Just in time for seasonal cheer, Meaford has a new brewery. Kilannan Brewing Company introduced its first batch, fittingly called “The Inaugural”, recently – and we made a trip to the brewery in Rockford a couple of days ago for a quick tour (and taste, of course). We arrived there just in time. A few dozen silver cans, emblazoned charmingly with the peel-and-stick labels the brewer is using during the early days, were all that was left of The Inaugural.

The brewer is Spencer Wareham, at 22 the youngest commercial brewer in Ontario, and probably in North America. He began brewing beer four years ago. He reached the legal drinking age in Ontario a year later. “You can buy the ingredients for brewing at 18,” he says with a laugh.

He quickly found his passion in brewing and set out to study the craft at the Siebel Institute of Technology – the oldest brewing school in the U.S. – and at the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. Today he has a diploma in brewing technology and his own commercial brewery.

The Inaugural is an amber-coloured, light bodied, crisp beer with a mildly bitter finish. Spencer brewed it using American yeast while waiting on the German yeast he wants to make the altbier recipe he’s settled on. The second batch, in the new style, is being canned as we write.

Viewing the operation, you begin to understand the term “craft brewery”. While the stainless steel brewing vats and fermentation tanks look suitably industrial, when you see the canning station, you realize what a hands-on operation it is. While some of the roughly 1200 litres produced go into kegs, most of it is packaged, one at a time, by hand at the canning station.

Kilannan is named after the family farm near Annan, and Spencer’s dad is a big supporter – helping to man the shop on the day we visited. While his main recipe will be the German-style altbier, Spencer says that some day he may brew a beer using only local grains and hops.

Spencer Wareham with a glass of Killannan Brewing Company’s first offering: The Inaugural.

The holiday season seems to have kicked into gear here in Meaford.

At Meaford Hall, the Unique Boutique has already come and gone with its huge array of, well, unique and wonderful offerings and gift ideas offered through a silent auction.

Last weekend, the merchants of Meaford took off the paper and sheets covering their windows, so a stroll downtown welcomes you with holiday reminders at every step.

And as we speak, the Meaford Farmers’ Market (holiday edition) is getting underway for the first of four Fridays in Meaford Hall’s Terrace Room. “Local artisans have been busy helping St. Nick,” say the organizers. “Beautiful handcrafted jewelry, children’s toys, jams, jellies and pickles, bath salts, hip accessories and apparel for kids, yummy baked treats, honey, beeswax candles, handcrafted soaps and cards, maple syrup, local apple products, artwork, hand-painted treasures, tea, pottery and candies.”

You’ll also find gift baskets and gift certificates, and you can chase away the chill with a warm seasonal drink.

Thanksgiving in your retirement years might mean the long-deferred reward of letting the kids do the cooking and cleaning and entertaining, while you relax and enjoy the family gathering. But as the leaves blaze into their autumn beauty in the Beaver Valley and Georgian Bay seems to deepen to an even more impossible blue, you might find the family would prefer to visit you in your retirement community in Meaford.

To make it fun, here are some tips on how to make Thanksgiving at your Meaford and Georgian Bay retirement property the best ever.

1. Cater to the vegan teen…

…or adult. More and more people seem to be of the vegan persuasion these days, so you could very well be looking for a substitute for that plateful of turkey and gravy. While Thanksgiving often brings an autumn bounty of fruits and vegetables as starter courses or sides – such as squash, apples, and late corn – consider preparing a vegetarian main course and a vegetarian dressing (cooked separate from the turkey, of course!).

Here are some great recipes to get you started, including Butternut Squash and Mixed Mushroom Lasagna, Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes and Peas, Black Bean and Zucchini Tortilla Casserole, or Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie.

Make sure you make a lot; while these recipes cater to the vegans at the table, omnivores might just find themselves drawn to these tasty offerings, too.

2. Keep the grandkids happy, and the older folks will be, too.

A big family gathering is a surefire way to get children wound up. And as much as you want to enjoy watching them having fun, the decibel level can be trying as the kids get hyper, cranky, or both. Here are some ideas on how to occupy the young’uns before, during, and after dinner.

Need more ideas? Here’s a load of indoor and outdoor games to keep them occupied – and maybe even tire them out a bit.

Ideally, enlist some of the older kids as “supervisors” for the outdoor activities, and you can really relax

3. Manage the family dynamic

If you type “Thanksgiving family tips” into Google, number two is “10 Tips for Surviving Thanksgiving with the Dysfunctional Family”. At least one of these ideas is probably welcome at most Thanksgiving gatherings.

The article gives you ideas on how to deal with such familiar archetypes the mopey teen; the “challenging” uncle with the outspoken political views; the critical know-it-all; and the “fire-and-water” duo.

Today’s stop in our tour of local spirits takes us a little further afield, but we couldn’t leave off without sampling some of the delicious brews of this Grey County brewery.

Back in 1857, Henry Huether arrived in Neustadt, and while he loved the village, he immediately realized something was missing. A brewery. The springs at Neustadt provided clear, cold waters perfect for beermaking, and he hired a large team of German stonemasons to build a brewery over the springs. Within two years, the Crystal Springs Brewery was delivering barrels to taverns far and near, and it continued to do so for the next 57 years – except for a brief period when fire damaged the building, which was quickly remedied by thirsty farmers who brought in fieldstone to rebuild the brewery in exchange for beer.

By 1916, prohibition and a decline in the local population led the brewery to shut its doors, and Neustadt’s brewing days seemed over.

Nearly 75 years later, a couple from England with experience at breweries in Lancashire and North Wales visited Ontario and fell in love with it. Andrew and Val Stimpson moved here in 1995, with plans to open a pub, but Andrew couldn’t find a local beer that he liked. So he decided to brew his own, and settled on the abandoned brewery in Neustadt, where the springs still flowed through a network of caverns below, as the perfect location. After nearly a year of renovations, and 81 years after the original brewery closed up, Neustadt Springs Brewery released its first batch of beer. It sold out within five hours.

Andrew and Val Stimpson in one of the vaulted stone cellars below Neustadt Springs Brewery.

In the years since, the brewery’s offerings have earned a host of Canadian and international awards, and you can find its biggest sellers (10W30 Brown Ale, Neustadt Lager, and Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale) at many LCBO outlets. But when you visit the brewery (and book ahead to take a tour), make sure you bring home its less well-known, seasonal brews: Big Dog Beaujolais Porter, Texas Tea Honey Stout, 456 Marzen Lager, Mill Gap Bitter or The Sour Kraut.

After visiting the Creemore Springs village brewery and sampling the unique maple mellowed warmth of Collingwood Canadian Whisky, it’s time to return a little closer to home for a visit the uniquely local wines and ciders available just down the road.

We’ve already introduced Thornbury Village Cidery and the delicious Thornbury Premium Cider.

And we’ve paid a few visits to Coffin Ridge, which brought home two double golds from the All Canadian Wine Championships a couple of months ago. Coffin Ridge also has a very delicious (your blogger can vouch for it), fairly dry and tart cider. Their website describes Forbidden Fruit Hard Cider tastily: “Made from 100 percent organic Grey County apples this artisanal cider is cold pressed and filtered to preserve the fresh, crisp, new harvest apple flavours. Robust with a pleasantly intense finish and complex flavours of juicy apple and lemon Forbidden Fruit embodies the essence of autumn harvest.”

But there’s another new winery in the Southern Georgian Bay area, and like Coffin Ridge, it’s less than 15 minutes from Meaford Haven.

Back in 1998, founding partners Robert Ketchin, Murray Puddicombe and John Ardiel began conducting tests at four sites in the area to determine the best locations for a vineyard and which viticultural methods and grape varieties would prosper in the Georgian Bay region. In 2004, they planted a five-acre commercial vineyard on John Ardiel’s farm on the west side of the Beaver Valley, and eight years later, the estate-managed vineyard is producing more than 12 tons of grapes a year. Three years after those first vines were put in, the team planted a little more than 12 acres of vinifera and hybrid vines at Victoria Corners, just southwest of Sideroad 21 and Grey Road 2 near Ravenna. They harvested the first full crop there in 2010.

Georgian Hills Vineyards winemaker Lindsay Puddicombe

Under the guidance of winemaker Lindsay Puddicombe, the winery is already reaping the fruits of their labours. In fact, this year, Georgian Hills Vineyards earned the Silver medal in the red hybrid category for its Marechal Foch 2010. This well-balanced, complex red has flavours of black current, plum, and spicy oak nuances balanced with soft tannins and refreshing acidity, says the website’s tasting notes. “It pairs perfectly with lamb, duck, game meats, and burgers!”

Vanessa McKean talks about a Georgian Hills white with a visitor.

Plan your visit for the afternoon any day except Monday and Tuesday. The cozy cottage tasting room at Victoria Corners is open from noon to 5 p.m., and you can sample the wines (and buy your favourite), while enjoying a view of the vineyard set among the rolling hills, with the glint of Georgian Bay in the distance.

Next on our 30-mile spirits tour of the area around Meaford is Creemore Springs, which opened 25 years ago in the tiny village of Creemore, south of Collingwood. Start by enjoying the scenic drive that brings you there. From Meaford, head south on Grey Road 7, or as it’s known locally, the 4th line. This road climbs steeply out of town, and if you stop at the top, you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Georgian Bay and the sweep of Cape Rich. (By now, you’re probably familiar with it – though we hope still in awe of it.)

Continue along the road and down into the wide Beaver Valley until you reach the stop sign at Grey Road 13, below the looming face of Kimberley Rock or “Old Baldy”. Turn right here, and proceed through the quaint hamlet of Kimberley before climbing back out of the valley toward Eugenia. The Beaver Valley Lookout on your right might be worth a stop to enjoy the view. Then, through Eugenia until the stop sign at Grey Road 4. Turn left, and head east for 10 minutes or so until you reach another stop sign at Highway 124. Turn right here, and about 8 kms. later, turn left at Simcoe Road 9. This winding road descends through tree-shaded curves to the village of Creemore.

A right on the main street of town, Mill Street, brings you to the Creemore Brewery. Back in 1987, retired ad man John Wiggins decided the town’s old hardware store, which he owned, would make a perfect place for a brewery. A friend, who was a retired bottle manufacturing executive and soon-to-be-co-founder, had an artesian well on his Creemore property. Another partner, also retired, who happened to be a pipe fitter and welder – handy for all that copper equipment – came on board, and the team hired brewmaster Doug Babcook to create the original Creemore Springs Premium Lager.

Creemore Springs opened its doors on August 15, 1987 (which makes its 25th anniversary just a few weeks away), and the original batches of beer sold out in four hours. But as the beer was welcomed throughout the province (and eventually Quebec and Alberta, and even further afield), the brewery expanded to accommodate.

Your blogger enjoyed his first taste of Bohemian-influenced Creemore Lager a year after its launch during a visit to Collingwood, and declared it delicious. But more reputable beer tasters were already noticing. Michael Jackson, world-famous beer writer, soon declared Creemore one of the two best lagers in North America (the other no longer exists).

Since then, the brewery has introduced such beers as it’s UrBock, a heavier winter beer, launched in 1996; a Pilsner, introduced as a summer beer in 2007, but now made year-round; and Kellerbier, an unfiltered German-style beer, first produced in 2009.

In 2005, beer giant Molson bought Creemore, but the distinctive brews continue to be produced in the village, and the quality and flavour of the beer doesn’t seem to have suffered.

Take a tour of the brewery while you’re there, and enjoy a sampling of the Creemore offerings. And don’t forget to bring some home with you.

A couple of weeks ago, we related the tale of a Meaford spirit – the ghost that haunts the Meaford Museum. Today, we’re going to embark on a quest for another kind of local spirit.

The area around Meaford has a remarkable number of craftspeople producing unique and delicious alchoholic beverages. Whatever your “poison”, you can find a 100-mile spirit to wet your whistle. Actually, there are at least a half-dozen unique vintners, brewers, distillers and others within a 30 mile (or 50-kilometre) radius of Meaford. Get your thirst on, and get ready for a tour.

We’ll start with one of the newest flavours on the scene – though it comes from a long-established Canadian distiller. Back in 1968, Barton Distilleries built the Canadian Mist distillery on the east side of Collingwood. Three years later, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman purchased the distillery, and more than 40 years later, the company says that the Collingwood mist location is the longest-continuously-owned distillery in Canada. Most of the Canadian Mist bottles find their way to the states; it’s the second most popular Canadian whisky brand in the U.S., after Crown Royal – though whisky writer Davin de Kergommeaux says it doesn’t get enough respect, and is“probably the most underrated and misunderstood of Canadian whiskies.”

But a recent push by independent and major distillers to create more distinctive, “craft”, smaller-batch whiskies has taken root at Canadian Mist. In early 2011, Brown-Forman debuted Collingwood Canadian Whisky, which distinguishes itself as the only “maplewood mellowed Canadian whisky” available. The whisky is aged in oak barrels, and then rests with toasted sugar maple staves as a finishing step.

The whisky, which uses Canadian grains and fresh water drawn from Nottawasaga Bay (that’s the water you gaze out upon from Meaford), has been available in Canada for less than a year.

Collingwood Canadian Whisky and Nottawasaga Bay (photo: Canadian Whisky, www.canadianwhisky.org)

De Kergommeaux describes Collingwood this way: “Dark fruits, Concord grapes, roses and spring flowers with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Split cherry firewood with earthy rye and tingling hot pepper. Floral & Fragrant.” He also gives it a “highly recommended” four out of five stars.

You can pick it up at your local liquor store, or why not enjoy a dram by the waters of Nottawasaga Bay in Meaford?

Well, the Meaford Farmer’s Market has kicked off for this Friday as we write, so once we’ve filed this report, we might just mosey on down. It’s a special market day, as the event is part of the kick off to Canada Day weekend celebrations. There’ll be live music and, taking a page from the past, surrey rides through town. And of course, there’s all the goodies you can find every week, from organic meats and vegetables and herbs to baked treats and more – with many vendors offering tasty samples to entice you to buy. This year, chef Micheline Zammit, who works at Cobble Beach Golf Club, prepares free sample dishes featuring products she’s found at the market – try her creations, and pick up the ingredients at the vendors’ booths.

Beyond food, you’ll also find crafts and more. And don’t forget to get your duck race tickets (more below).

With your appetite taken care of, plan for a busy weekend. Here’s the schedule of events for Saturday and Sunday (you can rest up Monday.)

Saturday

8am-11am Meaford Hall
John McKay home product trade show

9am-11am Market square
MFRC pancake breakfast

9am-9:30am Market square near hall
Soap Box Derby registration

10am – Collingwood St to Bayfield St
Soap Box Derby race

10am – Downtown Meaford
BIA sidewalk sale
GBSS Idols & MCS buskers on the street

10am-4pm Meaford Foodland
Meaford Duck Race kick off BBQ

2pm- Sykes St bridge to Bridge St
Meaford Duck Race

11am&3pm Meaford Museum
Historical walking tour of downtown

noon-4pm – Nelson St at Meaford Hall
BIA surrey rides

noon-4pm – Meaford Hall
BIA scavenger hunt – pick up list

noon-4pm – Meaford Harbour
Sail Georgian Bay introduction to sailing

Sunday

9am-10am Eggcitement Bistro
Motorcycle Rally meet for breakfast
10am- Motorcycle Rally – ride starts

9am-4pm Bayfield Street
Golden Town Cruisers classic car show

10am-4pm Bayfield Street
Net Shed Book Depot open
Meaford Museum open

11:45am Meaford Community Centre
Form up for parade

Noon – Collingwood St to Harbour
Canada Day parade

Noon to dusk Harbour pavilion
Rotary Club food & beverages

12:45pm Harbour Entrance
• Singing of “O Canada”
• Mayor’s & Dignitaries’ speeches
• Flag Raising Ceremony – Anthem by Mike Weir & Sylvie
• Goldenaires Canadian Folk Song Medley by Bert Hood

1pm Rotary Pavilion at harbour
Birthday cake for 1000 – prepared & served by Canada Catering

Noon to 4pm Meaford Harbour
Family Fun Festival
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Meaford Fire Department
• Kid’s activities & games
• Sail Georgian Bay introduction to sailing
• OPP boat & K-9 unit
• Heritage Meaford display
• Beautiful Joe Heritage Society display
• Meaford Library display & activities
• Remote control car & truck display
• Skateboard demonstrations

2pm-9pm Meaford Harbour
Live entertainment
• Honeyhammers
• Bored of Education
• Vickie Van Dyke & Friends

2pm Meaford Museum
Historical walking tour of downtown

Dusk – Meaford Harbour
Meaford Kinsmen Club Fireworks

Last week, Meaford’s Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery brought home two double-gold awards from the All Canadian Wine Championships, the oldest and largest wine competition in the country. The double-gold awards recognize the best Canadian wine in each of 49 categories.

The 2011 L’Acadie took the top spot in the single white hybrids category, and the 2010 Marquette outshone all entries in the “other single red hybrids” category.

Both wines were produced from 100 percent Grey County grapes grown at the winery in the rolling hills northwest of the town of Meaford.

L’Acadie
Dry aromatic white
$19
Coffin Ridge is the only Ontario winery growing the l’Acadie white grape, which was developed in Ontario decades ago, and is widely used in Nova Scotia.

Marquette
Full-bodied red
$22
A hybrid of European and North American grape varieties, this cold-hardy grape was chosen by Coffin Ridge soon after the vinyards were first planted, and the winery says it has found “the new standard cold climate red grape variety.”

It might be the fresh Georgian Bay air. Or maybe it’s the huge choice of outdoor adventures and activities. Might even be the breathtaking scenery. But you can work up a healthy appetite here in Meaford Haven country, and fortunately there are a lot of local, fresh, homegrown food to be found.

Meaford’s 100 Mile Market opened back in 2007, so we’re no strangers to the charms of the locavore lifestyle. And somehow, a healthy retirement lifestyle fits perfectly with the “eat local” ethos enjoyed in these parts.

Here’s a tasty sample of local fare you can find within a short distance of Meaford.

Produce and more

Jarret Boyd
Organic produce grown in Meaford.

Marvelous Edibles Farms
Organic market garden veggies and berries. Berkshire pork products.

Freeman Farms Organic Garlic
Locally grown delicious garlic.

Beaver Valley Flower Farm
Potted perennials, fresh herbs, butterfly attractors, tomato plants, gourds, squash.

Meat and game

Twin Creeks Organic Farm
Grass-fed beef, grass-fed lamb, pastured pork, pastured poultry (chickens, turkeys, eggs), and a wide variety of organically grown vegetables. Twin Creeks considers their meat and produce “beyond organic” as they simulate the natural diversity in nature.
www.twincreeksfarm.ca

Scotch Mountain Meats
Pork and open pastured beef and lamb fed on GMO-free feeds grown on the farm. Heritage methods, principles and results culminate in an artisanal meat like no other.
www.scotchmountainmeats.com

Stoneyfield Farm
A selection of premium elk venison from farm-raised animals. No growth promoters and the Farm’s animals are raised on pasture in the summer and hay in the winter, supplemented at various times of the year with grains.
www.stoneyfieldfarm.com

Drink

Thornbury Village Cidery
Traditional dry, hard apple cider made from locally grown apples at popular cidery.
www.beerbarons.com/Brands/thornbury_brand.html

Coffin Ridge Winery
Award winning winery is Grey County’s first, featuring such offerings as Bone Dry Riesling, Back From the Dead Red and Into the Light White.
www.coffinridge.ca

Other food products

Meredith’s Ginger Syrup
Unique syrup enhances drinks, teas and food – produced here in Meaford.
www.meredithsgingersyrup.com

Sunnyside Honey
A family owned and operated business. The apiary produces a delicate, light tasting wildflower honey and you’ll find a variety of honey products, as well as 100 percent beeswax candles and handcrafted designer soaps.
www.sunnysidehoney.com

Ken’s Krunchy Dills
Home grown and preserved pickles, beets and relishes.

Maple Ridge Farm
Maple syrup and maple products.