Lake of Bays Brewing: Muskoka Craft Beer in Baysville

Lake of Bays Brewing is located in Baysville, Ontario in the heart of Muskoka’s scenic cottage country.

The Muskoka craft brewery offers guests a retail store, tap room, bottle shop, outdoor patio and tours.

Lake of Bays Brewing produces a year-round core range as well as a rotation of seasonal beers.

Lake of Bays Brewing is a craft brewery in Baysville, Muskoka.

Enjoy fresh craft beer in the brewery's taproom. — Enjoy fresh craft beer in the brewery’s taproom.

History of Lake of Bays Brewing

Lake of Bays Brewing opened its doors in Baysville, Muskoka in 2010.

Lake of Bays Brewing President, Darren Smith started work on the Baysville brewery at the age of 23 with his family. They broke ground with the Mayor, and Baysville officials in the summer of 2009.

By the middle of January 2010, the brewhouse structure was completed. State-of-the-art brewing equipment was installed during a mind-numbing winter day. Staff worked in -37 degree weather as tanks were lifted onto a flatbed. They were transported through the bay doors, unloaded, and turned upright with forklifts. Up until March, staff were dedicated to finishing the exterior, landscaping the grounds and preparing for the first Baysville brew.

Lake of Bays Brewing is in the top 10 by volume in the Ontario craft category. The actual brewery is fairly small – less than 4,000 square feet with an off-site warehouse for storage.

Lake of Bays Brewing offers a licensed sunny patio in summer.

Relax on Muskoka chairs on the brewery's outdoor patio. — Relax on Muskoka chairs on the brewery’s outdoor patio.

Visit Lake of Bays Brewing in Baysville

The craft brewery is located in Muskoka on the southern tip of Lake of Bays. You can easily visit the brewery by driving south from Huntsville, or north from Gravenhurst and Bracebridge.

Located a stones throw from the South Muskoka River, Lake of Bays Brewing offers visitors a retail store, tap room, bottle shop, beer garden and tours.

Step through the main doors and you’ll find a retail store, tap room and bottle shop all in one space. The retail store at Lake of Bays Brewing sells branded t-shirts, sweaters, glassware, magnets and bottle openers.

Directly across from the gift shop shelves you’ll find a craft beer bar, serving fresh beer on tap. For those looking to pop by the brewery before enjoying a cottage holiday, two large fridges are stacked with ice-cold tall cans. Beer lovers can also order growlers, filled with your choice of fresh beer, straight from the tap. Kegs are also available for purchase and need to be pre-ordered 2 weeks in advance.

During the warmer months of the year, beer lovers in Muskoka can be found thirst-quenching on pints on the outdoor patio. Lake of Bays Brewing’s al fresco beer garden is licensed, allowing visitors to sip suds on comfy Muskoka chairs and picnic tables.

The retail store sells branded Lake of Bays Brewing glassware and clothing.

Pick up craft beer cans for that cottage at the brewery's bottle shop. — Pick up craft beer cans for that cottage at the brewery’s bottle shop.

Lake of Bays Brewing Tour

Interested in enjoying an educational behind-the-scenes brewery tour in Muskoka? Craft beer sampling and small group tours at Lake of Bays Brewery are complimentary.

Since the Baysville brewery is a production facility, guided tours can only be organized on weekends due to safety concerns. For those interested in a brewery tour it is best to contact the retail store to arrange a visit in advance. Tours generally run on Saturday and Sunday from 1-3pm.

Brewmaster Dan Unkerskov offers a tour of Lake of Bays Brewing.

Staff load flats of craft beer cans for distribution across Ontario.

Lake of Bays Brewing’s Craft Beers

Brewmaster Dan Unkerskov explains Lake of Bays Brewing’s craft beer philosophy, “We believe recipe balance along with the best possible ingredients are the keys to a perfect brew. Myself, owner Darren Smith and our three great young brewers Mike, Mark and Andrew all favour brewing more on the dryer side of the scale. The idea of throwing everything in, including the kitchen sink does not fit within our philosophy.”

Unkerskov continues by chatting about his beer making history, “I am proud to say that brewing is in my blood. My grandfather and great grandfathers were both Brewmasters at Albani Brewery in Odense, Denmark. My brewing career started with Heineken at their Amstel Canada, Hamilton location in 1983. In 1990 I partnered with two others to bring craft beer to St. Catharines by way of Conners Brewery. In 1998 I helped resurrect historic Taylor and Bate Brewery in St. Catharines. From 2000 to 2010 I moved to Fairbanks, Alaska brewing and managing Silver Gulch Brewery. Since my return to Canada, I have happily been part of the Lake of Bays Brewing family since 2011.”

Lake of Bays Brewing produces a year-round core range as well as a rotation of seasonal beers. We visited the Baysville craft brewery during the hot summer months so the list of beers below are of the refreshing variety.

Other Lake of Bays Brewing craft beers that have been produced in the past include Pumpkin Ale, Pina Grande Wheat Ale, The West Wind Black IPA, A Doppel Do Ya Weizen, Nightwatcher Oatmeal Stout, Oxtongue IPA and Broken Axe APA.

Enjoy a craft beer tasting on the Lake of Bays Brewing patio.

We sampled 8 Lake of Bays Brewing tall cans.

Lift Lock Light Lager

a pale gold lager with crisp carbonation and earthy tones that fade into a clear finish.
light notes of cut grass on the nose. A fresh bite of carbonation to start, followed by a semi-sweet honey with cereal notes. A medium dry body quenches your thirst with an overall clean and gentle citrus note.
Pilsen malt + Magnum and Tettnang hops

Red Sky at Night Peach Cranberry Radler

infused with peach and cranberry, this light, not too sweet, not too tart thirst-quencher goes down easy.
blend of mulled apple cider and soft peach, this dry radler is distinctly crisp and aromatic.
2-Row Pale malt + Magnum and Cascade hops

Beach Break Lager with Lime

a light lager with a hint of lime, brewed in the style of a tropical cerveza.
light lime coats the tongue with a crisp bite of carbonation. A medium dry body quenches your thirst with an overall clean and gentle citrus note. Light and easy drinking.
Pilsen malt + Magnum and Tettnang hops

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Peach Paradise Milkshake IPA

this milkshake IPA is reminiscent of a plump bowl of peaches and cream. The sweetness from the lactose is balanced with a healthy helping of citrus hops.
hops bring forward a combination of guava, blueberry and apricot. Smooth throughout, this IPA finishes with a slight note of pear, pineapple juice tartness, and peach.
2-Row Pale and Oats malt + Magnum, Mosaic and El Dorado hops

Starboard New England IPA

this New England IPA offers up a warm golden haze, anchored with a big juicy nose.
Orange, grapefruit, and a hint of strawberry round out this sweet yet balanced IPA. Oats allow for a smooth and mellow mouthfeel.
2-Row Pale and Oat malt + Magnum, Citra, Mosaic and Cascade hops.

Spark House Red Ale

draws its deep mahogany hue and distinctive taste from a unique blend of domestic and European hops and dark-roasted specialty malts. An Ontario craft beer favourite, Spark House is Lake of Bays Brewing’s most popular beer.
pours a deep copper, almost reddish-brown hue resembling teak, with ivory-coloured foam that lingers. The aromatics are all malt – caramel, toffee, roasted grains, darker breads like pumpernickel and rye, and a very slight note of smokiness. The flavours are roasted grain, nutty and toffee with that subtle smoky note.
2-Row Pale, Flaked Wheat, Crystal, Chocolate and Roast Barley malts + Magnum, Cascade and Saaz hops

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Lake of Bays Brewing darkest beer is its Spark House Red Ale.

Switchback Pilsner

this light-bodied beer offers a slight bitterness, pouring a golden hue with dense white foam.
aromatics are of fresh-cut hay with slight floral notes and graininess that is the hallmark of a traditional German-style pilsner.
2-Row Pale, Pilsen and Flaked Wheat malts + Magnum and Hallertau hops

Paddle On Session IPA

this easy-drinking, light-bodied session ale is clean and crisp with a hint of lemon and citrus hop on the nose.
this IPA was produced in partnership with Algonquin Outfitters by brewer Andrew Walsh. It features one kilo of lemon zest per batch, Paddle On offers a tart twist on this dry session ale.
2-Row Pale malt + Perle, Chinook and Cascade hops