(Above: Kathy and John vanDyk, owners of Covered Bridge Brewing)

Covered Bridge Brewing is planning a Halloween-themed beer as part of a collaboration with ‘Wiches Cauldron. It’s the latest in a series of partnerships with other Stittsville businesses.

The new beer, called “‘Wiches Brew”, is a black IPA (a dark, flavourful hoppy beer reminiscent of a stout or porter), made with ingredients that include fresh hops from a farm in nearby Perth and from brewery owner John vanDyk’s own backyard. It will be available at a food pairing event on October 31, that will include a special menu from ‘Wiches Cauldron, the popular food truck on Carp Road.

“We’d been stopping in there for a soup and a sandwich,” says vanDyk, the owner and brewer at Covered Bridge. “One day they saw my (Covered Bridge) shirt and asked what it was about. They are cool people. We enjoy their food and they enjoy our beer.”

The brewery, located on Iber Road, has previously collaborated with Gaia Java coffee (“The Covered Bridge Double Double”, described as “a sweet stout with hints of coffee and chocolate”), and has done a tasting event with Kanata chocolate company Jojo Coco. A second event with Jojo Coco is planned for later this fall.

Two more beers are planned for the coming months:

An Irish red beer called “Seoirse The Great” will be released this weekend. Seoirse is Irish for George, the name of vanDyk’s grandfather who passed away just before the brewery opened last December.

will be released this weekend. Seoirse is Irish for George, the name of vanDyk’s grandfather who passed away just before the brewery opened last December. “Mustache Smash” is being brewed starting this weekend and will be ready for November. “It’s called Smash because it’s brewed with a single malt and single hop,” says vanDyk.

You can sample their beer at the brewing and retail outlet on Iber Road, or on tap at several area restaurants. Several varieties of Covered Bridge beer are available at the Cheshire Cat Pub and Kung Fu Bistro in Stittsville, as well as the Greystone Grill in Dunrobin and several locations downtown.

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