Ashton Brewing Company

Ashton Brewing Company is a Canadian craft brewery and hospitality group based in Ashton, Ontario, in the Ottawa Valley. Since 1975 the Hodgins family has built a reputation for opening neighbourhood pubs across the region, combining family-run hospitality with house-made food and beer brewed on site. The business operates under a small portfolio of venues — Ashton Brewery & Cider House, Ashton Brew Pub, Patty's Pub and Quinn's Pub — and brews its own beer under the Ashton Brewing Company (ABC) label. The brewery is best known for its traditional approach to fermentation. According to the company, Ashton is one of the largest open fermentation breweries in North America, using broad, shallow, lidless tanks in the manner historically common in Germany, Belgium and the UK. This method, the brewery says, encourages the formation of fruity esters and allows yeast to be collected from the top of the tank and reused across many generations; the house yeast descends from an original Ringwood strain. The flagship Amber Ale, the first beer brewed at Ashton, remains the brewery's core and most popular brand. Ashton's product range has expanded beyond classic pub ales to include a variety of contemporary styles. The brewery's current lineup has featured an East Coast IPA, Blackcherry Lemonade Radler, a 0.5% non-alcoholic ale, Raspberry Sour Ale and Lemon Lime Seltzer, alongside its traditional ales. Beer is available at the company's pubs and on tap at various locations throughout Ottawa, and customers can also buy packaged ABC beer to take home. The company remains privately held and family owned, with operations centred on its Ashton, Ontario address at 113 Old Mill Rd. Its pubs serve as the primary retail channel for its beer, supported by draft accounts in the wider Ottawa area. Ashton Brewing Company positions itself as an authentic, tradition-minded Ottawa Valley brewer whose pub culture and open-fermentation craft set it apart from modern production breweries.

Ashton Brewing Company traces its origins to 1975, when the Hodgins family began opening neighbourhood pubs throughout the Ottawa Valley. Over the following decades the family built a hospitality business founded on serving great food and beverages in family-run establishments, with a particular emphasis on brewing their own beer and preparing house-made meals from scratch. The company's pub portfolio grew to include Ashton Brew Pub, Patty's Pub and Quinn's Pub, alongside the Ashton Brewery & Cider House. The brewing side of the business developed around traditional methods. Ashton adopted open fermentation — using broad, shallow, lidless tanks — at a time when most modern breweries had moved to closed, cylindrical fermenters. The company states that it is one of the largest open fermentation breweries in North America. This approach allows the brewery to monitor yeast health closely, collect healthy yeast from the top of the tank, and reuse it across many generations. Ashton's house yeast descends from an original Ringwood strain and has evolved over years of repitching into a distinctive house culture. The first beer brewed at Ashton was its Amber Ale, which became the core of the brewery and its most popular brand. From that foundation the brewery expanded its range into a broader portfolio of ales and other beverages. By the 2020s the lineup included newer products such as an East Coast IPA, Blackcherry Lemonade Radler, a 0.5% non-alcoholic ale, Raspberry Sour Ale and Lemon Lime Seltzer, as well as Ashton Valley Gold. The company distributes its beer through its own pubs, sells it on tap at various locations throughout Ottawa, and offers packaged beer for customers to take home. Ashton Brewing Company remains privately held and family owned, with its brewery and administrative operations located at 113 Old Mill Rd in Ashton, Ontario. The business continues to combine craft brewing with pub hospitality, positioning itself as an authentic Ottawa Valley brewer rooted in tradition.

• 1975

  Hodgins family begins opening neighbourhood pubs throughout the Ottawa Valley.

• Ashton Brewing Company brews its first beer, the Amber Ale, which becomes its flagship.

• Ashton establishes open fermentation as its signature brewing method, becoming one of the largest open fermentation breweries in North America.

• Company expands product range with East Coast IPA, Blackcherry Lemonade Radler, 0.5 Non-Alc Ale, Raspberry Sour Ale and Lemon Lime Seltzer.

Traditional, family-run Ottawa Valley craft brewery and pub group specializing in open-fermented pub ales.

• Amber Ale

  ABV 5%, IBU 28, SRM 9. The first beer brewed at Ashton and its core, most popular brand.

• Ashton Valley Gold

  A newer beer highlighted on the brewery's menu.

• East Coast IPA

  Part of the brewery's expanded modern lineup.

• Blackcherry Lemonade Radler

  A fruit radler-style beverage.

• 0.5 Non-Alc Ale

  A low-alcohol ale option.

• Raspberry Sour Ale

  A fruit sour ale.

• Lemon Lime Seltzer

  A hard seltzer-style beverage.

1. 1Ashton Brewing Company homepageashtonbrewingcompany.com
2. 2Ashton Craft Brewing Company Beer Menuashtonbrewingcompany.com
3. 3Ashton Brewing Company - Wikidatawikidata.org