Feature: Northern Superior
Who doesn’t like an ice cold beer especially as we start to see temperatures start to heat up in Sault Ste. Marie?
(It’s no secret that I have been known to enjoy a cold beer or two, especially in the summer months.)
Well, the Sault is fortunate to have two breweries in operation and without question, Northern Superior Brewing Company as its predecessor Northern Brewery, has a storied history here and has been quenching the thirst of residents for many, many years.
In fact, the brewery has been an integral part of the community for over 100 years!
There was a period of almost ten years in the early 2000s where the doors were shuttered, that is until a few local entrepreneurs who didn’t want to see a piece of Sault Ste. Marie’s history die, began the redevelopment of the brewery to what is now known as Northern Superior Brewing Company.
Northern Superior Brewing Company, located adjacent to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre at 50 Pim Street in the Sault’s downtown area, is devoted to crafting beer that has the same taste and quality that “Northern” drinkers had been used to.
For the historians, a look at the history of the Northern Superior Brewing Company reveals that it was in the 1880’s that a man by the name of J.J. Doran who owned a hotel in North Bay partnered with the Mackey and Fee families began to brew beer in 1907. They opened a brewery in Sudbury that was called the Sudbury Brewing and Malting Company. Business went well and four years later, they bought the Soo Falls Brewing Company whose history dates back to 1899 here in Sault Ste. Marie followed by the purchase of the Kakabeka Falls Brewing Company which dates back to 1906 in Fort William.
Business flourished for many years but as can happen, a decision was made to sell the company in 1971 to Canadian Breweries but it still operated under the name Doran’s Northern Breweries. In July of 1977, history was made when the employees of Doran’s Northern Breweries purchased the company back from Canadian Breweries and Northern Breweries became the very first employee owned brewing cooperative in North America.
The brewery even began to market its beers in Southern Ontario and people took notice, namely an investment group led by Leo Schotte. Schotte hired a well respected Canadian brewing veteran by the name of William Sharpe to act as president. In 2005, under Sharpe’s leadership, with an ever increasing competitive market in the brewery scene, the company announced a major rebranding plan which saw the retirement or many of the old products and bringing in more modern brews and a change in the brand identity.
The beer business can be challenging and highly competitive and it struggled at times as more and more breweries popped up across the province and in December of 2006, the company stopped production at the Sudbury facility.
It seemed like the end of Northern Breweries but thanks to a small group of local investors who had an interest in keeping local brewing history alive, they began the redevelopment of the Northern Superior Brewing Company and because of this group, Northern lager flows again right here in Sault Ste. Marie!
Northern Brewing Company has several lagers and ales and you are sure to find a favourite among the options.
Current offerings include their number one seller Northern Superior which is clean, crisp with a dry finish, Mulligan’s Irish Red Ale, a balanced, easy drinking brew with caramel and toasted notes, Red Maple, an Irish red ale with maple flavour, Northern 55, an Oktoberfest style with malty sweet notes and a spicy hop bitterness, Northern 11PM, a traditional German black lager with coffee and chocolate notes, 17 North, an unfiltered wheat pale ale described as citrus mango with a real kick in the teeth, and Northern Hefeweizen, a German style wheat beer that is cloudy, lightly hopped with clove and banana notes.
It is worth noting that the local dining scene has been very supportive and proud to carry Northern products at their locations and a look at their website reveals that it is currently available at 55 locations in the Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma and Sudbury regions.
In addition to their storefront and online store, the products are also available for purchase at several local grocers, Loblaw’s Stores across Ontario, three Sault Ste. Marie LCBO stores, the LCBO stores in Goulais and Echo Bay, the Lasalle LCBO in Sudbury, and the Cumberland Rd. LCBO in Thunder Bay.
The brewery has convenient online ordering available 24/7 and they will deliver for free with a minimum $30 spend. The online store has all their products, clothing and for those that may want something other than beer, there is even an option to get a 6 pack of Northern 55 with a bottle of local Thomson’s Farm raspberry/blueberry champagne.
For those needing a larger supply, consider getting a mini-keg of your favourite Northern product which holds 20 litres for $100! The online store also features a kegerator for the serious draft beer fans; check out the site for details!
The spacious location has a tap room that is ever evolving which has hosted many live musicians in what is a very cool venue with a lot of character.
Stay tuned to the Northern Superior social media page for further changes in the months to come.
(The Tap Room can be rented for private events with a very reasonable rental rate of $200 plus HST for 3 hours with beer prices set at $5 for 16 oz. or samples of 5 oz. for only $2 each so people can try a few. Open parties with a server are also an option with a server provided but room will be open to the public and beer price set at $5 each HST included. Note: the Tap Room is closed currently due to Covid-19.)
Tours can also be arranged. Contact the brewery to set it up although this option is also currently not available due to Covid-19.
Dispensary hours are Monday to Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and delivery hours are Monday to Saturday from 4-8p.m.
Orders are accepted by phone at 705-450-SHOT or online through their website at www.northernsuperior.org
For future event or tap room bookings, contact Trevor at [email protected]
Northern Superior…refreshingly superior!