The creative minds behind the beer names and marketing also come from within the brewery. Their locally renowned head brewer, Mike Lackey, has a creative side that reaches far beyond his delicious beers, he helps to dream up the legends and characters that accompany every beer in their repertoire. They are fantastic storytellers, weaving a little bit of magic and myth into each beer through the tales printed on the side of the cans (you can even find their release videos online that bring the characters to life!)
Peter, the owner, has no desire to go national, he is, as he puts it, “happy being happy, having fun and being fresh!” As we wound our way through his ever expanding brewery, gazing upon the rows of fermenters, we came across the canning line busy at work canning Octopus wants to fight IPA. It is one of my favourite beers that Great Lakes does, my favourite part of the tour was when Troy handed me one right off the line, before it was even sealed to drink. We said cheers, clinked topless cans, and dove into that beautiful fresh taste… it was one of the more memorable first sips of beer I’ve had!
Great Lakes is also very active in the community, every year for the last 15 they have hosted a charity BBQ in support of the local community centre and in December they donated a percentage of beer sales to Hops for Hunger. They genuinely care and enjoy giving back to the community that has given them so much support.
Their retail room is full of cans, bottles, growlers, and swag, and with their Patio now open, it is a great spot to take a load off and enjoy a pint outside. I suggest giving their “Swamp Juice”, it’s basically just an adult version of the pop Swamp Juice you’d have as a kid. The mix is always changing, but it usually includes the Pale Ale and a few IPA’s. They sell Swamp Juice by the pint or you can fill a growler to enjoy at home. Also 2017 is the introduction of Street Food Fridays so enjoy some eats on the patio.
Great Lakes are striding into 2017 and their 30th anniversary stronger than ever, and with the recent release of beer #44, I am looking forward to another 30 years of drinking their delicious and alway innovative beers!
Website:www.greatlakesbeer.com
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/GreatLakesBeer/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/greatlakesbeer
Monday – Thursday: 11am – 6pm
Friday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 12pm – 5pm