Skip to content

Brewing up Northern Ontario's beer

What does one do when they really like beer? They drink it. What happens when they want to explore the art and science of beer? They make it. What if they don't know how to make it? They find someone who does.
151112_jj_stack_04
Shawn Mailloux and Michael Guillemette are teaming up to run Stack Brewing. The local beer-makers expect the first bottle to roll off the line in the Spring of 2013. Photo by Jenny Jelen.

What does one do when they really like beer? They drink it.

What happens when they want to explore the art and science of beer? They make it.


What if they don't know how to make it? They find someone who does.

Then they come up with a clever name, find a warehouse, round up the funds to buy what they need to produce it and become the proud new owners of Northern Ontario's one and only brewery.

This was the action plan Shawn Mailloux put in place last spring. The Sudburian was reading about the owners of Steamwhistle in an in-flight magazine when the wheels started turning in his head. Mailloux always liked the idea of running his own business, so pairing it with the next best thing only made sense.

“I like beer,” he said with a laugh.

The local teacher spends quite a bit of time travelling, and always looks forward to sampling crafts from local brew houses away from home. He's not the only one who incorporates this practise into travelling — there's a growing trend in tasting tourism.

“You go to a town and look for the local beer,” Mailloux said. “Beer is not just a drink — it's a lifestyle.”

Since there is nothing of the sort in this part of the province, making his own distinctively Sudbury brew seemed like a simple solution.

“Why don't I produce and supply a product for the North?” Mailloux said.

Once its up and running, Stack Brewing will produce five or six flavours to cater to every taste.

“It's going to be good beer,” he said.

Mailloux said he expects to turn out about 1,500 litres of beer per month at the beginning, selling to both wholesale and retail markets.

Local establishments have already expressed an interest in having the product on tap, and beer-lovers are excited to see what comes from the venture. As demand increases, Mailloux said he'd like to expand production. The first bottle is expected to roll off the line in the Spring of 2013.

While the entrepreneur has been hard at work planning the operations of the brewery, he's also been hard at work finding a brew master. Since he has never actually brewed a batch of beer himself, Mailloux had to find someone to head up the creation of his product.

The brew master came in the form of Michael Guillemette, a long-term home brewer who has dreamed of making his passion a profession for years.

“We're trying to brew here the old-fashioned way,” he said. “(It's going to be) a grain-to-glass kind of place.”

While the specifics are still in the works, Guillemette agreed that the final product will a tasty one.

“Good beer is going to be different beer,” he said.

“We're hoping to please everybody. People don't have to settle for standard-issue beer anymore.”

To learn more about Stack Brewing, search for them on Facebook and follow @StackBrewing on Twitter.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.