Granite Brewery opened its doors to the public back in August 1991. Being in the major city of Toronto, they were one of the only craft beer spots in the city and today, they’re celebrating 30 years.

The brewery’s original location was in Halifax in 1986, and the family-run business decided to head to Toronto to expand their business.

“My dad said when they first opened here the Ontario craft brew scene could fit at the bar in this location. As time goes on now there’s tons and tons,” said Sam Keefe, General Manager at Granite Brewery.

“It started off as a small operation, we still had to carry those big core brands like Coors and Molson just to get people to come into the bar,” said Keefe. “We were able to ride that wave of the industry growing, we’ve always been around and became sort of the heritage brand. We’ve stuck to our guns with the styles we do and haven’t really changed our brand with the styles we offer.”

Granite’s open fermentation style is suited for ales, stouts, and more traditional British style beers. And while the brewery doesn’t experiment too far outside the box, they recently acquired their first closed fermentor which brought to life a brand new New England IPA.

Being a staple in the community is a big cause for celebration, but since COVID-19 restrictions are limiting a huge gathering, Granite will celebrate their 30th anniversary the best way they know how — by releasing their 30th anniversary ale as of this week as well as offering specials on all their house favourites.

Photo courtesy of Granite Brewery/Instagram