I’ll say this up front: this is a self-serving plug for Celtic Brews. That said, it’s genuine.
Celtic Brews is a fantastic place to make great beer, and it’s right here in Trent Hills, in Campbellford, Ontario. It’s what regulators call a “brew-on-premise” operation. In practice this means you go in, select from more than fifty beers to suit your taste. A few weeks later, you drop in, bottle your beer, take it home, fill up a fridge (or cart away a keg, should you be lucky enough to have a keg fridge), and then happily consume it. When it’s time for more, repeat. You also need to sign an agreement that you won’t resell the beer, because regulations.
Like anything else, there are advantages and disadvantages.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Great beer made to your taste No preservatives, additives, etc. You re-use your bottles, saves waste Bottle in 500ml or 1l bottles Premium beer for about half the cost of domestic swill | Takes about three weeks Bottling takes 45 minutes to an hour You need a beer/keg fridge (no preservatives) Friends drop in more often |
Now, why am I writing a post singing the merits of Celtic Brews? The self-serving part is that it’s really convenient to have them in town! They say they’re the only one in Eastern Ontario, and that means that if they ever go away, it’s going to be a long haul to the nearest alternative. That would suck.
But at the same time, they’re very good at making beer. Shawn, who took over as brewmaster a few years ago, has really worked to improve the quality and consistency of their beers. They were great before, and now they’re even better! He has also been working on some new recipes that are just as good as any craft beer I’ve had. I’ve even gotten them to tweak one of their stock selections to suit my tastes.
Now maybe the biggest drawback is the volume of beer you get. 100 500ml bottles take up most of a fridge, and that can be a problem. When I first started making my own beer, I got together with a couple of friends. This meant we could split a batch, which also means we didn’t need a dedicated fridge. Spit a batch with three friends and you have something most people can manage. Fortunately now I have a spare fridge dedicated to beverages.
And last but not least there’s the value proposition. These days, a 500ml can of premium beer is clocking in the range of $2.50 a pop, and craft beer comes in even higher. Meanwhile the same amount of bespoke beer from Celtic Brews comes in at just $1.70. Not to mention that most of the profit on that premium beer winds up in the hands of some multinational, but when you buy from Celtic Brews, most of the money stays right here.
I think you just can’t beat that. If you agree, drop in to see them at 31 Kent St., here in Campbellford. Or give them a call at 705-661-2337.
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