Introduction

Welcome to the London Beer History tour. You might be wondering, why beer? Well, there is a large market for beer worldwide, and within Canada. For example, in 2016, beer made up about $13.6 billion of Canada’s gross domestic product. Beer brewing in Canada also goes back over 450 years.  

So why London? The answer is simple. Location, location, location. But in all seriousness, location and provenance is why beer culture and production has been and continues to be so prevalent in London. This city is home to both commercial and craft breweries, accounting for many of Canada’s beer companies. London is also home to the Labatt brewery, which was one of the “big three” brewers that emerged following World War Two. 

The audience and therefore demand for the production of beer comes from a local, national, and global market. From the local side, not only is there a market and audience for it, but there is no tax put on locally brewed beers, in comparison to the out-of-province tax put on beer by the provincial government. The local beer companies in turn create a strong physical presence in the region. In other words, it’s hard to miss London’s connection to beer because of the brewing facilities located in the city. 

The following is a list of beer that came out of London, including both new and old companies/breweries. 

1. Of course, there’s the iconic Labatt Brewery 
2. Anderson Craft Ales 
3. Forked River Brewing Company 
4. London Brewing 
5. Toboggan Brewing Company 
6. Powerhouse Brewing Company 
7. Beerlab! 
8. Curley Brewing Company 
9. Dundas and Sons Brewing Company 
10. Storm Stayed Brewing Company 
11. Union Ten Distilling Co. 
12. Paradigm Spirits Co. 

Raise a Glass in London Ontario, Tourism London. Accessed November 6th 2021. https://www.londontourism.ca/best-of-london/raise-a-glass-in-london-ontario .