7 minute read
taste
BLACK BELLOWS BREWING FORGES AHEAD
By: Katherine Elphick | Photography by Louise Jones
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After 18 months of construction, Black Bellows opened its much anticipated brewpub in January 2020. “We enjoyed two months of solid good times with a packed, vibrant restaurant,” explained Peter Braul, who owns and operates the downtown Collingwood brewpub with Bryn Davies and Scott Brown. Then a pandemic struck, and the world turned upside down. At rst, the brewery took it pretty hard. “It was heartbreaking. We were forced to lay o our entire sta overnight. With the restaurant closed, we stopped brewing, and had fridges full of kegged beer and nowhere to sell it. It was a very dark time, and we weren’t sure we would make it,” he confessed. But, while contemplating the idea of shutting down for good, something happened. “We ran out of canned beer because so many people were buying it [from the onsite bottle shop or online],” said the brewer. The local community support was just unbelievable. We started brewing again, and actually sold out two more times. We were oored.” Fast forward to present day, and Black Bellows continues to churn out its popular suds, while operating a socially distanced eatery and bottle shop. To learn more about the hip brewpub, this Goodlife reporter recently toured the facility and caught up with Peter Braul and Scott Brown. Here’s how the conversation unfolded.
What’s the best way to describe the brewpub?
Scott Brown: It’s a quirky, fun and adventurous place to come and experience amazing beer and great food in a restored heritage space.
Located in one of downtown Collingwood’s oldest buildings, the venue is rich in local history. Built in the late 1890s, it originally housed a black smith and carriage making shop and later became the home of Dey’s Body Shop. By the time Black Bellows took it over in 2018, the building had been in the Dey family for over 140 years, making it the longestrunning business in Collingwood history. What drew you to this space?
SB: As history buffs, we had our eyes on this building for a long time. Before we even owned the space, we called our company Black Bellows (a bellows is a device used for blowing air into a re) to celebrate the history of this architectural gem. The hope was to eventually end up here. We love the story of this building, and we’re proud that we were able to restore it. Other than this building, there are very few examples of our industrial heritage left in Collingwood. Most of it has been lost.
Prior to the brewpub, your popular craft beer was known to consumers, having been on LCBO shelves and on tap at bars and restaurants since 2016. Can you o er a brief history?
Peter Braul: Like many craft brewers starting out, we began doing contract brewing at an established brewery. After gaining a strong following, we decided to go the brick and mortar route.
Black Bellows celebrates its location’s rich history. Particularly noteworthy is the hip vintage lounge, which showcases original brick chimneys, a soot blackened wooden ceiling, exposed high beams and more. While renovating, did you nd any interesting historical nds?
SB: We found lots of bottles from the turn of the century, and behind the walls there were all kinds of receipts for auto body work for 25 cents. Can you imagine paying that now! [laughs].
Bursting with character, the interior also features a brewery (visible through the building’s repurposed original glass windows), a whimsical pub complete with traditional German wooden beerhall tables (currently separated with dividers), local artwork (including a giant bellow that hangs from the ceiling), a bottle shop housed in a repurposed shipping container, and a boat-shaped metal bar. Can you talk about your design vision?
SB: Working with a few key local artists, our goal was to retain the building’s industrial history, while bringing the aesthetic of Berlin to Collingwood. Paying homage to the site’s metal working history, we used a lot of salvaged materials and repurposed them. For example, the bar is made out of distressed sheet metal.
PB: We like to take something that’s forgotten and make it beautiful and useful again. We do the same with old beer recipes.
What’s your brewing philosophy?
PB: Along with focusing on letting the ingredients speak for themselves, we believe in the spirit of relentless invention, and embrace a norules approach to brewing. We’re always striving to offer new, fresh and exciting flavour profiles for people to enjoy. On a global scale, craft brewers are pushing the envelope on flavour profiles. Beers are tasting better now than they ever have before in history, and this evolution inspires us to be more experimental. How many suds do you have on offer?
PB: Between the bottle shop and taps, we have about 12 beers available. There are about 10 varieties for sale in the bottle shop, and a couple of extra brews on tap.
What’s your most popular brew?
PB: There are three tied for popularity. EL 9 WYE Lager, a tribute local beer named after our postal code, is definitely our best selling beer on tap. People have also really taken to Shinny Fuel, an American pale ale, and White [Witbier with Elderflower] also sells really well.
There’s a black and white colour scheme to your packaging, which crosses over to the brewpub’s decor. Can you expand?
SB: When you think about a beer label these days, it’s kind of like an arms race for who can be more over the top with colour. So, counterintuitively we went in a minimal direction to stand out. The black and white colour scheme is also a nod to the historical aspects of our building and brand. It almost reads like an old circus handbill.
What’s on offer on the food front?
SB: It’s delicious food and it’s fun. It’s almost like you are at the carnival, but with an elevated twist. For example, our mac and cheese balls are made with an artisanal cheese and are served with a wonderful jalapeño ranch dip. We also have a legendary burger and a fried chicken bucket, called the Bellows Bucket. And I think we are the only restaurant in the County that offers battered curly fries. We also have an Oktoberfeststyle sausage and giant pretzels served with beer mustard — to name a few.
Do you offer choices for folks with dietary preferences?
SB: We just expanded the menu to include more vegan options. We have a great vegan sausage, vegan chickpea curry, and keeping with the carnival theme, we have vegan corndogs. Our fried chicken is also gluten-free.
What about COVID safety protocols?
SB: We have gone above and beyond the guidelines to provide a safe and comfortable space for our staff and customers. Along with being much more spaced out than we need to be, we have strict cleaning standards, partitions between tables, and active ventilation bringing in fresh air from outside at all times.
Let’s hear about the bottle shop and delivery program.
SB: It’s become a much larger part of our business than we originally expected. In part, it’s due to COVID, but people have also come to realize that it’s a convenient and fun way to get their beer, rather than standing in a line up at the LCBO or the Beer Store. And if you have questions, and want to talk to a brewer — we are usually around. With respect to delivery, we offer Ontariowide delivery with a $15 flat fee on shipping, and free local beer delivery on Monday and Thursday (L9Y postal code only). For the holiday season, the bottle shop will be carrying some festive beers, and gift baskets will be available for the craft beer lovers on your list.
Besides the bottle shop online, where is Black Bellows beer available?
PB: Various local and Toronto LCBOs carry it, as well as licensees that pour our products.
What about the future?
SB: Our vision for the future is a bit different now because we’ve had to pivot our business due to COVID. We’re definitely focussing more on our online bottle shop as something that can weather us through the cycle of restrictions.
PB: With limited seating, we need to find other ways to market our products to the world. Having said that, we know that once this is all over — this place will be rocking again. But for now, it’s safety first.
