Brews News: Craft breweries saturated with Western University grads of all disciplines

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From class to glass, Western University alumni are everywhere in the craft beer business.

Engineering grads, science, business, law, sociology, health sciences even music alumni have found themselves owning, brewing or working in other roles at craft breweries across Ontario from Stack in Sudbury to Bellwoods in Toronto and, of course, in London.

As alumni return for the 75th homecoming, here’s a rundown of purple pride places to patronize.

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Forked River, 45 Pacific Court. Founded by two biologists and an engineer, the city’s oldest operating craft brewery hosts a meet and greet for engineering grads and the dean that attracts a crowd to nosh and quaff. Co-owner Dave Reed graduated from Western engineering 26 years ago. The original trio built the brewery from a passion for homebrewing and a desire to raise their families and work in London. Try something new like the wild sour, Blueberry Lemonzinger brewed with berries from Arrowwood Farm of Melbourne, the mothership Capital Blonde or raise a glass of Interstellar IPA, named in celebration of researcher Rob Weryk.

Storm Stayed, 169 Wharncliffe Rd. S. Want to take in a lecture on engi”beer”ing? Storm Stayed was opened by Justin Belanger and Michael Naish, an associate professor in the engineering department. When he’s not on campus or at the brewery, Naish is woodworking. He made both the bar and the tap handles from wood salvaged from the old Kingsmill’s department store. Celebrate the season by ordering Lager than Life Festbier with its fall-forward bready malt flavour and floral aroma. Or be Kiwi with the new Volta, a New Zealand pilsner with Wai-iti and Wakatu hops.

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London Brewing, 521 Burbrook Pl. The path to being a worker-owner brewer at London’s co-operative brewery was a journey through international development at Huron University and anthropology on main campus with a thesis on urban agriculture in Havana and Detroit for Aaron Lawrence. “That and a bit of chemistry is my educational tie-in to brewing with local ingredients at a co-operative brewery,” he said. Alumni checking out the brewery should take home some of Lawrence’s go-to, Organic Lager. Or enjoy a glass of a fall favourite, Norfolk Organic Red which has bolder hop flavours (the hops are from Carolinian Hopyard in Norfolk County) and biscuit and malt flavours.

Beerlab London, 420 Talbot St. Adil Ahmad, one half of the Denim Brothers, is a Western alumni and family doctor. Brewery partner Nick Baird is a Fanshawe College culinary arts grad. Together, they created the only craft brewery in downtown London and are rebranding as a brewery and eatery to be christened Supply and Demand Beer and Pizza. Try an IPA here, such as Snaggletooth with its orange and gummies flavour.

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4est Brewery. You won’t find a brick-and-mortar location, but maybe one day one will exist off Richmond Row where the defunct Kent Brewery stood many decades ago. Meanwhile, wise city restaurants stock 4est Lager, a German helles-style. The brewery was started by Western alumni Colin Gunn (BESc 15 and MD 21) and Myles Rombough, a history and geography alumni and a former running back with the Mustangs.

NEW AND NOTED

One of the best backstories for a beer created by Western students is Crank. The light lager was introduced by Ivey school of business students Jack Jelinek and Michael Woolfson in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. Crisis, what crisis? The brand was subsequently bought by the parent company of Railway City Brewing of St. Thomas.

Hockey beer is back in Stratford. The Warriors of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League are serving Cross Czeched, a lager brewed a few blocks from Allman Arena by Black Swan using Saaz and Bramling Cross hops for citrusy bitterness.

The Ides series of beers by Henderson Brewing of Toronto ends with No. 100, a throwback stock ale named in honour of Robert Henderson. He brewed in Toronto 225 years ago and is the name inspiration for the newer craft brewery. Ides beers paid tribute to historical figures and helped tell their stories to a new generation. No. 33 in the beer series touched London and hockey cards with O-Pee-Chee Lager, a tribute to the defunct Old East Village trading card and bubblegum company.

Wayne Newton is a freelance journalist based in London.

BrewsNewsTravels@gmail.com

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