CALEB NICKERSON
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Dec. 7, 2018
Beer lovers in the Pontiac have a new line of brews to call their own, after the opening of the region’s first German-style micro-brewery in Campbell’s Bay on Friday.
Brauwerk Hoffman was packed to the gills on Dec. 7 for its grand opening, with plenty of door prizes, authentic German snacks and of course, samples of their five different beers.
Owner Todd Hoffman said that he’s been interested in the brewing process for quite some time.
“Well, I’ve been home brewing for 15 years, so I wanted to take it out of the kitchen and make it into a commercial venture,” he said.
After selling his former business, Campbell’s Bay Ciment, Hoffman said he was too young to retire and felt that he should re-invest in the local economy.
“I travel quite a bit to the northeast US, Europe, I just see how the craft beer is flourishing everywhere and I wanted to bring it here,” he said. “Craft beer is one of the leading industries in revitalizing local economies.”
Located along Hwy. 148 just outside Campbell’s Bay, the brewery features thick cement walls and large glass garage doors, revealing hulking stainless steel tanks and equipment inside. Hoffman said it took about a year to construct the building and about 10 months to have the necessary paperwork approved.
He said the production capacity is about 300 barrels a year (a barrel is equivalent to four kegs) and customers can opt for either 473 mL cans or 30 L kegs. Batches take anywhere from two to three weeks to produce, depending on the beer.
The five styles in the Brauwerk Hoffman lineup are: a Hefeweizen (wheat beer), a North German Pilsner, a Munich Helles (light beer), a Schwarzbier (dark beer) and a German-style IPA.
In addition to his heritage, Hoffman said that he chose German beers specifically because they only include four ingredients: barley, hops, water and yeast. In fact, the German government has historically had strict guidelines on what can and can’t be called beer, called the Reinheitsgebot or “purity orders”.
“Beer has just morphed into everything. German-style is very minimalistic,” Hoffman explained. “It’s more challenging, you can’t hide your mistakes you know, you can’t mask it with all this other stuff … People say, ‘If you’re doing that, you’re playing it safe.’ But to me, it’s more of a challenge. People can recognize your errors easier.”
“We’ll tweak some recipes here and there,” he added. “We’ll see when we get feedback here today.”
In addition to stimulating the local economy, Hoffman said that he was pleased to be able to work with local brewmaster Eric Mainville to help ease the jump from home brewing to a commercial outfit.
“Eric is from Allumette Island, he went to Niagara College, which is pretty well the only post-secondary institution in Canada that offers a diploma in brewing,” he said. “I’m very grateful for his help … We haven’t had to dump anything down the drain yet, but I think without Eric there would have been some dumped.”
Currently, the brewery is open on Fridays and Saturdays.
