After years of preparation, Orillia’s first brewery is in business.
The Couchiching Craft Brewing Co. is open for curbside pickup at 162 Mississaga St. E., and delivery is on its way.
The first brews started heading out the door April 18, through a presale promoted on the company’s Instagram page.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the response to the quality of the beer,” general manager Kaylea McCarron said, noting all of the brewery’s varieties have received favourable ratings of between 3 and 3.5 on the Untappd app. “For a new brewery, that was very heartwarming.”
Sales, too, have been “above my personal expectations” so far, she added.
“I really don’t mind updating ownership every day, so that says it all,” she said with a laugh.
When a few local guys got together about four years ago and came up with the idea to open a brewery in town, none of them could have expected a global pandemic would be declared just as they were preparing to launch the business to the public.
When the first brew was taking place in mid-March, “things were starting to increase as far as safety measures in Ontario” in response to COVID-19, McCarron said.
“The last four weeks have been tough, but our ownership and management team wanted to push forward with beer as an essential service and we were able to do that,” she said.
There are only four people working on site right now, including McCarron and the brewer.
“It’s been onerous, but the morale is high. We’re doing what we were meant to do,” she said.
When the company is able to fully open to the public, there could be at least 20 people on staff.
Guests will be able to enjoy drinks, as well as food prepared in the kitchen, on the two floors once the doors are open.
For now, it’s curbside pickup only. Hours of operation are 12 to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 12 to 5 p.m. Thursday, 12 to 8 p.m. Friday, 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Orders can be placed by emailing [email protected] or calling 705-558-BEER (2337), ext. 2. Hours are subject to change, depending on demand, so McCarron encourages people to reach out in advance to confirm available pickup times.
The Couchiching Craft Brewing Co. hopes to start offering delivery next week. At first, delivery will be available in Orillia, north to Washago, west to Bass Lake/Prices Corners, south to Hawkestone and east to Brechin. The plan is to eventually expand that option to go as far south as Barrie, as far west as Midland, as far north as Gravenhurst and as far east as Beaverton.
“Hopefully, that won’t be far behind,” McCarron said.
The brewery has been making contacts with other local businesses, and its beer could eventually make its way onto restaurant menus.
“We want to support businesses like ourselves,” she said.
When it first opened, the brewery had four styles of beer available: Sunshine City Blonde, Atherley Pale Ale, Call of the Mild, and Lock 42 IPA. On Friday, it added the Black River Stout to its offerings.
As the names and labels suggest, local is key for the brewery, and it is hoping the community is ready to embrace it now and when things get back to normal.
“It’s not a production brewery. We are a brewpub model, so we are going to rely on the support of the local community,” McCarron said. “This model suits the community and is good for the community, long term.”
To date, about 18,000 litres of beer has been made at the brewery.
For more information, check out its website.
