The Story of River Road Brewing & Hops
Nikki and Dave both grew up in Bayfield.
As children, they enjoyed playing in Clan Gregor Square, swimming at Lake Huron’s beaches and the relaxing pace that a small town had to offer. As young adults, they began to explore bars and restaurants in town, welcoming places for late night drinks and hang outs – both creating unique, lasting relationships with local business owners and friends.
They met at Harry’s, a local bar and hot spot in Bayfield at the time. It was from there they forged their life together. They were married in Bayfield at Pioneer Park and happily lived in the heart of this sweet little town that they loved so much. As their family grew, they realized they needed more space, and this is where the true adventure began!
The property that River Road Brewing is located on was once a flourishing orchard that welcomed tourists and locals to pick and purchase apples. However, when Nikki and Dave purchased it, this was not the case. The trees and property had been left to grow wild, but this didn’t discourage them as they saw the potential in such a beautiful piece of land. Unfortunately, the apple trees were old and diseased, so the choices were to either pull the trees and replant or pull and start something new.
Nikki and Dave spent a lot of their spare time touring and enjoying craft breweries all over Ontario, the USA and Scotland. The great flavours and uniqueness that each brewery had to offer was appealing to them both. Having a strong Scottish background as well as a passion for home brewing and ales… their choice for the future of the land was a no brainer.
Dave started playing with growing hops and brewing different styles of ales while Nikki set forth on developing a solid business plan for what they knew would be a long road ahead. For 2 years they strategized, planned and worked towards their goal of a farm-based brewery; knowing that they wanted to grow their own hops and barley, be as sustainable and environmentally conscious as possible, with the potential to always integrate new ideas into the mix. Finally, after a long period of trial and error, their passion came to life in what we now know as River Road Brewing & Hops.
River Road Brewing & Hops is Huron County and Bayfield’s first farm-based brewery dedicated to providing delicious, high quality crafted beers and produce. Each of the beers produced offers a unique tasting experience.
The ingredients that go into making each beer are grown right on the farm, giving a new meaning to the word ‘fresh’ and resulting in a taste like no other. On site at River Road Brewing & Hops, just outside of Bayfield Ontario, you will be welcome to wander the hop yards and farm fields to view the craft from start to finish.
River Road Brewing supports sustainable brewing, from our wood fired boilers, to feeding spent grain from the brewing process to our herd of highland cattle. We invite Craft Beer enthusiasts to enjoy Ontario’s West Coast with its local splendor, quaint villages, beautiful beaches and delicious elixirs.
River Road Brewing & Hops looks forward to a future of continuing growth and fantastic beers focused on fresh, pure flavours.