Original Local Beer is becoming a local favourite

There’s no denying the success of Western Canadian restaurant chains like Joey’s, Craft Beer Market, Milestones and Local. They’re also the chief tenants of what Ottawans still fondly refer to as Lansdowne Park. 

Since my return to Ottawa and the start of Capital Eats, I’ve often heard restaurant servers tell me that their “house brew” is made by Local Beers at 411 St.Laurent Blvd. That left me a little confused. A Vancouver-based restaurant chain making beer in Ottawa?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one and this Ottawa based brewery added “Original” to the name to distinguish itself from the Vancouver-based restaurant.

I recently had one of their Belgian wheat beers (Blue Crescent) at the very good Cô Ơi, a brew with aromatics that paired nicely with Vietnamese food.

Naturally I headed down to the brewery and met with one of the three co-owners Aaron Rothney. Aaron is a partner in the business and moonlights as a bartender at one of my favourite pizza places in the city: Pizza Nerds.

Original Local took over the Good Prospects Brewery, a business that was never able to establish roots. Now they have a number of events to get people in their doors throughout the week and this includes Monday Night Trivia.

The beer at Original Local is well-made with characteristics of the styles named on the labels. Blue Crescent, for example, is a refreshing Belgian wheat beer that combines orange and coriander flavours. It was also the beer that brought me to Local.

The California IPA was a treat to for my palate that is wary of West Coast IPAs. It was a harmonious mix of both West Coast and New England style IPA. Not overly bitter but neither overly juicy, it had an almost appetizing salinity and creaminess. Nicely done.

Their Original Lager continues to be the top seller, followed by the California IPA. If you’re on site and you enjoy stronger beer, grab a glass of Obsidian Circle stout. It’s dry, with roasted coffee and chocolate notes and a respectable nine percent alcohol. In this weather, it’ll warm your core.

A note to consumers that their 500 ml bottled brews are a little precious in pricing running considerably higher than their canned counterparts.

Local also offers classic beer-friendly foods such as pogos, popcorn, fries, wings and melt sandwiches. For the health-conscious there are salads and soup as well.

There’s good beer here in a business run by people interested in building community. Folks from nearby Manor Park appreciate not just the brews but the opportunity to get together for bingo on Friday nights and to share news about their neighbourhood. 

We just need much more of this in Ottawa.