Master brewer Adam Rader stands near brewing equipment at the Mill Street Brew Pub.
Ottawa will be home to another microbrewery in the new year.
On Jan. 20, Toronto-based Mill Street Brewery will open Mill Street Brew Pub at the historic Thompson-Perkins Mill between LeBreton Flats and Portage Bridge.
Located at 555 Wellington St., the 161-year-old former grist mill was restored by the National Capital Commission in 1971.
Most recently, it was home to the Mill Restaurant, until it closed in 2007.
Now, it’s being leased out again by the NCC in their efforts to revitalize the area.
When the NCC put out a proposal call for the property in 2009, it received no responses, says NCC media relations officer Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr.
That changed in April when Mill Street signed a 10-year renewable lease agreement with the NCC.
Mill Street’s choice of location is no coincidence.
Its Toronto pub is located in the city’s Distillery Historic District. History and tradition are important for Mill Street, says company brewmaster Joel Manning.
Originally Mill Street was concerned working with the NCC would be too bureaucratic.
But they’ve been “great partners,” Manning says.
Gadbois-St-Cyr calls it “a match made in heaven.”
The building – which overlooks the Ottawa River – can accommodate up to 269 patrons in the winter, and 410 in the summer when two patios open, says general manager Peter Chase.
And with the brew pub’s opening comes jobs.
Between servers, bartenders, line cooks and others, Chase says he’ll be hiring nearly 100 people.
And more may be needed come summer.
Mill Street is set to become a part of Ottawa’s growing microbrewery industry.
The French-owned Les 3 Brasseurs plans to open in May at the corner of Bank and Sparks streets.
And the local Clock Tower Brew Pub is opening a fourth location in Westboro this year.
“The more people that open these businesses, the more legitimacy it adds to the industry,” says Clock Tower owner John Coughlan.
Manning attributes the industry’s growth to people’s desire for more unique, quality products.
“Whether it’s coffee or cookies or ice cream, in the last 30 years North Americans have woken up to the fact there’s better stuff out there,” he says.
And Mill Street is no stranger to Ottawa.
It is a sponsor and the exclusive beer of Bluesfest.
Since Mill Street’s customers include pubs, opening a location here has raised the question of competing with the very businesses they supply products to.
That’s another reason why the location, far away from hot spots like the Byward Market, makes sense, Manning says.
Some pubs are still concerned, but overall the reaction has been positive, he says.
“I think (those pubs) will realize quite quickly that we’re just here to grow pub culture in Ottawa.”
To handle the Ottawa brewery Mill Street has tapped Adam Rader as head brewer.
He’s made the move from Toronto, where he worked the same job.
Rader’s job is to supervise the production of four beers, one of which will rotate on a seasonal basis.
Ten other beers will also be available, but those will come from Mill Street’s main brewery in Toronto.
Fermentation, ageing and packaging will all take place in-house.
The 80,000 litres of beer brewed annually will be sold at the restaurant and retail store and to local pubs throughout Ottawa.
Although originally scheduled to open in November, there were delays in equipment arrivals.
And fixing the old building has been more complicated than expected, Manning says, adding that it will be worth the wait.
“I absolutely love the fact we’re in this building,” he says. “It will be awesome.”