While you were sleeping the past two years, Orléans has become a craft beer lover’s dream destination. The Stray Dog Brewery was the first to appear on the scene – opening their Taylor Creek Business Park location in September 2017. A little under two years later, the Orléans Brewing Co. opened its doors on Innes Road.

The latest addition to the microbrewery scene in Orléans is Broadhead Brewing Company, located just around the corner from Stray Dog on Vimont Court.

Despite not being a beer drinker herself, Orléans MP Marie-France Lalonde was happy to join co-founders Jason Larocque and Jamie White for the grand opening of the Broadhead Brewery taproom on Nov. 25 in the Taylor Creek Business Park. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

The company actually predates Stray Dog and OBC by several years. Co-founders Josh Laroque and Jamie White started brewing beer out of their homes 15 years ago.

In 2011, the two engineers and two other co-founders who are no longer with the business moved out of their garages and into a 1,000 sq. ft. space where they started brewing commercially.

It didn’t take long for their beer to catch on and before long they were a number of establishments across Ottawa. As sales grew, so did demand and in pretty short order they started looking for a place to expand their operations.

They eventually settled on their current location in the Taylor Creek Business Park. It took a few months to get the brewing equipment set up and functioning and even longer to turn the front part of the space into a taproom where members of the public can come in and sample their nine different brands. The official opening was held on Nov. 25.

“We want people to come in and look around and enjoy a pint,” says Laroque.

Guided tours can be arranged through the company’s website at broadheadbeer.com. The cost is $20 per person and in-cludes six samples along with a souvenir glass you can take home with you. The difficult part is choosing which beers to sample first.

Among the options are the Under Ground Pale Ale, the Grind Stone Amber, the Long Shot White, the Back Bone Standard blonde ale and the Night Shift Stout. All of the beers are also in available in cans to be purchased and enjoyed at home.

Besides individual tours, Broadhead can also accommodate group outings. To find out more about the Broadhead Brewing Company visit www.broadheadbeer.com.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)