Take a lesson from the Canada Geese overhead this fall and get strategic about your fall flight formation. Getting to know the many craft breweries of Hamilton Halton Brant’s True Brew Path is about so much more than the suds! With a wide array of cozy fall activities across the region, loading up your beer fridge with amazing autumn flavours is just a fraction of the fun!
Fall Harvest Fun
Head to Milton and plan a stock-up stop at Orange Snail Brewers. Try their Backstretch Cream Ale, which is made using flaked corn for a light, creamy flavour. From Milton, head to Freelton and visit West Avenue Cider House. You can’t go wrong with any of their sippers, but Legend Of The Fall is a Spanish-style sour cider that’s particularly perfect for the season. West Avenue’s onsite farm store offers cheeses, cured meats, breads, pickles and preserves for purchase, so pull up a seat at a picnic table and enjoy the view!
After fuelling up, take a scenic drive to the Hanes Corn Maze, where you can set out on a scavenger hunt and find your way through 20 acres of cornstalks, or head to Pumpkins After Dark for a truly chilling and magnificent drive-thru event with thousands of hand-carved pumpkins lighting up the night sky.
Just Add Apples
Enjoy the taste of crisp autumn apples all winter long by stocking your bar fridge with some delicious Ontario ciders. Stop by Collective Arts Brewery in Hamilton for their flagship unfiltered dry cider, Nature of Things. Then, head to Howell Road Cider Company, where you can buy cider and pick your own apples. They also sell incredible apple butter, apple cider donuts, apple mustards and more.
With over 22 varieties of apples, Chudleigh’s in Halton Hills is another fantastic option for an afternoon of apple picking. Puddicombe Cider House in Stoney Creek is another fun apple stop to add to your list. Guided tours are available and include a scenic train ride through the orchard that stretches out beneath the Niagara Escarpment.
Drink In Autumn Colours
Why not let the changing colours of the fall leaves inspire the shades in your beer glass this season? Stop by Bell City Brewing Company in Brantford and pick up some Eureka Amber Cream Ale. Then head to Paris to enjoy the fall colours on a scenic paddle. Grand Experience’s Guided Grand Voyageur trip, which runs through mid-November, is a four-hour paddle down the Grand River in a 12-passenger Voyageur canoe. All gear is included, and your guide will help you spot wildlife along the way and share the river’s fascinating history.
No pilgrimage to celebrate fall colours would be complete without a sunflower selfie! Visit Andrews Farm Market & Winery, in Milton, where you can pick your own sunflowers and dahlias through early fall. From there, head to Georgetown and stop by Furnace Room Brewery to pick up some of their Wright House Red Ale.
Beer isn’t the only beverage with fall colour flair. Savour rich red wines like Ridge Road Winery’s Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc and Call Me a Cab, a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. The Stoney Creek winery offers a beautiful wine patio where you can take in the vineyard view while enjoying a glass of wine with a cheese board, chocolate pairing or other locally made snacks.
Turn Back The Clocks
This fall, mark the end of Daylight Savings Time on November 6th with some sips and scenery that honour the fact that all good things come in time. Visit Nickel Brook Brewery in Burlington to pick up some of their barrel-aged brews, which showcase the taste of time thanks to a slow soak in Kentucky bourbon barrels or wine barrels.
Hamilton Halton Brant’s historic sites and museums offer a fun way to celebrate times gone by. Dundurn Castle and Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology are great choices, just a short drive from Nickel Brook.
From Hamilton, head to Steel Wheel Brewery in Brant for a farm-to-glass experience. Make a reservation for their patio and enjoy an Oat Stout with flavours of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and toffee.
Brew Up Your Own Oktoberfest
Bring a taste of Munich home this fall. Start out in Dundas at Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. to pick up some of their Oktobershed, a German-style Marzen. Next, head to Grain and Grit Small Batch Beer for a taste of their Little Thrills German Pils. Plan a stop at Merit Brewing, also in Hamilton, to stock up on some delicious sausages for your Oktoberfest festivities. The homemade butter chicken sausages available for sale in their Bottle Shop are delicious!
Take A Walk On The Wild Side
In a nod to the beer’s not-so-subtle presence, Cameron’s Brewing Company’s Jurassic IPA’s name pays homage to the dinosaurs. In this beer’s case, three complementary hops are what make it hard to ignore. After visiting the brewery in Oakville, make your way to Crawford Lake Conservation Area in Milton (reservations are required) and discover the ancient secrets of the park’s rare meromictic lake.
