From one family’s love…

When I sat down with Mary Beth Keefe, head brewer at Granite Brewery, I asked her whether she believed there was a ‘craft beer lifestyle,’ and, if so, what that might mean to her. Being a part of a family business with a history, like Granite Brewery, means that she’s been on payroll since she was 11 years old. If anyone might have a hint at what a craft beer lifestyle is then, it’s got to be Mary.

“The way that I’m interpreting that question is – well, I pretty much only exclusively drink Ontario craft beer. I just love the idea of supporting local and the people in my local industry.

“And that’s something that I’m blown away by on a daily basis almost: if you need help from another brewery, like Amsterdam for instance, I’ve gone to them many times, because I’m known for being last minute,” which we chuckle together about before she continues, “And, so – I’m going to brew a beer tomorrow, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have any of this grain!’ There’s no way of getting it in time, so I’ll ask Ian at Amsterdam if he happens to have any. He’s always like, ‘Oh ya, for sure – just take it.’ And he’ll just give me the grain.

“Or hops – that’s happened before – I couldn’t find Azacca hops, and Great Lakes just gave me the hops. It’s always like this. Just everyone always willing to help; if you have any questions, they’re always willing to give you the answers or give you their advice or whatever. So just being like that, as well, being helpful and doing what you can for the people – that’s the craft beer industry…

“I don’t know – just, I love my job… I don’t know, it’s just such a great industry to be a part of.”