More and more craft breweries are using collaborations as a way to help promote their brand and distinguish themselves on the craft beer scene. Whether it be with a sports star, celebrity or local personality, collaborations are a great way to get craft beer into the hands of a whole new audience. Falcon Brewing Company, in Ajax, Ontario, is no different as they used a collaboration with a local radio station, 94.9 The Rock, to help boost their reach when they started up.

Before their partnership, Falcon had an interesting story of how they wound up in the region. Originally, they were the Stouffville Brewing Company and operated in the town north of Toronto. However, after running into location issues and not being able to find another suitable spot in Stouffville, they wound up in Ajax. With the move they needed to rebrand so they turned to their first beer, Red Falcon Ale, and Falcon Brewing Co. was born in March 2017. “Even though we were named Stouffville Brewing Co., we were best known for the Red Falcon Ale,” explained Kent Williamson, Falcon Brewing Co. Front of the House Manager. “So we rebranded and have been brewing out of this location for 13 months.”

While settling into their Ajax location, a mutual friend put Falcon in touch with The Rock. Falcon offered to do a beer with popular morning show hosts Craig Venn & Mike Luck. “The guys came to check out the brewery and we went through the styles to see what they liked. They really seemed to like our Extra Special Bitter (ESB), which is very similar to an English Ale, so that is what we went with,” said Williamson.

“It was great to go down and tour the brewery,” remembers Mike Luck. “Both Craig and I enjoy our beer but we usually stick with domestic. We had it narrowed down to the ESB and a Lager but then we thought if we go with the ESB we could call it Bitter and Brown, which we thought was hilarious because Craig is bitter and I’m brown!”

The reception of the beer was overwhelming for both the brewery and The Rock. “It was a popular one for us,” said Williamson. “We brewed it multiple times in our five-barrel system (500L) and each time it went quickly.”

“It was awesome! I mean we got to put our names and faces on the beer, our faces were literally on the label,” added Luck. “We were pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It was very easy to drink and its success was flattering to us. We always say that we can go on air and promote something but you don’t always get the response you are looking for. This was something we could personally speak to and we were happy to see people go out of their way to try it.”

Even with the popularity of Bitter and Brown, Falcon is by no means a one-trick pony. In fact, during my visit they had about 15 beers on their taps. Of course they continue to produce their flagship Red Falcon Ale, something they feel separates them from others on the scene. “At the time that we started, if you looked into the craft section there weren’t too many red ales. It was something I thought was a nice fit. It’s not overly bitter, it’s more on the malty side. People might get thrown off by the colour (not as red as a typical amber) but it’s a very drinkable beer. I think it’s a good one to introduce people to the world of craft beer,” said Williamson.

Williamson says that their beers aim to be interpretations of classic styles. They are not too far out there and take a simpler approach. They also have a smaller system in house that they do some experimenting on. If they feel those styles will be well received, they push them to the bigger system. However, ales tend to be the preferred style at Falcon.

Since being at their current location, Falcon has produced more than 30 beers and they are now in 25 bars in the Durham region. The Laggar Falcon Lager is currently in the LCBO but the brewery is looking to switch that to the Red Falcon Ale. Both the Lager and Ale can be found in Beer Stores and select grocery stores.

Like other craft breweries, Falcon has found success in hosting events. Williamson says that their live music nights are the busiest the brewery gets. Being right on the cusp of a residential area, there are many people close by who come out and so far the reception has been quite positive.

After a successful first year, Falcon is now looking at expanding their current facility and do on-site canning. They are also hoping that one of their multiple entries strikes gold at this weekend’s Canadian Brewing Awards in Halifax.

As for the Bitter and Brown, both sides seem optimistic that it will return. Given its popularity and success for both sides, it would seem like just a matter of time before it hits the airwaves of Durham again.

Cheers!

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Feature photo courtesy of Mario Matiz (Instagram: @calorphotos)