A little over an hour drive from Kitchener, and two hours from Hamilton and Toronto, Cowbell Brewing Co. in Blyth, Ontario (40035 Blyth Rd, Blyth, Ontario) is a road-trip worthy destination for greet beer and a meal.
The family-friendly restaurant and bar is a great spot for a day trip out of the city, or a longer stay in the area, with a lot of nearby gems to check out, but most importantly, it’s all about their brews.
From German-style ale, a hoppy red ale, and a Mexican lager, to IPAs, dark lagers, and ciders, Cowbell offers a robust, ever changing lineup of beer that demands sharing a couple of flights so you can try them all. And then you will probably want to take a few cans home, too.
The restaurant has a large, dog-friendly patio, there’s a bar and a games room, as well as an event space. Throughout the summer you can also visit on weekends for live music.
On top of everything else, the brewery also has a fantastic menu, filled with artsy takes on classic bar food, sandwiches, salads, and pizza. Watch the video about Cowbell Brewing at the bottom of the story or on YouTube.
Craft beer highlights: What to sip at Cowbell
From the first sip, I was a big fan of Cowbell’s beer flavours, quality, and styles.
The brewery lineup changes throughout the year and with the seasons, but they always have a few classics on tap. No matter what you decide to try though, it’s bound to be delicious. My wife and I split two beer flights, so we could sample eight brews, and the flavours were absolutely delicious.
Shindig Lager is a classic, smooth, and crisp beer that had a hint of green apple with a lingering bite. It’s a perfect beer to try alongside almost anything on the menu.
The West Coast IPA was nutty and rich, creamy, and nicely bitter. It was one of the beers that I knew I had to take home, too.
And then there’s the Cencerro Cerveza Mexican Lager, a perfect pint that’s light, breezy, and easy drinking. It’s a must with some of the appetizers, especially the corn dip.
For the fans of bigger flavours, the Oatmeal Vanilla Black Lager was a treat in a glass, with the most amazing vanilla aroma and dark chocolate flavour. It manages to be both oatey and light.
Other favourites from the menu included the Black Cherry Cider that was dry and smelled like candy; the Double Exposure Double IPA that was lightly spicy and hoppy, and full of flavour; and the Nitro brew that was light but lingered with a hit of coffee.
For classics that you will usually find on tap at the brewery and in cans, look no further than Absent Landlord Kolsch Ale, Bobcat Red Ale, Donnybrook Easy IPA, Elbows Up Light Lager, and Hazy Days Juicy IPA.
The bites & food at Cowbell Brewing Co.
Cowbell has a fantastic menu. It’s classic, but they have some inviting modern takes on the dishes.
When I visited they had Corn Ribs, Mexican Street Corn Dip, Wagyu Gyoza Dumplings, Patatas Bravas, Pretzel Bites, salads and bowls including a Pumpkin Harvest Bowl, a Pork Belly BLT, Creole Chicken Sandwhich, the Cowbell Classic Double Stack Cheeseburger, Steak and Frites, Nola Fried Chicken, Sunset Penne Alla Vodka, and Wood Fired Pizza.
The Mexican Street Corn Dip and the Wagyu Gyoza dumplings were perfect starters, especially paired with the Cencerro Cerveza Mexican Lager and the Shindig Lager. The dumplings are tender and light, with a savoury but sweet and tangy sauce, crisp edges, and juicy filling.
The corn dip is served with perfectly crisp home made chips, and a sweet dip that’s balanced, but has a little bite. The cheese adds nice depth to the flavour, and it’s smooth, with just a few bits of corn throughout.
For our mains we had the Nola fried chicken with fries, and the pizza, and both were delicious. I loved the light breading on the chicken, and the flavourful, spicy sauce. The chicken was buttery and sweet, with just enough heat, and the fries were amazing, crisp, and well-seasoned.
Served right from the wood-fired oven at the back of the restaurant, the pizza was impressive, with crisp but tender dough, and a perfect ratio between the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Highly recommended if you’re craving a proper wood oven pizza.
And we finished off our meal with the sweet and caramelly Apple Betty that comes with ice cream for the perfect sweet treat.
If you want to order a pint with your meal, take a look at Cowbell’s daily specials.
Cowbell built a unique, sustainable brewery
Established in 2017, Cowbell is more than your average brewery. It’s a sustainable, environmentally responsible, accessible, and inclusive family-owned business that started with a proper, old fashioned barn raising.
The team behind Cowbell decided when they started out that they not only wanted to be environmentally responsible–they also wanted to fit their community. So when it came time to raise their walls they used sustainable, renewable and local wood, and designed it to look like the local, historic barns that you find on the roads around Huron County.
As a first in Canada, they also made it the most accessible brewery in the country, with an Accessibility Certified Gold rating from the Rick Hansen Foundation.
There are also charging stations for electric vehicles, the windows are energy efficient to save on heating and cooling, and the brewery has a green roof to absorb sun and rain which also makes it the perfect habitat for birds and insects.
Maybe most importantly, the beer is brewed sustainably, prioritizing water conservation, using less energy than standard brewing procedures, and filtering and treating the water they use, and then treating the wastewater. All of these measures help them save more than 10 million litres per year.
Book a tasting and plan your trip to Blyth
For a peek behind the scenes, Cowbell offers a tour with a tasting session for $15. You can call them at 519-523-4724 to book the experience.
If you want to plan a road trip around your visit to Cowbell, you can easily stay in Blyth for a night or two. Hotel Lux is an utterly charming and cozy spot for a weekend away, and it’s a short walk from the brewery, or just a two minute drive.
Hotel Lux has a beautiful property, you can relax inside and enjoy all of the amenities, from the upscale furnishings, to the impressive bathroom. We stayed in The Queensview suite, and it’s a space fit for royalty. The bathroom alone, with the huge soaker tub, is a treat, and it features a kitchenette, and a sofa bed.
If you’re looking for more to do in Blyth, the town has a wonderful local theatre–the Blyth Festival–charming shops with lots of locally made goods, and the pace here is so relaxing. Make sure to stop by Sweets N’ Treats for chocolates, Gourmet Cookie Factory for something decadent, and Penny’s of Blyth for locally made art, soaps, and locally made food.
After you’re done in Blyth, it’s also a short drive to the beautiful town of Goderich, and depending on your route, it’s worth taking your time to drive through other small communities. I highly recommend planning your route to visit towns like Elora and Fergus, to the east; St. Jacob’s and the Farmers Market, to the south east; or St. Marys, Stratford, and London, to the south.
Find options for places to stay throughout Huron County and near Blyth.
