Brewing up golden suds in Timmins: full Beard Brewing opens its doors.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: TIMMINS

Jonathan St-Pierre had been helping restaurants and home brewers pour the perfect draught beer for 13 years before deciding Timmins deserved its own brew, and that he should be the man to deliver it.

As the owner of Tap It! Draught Services and Supplies, St-Pierre sells, rents and installs draught beer equipment, services the equipment, and even provides bartending services. But for the last three years, he had been brewing his own a concept for a local beer.

At the end of January, he and a partner launched Full Beard Brewing --named for St-Pierre's lush, woolly scruff--which is currently brewing nine ales from a refurbished 4,800-square-foot building near the city's downtown core.

"We're trying to be a positive in the City of Timmins," St-Pierre said. "There is a lot of negativity quite a lot of times, and we're building something here, and I think we want to keep this city going. If we can be part of that in any way, that'd be awesome."

The brewery's signature beer is the Five O'clock Shadow, described as a "clean, crisp ale with a hint of bitterness," that appeals to a wide range of palettes.

Also on the menu is the Aussie Aussie Aussie Eh! Eh! Eh!, a combination of Aussie sparkling ale and Canadian blonde ale, inspired by head brewer, and Australian, Andrew Easthope, and his partner in life and brewing, Canadian Kirby Breeze-Scott.

There's also the Bearded Prospector, a straw-coloured cream ale derived from a combination of barley and corn. It owes its origin to Timmins' early prospectors--many of whom were bearded--who built the city and its mining legacy.

Rather than introduce speciality products that serve only a niche market of beer connoisseurs, St-Pierre wants to make varieties that appeal to a wide range of customers.

"We're producing beers that people can drink," he said.

The building itself is striking for the large window front, where visitors can immediately get a glimpse of the brewery's inner workings. Inside, guests can enjoy a beer at a table in the taphouse, or grab a stool at the bar and chat with staff about the brewing process.

The open design was intentional, as it allows visitors to get a peek into the operation without tying up staff too busy to give tours.

"Everybody that comes in here, they're fascinated by seeing it, and they don't have to walk behind (the bar); they can see everything, which is nice," St-Pierre said. "The interaction's there."

Full Beard currently has the capacity to brew 13,000 litres of beer...