Kick & Push Ready For Year 2

Jeff Green | Jun 28, 2023

The Kick Push Brewing Company opened its doors one year ago this week, and while owner/brewmaster Daniel Lees has learned a lot over the past year, he would not claim to have everything worked out for his second summer.

But he does have a larger variety of beers on tap and in cans available, a Canadian Brewing Award and a loyal following, all things that were not in place a year ago.

This week, Kick and Push is starting to host events, something they are planning to keep going all summer. A back patio has been built to expand the capacity of the tap room and create an extra event space, and while the kitchen is not ready, it is coming soon.

But first to the beer. The originals are still there. Humility Lager and Mx207, a Mexican style Cerveza, which are both contract brewed. The in-house brews include Bird Dog- a Blonde Ale, with a light citrus finish, Relax Alice- the Amber Ale that won an Ontario Beer Award last fall, Locust- a British Style Pale Ale, and Loco – a lighter hoppy beer. All of the above beers came on stream last summer.

Over the winter, Kick and Push introduced SOS (Snowshoe Oatmeal Stout), which is all gone at the moment but will likely return when the snow returns. Another beer that was introduced in the winter and will stay on tap, and in cans this summer, is the Squeaky Wheel- a Wheat Beer with a Belgian twist.

And the newest beer to join the Kick and Push Family is KaPsize- a West Coast style IPA (India Pale Ale) that is reminiscent of some of the iconic IPA’s introduced several years ago when the Ontario craft beer scene was just getting all hopped up. Nickelbrook’s Headstock and Amsterdam Brewing Company’s Boneshaker come to mind, although KaPsize is a bit less intense, and more drinkable, than either of those beers. It does add a big IPA to the Kick and Push stable of beers, however.

With summer now here, and many bases covered in terms of beer styles, events are getting under way at the brewery. The first is this Friday Night, when the first acoustic Open Mic Night gets going at 6pm. Anyone can sign in for a 20-minute slot at the brewery, and everyone in the community is welcome to attend.

Then, on Sunday, it is time for Beer Yoga. There are only 10 spaces available for this event, which combines a 45-minute yoga lesson/session, followed by a pint once the yoga is over. The fee is $20, which also covers a sample 6 oz. beer before the yoga, the yoga, and the pint at the end.

And on the same day, the return of the KaP Run Club. Runners are invited to meet in the tap room at noon, ready to hit the trail for a recreational run.

Summer hours at Kick and Push are Sunday and Monday, from 12 noon-6pm, and Thursday to Saturday from noon-8pm. (Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday)

In addition to the tap room, canned beer is available for purchase.

It might take a couple of weeks to get all of the beers available, both on tap and in cans.

“It has been challenging to keep up with brewing, and some of the demand for canned beer to take home caught me by surprise,” said Lees, “so I am pushing more beer towards canning to make sure we have more available this summer.”

At the same time, renovations to the space to finish building a kitchen are ongoing.

“Once the kitchen is built, it will make it easier to hold events, and better for our tap room in general,” he said, “but like everything else, it is a lot of work to get it done, while keeping up with brewing. But being busy at the brewery is a good problem to have.”

Other Frontenac Breweries

Harrowsmith Brewing Company has now fully developed as an event space, and is planning to open their taproom and micro-brewery in the coming months. They have three beers available for sale at a number of licensed local retailers. The beers include Spike Corners IPA, and Level Lager, as well as their most recent beet, Heritage 1909, a Wheat Beer.

The Local Brewery has been participating in beer events around the region and selling beer at retail outlets. They have the Hinch 1963 Lager for sale, as well as Lowery Mills Ale.