On March 30, a new farmhouse brewery opened in Franklin. Owned and operated by Trevor Livingstone, this brewery is both a dream and a passion. The building itself took two years to build.
(Photothèque)
(Photothèque)
(Photothèque)
The farm building houses a tasting hall which can host 35 people. The owner hopes to build a terrasse with picnic tables next to the main building, so he may welcome even more people during the Summer.
Trevor Livingstone has been working on this project for a few years, now. With the help of his father and his uncle, he rebuilt the farm building which now houses the brewery as well as the tasting room. The frame of the building has been there for over 150 years. Everything else has been torn down and rebuilt according to today’s building code. The building is therefore brand new, from the heated floor to the rafters.
From the farm to the glass
Mr. Livingstone plans on farming the grains used in his beers. But this is a long-term project. In the first few years, he will not be able to grow everything on his land. He plans to purchase all the ingredients he doesn’t grow himself through local farms.
« The goal is to use as much as we can from the farm, and what we can’t get on the farm we will get from the region. If we can’t find something in the region, we will at least get it from Québec. We will always get our ingredients as close to home as possible.”
There are some exceptions to this: Canada does not dark roast barley in order to create strong beers such as the Stout. “There are companies in the United States that do this, and then there’s Germany and the UK that do the dark roasted. There are a couple of malting businesses in Quebec, which we will buy from, however.”
The idea behind the project was to create something unique, but also to help stimulate the economy within the region. Mr. Livingstone does his best not only to encourage local producers, but also producers from the younger generation, those in their early thirties. “People my age who just want for their business to get off the ground,” he explains.
Everyone is welcome
Eventually, the brewery will serve pizza along with at least four varieties of beer, an equal number of kombucha and a soft drink made from hops – sparkling hop water. For the time being, they will serve homemade pretzels. Since it is a tasting hall and not a bar or tavern, children are welcome!
