A new local microbrewery with a focus on buying local is gearing up for a big year as owners hope to have product available by the fall.
Red Barn Brewing Company’s site plan has been approved for its family farm brewery on Lagoon Road, just outside of Blenheim.
Co-owner Denny Vervaet said the plan is to submit building permits as soon as possible and start construction once the ground is ready this spring. Vervaet added it will be the first farm brewery in Chatham-Kent.
"The farm in agriculture is a pretty important part of this community," Vervaet said. "We want to show that we won't just be a farm brewery, but we are going to grow some of our own products. People can come out and learn about the product. I find a lot of people consume beer but don't know how its made. Beer is one of the oldest agriculture products on Earth so it's nice we can showcase it right where we grow the ingredients."
Vervaet said while barley is tough to get locally, the company will try to get as many other ingredients in the area to help fuel the economy. He said the hops will come from St. Thomas and fruits for seasonal beer will come from farms throughout Chatham-Kent.
"We are really trying to utilize any type of local collaboration we can," Vervaet said. "Whether that be merchandise, equipment or contractors. We are trying to keep everything within 100 miles for our product."
According to Vervaet, the area doesn't have access to municipal water so they will have to dig a well. Vervaet said water is the most important ingredient in making beer and the company's recipe starts from scratch. He added the well water where the barn is located isn't the best for brewing, so they are installing a reverse osmosis machine to help better prepare the water for the process.
Vervaet said there is a good chance the customer portion of the barn won't be ready until after the brewery itself is functional. He added that means the product might be available in restaurants before consumers can visit the site and sit down for tastings. He said the completed facility will include the production area, a large tasting room and patio, along with a private meeting and rental room for various events.
Vervaet owns the company along with his wife Sandy Vervaet and brother-in-law Daniel English. He said they first came up with the idea roughly five years ago when they decided to start making their own beer.
"If we got anywhere with the product we would take a shot at opening our own microbrewery," Vervaet said. "We've gone different routes to get to where we are now but we settled on a farm brewery on the property beside ours and here we are now. The site plan is approved and we're on the to the next step of building permits."
He added the three owners have gained a lot of support locally for their product. Vervaet said it has almost been overwhelming and they are very appreciative of the community's feedback.
Varvaet wouldn't divulge exactly what kind of beers they will launch with but said there will be four separate brews and at least one will appeal to everyone's palate.