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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-07-25, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019. Beer makes its mark in Huron A new monument Conversations about beer in Huron County have to include Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company, which has led the way in selling its beer across the province while attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to its Blyth destination brewery and restaurant. (File photo) Huron County is now home to a burgeoning beer, wine and cider movement and has become a mandatory stop for Ontario culinary enthusiasts, but just five years ago that wasn’t the case. It all started with a study on viticulture in Huron County in 2011, authored by Richard Fitoussi, a consultant from the Niagara region. Fitoussi had found the potential for vine growth in a specific corridor of Huron County, called the Huron Ridge, just eight to 10 kilometres inland from Lake Huron, stretching from Port Albert in the north to Grand Bend in the south. However, in the years since the report was produced, beer, wine and cider producers have popped up throughout Huron County, placing the community at the forefront of Ontario’s food and drink revolution. BEER A conversation about the Huron County beer scene can’t take place without first discussing Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company. While the company may not have been the first with its stakes in the ground, it has certainly emerged as the local brewery with the most expansive reach. The beer is now available in LCBO stores and the Cowbell team has developed a destination experience in Blyth that has brought hundreds of thousands to the village since it opened in 2017. While the destination brewery opened in the summer of 2017, Cowbell beer was in the hands of consumers months earlier, beginning with its flagship beer, Absent Landlord, the first of six beers in the Founders’ Series. The company would go on to add another two mainstay beers independent of the Founders’ Series, the popular Shindig and the new Gravel Run, as well as a monthly cycle of experimental beers in its Renegade Series, some of which are available on tap or in growlers and cans at the brewery or through Cowbell’s online shop. The location features a large restaurant, a lively bar and numerous enclaves, including Mil’s Verandah and the Threshers’ Hall, which has been home to numerous weddings over the last two years. It also offers guided tours featuring one of Cowbell’s storytellers and a shop fully stocked with beer, clothing and close to home, far from ordinary Benmiller Inn & Spa 55 Unique Rooms - Standard to Deluxe Renewing Petit Aveda Spa Four Diamond Dining Conferences, Weddings, Getaways 25 Scenic Acres of River and Countryside 81175 Benmiller Line | Goderich ON | 519.524.2191 | 1.800.265.1711 www.benmiller.ca Honey - A Natural Sweetener • Fresh Honey • • Creamed Honey • • Pure Unscented Beeswax Candles • • Gift Baskets • RR#2 Wingham • 519-357-3656 J.R. Fear Apiaries Inc. www.drudgesmaplesyrup.com ‘Straight From The Farm To You’ 519-335-6352 43269 Amberley Rd. on Hwy. 86 between Wingham & Listowel Maple Candy Maple Butter Gift Baskets Maple Sugar By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 15