Ottawa’s Spark Beer has only been in business for a few years, but already has survived a global pandemic, thrived in Chinatown, and adapted to changing consumer tastes. Now, the owners will need to navigate upcoming tariffs imposed by the U.S. that will likely affect their business. While travelling to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 […]
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Ottawa’s Spark Beer has only been in business for a few years, but already has survived a global pandemic, thrived in Chinatown, and adapted to changing consumer tastes. Now, the owners will need to navigate upcoming tariffs imposed by the U.S. that will likely affect their business.
While travelling to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 and Belgium in 2014, John Sproull and Andrea Gormley, owners of Spark Beer, cemented their love for craft beer, which grew into a desire to open their own brewery back home.
“(Travelling to Portland and Belgium) led to (us asking ourselves), ‘If they’re making these amazing beers, how do we make our own beers this good?’ because in Ontario, there weren’t really many options (for craft beer) at that time,” Sproull said.
The pair began searching for the perfect spot for their business. Just as Gormley was at her wit’s end, they saw a “for lease” sign on a red-brick building in the heart of Ottawa’s Chinatown at 702 Somerset St. W.
“Once we got in there, we started to think about what could be done because it was pretty much a blank slate. It was in rough shape, so it did take a year to get it up and running,” Sproull said.
Spark Beer officially opened its doors in January 2020 and was quickly welcomed into the community – a feeling that became stronger once the pandemic forced many businesses to close.
“During that time we got to know a lot of our neighbours. Everybody had the same questions and concerns but we were all just stopping by (at each other’s businesses) to see how everybody was. It was a tough time but we felt like we were part of the neighbourhood almost immediately,” Gormley said.
Still, money worries began to creep in.
“Everything was okay for two months. Then in mid-March (we were) in survival mode until we could get our footing. We have been in that survival mode the whole time. We said it last year and we’re saying it again this year but we feel like this is our first year being open,” Gormley said.
Paying staff, buying increasingly expensive ingredients, and keeping up with the competition make running the business difficult, Sproull said. However, being a small operation that can run “in a really lean fashion” often gives Spark an advantage over bigger breweries, Gormley added.
They’re well aware that, in recent weeks, rising costs have led to the closure of Ottawa craft breweries Conspiracy Theory Brewing Co. in Bells Corners and Shillow Beer Co. on Cyrville Road.
“We always say that we’re all good friends but, in the end, you are kind of competing against each other. We totally understand (their situations) because there were months that we weren’t quite sure what the future was going to bring. It’s heartbreaking to hear because we know what it’s like,” Sproull said.
Recently, they’ve also had to consider changing consumer tastes. “I think beer is something that still brings people together. We just have to get people under 30 drinking it again,” Sproull said.
With the growing popularity of alcohol-free brews and zero-proof mocktails, breweries such as Spark have had to adapt. While Gormley said that their production methods don’t allow them to make non-alcoholic beers, they do carry options from other breweries in Ontario.
“We are very happy to respond to what people are asking for. We just hosted a baby party with all adults and that crowd in particular was really into spirit-free cocktails so we made sure we had enough for them. Because we’re small, we can … quickly provide (what they’re asking for),” Gormley said.
While they don’t produce non-alcoholic options, they do offer a variety of beers made in-house with local and Canadian ingredients. Depending on the beer, the grain-to-glass process can take anywhere from three weeks to two years.
“Our IPAs are about three weeks, our lagers are usually six to eight weeks and our sours take a little longer too, but we prefer the flavours to develop. Our oak-aged stuff (can take) anywhere from four months to two years. The Cloudland beer, which just won best in show, was in-barrel for two years,” Sproull said.
Sometimes beers just don’t turn out the way they planned. “We do long-aged, almost ‘heartbreak beers,’ because you’re aging it for a year and, if something goes wrong, it breaks your heart,” Gormley said.
“(When you’re making a beer over a long period of time) you start to wonder if it’ll get there, whatever ‘there’ is. But once it does, it’s like magic. You have a eureka moment and it’s usually at midnight on a Tuesday,” Sproull added.
Their beer has won awards at the Ontario Brewing Awards since 2021, with five of their beers winning big in 2024. Their Cloudland brew, for example, won gold in the wood-beer category and best in show at this year’s gala, which took place Jan. 17 in Niagara Falls.
“We were very surprised, but we love the Ontario Brewing Awards because you get to meet all of the other breweries and we’ve made friends because of the gala,” Sproull said.
Part of their success, they say, is the community of beer-lovers they’ve been able to build in Chinatown, an area of the city that has seen significant challenges over the past several years.
“We love our neighbours and a lot of these places have been here for so long. We proudly partake in the (Chinatown) Night Market and we’re involved with the BIA and we take pride in that, too. We just had the Lunar New Year parade, which was really fun,” Gormley said.
“We have loyal customers now and that’s just a neat feeling to see people and know a bit about their lives and have a shared care for this area,” she said.
Now, a new challenge is looming, as U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports of steel and aluminum on March 12.
About 90 per cent of beer cans used in Canada are imported from the U.S., although the metal used to make the cans is exported from Canada. Tariffs on aluminum would increase costs for U.S. can companies, therefore increasing the cost when cans are sold back to Canadian companies.
When Sproull and Gormley began making beer in 2020 they used bottles, but the pandemic forced them to switch to cans to facilitate takeout.
Sproull recalled that when Trump invoked a 10 per cent tariff on aluminum in 2018 during his first term, the price of cans “went up a ridiculous amount.”
“Back then there was a shortage because everybody was trying to buy (cans) before the tariffs went into effect. So, for example, Coca-Cola will buy warehouses of cans whereas craft brewers will buy a couple thousand at a time. We’re pretty low on the priority list so the prices obviously go up. Now, the question is, do we swallow that cost or pass it on (to the customer)?” Sproull said.
Gormley said that while the price and availability of aluminum cans will have an impact on their business, most of their sales come from what they sell on-tap.
“Most of our sales are from the bar. We keg (the beer) and then it’s on-tap. For us, only part of our sales are (due to canned beer). Worst case scenario, we have a bottling machine. It’s not great, but it’s what we can do for now,” Gormley said.
Sproull also pointed out that it remains to be seen if any impending U.S. tariffs will have an effect on grain prices and, if they do, they’ll be forced to source their ingredients elsewhere.
“Hops is not on that list for now but we do get some from the Pacific Northwest because that is where the good IPA hops are grown. We might have to start looking at (sourcing from) New Zealand, Australia, Germany, England – just completely shift away from buying American,” Sproull said.
As they prepare to celebrate their five-year anniversary this Saturday, the owners of Spark Beer are looking forward to more community-building initiatives and continuing to make beer in a place where they feel at home.
“We want to be more involved with the Night Market and those festivals that happen here. We’ve been in talks with a number of other businesses to see how we can draw up interest and to get word out there that Chinatown is a vibrant and exciting place. (The perception) has started to shift to what it was 20 years ago as a late-night place to get pho at three o’clock in the morning. I think now it has so much more to offer,” Sproull said.
“We really do love beer, but we don’t make it as a product. We make it as a beverage that we love. There’s so many exciting things coming out of craft beer and I think the future is really bright for it,” Sproull said.
– With files from The Canadian Press
