Explore Craft Beer and Wine!
Raise a glass to those small producers who work with passion and pride. There’s a reason for the craft brewery and wine boom that’s happening across Ontario—and in our own back yard in Cobourg and the surrounding hills.
Visit these surrounding spots on your next Cobourg staycation with our custom self-guided tour map tp taste the beverages and meet the makers. Raise a glass!
Ganaraska Brewing Compnay
Located in our next door neighbour Port Hope Ontartio, Ganaraska Brewing Company crafts creative, innovative, and balanced beers that explode with flavour. Located in the historic town of Port Hope, just a stone’s throw from Lake Ontario, our brewery’s products challenge the mainstream and will change the way you enjoy beer.
Rolling Grape Vineyard
Located just north of Port Hope in Bailieboro, Ontario the Rolling Grape Vineyards mission is to serve good wine, good food and good times!
Celebrate the Kawartha’s first grape-to-glass vineyard experience. From live music on our outdoor wine & dine patio, to our fall Harvest parties. Create a new tradition with them!
For information on their menu, group bookings, and wine tastings, visit their webiste.
Northumberland Hills Brewery
For a guy who didn’t even like beer when he first tried it in high school, Rick Bailey, co-owner and the man behind the brew recipes, has found his true calling—if fans of Northumberland Hills Brewery have anything to say about it. As most followers of the craft brew movement agree, there’s a difference between mass-produced light beer, and the depth of taste from craft beers, like his personal choice, Supercontinental Ale. “It’s balanced,” he says. “Nice malt flavour finishes with hop flavour. It’s easy to drink and easily our bestseller.”
Rick’s focus is on top-notch ingredients, and promoting those made locally, like the honey for Honey Badger Wheat Ale and maple syrup for the wonderful Maple Ale. He is now producing the official beer of the Cobourg Kodiaks pro lacrosse team, new to town this year. Drink to the team!
Church-Key Brewing Co.
As the name suggests, this microbrewery is situated in 1878 Methodist stone church on the outskirts of Campbellford. Their full-flavoured beers and ales are worth prayers of thanks, according to devotees of the brand.
Brewery founder, John Graham, worked as a brewer and filter operator at microbrewery in Toronto before coming to the pastoral countryside to open Church-Key in 2000.
John’s award-winning brews, including his flagship Northumberland Ale, are served in watering holes around the province—but if you make the trip to Campbellford, make sure to take the brewery tour and stop in at John’s Church-Key Pub & Grindhouse in town for great local beer, good food and live entertainment. For good measure, make sure to try a bottle of Church-Key Holy Smoke…
Tasting Tours
Local author, poet and foodie, Tracey Gainforth, says Cobourg has so much rich history—and great eating—she decided to share her born-and-raised-here insights with the public. “Cobourg is a place that if you leave, you always long to come back,” she says. She spent years away in Peterborough and Ottawa, and returned to town last year.
Take one of her walking or cycling food tours and you might taste charcuterie by Chef Andrew Stewart at 92 King, brownie bites from the Dutch Oven, cheese bread from MillStone Bakery, and more. She’ll also tell you stories about some of the historical sites and glory days of the beach and harbour. Part history lesson, part sweet and savoury tasting adventure! Northumberland Culinary 613-853-3250
The Bickle Farm Valley Hops
Just north of Port Hope, where most farms grow conventional crops or pasture cattle, The Bickle Farm – Valley Hops has cultivated the old tradition of growing hops close to home. Fewer growers across Ontario, like the Bickles, are good news for craft brewers who pride themselves on diversity, rather than homogeneous products, and are keen to give fresh local hops a try. While Brandon Bickle can give you the farm tour, here are the need-toknow- essentials for beer lovers: hops are the greenish flowers on the bines that contain lupulin resins used to give the beer its bitterness and fragrance.
It also acts as a preservative. In fact, after yeast and water, the type and extent of hops used in your beer probably has the most profound impact on how it smells, tastes and feels. Here’s your chance to check out this key ingredient at the source.
As for his growing customer base, it’s 30 percent women, because a lot more women are drinking good beer. Likely right from the bottle.
