Calling all ‘beer nerds’

Roof Hound Brewing opening new location in Kingston

There’s a new business brewing in Kingston.

Roof Hound Brewing Co., founded in the Digby area three years ago, is opening a second location.

“We really have a loyal following from here already. There’s a lot of folks that drive from the area to Digby quite a bit,” said Les Barr, who co-owns Roof Hound with fellow brewer Ben Boysen.

“Some of these guys from the base kept saying we need something like this in Greenwood.”

The operation lining the Village of Kingston’s Main Street will be smaller than Roof Hound’s headquarters outside of Digby.

The duo is aiming to open a rustic taproom that is similar to a traditional English pub. In Barr’s mind, this means offering good Roof Hound Brewing Co. co-owners Ben Boysen and Les Barr sit inside the soon-to-be open Kingston location at 573 Main St.

ASHLEY THOMPSON

food, a relaxing atmosphere and a wide selection of craft beer on tap.

They’ll also cater to the tastes of wine and cider drinkers.

Barr hopes patrons will come to think of visits to the new spot as mini vacations that allow them to

temporarily unwind and put life’s stresses on the backburner.

“They can come here and just think about (craft) beer and cheesecake for awhile,” Barr said.

A Kijiji ad brought Roof Hound’s owners to the space formerly occupied by The Crossing restaurant.

“Digby is a very seasonal place, so we’ve been looking at a place for a while,” Boysen said.

They were thrilled to find a spot along their regularly travelled route from Digby to Halifax that was not yet home to an established craft brewery.

It didn’t take prospective customers long to spot their banner in the window of the pub in progress.

“People have been really welcoming so far,” said Barr, noting there will be a retail component in the Valley location as well.

“When I’m out front people honk and ask when they can come in and fill a growler.”

He’s hesitant to offer an exact date but confirmed they’re planning to open in late September. The hiring process is ongoing.

Boysen hopes Roof Hound’s beer, including the popular Big Stink IPA, will continue to sell itself as the business branches into the Annapolis Valley. He loves it when people who don’t typically drink beer develop a taste for Roof Hound’s brews.

“We spend a lot of time making it as good as we can,” he said.

“We’re well respected in the ‘beer nerd’ circles,” Barr added. “There’s different layers of craft beer fans.”

Barr admits the craft beer industry in Nova Scotia has seen its ups and downs, but he’s happy with the consistency he’s experienced with Roof Hound.

“Our sales have continued to go up, and up and up year after year, so we can’t really complain,” he said.

“Every new brewery converts new drinkers from the big brands to craft beer.”