GUELPH — Phil and Lesley Woodhouse used to joke with each other about one day owning a brewery.

The Guelph pair each had their own fields of work — Phil with his background in the pharmaceutical industry and Lesley with her bookkeeping and small business consulting jobs.

But the allure of being part of the craft brewery scene has been pulling at them for years. The two were just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself to get involved in the industry.

A few weeks ago, the chance they were waiting for finally came, and they didn't hesitate to jump on it.

Phil Woodhouse, 45, and wife Lesley are now the proud owners of Guelph's StoneHammer Brewing, formerly F & M Brewery. One of their first actions was to officially change the name of the business.

"Everyone knows us by our brand, very few people know F & M," Phil said in a phone interview Tuesday.

"We just put out a survey to a lot of beer drinkers just to get feedback and a small percentage had heard of F & M, but a much larger percentage had heard of StoneHammer."

To grow the business and remove the confusion, the rebranding was needed, Phil said.

The transition of ownership has been smooth. The Woodhouses made it a point to retain all of the company's employees, as well as brewmaster George Eagleson.

The flagship brands of StoneHammer Dark, Pilsner, Light, Pale Ale and Oatmeal Coffee Stout won't be changing at all, but the brewery is looking to add more seasonal flavours and one-offs to its mix throughout the year.

"I haven't stopped smiling yet," Lesley said while sitting at a bar in the brew shop on Elmira Road North. "I think it's going to be an amazing journey."

It was last year, through Lesley's bookkeeping business, that the Guelph couple discovered the former owner, Frank Cerniuk, was thinking of selling the brewery. Neither of the Woodhouses have any real experience in brewing, but Phil said the pair will aim to bring other qualities to the table to help the business succeed.

Phil said his organization and project management skills will help the company grow its capacity and make things more efficient. Lesley will be tackling the administrative and bookkeeping side of things, something she's done for the past 20 years.

The world of craft brewing has been growing in leaps and bounds in recent years.

Phil said in 2014 between 40 and 50 breweries started up in Ontario alone. StoneHammer already has an established reach in and around Guelph, but it mostly serves bars and restaurants. The new owners said they plan to grow more on the retail side while also expanding into new establishments.

Russ Bateman, one of the owners of Royal City Brewing Company, said he met with the Woodhouses for the first time last month at a gathering of local brewers in preparation for Georgeapolooza, the annual celebration of local beer, brewers and the birthday of StoneHammer's head brewer, Eagleson.

Bateman said the local craft brewing scene is a friendly one with collaborations between brewers taking place all the time. Between the big three craft breweries in Guelph — Wellington Brewery, Royal City and the former F & M — it's been more camaraderie than competition.

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Bateman said he doesn't know the Woodhouses very well yet, but they seem to approach the beer differently than the previous owner of F & M.

"The new owners seem to be more into the craft independent scene and doing some interesting things, so I think we'll see a lot more interesting stuff from them in the next couple of months," he said.

Phil said the brewery plans to hold a launch party sometime this summer, possibly in conjunction with the 20-year anniversary of the former F & M Brewery.