Brothers in Arms: Hoyne and Fairweather Brewing
While Sean Hoyne was Brewmaster at Canoe Brewpub, Ram McAllister, a young man who also worked at the pub, was drawn to the brewhouse. At the end of his shift he would often find his way down to the brewery to share a pint with Sean and talk about what was happening that day, what beers were in the tanks and about the process.
When Sean and Chantal eventually took their leap of faith to open up Hoyne Brewing Company in 2011, Ram was alongside them lending a hand in any way he could. Throughout the summer, he helped with the construction phase of the brewery and over the course of those months he and Sean solidified their friendship, built on a hard work ethic and a mutual love of all things beer.
Later that year Ram moved to Ontario. He enrolled in brewing school at Niagara College and spent the next few years learning the science and craft of brewing beer. While Ram was doing all this, Hoyne Brewing Company was continuing to grow, the original brewing system was becoming too small to keep up with production. As we expanded, we tucked pieces of the eight-hectolitre system away in the corner of our warehouse, not sure what would become of it. Within a short time, the entire system was replaced and the original components sat dormant collecting dust.
A PIVOTAL PHONE CALL
After completing his brewing degree, Ram set out on his career path toward being a Brewmaster. Knowing this, and about Ram’s love of beer and great work ethic, Sean had an idea and in the spring of 2016, he called up his pal, saying, “Hey Ram, I’ve got this entire brewery sitting in my warehouse not being used and rather than me putting on the market and selling it, how would you like to start up a brewery in Ontario?”
Ram had not been expecting the proposal or considering launching a brewery — but both he and Sean understood it was a fantastic opportunity. For Sean, it was an opportunity to pay forward some of the amazing gifts and learning Frank Appleton had shared with him early in his career. For Ram, it was the chance to work with a mentor and friend, carving his own path forward.
Over the following weeks and months, the idea solidified and as it did, everybody’s excitement grew. Before long the brewery was loaded onto trucks and shipped east to Hamilton, Ontario.
A Brewery is Launched
With the brewing system arriving in Ontario, Ram and a couple partners launched Fairweather Brewing Company in 2017, an exciting leap of faith that has developed into an amazing brewery producing fantastic beer.
Built on an ethic of shared respect, Fairweather is rooted in Sean Hoyne’s deep belief in the passing on of knowledge, the spirit of generosity and the camaraderie amongst fellow brewers. Today, the brewery has a great lineup of beers that have been piped through the same systems that helped launch our brewery.
Sean and everyone at Hoyne believes it’s crucially important to open doors for others and help them to take advantage of the opportunities that are available. Brewing beer is an art and alchemy that has been practiced for millennia, through skills and experience passed down over generations.
We are super excited that Fairweather Brewing Company is thriving, offering fantastic beers to the fine folks in their region and continuing the tradition of craft brewing, shared knowledge and a love of all things beer.