewery in Transylvania. Our beers reflect our water supply and the way our yeast adapts to the torture we put it through."


Also, Grand River will be starting a quarterly newsletter that will go by the name Grand River Growler. The newsletter's goal will be to keep craft beer drinkers informed about new Grand River beers, events that the brewery will be participating in and beer and food recipes. You can email jsouthgate@grandriverbrewing.com to be added to the newsletter list. Please put ‘Newsletter’ in the subject line.

These recent announcements are a terrific step in the right direction. Offering new beers, educating the public, informing the province about the brewery and most importantly, getting the beer into people's mouths. This is how to self promote and I hope it works out well for the creative brewery.