Craft breweries in southwestern Ontario increasingly integrate food services to remain viable, moving beyond beer sales alone. This trend includes in-house kitchens, partnerships with eateries, and food trucks. Several local spots exemplify successful combinations of fresh brews and meals.
Just as variety sustains diets, craft breweries require more than beer to thrive. In the early days of the craft beer movement, sales of ales and lagers sufficed, but now operators often add restaurants, lease space to food vendors, deploy food trucks, or install shipping container grills to attract patrons.
Forked River Brewing, a pioneer in London, boosted its appeal at its 45 Pacific Court location by adding Kyle’s Fried Chicken and BBQ. The kitchen serves Nashville hot chicken alongside barbecue staples like brisket and pulled pork, complementing popular beers such as Interstellar IPA and OG Capital Blonde.
Railway City Brewing, another veteran in an industrial park, draws crowds to its spacious taproom and patio. Menu highlights include pizza and handhelds like a crunchy ranch steak wrap or three-cheese grilled cheese on sourdough. These pair well with Crew Premium Lager, Iron Spike Red Ale, or the original Dead Elephant IPA.
Sons of Kent Brewing, housed in a repurposed multi-plex cinema, appeals to reuben enthusiasts with its version featuring corned beef from Chatham's Schinkel’s meat shop. Genesis, a dry stout, serves as a suitable match.
In Stratford, Black Swan Brewing innovates with weekly hot dog specials, such as the Sloppy Steak—a frank topped with grilled steak, onions, cheese sauce, and fried onions—alongside its multi-hop IPA or smooth porter.
Leamington's Cured Craft Brewing doubles as a restaurant, leveraging co-owner expertise from a nearby butcher shop. Options range from burgers with three meat varieties plus a veggie choice, to salads and sandwiches like Brandt’s Butcher Block turkey, apple, and brie on ciabatta. First-timers should try the 42nd Parallel Lager, named for the town's southern Canadian locale in a historic building.
Port Stanley Brewing shares quarters with an Italian restaurant boasting harbor views and features weekend pop-ups from Loud Burger. The Ol’ Reub smash burger, with Montreal smoked meat, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and pickles, emerges from a shipping container, ideally with the brewery's helles lager.
Recent developments include the merger of Sawdust City, Lake of Bays, and Merit under Original Gravity and Hospitality Group, preserving individual brands. In Ottawa, Kichesippi Brewing announced closure after opening in 2010, with founder Paul Meek stating, “The brewery is currently operating at a loss and has been for some time. We are in the awkward position of not having enough money to brew more beer, which results in not having enough beer to make more money.” Nearby, Conspiracy Brewing shut down a year prior. Meanwhile, London’s 4est Brewery opened a pub at King’s University, and Petrolia’s Black Gold added six 1,200-litre serving tanks for consistent taproom availability.
