Kick & Push Brewing Company Open For Business

Jeff Green | Jul 06, 2022

While the beer industry has been ‘brewing’ in Frontenac County for a number of years, when the Kick and Push Brewing Company opened its taproom on June 29th and served two premise brewed beers, in addition to two beers brewed off-site, it marked the first-time beer that was brewed, kegged, and poured in Frontenac County in recent memory.

The first two batches of beer brewed at the gleaming new brew house and taproom are Bird Dog, a blonde ale, brewed with all Canadian ingredients, and a Relax Alice, more of a British style Extra Special Bitter with an Amber Ale finish. The other two beers on tap are the Mexican Style Cerveza MX 287, and Humility, a Lagered Ale. Both of them are Kick and Push beers, but they were brewed under contract at an offsite facility.

A traditional British style IPA, also brewed on the premises, is slated for release next week.

After a year of renovating, and jumping though planning hoops (the site plan agreement with Central Frontenac came through just hours before opening) as well industry standards, hydro requirements, equipment purchases and testing, co-owner/brew master Daniel Lees, was more than pleased to be able to open the doors and greet the first customers at the start of the Canada Day weekend.

“The response on the weekend was excellent. The community support kept us busy even though we did not do mush promotion before opening last week,” he said on Monday.

For now, the brewery is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4pm to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 12noon-8pm, and Sunday from 12noon-6pm.

Kick and Push beer is available on tap for drinking in the tap room and front patio at the site, and to take home in bottles. There are also snacks available at the taproom.

“We do not have a kitchen, so aside from bar snacks, it is a work in progress, but we are working with Seed to Sausage to develop a snack menu,” said Lees.

Also, because of the taproom license, the only alcoholic beverages that can be sold in the taproom are those that are made on site.

“We may apply for a different license, so we can offer wine or cider from other sources,” said Lees, “and if we do that, we could also offer beer from other breweries on tap. There are styles of beer that we are not likely to brew here, such as a sour beer, that other breweries do really well. We would like to be able to do that as well.”

They certainly have room, with ten taps available in the taproom.

But all of this is for the future. For now, brewing beer, staffing the taproom, making sure all the supplies are in stock, getting the word out about the brewery, landscaping and a host of other tasks are enough to keep him pretty busy for the time being.

One event that is coming up, which will be a perfect fit for the brewery, is running the beer tent at the Caboosefest in early August, the flagship event of the for the Sharbot Lake Railway Heritage Society.

Although the Kick and Push Brewery is the first one in Frontenac County to open its doors, there are three other breweries that have product on the market.

The Harrowsmith Brewing Company has three beers on the market, Spikes Corners IPA, Level Lager, and Heritage 1909 Wheat Beer. Karbon Brewery, from Wolfe Island, has Helios Helles Lager, J.E.D.I IPA, One World Wit available.

And the newest brewery on the block. Aside from the Kick and Push, The Local Brewery, has Hinch 1963, a lager, out now as well.

Karbon uses hops from the Wolfe Island Hop Yard, and Kick and Push is planning to do the same in the near future as well, so the Frontenac County brewing ecosystem, while still in its infancy, is certainly alive and kicking.

For further information about Kick and Push Brewery, go to kapbrewing.ca or check them on Facebook.