By Daryl Gonsalves –
Thirsty? A new craft lager-focused community hub in the Distillery District boasts high-quality beer and cider, welcoming staff and a comfortable atmosphere. To get the inside scoop on what Old Flame is all about, I connected with Drew Doak, the brewery’s Brand Experience Director.
Old Flame’s tagline is “Worth Remembering’’, and Drew indicated it is drenched in nostalgia. Old Flame’s website coyly jokes that they believe in drinking to remember instead of drinking to forget.
Old Flame cherishes the memories of the communities and relationships that built them and looks to create moments in the present that endure. Old Flame achieves this by building spaces where friends can come together to enjoy their beers, meet new people, listen to live music and deepen their connections within the community. Old Flame currently operates a location in Port Perry and Newmarket, both of which are housed in historical buildings. It is fitting that they chose the Distillery District as a location for their newest offering. On their website, they proudly note that they preserve the local antiques and historical artifacts that are found in the old building they occupy to give their brewery the warm character.
How does their beer taste? Drew proudly noted that the 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards anointed Old Flame as Canada’s most awarded craft lager brewery. Old Flame focuses on German-style lagers but offers a variety of other seasonal and specialty beers. To expand its craft cider range, Old Flame recently acquired Two Blokes Cider in Seagrave (near Lake Scugog).
When Old Flame was initially proposed, there was hesitation from the community at the thought of another institution that served alcohol at the Distillery. After navigating a long approval process, acquiring the right licenses and engaging the concerned community members, Old Flame was finally able to open its door in the Distillery District at 43 Tank House Lane with a space that aims to be the community’s collective lounge and “living room.” Entering Old Flame, you will notice vintage couches and seating in an atmosphere that is friendly to dogs as well as people.
Old Flame Brewing Co., 43 Tank House Lane, in the Distillery District. Photo: Daryl Gonsalves
How does Old Flame differ from the competition? First, Drew said, the brewery offers quality craft beer at affordable prices served by attentive staff. Second, Old Flame is not positioning itself as a bar or a restaurant but as a community hub. Community partners are to provide a variety of food pop-ups to accompany the award-winning beer and cider. Mondays offer two-for-one flights of beer, Tuesday is Local’s Night, Wednesday has Trivia and Thursday sports an open mic. Friday is Bands night with barbeque and live music; Saturday and Sunday also feature live performances.
To celebrate the opening of their new Distillery location, Old Flame is hosting and selling tickets to a house warming on March 23 to try beer from local breweries, have some food and listen to good tunes.
In addition, Drew wanted readers to know that Old Flame is also open for private event bookings. For more information, contact Drew at [email protected].
