Misgivings over proposed micro-brewery mostly subdued
Details disclosed at public consultation held by TBL
He says that he has spent most of his life in TBL and has been trying to figure out a way to be able to live there full time. After a lot of research and planning, Jim Allan and his son Nick, who is his partner in a special project, says that they hope the Knowlton Micro-brewery will boost economy in the area they are committed to. Details of the plan were presented to interested parties at a community consultation on Monday, April 23.
Held at the TBL Community Centre with Mayor Richard Burcombe presiding, the legal reasons for the consultation were outlined during which Allan had a chance to detail the plan that has been years in the making. The existing building will be tentatively transformed into a restaurant, taste-bar, and brewhouse with an outdoor terrace to be used during the summer months.
Like all projects presented to any community, there are always going to be people expressing concerns on issues that they think could possibly pose a negative impact. The consultation meeting was no exception. They ranged from parking and safety, noise, and water supply. In particular, Mario Paris expressed concern over the possibility of the new operation not having enough parking spaces whereby customers vehicles would overflow to his property. Paris, too, is investing a lot into the expansion of his business. Allan was prepared with supporting responses ranging from operating hours, size of the operation, number of delivery trucks per week and number of employees, and the environmental and social impact.
An offer to purchase has been made at 576 Knowlton Road in TBL. It is lot 954-42/4 266 693 in Zone: UC4L13. It is the building of Plomberie Real Bessette, which is adjacent to the new location of Canadianpond.ca (Étang.ca), owned by Mario Paris.
Allan, being a confessed beer junkie, firmly believes that this project will be good for the economic sustainability and growth of the municipality and region. It falls in concert with the culture of agro-tourism in Brome-missisquoi. Similar to the “Route des Vins,” he asserts that Knowlton Micro-brewery will complement the others that are located in Dunham, Sutton, Bromont, and Magog and in turn become part of a brewhouse touring program.
He is adamant about drawing skills from local resources. Already he has engaged Ted Yudelson as the architect for the project and wants to make sure that contractors for construction, landscaping, brewhouse operation and hospitality services, and any other positions required to be filled be made available locally. Allan is pitching a high-end pub menu featuring local produce and cuisine.
There is no intention of running the operation as a typical bar that shuts down at 3 a.m. on a daily basis. He swears that it will close at the midnight hour and no later.
He says that once in operation the business will be open only three days a week at the onset. “This will increase as demand increases.”
Here are some of the details in brief:
• The brewhouse will be open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. for production, however tours will be offered during restaurant hours Thursday through Sunday. Initially, brewing will be happening only three days a
week.
• Brewhouse/restaurant deliveries and pickups will be done Monday-friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• The tasting room and restaurant will be open the following hours, but subject to change depending on the season and demand: Between November and April: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and between May-october: Wednesday-saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; and Sundays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
• The restaurant/bar will be able to accommodate a maximum of 100 people.
• The micro-brewery will employ: three to five people in the short term; five to 10 people in the longer term.
• A total of 30 parking stalls will be available for patrons of the restaurant, bar, and micro-brewery.
• Deliveries and size of trucks will increase over time. Products to be delivered to the brewery are malts and grains every two to three weeks during the first year. This will increase to a weekly schedule by year four. The rest of the supplies to the brewery will be infrequent and will have no significant effect on local traffic. Products being delivered to the restaurant will be done weekly, as the owners will be concentrating on sourcing meats and vegetables. In terms of shipping products from the brewery, Allan anticipates that during the first year most of the beer will be consumed on the premises. Therefore, shipments from the brewery will be infrequent the first year but will increase to approximately three times per week by year three. That the operation will be brewing three days a week the first year, the spent grains will be picked up Mondays on a weekly basis. This will increase to two to three times a week as production ramps up by year three. Garbage will be picked up weekly.
• When it comes to environmental and social impact Allan says that:
— The Knowlton Brewery wants to work with farmers and suppliers in the region. Not only will the brewery offer onsite beer and dishes, but also to make Knowlton shine through its beers, proudly brewed locally and sold throughout Quebec.
— Through agreements with farmers in the region, this waste from the brewery is becoming a valuable resource for agricultural producers in the region.
— Thanks to an ingenious design and a contemporary strategy, the Knowlton Brewery will not be content to be a simple beer maker or a simple resto-bar in the region, but rather a unifying hub, a source of pride for citizens, and a valuable ambassador in promoting Knowlton through its high-quality products, fabrication by local artisans, and the ensuring of an exemplary ecological footprint
Allan admits that the restaurant and taproom that will be open between Thursday and Sunday will make for heavier traffic compared to the balance of the week. The rest of the week will be mostly employee traffic.
Another concern from the participants who were in attendance was the potential of poorer air quality. “The volume of beer we will be producing even by year five will have no effect on the air quality,” Allan said. Several people reminded those with this concern that there is no problem on that issue in Bromont, Sutton, or Dunham.
In terms of increased noise the promoter of the project assures that the noise level while brewing is negligible. Most of the noise will occur while milling the grains and this noise would be contained inside the brewery. And any outside noise would be the patrons enjoying a cold beer on a hot summer day on the terrace.
Knowlton Brewery promises to respect all environmental rules and regulations in regards to water treatment and usage. According to the Town of Brome Lake, an environmental study on file identifies the wetlands in the surrounding area and shows that there are no environmental constraints regarding the property at 576 Knowlton Road.