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Category: Articles

The Craft Beverage Lovers Guide to Peterborough & the Kawarthas

a couple holding a glass of beer a wine

These suds are no duds!

Peterborough & the Kawarthas’ long-standing commitment to local fare isn’t new. Our hopping craft beer and beverage scene is serving up something new on the regular. Craft beer, cider, wine, and spirits are all on offer year-round.

The Publican House Brewery

Located in Downtown Peterborough at the corner of Charlotte Street and Rubidge Street, this award winning brewery, well known for their philanthropic beer partnerships, is crafting small batch beer using all natural ingredients that contain no preservatives ranging from year-round to seasonal options. The Brewery and retail store are located next door to a historical building that inspired the Publican House Brew Pub – serving up local ingredients as the stars on his menus, which rotate with the seasons. Publican House boasts one of the best patios in the city, is a FeastON certified restaurant and after years of production in Toronto, the homecoming location for the Kawartha Lakes Brewery KLB Raspberry Wheat Ale, originally brewed in Peterborough.

Belmont Lake Brewery

Specializing in brewing English beer with a Canadian twist, this small craft brewery is located on Belmont Lake in Havelock, Ontario. The building was constructed using local timber, and features a few Victorian stain glass panels from England. The beers are aptly named for a brewery you can boat up to in the heart of Kawarthas cottage country – whether it’s the Cordova Gold, named for the nearby Cordova Mines, Crowe River named after a river that flows out of Belmont Lake that is known to be tricky to navigate or Mile of Memories, named for a road leading to the east side of the lake with a small white church.

Bobcaygeon Brewing Co.

This pet-friendly brewery is well known for it’s dock-inspired beer names, passion for supporting local sports teams and collaborating with local pubs and bars to raise funds for the community. In fact, they love community so much that they offer weekly events such as trivia nights, bingo and euchre and their general store offers food & drink options from throughout Ontario!

Haven Brewing Co.

Brewing traditional European small batch beers including German, Belgian and Czech styles using traditional methods including bottle conditioning, Haven is well known for brewing consistent beers based on styles that are centuries old, and prides themselves on delivering delicious beers with no surprises. The taproom was designed for visitors (and pets) to feel at home, so much so that you are welcome to bring your own food, or to order in from popular food delivery services, and also offers trivia nights, darts and game days.

100 Acre Brewing Co.

The region’s newest brewery is family owned and operated farmhouse located on a 100 acre homestead in Peterborough. They focus on taking the time and care to do traditional styles right, while still being creative. Inspired by the greenspace around the brewery, their beers are inspired by wildlife. On weekends, they invite different food vendors to the property, and post regularly on their socials to keep visitors up to date on what’s on offer and when.

Local Craft Breweries

Haven Brewing Company
bar tender pouring beer
Business Type: Eat & Drink, Business Type: Breweries & Distilleries & Wineries

Haven Brewing Company

We brew traditional European beers in the traditional European way with bottle conditioning and all. These recipes are based on styles that have existed for hundreds of years. And there’s a reason they have stuck around so long. They’re good! With these beers, you get what you expect.

687 Rye St., Unit 6
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 6X1
Visit Website for Haven Brewing Company

Stop in for a Splash

Rolling Grape Winery

The winery is located on the family farm of winemaker Jonathan Drew, settled amongst the vineyard, offering a growing number of small-batch estate wines. They grow a variety of grapes, including Marquette, Frontenac, Petite Pearl, and Vidal (And they are testing plots of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc). The winery boasts a grape-to-glass vineyard experience featuring tours and tastings, wood-fire pizza, Charcuterie boards (including Brunch boards on weekends), live music, makers markets, and Harvest Dinner Parties.

Kawartha Country Wines

Open year-round, this small, family-owned fruit winery is located in Buckhorn, specializing in 40+ types of fruit wines, cider, vinegars, and gourmet preserves, made using locally-grown fruits and berries. Their complimentary sampling bar is open during their regular operating hours, and they also offer private tasting experiences as well as a tour and tasting experience, special events, wood-fired pizza, and live music in the summer and it is pet-friendly to boot!

That’s the Spirit!

Persian Empire

As with many of the world’s best recipes, Persian Empire’s product innovation comes from generations of experience using a combination of old family recipes and newly formulated ones. Internationally recognized for their top-notch products, this local distillery is making a name for it’s self at home and away. The distillery makes a variety of 36 different products ranging from brandy, gin and rum to their trademark vodka.

The distillery is currently located at 2075 Preston Road, with a retail store that is open by appointment only at this time, but they have started construction on a new distillery which will feature a large retail store with plans to eventually offer onsite tours to show how the products are made.

Fun Fact: Persian Empire was named Canada’s Top Distillery in 2012

Local Wine and Spirits