ERIEAU, ON – This past Tuesday evening saw the official grand opening of Bayside Brewing, a small brewery and brewpub in the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southwestern Ontario, and the owners used the special occasion to announce that they are already planning an expansion.
Bayside started operation last summer in an historic building on Ross Lane in Erieau, concentrating on producing kegs of flagship brand Long Pond Lager for local bars and restaurants. The brewpub portion of the building was opened late last year, and that combined with the addition of growler sales and more licensees carrying the beer led to a dramatic increase in demand.
In response, the Bayside brewing system will soon be increased from 50 to 90 hectolitres. This will allow the brewery to meet demand for Long Pong Lager, as well as add new brands to its line-up, include a Light Lager than is due to be released by this summer.
At the same time, the brewpub will be expanding seating capacity with the construction of a 60-seat patio overlooking Rondeau Bay.
For more details, see this article written by Chatham-based journalist Bruce Corcoran for his blog Bruce UnCorked.