London’s smallest little brewery is about to grow, 15-fold.

The London Brewing Co-operative is moving to larger quarters in the Old East Village neighbourhood – where larger tanks have been installed and where owners plan to set up a small store, a tasting room and a lounge complete with old-school pinball machines.

The last nano-batch has been brewed at the Root Cellar Cafe, where it has had a home since 2014, said David Thuss, a secretary-owner of the co-op.

Those barrel-sized tanks, holding about 117 litres, have been taken out of service.

They’ve been replaced with shiny new tanks that have 15 times the capacity; that will make the nano-brewery a micro-brewery.

The London Brewing Co-op prides itself on its business model: an employee-owned brewery that uses locally grown ingredients and has a home in a resurgent, artisanal part of London.

“We’re trying to do quite a bit more than just brewing the beer,” Thuss said.

The aim is also to build the local economy and add value to the neighbourhood and the region, he said.

“What we do especially is try to build the local farming community around us,” Thuss said.

Its ingredients are sourced from Guelph, Chatham-Kent, Norfolk and Arkona.

Its new location at 521 Burbrook Pl., just north of Dundas St., means the co-op will be able to bring more brew to special beer-tasting events and be host to special events inside its new facilities.

Construction is still taking place inside the space, which Thuss described as “industrial chic.” It has a mezzanine where a Buck Rogers pinball machine is awaiting use when co-op opens officially, sometime in the next few months.

The London Brewing Co-operative shares the building with On the Move Organics, a local organic delivery company.

dvanbrenk@postmedia.com



David Thuss, worker-co-owner of London Brewing Co-op is pleased that the brewery is expanding in London, Ont. on Thursday November 24, 2016. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)