Connecting people…

Sitting at a 4-top table in the front area of the brewpub, I spoke with co-owner and head brewer of Laylow Brewery, Colin Weadick, about what a ‘craft beer lifestyle’ might be.

“I think, the one thing that’s really nice about it is that there’s a sense of community,” he began. “Even here, a lot of people are really surprised that we make the beer in the kitchen. They think beer is made in a factory; it’s like this massive industrial process: it’s not. It’s like food, you can make it at home. I think it’s important that people see the connections between things – where is your stuff made?

“At the end of the day it’s made by people somewhere. With an aspect of local it’s just easier: people can come by and be like, ‘That’s the person who made the beer’… Especially now that our lives are so detached – you can buy everything on Amazon; you don’t think about who makes your stuff or how it gets there – the doorbell rings and there it is.

“It’s just naturally easier to see those connections the more local you are, and the more detached you are, the less you kind of care. It’s so easy to just not care about people and community these days. We live in such an isolating world that it’s important to see these connections when you walk down the street and you see your neighbours, you know?

“You live a better quality of life when you have a more active, social lifestyle, when your connected with your friends and community. A craft beer lifestyle – or craft everything lifestyle – is important because it helps you connect with people.”