Canada, ON: Fixed Gear Brewing Co. opens second location in Guelph

Mike Oosterveld had a five year plan when he opened Fixed Gear Brewing Co. on Alma Street in Guelph, Ontario last October, guelphtoday.com reported on August 17.

Establish the beer, work out the kinks, then grow big enough to expand its offering into restaurants and the LCBO shelves.

Turns out he's about four years ahead of the plan.

Fixed Gear opened its second location on Friday, August 16, taking over the Elmira Road facility that previously held StoneHammer Brewing.

StoneHammer went out of business a little over a year ago.

"What it means for us, to become a real Ontario craft brewer and a player in the market that's growing, it will allow us to get into the LCBO and the beer store plus draft beer in local licenced establishments," Oosterveld said.

"It's always the plan to start small, build up a loyal following, then look to the future and find a larger place. But that was a five-year plan, not a 10 month plan. It happened quickly," he said.

He credits their loyal customers and the other craft brewers in town with helping the brewery grow quickly.

"You have to make good, quality beer too."

Fixed Gear has revived one of the StoneHammer beers, StoneHammer dark, and may revive others down the road, said head brewer Mike Mayo.

What the new facility does is triple the brewing capacity of Fixed Gear, allowing them to look at bigger markets, Oosterveld said.

It also has a canning line and the necessary equipment and space to make different types of beer, specifically lagers.

"It just makes everything more efficient," Mayo said.

The new location, at 355 Elmira Rd. S. in the Melran Mall, is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday's from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It also has space for private rentals.

17 August, 2019