From Plant to Pint: William Street Beer Goes Local!

William Street Beer Co. has always worked very hard to focus on local ingredients whenever possible and to partner with other fabulous local business operators. In that spirit, we are very excited to announce that we have recently signed a mutually beneficial exclusivity agreement with Valley Hops with the intent of utilizing only Northumberland grown hops in our core brands by the end of 2016.

Hops are the product of a flowering vine that are used in brewing as a flavouring and stabilizing agent. Most Ontario Brewers secure their hops in a pelletized format through multinational distributors. The worlds most prolific hop growing regions are in Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic, New Zealand and the US Pacific Northwest. However, Northumberland County provides great conditions for a number of exciting hop varieties.

Some of you may have had the opportunity to try our Harvest Ale, which was brewed with Brandon Bickle of Valley Hops using only freshly harvested wet Cascade cones from the Valley Hops farm North of Port Hope. That simple ale was one of our most highly lauded successes for one reason. We used fresh ingredients from our own backyard, grown with the utmost of care by experienced farmers. Their attention to detail is astonishing.

We are looking forward to offering that same farm fresh, local flavour twelve months a year in all of our core brands and, as our operation grows in scale, offering that same fresh flavour to beer lovers all over Ontario.

There are more 2016 announcements to come, but this is one of the most exciting.

Happy New Year!

Sean

Sean and Brandon brewing with Locally Grown Cascade Hops in early September 2015