London Brewing Co-op
521 Burbrook Place London, ON
London’s smallest brewery has outgrown its space at Root Cellar and moved to larger quarters, with the addition of shiny new tanks, in the Old East Village neighbourhood.
The London Brewing Co-op prides itself on its business model that it’s not just about creating great beer, they also want to create meaningful employment for their employee-owners as it’s owned by those who work there and decisions are made by employees in a democratic fashion.
As I stepped out of the rain into this funky, artsy space, I had the chance to sit down with David Thuss, co-owner, to chat about their unique brewing space. He told me that, “As a worker’s co-operative, we are interested in the rights and well-being of all persons employed and involved with our brewery. All employees will enjoy profit-sharing and an equal voice in the direction and day-to-day operations of the brewery. Co-operatives are known for balancing people, planets, and profits."
As David chatted away with excitement about the transition to their new space, I dug into the flight of beer that was poured for me. Local 117 is a malt-forward amber ale, brewed with locally grown and malted barley from within 117km of the brewery. Since the same barley may not always be available the beer is brewed on a rotating recipe, but in my case it was a sessionable amber with toasty malt-forward caramel notes and finishes clean and with a slight bitterness.
I also enjoyed their Norfolk Red which showcases hops from Norfolk County, it also has a nice malt profile to it and they finished with Caramunich in the malt trio which brings a nice sweetness to the beer. I am enjoying these Red Style beers that are coming out of Craft Breweries at the moment as they actually have some nice flavour, natural colour, and some body to them.
117