Unique Muskoka August

Cans of beer make
their way along the
canning line at
Muskoka Brewery.
the devastation of losing Evans, who died in
a car accident the following year.
It was a difficult decision that took a lot
of internal fortitude, but he says the team
chose to keep moving forward. This year’s
new beer, Kirby’s Kolsch, is a nod to Evans’
legacy at the brewery.
“I’m not going to say it’s in honour or
memory of Kirk,” says McMullen. “But it’s
really more to celebrate Kirk and his life
and his involvement with the brewery. We’re
having lots of fun with
that, so that’s pretty
exciting.”
Muskoka Brewery
has over 100 employees
and has been growing
quickly over the years. But McMullen
emphasizes that it hasn’t lost the family feel
that comes with a small business.
“It has been cool to watch people grow
up at the brewery,”
McMullen says. “Some
of our staff that have
been here a long time
– watching them grow
up and watching their
kids grow up.”
Although Lake
of Bays Brewing
Company has
only been
operating for
six years, it
has grown quickly and Smith has made a
name for himself amongst fellow craft
brewers.
“It’s really in the past five or six years that
the rate of brewery openings has really
jumped up in Ontario,” says Smith, who
serves as vice-chair of
the Ontario Craft
Brewers
Association
board of
directors.
Left: Muskoka
Brewery
brewing manager
Andrew Crowder
holds out a
handful of hops
and barley.
Middle: Head
brewer Dan
Unkersov in the
Lake of Bays brewery.
Far right: Brewmaster
Sam Corbeil at Sawdust
City.
August 2016 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 53