A year ago, four friends got together over a few drinks lamenting the fact that they couldn’t get a good beer in Thunder Bay.
Unlike other drinks that get better with time, beer is better fresh and the city didn’t have a brewery. The friends decided that day to make a change in the city and the Sleeping Giant Brewing Company was born.
“We just said ‘you know what, if we’re going to do it, let's do it right now’,” co-founder Kerry Berlinquette said.
On Friday afternoon, the company opened its doors at 964 Cobalt Crescent for the first time.
“We’re pumped. We’re ready to go sell some beer,” she said.
Even before the doors were open, a steady crowd of people were filing in to get a taste of the company’s two brews.
The beer is only sold in a 1.89 litre glass jug called a growler.
Patrons buy the jug for five dollars and then its 11 or 12 dollars to fill it up. When you bring it back, the growler is exchanged for a new one and only the fill fee is required.
“That’s it,” Berlinquette said. “It’s fun.”
Brewer Kyle Mulligan has made a year-round 360 Pale Ale and the summer time Elevator Wheat beer so far. But seasonal and limited edition drinks are on the way.
“We’re really going to experiment and see what people like and then take our cues from our customers and see what types of tastes they like and go from there,” Berlinquette said.
The brewery is open Fridays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The beer is also available on tap at 15 different places throughout the city.
