St. Marys, Ont., is a town of fewer than 7,500 people. And one remarkable brewery.
Located about two-and-a-half-hours west of Toronto, and about 45 minutes north of London, St. Marys is home to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the first recorded baseball games in North America was held not far away. Stratford, home of the Stratford Festival, and St. Marys Quarry, a former limestone quarry transformed into what claims to be the largest outdoor freshwater pool, are also nearby, making St. Marys a tourist destination.
For beer lovers, St. Marys is also home to Broken Rail Brewing. The location of Broken Rail merits a tourist stop itself, regardless of one’s affinity for beer, though hopefully everyone will stay for a pint or two as well.
Broken Rail is located in St. Marys Junction Railway Station, formerly part of the Grand Truck Railway and built in 1858. The building is protected, having been declared of national historic and architectural significance by Canada’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board. It is a stone building and lends credence to St. Marys’ nickname, “The Stone Town.”
The station is also where Thomas Edison worked as a telegraph operator for the Grand Trunk Railway. It is believed to be the only remaining structure in Canada in which Edison worked.
The Leamans’ lightbulb moment
Ryan and Erin Leaman were a beer-passionate couple. Ryan had been homebrewing for about 15 years. “You always dream of opening your own brewery,” said Ryan, “but you think it’ll never happen.” Eventually, personal circumstances steered the Leamans towards a career change and a shorter commute.
The couple combined Ryan’s homebrewing background and Erin’s experience in hospitality management with bootstrapped financing – the couple are the brewery’s only shareholders – along with the historic building which had been sitting empty since the 1970s to invent St. Marys’ first brewery.
Ryan says he was worried the building’s historic designation would be an impediment. “It’s funny to look back. I thought we wouldn’t have a chance in hell of opening a brewery in the building,” said Ryan. Instead, the Leamans found St. Marys’ town council, the heritage committee and Parks Canada, which oversees historic sites, to be great to work with.
Broken Rail Brewing was incorporated on Halloween in 2019 and opened its doors to thirsty customers on Valentine’s Day in 2021. The building is only about 1,500 square feet and the brewing equipment occupies about 600 square feet of that space. That leaves indoor seating for about 30 people and, weather permitting, outdoor seating for another 60 people on the pet-friendly patio. Broken Rail brews about 1,000 hectolitres per year in its two-vessel, seven-hectolitre brewhouse.
Their flagship beer is Tesla’s Revenge, an American-style IPA served in the brewery’s taproom. Other core beers available include Incandescent Blonde, Overnight Express Stout, Junction Square Nail Amber and Yellow Fizzy Stuff. About 20 seasonal or limited-edition beers make their way through the brewery’s taps in any given year, about one every two to three weeks.
Packaged beers, in 473-mL cans, are available at LCBO stores. Tesla’s Revenge is a permanent listing while Broken Rail also boasts the occasional beer through the province’s liquor stores. A second full-time listing at the LCBO is coming soon, says Ryan. Broken Rail beers can also be found in local bars and restaurants.
Invention is never easy
It is an oft-repeated legend that Thomas Edison failed repeatedly when trying to invent the lightbulb. However, rather than viewing those experiments as failures, Edison is said to have quipped, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
The Leamans have had to embrace a similarly positive attitude in building and running Broken Rail. “Homebrewing and commercial brewing are nothing alike,” said Ryan. “I’ve probably hit every problem you can hit along the way.” As a result, the Leamans hired a head brewer with commercial experience and will soon hire an assistant brewer, to allow Ryan to focus on running the business.
You always dream of opening your own brewery, but you think it’ll never happen.
Ryan Leaman, Broken Rail Brewing
Their original plan to build a restaurant in a train caboose were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep food options simple and within the building’s square footage, Broken Rail purchased a small electric pizza oven and imports fully assembled pizzas from Italy. “It is still a dream to have it happen someday,” said Ryan of the full restaurant.
Illuminating the community
The very existence of Broken Rail Brewing was an effort to support the community of St. Marys. “Broken Rail Brewing was established with the goal to keep this historic station and story alive, and why not make some damn good beer while we are at it!” says the brewery’s website. “The skilled craftsmanship is evident throughout the station, which is exactly the foundation of our brews and we can’t wait to share them with you.”
However, Broken Rail’s and the Leamans’ support of the town they call home goes far beyond the walls of the brewery. Broken Rail has teamed up with Boxer Rescue Ontario, a charity that places abandoned boxer dogs into forever homes and promotes responsible dog ownership. The organization is featured on the Broken Rail website, with links to donate and view the dogs available for adoption.
Boxer Rescue Ontario is near and dear to the Leamans, who have made their brewery patio dog-friendly. Indeed, that patio is located next to a dog park. The brewery even uses some of its spent grain to make dog treats. “Erin and I like dogs more than we like people,” joked Ryan.
Broken Rail also partners with Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario. Working with a local running store and a local hop farm, and with support from New Balance, Broken Rail helps host an annual relay race that ends at the brewery, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the charity that supports families when children need hospital care.
However, supporting the community means more than charitable donations. Broken Rail brews with almost exclusively Canadian malt and sources “the vast majority” of its hops from the local hop farm, the Tavistock Hop Company.
Being a seasonal business, the brewery employs between eight and 12 people, many of whom return each year. Even if they don’t return as employees, they return as customers. In a small town, it is important to maintain good relationships with everyone. Many former employees now work for the town council or otherwise help to support the Leamans’ business. It is a full circle of support. Even all of the brewery’s used ingredients are upcycled as livestock feed for local farmers.
Working with the beer community
Broken Rail Brewing is a proud and active member of Beer Canada and of Ontario Craft Brewers. “It’s just great to get all of the news and insights,” said Ryan of the value of their membership. “Any information you can get to help run your business day to day is helpful. And we all benefit from the advocacy that Beer Canada does. Because of this brewery and the advocacy work we are involved with, I’ve formed friendships with our member of Parliament and member of provincial parliament. They’re amazing.”
Broken Rail Brewing has been crafting great beer since opening its doors almost five years ago. With brewery capacity set to increase soon, Broken Rail’s future is undeniably bright.
