The Collingwood Series -Side Launch Brewery Company

Last Updated on 2018-10-31 by Linda

Well apologies to all, I ran my Collingwood series back a few months ago and somehow one of my posts just never made it past draft. Unfortunately it was Side Launch Brewing Company one of the highlights of our trip.

Collingwood Series

During our recent trip to Collingwood we had the opportunity to partake in a few craft beers. You might not know this but Collingwood has an amazing selection of Craft Breweries, Cidery’s and Wineries. Our type of vacation spot. And lets not forget the scenery, great people and restaurants. We had the opportunity to spend a week in the area in November and now I want to give you a bit of insight into what we saw, what we did and maybe give you an urge to go visit. Next up is the Side Launch Brewing Company

Side Launch Brewery

It has been told that for over a hundred years, Collingwood was responsible for building lake freighters designed to fit through the narrow locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. In fact, during World War II, Collingwood Shipbuilding was contracted to build 23 warships for the Canadian Navy.

The geographical constraints of the bay create an interesting “Launch”. These massive ships couldn’t be launched into water the conventional way which is bow or stern first. Instead, they were launched sideways or “side launched”. Thus the name of this amazing little brewery was born. The name, Side Launch Brewing Company, celebrates the deep-rooted history of shipbuilding that has fueled the town since the late 1800s.

If you look at the gallery at the brewery you can see a history of the shipbuilding in the area. I was fascinated with the concept and had to share a snap.

The Brewery

The brewery is pretty impressive when you first walk in, the tall steel vats, the smell of hops in the air and then you catch a glimpse of the bar. There really is something impressive about being served craft beer surrounded by the vats it was brewed in. Hearing the sounds of the staff testing, bottling, shipping all around you, helping you experince truly what goes into the craft part of the beer,

The brewery is set up not just as a factory for brewing beer, nor as a tasting room. It is actually set up as the neighbourhood place to stop in and have a brewski on your way home from work, A place to come and enjoy your friends and neighbours company over a draught or two. It is a pub style tasting room with a side of fun and a little bit of merchandise.

Tastings and flights are of course available or in a hurry you can just grab a cold can or two from the fridge for when you get home.

Growlers are also available for purchase or refill.

The Beer

As far as the beer, there are often Seasonal Varieties available. Check for their Ships of Collingwood Beers. The “Huronic” Tripel named after the first steel hulled ship built in the shipyard was a belgian pale ale. Or possibly the “Germanic” Bock, a german styled lager named after the last wooden Steamship. Alas, both are currently sold out but hopefully something new is brewing.

The staples are:

Pale Blue Can the pale ale marries the best of American and English styles to create a well-balanced, easy-drinking pale ale. The malt forwardness gives way to an American hop finish with caramel notes and tropical fruit aromas
Yellow This unfiltered Wheat Ale has notes of banana, spicy clove, and citrus. Using traditional special yeast, this gold and hazy beer is highly carbonated and has excellent head retention.
White This unfiltered Dark Lager is deep brown in colour. Boasting a complex, malty aroma with roasty overtones and notes of coffee or sweet molasses,. It’s serendipitously light and refreshing for a beer of its colour.
Blue This Mountain Lager is pale in colour. An authentic European grainy character, and a light flavour with a crisp noble hop finish. It was a best seller at Denison’s brewpub and is the most recent addition to their core lineup.

This was when I realized I actually had developed a taste for a dark lager, I am not a coffee drinker anymore but I sure do love molasses and the strong flavour was a winner for me.