“Do you want to experience a true Canadian date?” I was new to Canada and was ecstatic to experience the Canadian culture in all its glory. For my first ever true Canadian date, I was taken to a microbrewery and introduced to the true beer culture in Canada. The first stop was a microbrewery; my first introduction to the beer culture in Canada. This not being my first trip to a microbrewery, I went with the thought that I would know everything. Boy, was I impressed with the way Canadians prioritize their beers. Beer is Canadian pride, and I was lucky enough to have witnessed it on that summer night. A little over two years later, I sit in front of the co-founder of the biggest one-of-a-kind local brewery in my own neighborhood as they near their 10-year anniversary celebrating Canadian pride, speaking about one of Canadians favourite topics of conversation: Beer.
Andrea (Drea) Mulligan, the co-founder of Sleeping Giant Brewery Company in Thunder Bay, pulls up a chair in front of me and reminisces about the beginning. “Kyle and I loved beers, and we used to brew at home. We decided to share the love of beer with our community, which is how we started this microbrewery. The English Pale Ale beer, 360 Ale, was our first ever beer. When Kyle first noticed the fermentation, he phoned me immediately. We witnessed the bubbling and moulding with our eyes, and it was a moment of pride for us as we did it. In fact, we rubbed it like a genie bottle. I still remember the day we stared down a barrel of beer fermenting. The lid came off and we were soaked in beer. Looking back, it is one of my fondest memories with our brewery venture.”
Speaking about the first spark, for the couple, the goal was always to make good beer. If the goal aided in paying the bills and making money, it was the cherry on the cake. The couple started with a minor budget but loads of heart. The brewery saw a methodical growth. Starting with two employees as a family run business, the brewery produced three kinds of beer. Now, on their 10-year anniversary, the brewery employs more than 45 staff members and produce more than 18 kinds of beer, curated for every palate. 360 Pale Ale was the first homegrown brew, a fan-favourite to this day. Since then, the brewing company has quadrupled its capacity, and have grown to enhancing themselves as Thunder Bay’s brand ambassador. From a microbrewery, the sleeping giant brewing company is now exploring options as a beverage company by introducing non-alcoholic options.
“It is interesting, when we started, neither Kyle nor I had any business background. I was a teacher, and he was a family doctor. When the wave of craft beer hit, we were ecstatic because it was an opportunity for us to give the community an option to savour what we loved. We realized Thunder Bay had a huge beer population back in 2011. There were no shortcuts, no fads for us. We brewed for the right reasons, and all we wanted was to make great beer that people would love to enjoy. We love Thunder Bay, and love to support our local business, so we collaborate with our local vendors to source our ingredients and Thunder Bay has been the key to our success. What we want is Thunder Bay to be proud,” Drea adds.
For their 10-year anniversary celebration, the brewing company is hosting a feast for the local community introducing their beer infused menu in our very own backyard along with a back-to-school concept for the adults through their beer school. The beer school marks the 10 years with the nostalgia of school; for everyone to pick up their favourite beers, pair it with food that tell stories. The brewery will turn to throwback music and open their tap room to invite their local fellow beer lovers on a trip down the memory lane.
Although the couple and the brewery has come a long way and evolved into a Thunder Bay icon, Drea believes that the value and vision has remained consistent throughout the years. “We are doing the same thing we did 10 years ago, just a little differently. We do what feels right and we love what we are doing. We have become Northwestern Ontario’s premier brewery and we have a lot coming up. We are expanding our production area, bringing in a new canner in April. This will increase the speed and we need the space as we are growing. We are aiming to get our hometown beer hitting the markets in Eastern Canada and potentially exporting soon,” she adds.
Giving back to the Thunder Bay community has always been an important goal for this hometown brewery, and they have always been involved in being part of something special. Be it by supporting local vendors or being the first one to support the rainbow collective, the team’s priority is the local community in Thunder Bay. The team credits Thunder Bay for playing a huge key to their success.
As for me, I am dreaming of cranking open a fine can of craft beer as I wrap up the conversation with the co-founder of this gem in our very own backyard, the Sleeping Giant Brewing company. Where’s your vote? Northern Logger, my favorite or 360 Ale, fan favorite? Either way you cannot go wrong.
