Haliburton Highlands Brewing
1067 Garden Gate Drive Haliburton,ON
(705) 754-2739
Haliburton is known as cottage country, nestled in a landscape of lush forestland and lakes there is never a shortage of sites to see come rain or shine. Amongst these sites is Haliburton Highlands Brewing on Garden Gate Drive, it’s owned by husband and wife team Michael and Jewelle Schiedel-Webb who fell in love with the area when they were here on holiday and decided to turn it into their full time home.
The population of Haliburton swells from 5,500 to 50,000 in the summer as cottagers from across Ontario descend upon this beautiful little town! The massive influx of tourists meant that their original brews sold out in no-time and they quickly moved from their original yurt to the larger and more permanent residence at Abbey Gardens. The step up means they could increase production 15 fold and keep the thirsty locals happy.
Sustainability is vital to the Haliburton Highlands spirit, all the spent grain from brews goes towards enriching the soil of the gardens and waste water from the brews go in the same direction. Abbey Gardens (which the brewery was built on) was transformed a few years back from a 300 acre gravel pit into a beautiful green space for the community to take advantage of. They have gardens, hiking trails, a Food Hub, educational displays, chickens, ponies, and several local businesses surrounding the brewery. You can visit the gardens, see the animals, shop for local food, then enjoy lunch and a fresh Craft Beer all in one scenic spot. The brewery encourages you to visit Abbey Garden’s site http://abbeygardens.ca/ as they are supporters of the project and each other.
As we strolled up to the brewery entrance we were kindly greeted kindly by Ringo the Westie and semi-official brewery mascot. I was surprised to see how many taps were pouring at HHB, especially given that Michael, the head brewer, only started brewing when they decided to open the brewery. He went ‘back to school’ and learned through internships at Rahr & Sons Brewing in Fort Worth, Texas, Shades of Pale in Park City, Utah, and completed the Brewing Technology program at the Siebel Institute and World Brewing Academy in Chicago.
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