Let’s rewind to the early 2010s. The world was a very different place. If you were to tell Daniel MacKinnon, one part of MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co, that a decade later his brewery would be celebrating its sixth anniversary then he probably wouldn’t have believed you.
Words: Tim Sheahan | Photos: Jakub Mulik
Because, although he was involved in the field of brewing back then, there was some 5,500km separating the rugby clubhouse in Surrey, UK, where he lived and the literal fields of the family farm in Bath, Ontario where Daniel and brother Ivan would go on to start a brewery of their own. But these journeys, the new beginnings and sense of purpose, are all intwined. Not only with the brewery’s founders but with their families and those that came long before.
The first non-native inhabitants of this part of Ontario were the United Empire Loyalists. In 1784, a portion of the Jessup Loyal Rangers, who made the long, hard trek from what is now New York State, settled in the Adolphustown and Bath areas.
Some of the current families can trace their existence back to these Loyalist Settlers, and the MacKinnons are among them. They settled on the land that same year and through the generations, built a thriving farm. And now the land is fulfilling a different purpose, in the production of beer.
“There are always new projects to be catching up on. Whether we’re starting them or finishing them, there’s always something to do,” muses Daniel.
The global Covid-19 pandemic has im- pacted MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co, like it has every business, but the team has taken the challenge head-on. Local beer sales are helping sustain the business, with drinkers enjoying beer delivered to their doorstep.
Just some more than others…
“People are supporting local and that’s a great thing,” he says. “Growler fills allow us to use up keg beer and we’re delivering cases of 24 cans at a time. Sometimes people order five cases and you know what, they are exercising but they’re just exercising their right to drink beer!”
The brewery has a very loyal following, and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the MacKinnon delivery truck being stopped in town by thirsty patrons successfully procuring beer from the back of the vehicle. Delivering beer, like many of their peers, demonstrates a hands-on attitude that Daniel along with brother Ivan, cousin Ben Vandenberg and close friend Andrew Weel, have adopted with the business.
When they’re not catering for local or- ders, work continues on building works around the farm. This will help expand the brewery’s production facilities and retail operation, as well as host more events such as weddings. An offering that is already proving popular with soon-to-be newlyweds.
One of the farm’s timber frame buildings, boasting 10,000 sq. ft in space, will allow the team to house additional fermentation vessels, a loading dock and office space.
“Just like a real brewery has,” laughs Daniel.
But for land that has been in the family for nearly 250 years, the MacKinnons like to do things properly. It seems there is no point rushing something here if the end product is going to be substandard as a result.
“Introducing brewing to this land hasbeen a way for us to make farming more sustainable,” explains Daniel. “At the endof the day, we can bring in sales which means we don’t have to rely so heavily on the farm, squeeze every penny out if it and we can plant more crops offer than things other than simply maximum yields.”
Daniel is part of tight-knit unit. He shows a huge amount of respect to trio that work with him. Cousin Ben Vandenberg is “a heck of a salesman” and Weel is also a sales maestro and “an excellent welder”.
His brother Ivan, is a licensed Professional Engineer with project management, food processing and automation experience gained at numerous manufacturing facili- ties across Ontario, including Kellogg’s Inc.
But for brewmaster Daniel, his journey has taken him somewhat further afield. During his studies at Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, conversations with his roommate about the world of home- brewing would prove to be his earliest lightbulb moment in the world of beer. The aforementioned ‘can-do’ attitude led Daniel to apply for the Masters course in Brewing and Distilling at the venerable He- riot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was accepted so a new chapter in the UK beckoned.
“I knew it would create opportunities for me,” he recalls. “Whether that was running my own business or working for someone else didn’t matter. It was just important to develop and who knows, maybe I could end up in somewhere warm like the Car- ibbean!”
Daniel’s experiences in the UK broadened his horizons, but he was not alone in Scot- land. Far from it. “Of the 22 people on the course, eight were from Canada and we learned that six of us lived 30 minutes from each other while at university back home!” he laughs.
Many of these ties are as strong now, with Herriot-Watt alumni working at Canadian outfits such as Muskoka, Silversmith Brewing Company and Labatt Breweries, among others. Daniel has fond memories of learning under the tutelage of Graham Stewart. Stewart is Emeritus Professor in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt and Visiting Professor in Bioethanol Fermentation at Nottingham University, England.
“He had the most incredible Whisky selection,” Daniel recalls. “Graham was retiring from full-time teaching so he raised money for charity by asking us to contribute and in return you’d get a bottle. You just didn’t know what bottle you were getting, or how much was left in it!”
Visits to Highland distilleries over Christ- mas live long in the memory, as do tours of Edinburgh’s Caledonian Brewery and its open square fermenters. “Nowadays, when I’m paranoid about opening up the top of our FVs for dry-hop- ping, I think back to that day and remind myself of how resilient beer can be,” he explains.
Daniel wasn’t finished with his UK sabbat- ical despite his Masters at Herriot-Watt coming to an end. He’d head south to England and the leafy county of Surrey, located just outside of London. Here he’d work at Campden BRI, the UK’s leading brewing research centre, covering all matters related to beer and wine devel- opment, production and analysis.
As assistant brewer and maltster, Daniel says the experience gave him a deeper appreciation of the laboratory side of the brewing industry. Living in England also gave him a deeper appreciation of session-strength beers, especially those on cask dispense. He’d enjoy beers such as Greene King IPA, a 3.6% ale feature pale, crystal and black malts joined by Pilgrim, Challenger and First Gold Hops. “I missed playing hockey like I did in Edinburgh but managed to find a local rugby club in Surrey to join; Old Reigatians,” he recounts. “I’d go out and drink with the team, which was great fun. They found a loophole, where all foreign members of the team could live in the club housing for almost free, turned out that included me!”
Versed in the ways of beers from countries such as England and Scotland, Daniel would return home to celebrate Christmas with the family. Over this period, brother Ivan would explain he was fed up with his current job and ready for a fresh start. Their father was getting older and talk of how they could use the family land for a different purpose came to a head.
The solution, was to open a brewery.
“There are many pros and cons of living on farmland. But when it comes to something like starting a brewery, these old buildings as well tools that are 60/70 years old real- ly come into their own,” he smiles. Daniel bid farewell to the UK and returned to a community that was fully supportive of the idea of having a brewery to call their own.
And after years of plugging away, MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co would
open in May 2014. A business that draws on the local land as much as it does the inspiration and expertise of those behind it. “We have a saying here that we want to make beers that you can drink at least six of before getting bored,” says Daniel. “It’s not a hard-and-fast rule but I think we look at the market in our own way, and make the beers we enjoy.”
Daniel’s appreciation of approachable, malt-centric beer styles have no doubt been influenced by his travels. But this attitude is one that’s clearly shared by the many drinkers that enjoy the brewery’s beers, too. Crosscut is MacKinnon’s rendition of a traditional Canadian ale. It may be darker and more complex than commercial lagers, but at 5.2% it’s palatable for easy drinking.
Using 100% Ontario grown hops, Chi- nook for bittering and Cascade for aroma complement a malt bill of Canadian 2 row ale malt, German amber malt and portion of wheat from the family farm is added to give a crisp, clean foam. Another beer, 8 Man, was the team’s first brew and is an English Pale Ale that’s reminiscent of the malt rich brews shared after many a tough rugby match Daniel would have experienced in the UK.
Once more, 100% Ontario grown hops are used. They start with a good portion of dark UK Crystal Malt combined with the higher concentration of malt to water in the brew. It makes this beer their most expensive to produce, however, this is reflected in its higher alcohol content (5.8%) and rich taste.
“When we were starting out, a guy told me that he wanted to buy local but didn’t like the overly hoppy beers many breweries were making,” Daniel recalls. “He didn’t want anything crazy and I took that to heart, because I didn’t either. Sure, if we made something too light, we’d get eaten alive by beer reviews online but I knew that people wanted easy-drinking beers and we could bridge the gap and make a full flavoured beer they would like.”
He adds: “I sometimes think that beer aficionados are often overemphasised in the market. Especially when you consider the volume they account for. It’s better to listen to those around you, and what their tastes are. There’s no point always trying to please everybody.”
And that ethos is one that has worked well for the brewery and its team. MacKinnon Brothers will output around 5,000HL this year. They work on a two-vessel 25HL brewhouse, which offers up the ability to scale-up capacity when required. With a team of 14, across brewing, sales, events and deliveries, they’re content and confident on the future, in what is a challenging landscape for breweries as it is for every other industry, too.
“It has been a lot of work, but this brewery has been incredibly rewarding to be part of,” says Daniel. “I never check my watch to see when I can go home, I think that means you’re enjoying what you’re doing.”
Co-produced by: Johnny Leung