These 2 northern Ontario craft breweries are getting recognized provincially

Two northern Ontario craft breweries are celebrating big wins at the Ontario Brewing Awards, which recognize the best craft beers in the province.

Timmins' Full Beard Brewing took home four awards, cementing its reputation as a top-tier craft brewery. 

Its amber ale On the Banks of the Mattagami earned silver in the American amber and brown beer category, while the fruity Scrumdidlyumptious also took silver in the fruit beer category. The brewery's historical beer creations were dual winners, with Madder Than a Wet Hen and Bearded Prospector earning silver and bronze respectively.

"It's quite humbling," said Andrew Easthope, Full Beard Brewing's head brewer.

"It's being in a room full of absolutely amazing breweries and brewers and to be acknowledged as one of the better breweries in Ontario is amazing. We didn't prepare to win medals but getting the recognition is really humbling."

Easthope said the brewery produces all its beers on-site in Timmins and credited the local community for its strong support.

In Sault Ste. Marie, OutSpoken Brewing claimed three awards. 

Its Mile Hill Lager, celebrated for its crisp, balanced flavour, won gold in the standard American beer category. Precambrian, an American porter, earned silver, and the Italian pilsner Maglia Rosa picked up bronze in the international beer category.

Ryan Markkula, one of OutSpoken Brewing's co-owners, expressed excitement about the recognition, particularly since the brewery reopened under new ownership in late 2023. 

"We took ownership from a previous owner, so it's been our first year and winning awards in our first year is great. It really makes us happy and motivates us to kind of keep going with this place," he said.

The brewery, which recently added a kitchen to its taproom, prides itself on crafting unique beers with locally sourced ingredients. 

"We make what we want to drink… we're always trying to find something that nobody else is doing, especially in town," Markkula said.

Both breweries see the increasing availability of craft beer in grocery and convenience stores as an opportunity to grow. 

Easthope said, "We have seen a great uptake in grocery stores picking up our beer and it's been wonderful to see the response… [We're] having to deliver there constantly because people are enjoying our beers."