Celebrate Ottawa’s Craft Beer Scene during Craft Beer Week August 8-17

Ottawa Craft Beer Week (OCBW) is back, and as lots of us continue to think local, and support local Canadian businesses, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the best beers in the city. Building on last year’s success, the second edition of the week long celebration follows the same, simple model to make it easy to try new beers, meet new brewers and find your next favourite hangout.

Unlike a centralized festival, Ottawa Craft Beer Week encourages beer lovers to go right to the source, and experience the various taprooms and restaurants for themselves. Taking place from Aug. 8-17, there is no fee to participate, and you can even win prizes by filling out your free passport with stamps as you work your way across the city from Hammond to Arnprior, Centretown to Bells Corners.

We met up with Spark Beer’s John Sproull, the event’s prime mover over an incredibly juicy and refreshing lemonade radler to talk about last year’s successes and what to expect this year. Craft Beer Week is a grassroots endeavour, with each brewery creating their own events, and contributing to the marketing fund and prizes. John and Andrea at Spark Beer are quick to credit the Ottawa craft beer community with making the week happen, and downplay their roles as the hub of all things OCBW. The focus of the week long event is to give breweries the chance to welcome new visitors into their spaces, and grow the community, and Sproull sees that as a key component:

They’re giving you the experience that they want to give you. That’s exactly what it’s all about. It’s showing people what they offer as a business and as a local neighbourhood pub, an employer in your area.

Some of the breweries are also known for their great food, or vibes. Others are function focused taprooms where you can see the magic happening up close and personal. Each venue offers something different to their neighbourhood and clientele, so seeing them on their home turf is part of the magic of this kind of event. If you’re a real beer snob, and love getting into the gritty details of the process, Sproull gets it.

I am a little biased because I brew the beer, but I love seeing how other people make beer. It’s the same process, but everybody has different equipment and they do things a little bit differently. And it’s always fun to talk to them and share ideas and hear them talk passionately about what they do.

With the recent launch of Glorious and Free spreading across Canada, there is a renewed interest in local ingredients, and supporting small businesses in Canada. The craft beer industry has embraced these changes, and more local brewers are highlighting ingredients grown in our own Ottawa Valley, like Mississippi Mills Malting Co in Pakenham, and Hayhoe Hops in Aylmer. This movement is reflected in lots of local beers, and taking a brewery tour, or participating in a tasting is a great way to find out how these breweries are using local ingredients.

Some highlights of the planned events so far include:

• See how it all happens on a Brewery Tour and Tasting at Flora Hall on the 8th and 9th.
• Craft Beer Week launch 90s Dance Party with DJ Geoff Paquet at Spark Beer on the 9th.
• Bring the furry best friend along for Pup Patio Parties at Broadhead, Broken Stick, Overflow and Spark Beer on Wednesday Aug. 13.
• Study up and get into trivia at Broadhead Brewing, Kichesipi Beer Co., or Whiprsnapr.
• Win even more prizes at Drag Bingo hosted by Glittershaker at Kichesippi on August 15.
• Broken Stick Brewing is at a golf course, so of course they’re having a mini putt challenge on Aug. 10.
• Both Orléans Brewing Co, and Cold Bear Brewing Company are releasing new brews on Aug. 16, and throwing themselves a party.
• Tooth and Nail is offering a “Best of Ottawa” experience, bringing in beers from 12 different local breweries to try together.
• So. Much. Live. Music.

New events will continue to be added to the website, so check it out before you plan your route!

To make the most of Ottawa Craft Beer Week, start by planning your itinerary. Pick up your passport at your first brewery stop and collect stamps as you visit different locations. Post a shot of your stamped passport on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #OCBW for a chance to win fun prizes. The more stamps you collect, the better your chances of winning! If socials aren’t your jam, you can upload your passport to the OCBW website this year to enter the contest.

Check out the Participating Breweries:

Beyond the Pale Brewing
Bicycle Craft Brewery
Brew Revolution
Broadhead Brewery
Broken Stick Brewing Company
Cold Bear Brewing Company
Covered Bridge Brewing Co.
Dominion City
Flora Hall Brewing
Kichesippi
Orléans Brewing Co.
Overflow Brewing
Spark Beer
Stray Dog Brewing Company
Tooth and Nail Brewing
Whiprsnapr

Ottawa Craft Beer Week is taking place Aug. 8-17 in breweries across Ottawa. There is no fee to participate.