More than a year after purchasing a property in Carnarvon, Haliburton Highlands Brewing is hosting its grand opening this Saturday, June 21.
Co-owner Michael Schiedel-Webb said renovations began in January and wrapped up in April for the front of house, with a merchandise area, seating, kitchen, bar and fully-accessible washrooms.
“It’s cozy. Folks are liking it. We’re liking the new home. We’re going to see a lot of new traffic and folks who didn’t realize we’d been here for 10 years,” the proprietor said. Haliburton Highlands Brewing had been located at Abbey Gardens prior to its move.
The front of house indoor space is greatly expanded from the previous site.
Schiedel-Webb said they wanted to keep the space open. They have also maintained the original floorboards from the 1930s. “They’ve had repairs and patches over the years. But we’ve had so many people come in and say ‘I remember coming in here and buying penny candy’.”
In the fall, they are going to close down so the floors can be redone but Schiedel-Webb said they’ll try to keep the burn marks from the previous fires as “it’s part of the story of this building.” Speaking to history, there is a pew from the former Zion United Church across the road.
The space is already being used for events, something the former location could only accommodate outside. SchiedelWebb said they’re hosting CanoeFM radio bingo dinner nights, a book club through the Haliburton County Public Library, a stitch n’ sip, ukelele jam sessions, and rug hookers. For groups, they customize their menu.
They’re now doing something called ‘last mile meals” where cottagers can pre-order by Thursday and pick up Friday evening. Along with beer, they will have summer cocktails and mocktails, and offer a brewery brunch on days the nearby Mill Pond Restaurant is closed. They have barbecues and smokers, too, in addition to their kitchen.
Live music is back in the beer garden weekends in summer.
As for the grand opening, Schiedel-Webb said it’s an opportunity to introduce people to what they are doing. They’ll have a pig roast and live music from noon to 4 p.m.
Once they get through summer, the next step will be renovating the production side of the operation. It will get them back to large capacity production, from small capacity production.
“It’s shaping up to be a good location. We’re still learning about the location. We’ve always done everything very organically, so as things change and as things shift, we’ll adjust to meet whatever needs are happening in the community. It’s up to our customers how they want to use the space. It’s not for us to dictate. Let’s give you the space to do the things you want to do.”
See more on their Facebook page.
