The Bar Towel

(Splitting this off from another thread, where Rob Creighton mentioned...)

Charles MacLean's new brewery

Uhhhh - who with the what now??

GregClow wrote:

Rob Creighton wrote:Charles MacLean's new brewery

Uhhhh - who with the what now??

In what can only be called 'a remote location', Charles has built and licenced a small brewery on his property. It will have a retail store and Charles will brew and bottle all of the unique beers he has always wanted to make but was unable to at F&M. The location is approx. equal distance from Mount Forest, Neustadt, Hanover and Durham. In other words - scratch-my-ass Ontario.

I look at it as a resort location for guys. It has a full woodshop, a brewery, a hand made bar with cask ale in Charles' basement (the Woodcutters Arms?) and fly fishing in the Saugeen River at the foot of his property. And...wild animals come up to his back door just begging you to shoot them (for those so inclined). The ultimate get-away spot for a guy weekend. Charles is intending to package in a 500ml bottle for LCBO distribution.

This is not one that will be easily found so you will have to watch for a website with map and hope that your GPS is accurate.

Thanks for the scoop, Rob. Sounds great!

I hope this move doesn't affect deliveries of MacLean's Pale Ale ... it's on tap at my local, the Done Right Inn, and I would be mighty disappointed should it become scarce ....

I don't believe that the MPA will move from F&M initially because Charles would not be able to brew enough at his place. He probably will be bottling the MacLeans though which would be new.

I had a cask MPA at C'est What the other day. It was pretty damn good, and I wish Charles the best of luck with his new venture.

Sounds like a great retirement location, Maybe I need to join the boys from Sunnyvale with their 'Freedom 35' plan

Bit of an update:

Just now perusing the OCB website, saw this exciting (to me) info -

MacLean's Ales

Country Organic Ale
A golden coloured ale at 4.4 % abv brewed with certified organic malt and Hallertauer hops with a delicate,crisp flavour.

Country Organic IPA
A golden coloured ale at 6.2 % abv brewed with certified organic malt and hops. The hops are Fuggles and Goldings which provide a dry, hoppy finish to the ale.

Farmhouse Ale
A golden coloured, light tasting ale at 4.8 % abv brewed with Canadian barley, some of which is grown locally and Nugget hops grown on the farm and other local hops.

MacLean's Barleymow Bitter
Low gravity, hoppy amber coloured session ale at 3.6 % abv for the summer. Brewed with British Maris Otter and crystal malts with a smack of Fuggles and Goldings hops.

MacLean's Pale Ale
The flagship brand. A maltly, well hopped amber ale at 5.2 % abv brewed with British Maris Otter and crystal malts with Fuggles and Golding hops.

MacLean's Scotch Ale
A rich, malty flavour amber coloured ale at 7.2 % abv brewed with British pale and crystal malts, balanced by a generous addition of Fuggles and Goldings hops.

The two organics, the Farmhouse and the Barleymow seem to be new beers at Charles' brewery. Not sure if they're currently available, or if they are (more likely) projected. But exciting news nonetheless, as these are all styles I really dig. I also see that the IPA will be at Volo's cask IPA event. I've got to get up to West Grey sometime...

Can someone ask him nicely to bottle these and submit them to the LCBO because I would buy them all. I think I feel a day trip coming.

So where is his place? My parents live up in Harriston so I go up that way quite a bit. I'll have to make a trip over to his place sometime and check it out

an address would be great. any other info would be great. this sounds really great.

Here's all the info I could find (taken from the OCB website):
MacLean's Ales
212744 Baseline Road
West Grey, ON N0G 2M0
Phone: 519-369-5061
Fax: 519-369-5232
charles.maclean@sympatico.ca.

I really hope these make it to the LCBO in some form or other. I've had the Scotch and the Pale in some form or other over the years - both solid ales, but it's the other four styles that particularly intrigue me. I love the "ordinary bitter" style, and the rustic British farmhouse ale sounds sooo good. Coming from Charles, I'm sure these will be bang-on stylewise. Really looking forward to the two organics as well. I just hope these see some kind of distribution (tap, cask, bottle, whatever) outside of the Grey/Bruce county. It's be nice to have these styles available regularly.

dutchcanuck wrote:Can someone ask him nicely to bottle these and submit them to the LCBO because I would buy them all. I think I feel a day trip coming.

Seconded!!!!

I sent an email to Charles MacLean last night and got a reply this afternoon:

I just finished brewing my first Pale Ale here. I have done the Scotch Ale and the Organic Country Ale on cask so far. I will have bottles out late April from my retail store here. The adress is 212744 Baseline Rd., Normanby, West Grey. The phone number is 519-369-5061. The retail store will be open 12 noon to 5pm on Sat. and during the week during business hours by chance or appointment. I am still brewing at F&M a couple of days a week. My draught Pale Ale is still brewed there for cask and keg.

I think I'll make a trip up there sometime in April when he has some bottles ready.

Hey folks, does anyone have any updates on how Mr. MacLean is coming along? Is he ahead or behind schedule? It's a nice weekend, and I think a long drive to rural Ontario would be a good idea (and these drives always seem to end up as a beer destination, don't know how that happens). I'm looking forward to trying some new Ontario beer.