The next generation of brewing talent at NC’s Teaching Brewery tapped into Ontario’s brewing history to recreate a soon-to-be-released beer that is sure to bring back memories of Walland’s Atlas Hotel.
On March 18, Brewmaster Professor Jon Downing led second-term students in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program in the brewing of HAL XXXX. The beer was first crafted by Downing in 1986 for the grand opening of the Atlas Hotel Brewpub in Welland, the first brewpub in Ontario, for which he secured the first brewpub license in Ontario: “BPL 001.”
“It’s wild to think that it was 40 years ago,” said Downing. “It’s cool that I get to brew it again with the next generation of brewers who are now carrying the industry forward.”
Downing’s arrival in Canada was tied directly to the Atlas. After meeting the hotel’s owners at a brewing conference in 1985, he moved to Welland to help launch the historic site. Since then, Downing went on to be instrumental in opening 10 more breweries across Ontario and over 100 worldwide before joining the College as it launched its Brewmaster program and Canada’s first Teaching Brewery.
“When I started, there were only two microbreweries in Ontario – Brick and Wellington County – and only two brewpubs in the entire country,” said Downing. “I knew it would be a successful industry, but the rate of expansion, especially since we started the program at NC, has been incredible. We’ve gone from a handful of players to over 1,200 breweries across Canada.”
HAL XXXX was named for the Hallertauer hops used in its production. It was part of a trio of brews – along with Cas, made with Cascade hops, and Wil, made with Willamette hops – which debuted alongside the launch of the Atlas, designed to educate a public that was just beginning to discover craft beer.
“We had very limited brewing resources back then. There were only a few varieties of hops available to us, mostly through homebrew suppliers,” said Downing. “I could only easily get Cascade, Hallertauer, and Willamette. Because malt was also limited, I brewed three similar beers using different hops to show how one ingredient can affect the beer, and to educate people as to what a hop was.”
The fortieth anniversary of Ontario’s first brewpub during the fifteenth year of NC’s trailblazing Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program, which has been celebrated for its impact on the craft beer industry in Ontario.
HAL XXXX is scheduled for release at the Teaching Brewery retail store in time to commemorate the official April 22 milestone. Watch for it – while supplies last – during the weeks ahead at the Wine Visitor + Education Center, alongside other student-crafted products from NC’s Teaching Brewery, Teaching Winery, and Teaching Distillery.
In 2016, Downing also led Brewmaster students in the brewing of Cas to mark the 30th anniversary of the Atlas. View 2026 article here.
