Brock Street Brewing Company is the iconic stuff that dreams are made of.

The entrepreneurs behind Brock St.

Brock Street Brewing Company would not be possible without the dreams of entrepreneurs. I love and admire entrepreneurs. They are visionaries, think outside the box, passionate about their business, are game-changers and create jobs.

Mark Woitzik and his three best friends are the embodiment of entrepreneurship. Every day they bring their A-game to the table, do their best and give back to the community. They have taken an idea and made it into a reality. Brock St. Brewing Company is the result of these entrepreneurs who are passionate about craft beer.

Brock St. the game changer

Brock Street Brewing Company opened in April 2015, and in April 2019 expanded into downtown Whitby. It has galvanized Whitby’s historic downtown by building a 17,000 square foot production facility, sampling bar, and banquet facility at the corner of Brock & Dunlop St. It is a game-changer in the craft beer, entertainment, and hospitality landscape in Durham.

Mark, born, bred in Whitby and a lawyer by trade has poured all his energy, hard work, and creative skills to create an icon that will be the stable of Whitby for decades. The growing popularity of craft beer in Durham and across Ontario is reflected in the popularity and following that Brock St. has achieved. Brock St. consists of the brewery, bottle shop, banquet facility, and a restaurant.

The iconic building

Mark and his partners have gone out of their way to honor the historic significance of downtown Whitby. The exterior of the building is faux reclaimed bricks.

The chandeliers are from the old TD head office in downtown Toronto. The clock was part of the Whitby downtown post office from 1911 to 1961.

“I am from Whitby and am its biggest fan. My goal was to build a landmark that everyone who lives here is proud of. We wanted to build something that would attract tourists from all over and set the bar high,” Mark said.

The building is cool, hip and light flows from all four corners.

The Magician behind the beer

Blayne Caron is the young, dynamic, ebullient German-trained brewmaster. He is passionate, knowledgeable and takes great pride in making beers in small batches. It is this passion and love for beer that has made this brewery win countless awards at many competitions. The Brampton born virtuoso uses his knowledge of biochemistry and microbiology honed at various breweries. “It is putting art and science together,” says the ever-smiling Blayne.

I tell Blayne to show me around and he starts from the room where they store the barley. He opens each bag and shows me the different kinds of barley.

The barley is mashed to crack the grain so that fermentable sugar is obtained. The mash is then moved into another vat and is mixed with hot water and is strained. It is now boiled in a kettle which is a huge vat. It is at this stage that hops are added. Hops act as a preservative. After this process, the mixture is cooled instantly by a radiator before it is transferred to another vat, where yeast is added to start the fermentation process. Yeast transforms the sugar into beer by producing alcohol, different beer flavors, and carbon dioxide are added.

I want to know if craft beer is just a buzz word or is there more to it. “At Brock St. the focus is on quality not on profit. We use 100% malt and do not use corn or rice” adds Blayne.

My favorite beer

My favorite is the Blonde Lagered Ale.  Water, barley, hops, and yeast are used to evoke an unbelievable fresh malt bouquet with an elegant and effortless finish. The brewmaster is a maestro balancing the Willamette hops for the fragrance. The Ale won the bronze medal at the 2017 OBA’s.

The medals keep on coming

The 3:10 To Yakima West Coast IPA gets the hop aroma from the Cascade and Chinook hops and the bitterness from Simcoe hops.

The Gold Medal Winner at the 2018 Ontario Brewing Award for the Best Bohemian Pilsner is the traditional Bohemian Pilsner. The Pilsner is brewed as per the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. The sweet beer gets the spicy and floral aroma from the Sazz and Magnum hops.

The Traditional Irish Red won Gold at the 2016 OBA’s for the best dark ale. An array of roasted malts is used to get the red colors and sleek taste and a hint of bitterness.

The Amber Lagered Ale won the Silver Medal at the 2018 CBA’s. The ale is clean and crisp.

The Chocolate Milk Stout is not your typical bitter beer, but sweet dominated by a milk chocolate flavor. This out of the box thinking won it the Gold Medal for Best Sweet Stout in 2018 and Silver for Best Stout at the 2018 OBA.

The brewery also serves the Blueberry Belgian Wit in a can and the Strong Scotch Ale on Tap.

Blayne brews barley wine once a year which can be aged for 5 to 10 years. Call in advance as it goes pretty fast. I am also looking forward to the Belgian Golden Ale which is going to be produced soon.

How to appreciate a craft beer

To appreciate the variety of beers that Brock St. offers, you need to appreciate the craft, passion, art and science that goes into making the beer. Look at the beer and hold it against the light. What is the beer telling you in terms of its appearance, colors, viscosity, and lucidness?

Twirl the glass so some foam is formed and smell it. Can you get the aroma of the hops and sugars?

Sip the beer and breathe through the mouth and the flavors will explode in your mouth.

Swish the beer in your mouth. What are the taste buds telling you? Can the tongue feel whether the beer is thin or viscous? Craft beer has multiple flavors that will tingle you.

Finally, the beer has to be swallowed and gulped down so that the end of your tongue is hit and the uniqueness of the beer is appreciated.

Brock St. is a destination place. The architecture stays pure to its roots. If you just want to purchase beer, there is a separate store. There is an amazing restaurant that offers delicious cuisine with all the various beer offerings. The banquet hall upstairs has become the place to get married and have your reception.

How to get to Brock St.

Take the #410 exit on the 401 and head north and the amazing building is on the left at 244 Brock St. South in Whitby.

The tours are fun

Brock St. offers tours through various times throughout the day from 11 am to 6 pm. The tour is approximately 45 minutes. It is $10 per person and children are free. Meet at the bottle shop to sign in and pay. Purchase a Tour Stein or Glass and it is filled with the beer of your choice. Also, take a photo against the infamous Graffiti Wall.