theESTABLISHMENT Come and meet George, the ghost BEST-LOVED WATERING HOLES
The Ashton Pub, 113 Old Mill Road, Ashton, Ont. By TERRY RYAN
In thinking about long-established
drinking holes, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to The Old Mill at Ashton, more commonly referred to as the Ashton Pub. About 30 years ago my buddy and I
called in sick one Friday and went for a tour. The road led to the Village of Ashton (originally surveyed in 1816- 17 and named Mount Pleasant) which brought us to the oldest British pub in Ontario. Situated on the Beckwith Township
side (as opposed to the Goulbourn/ Ottawa side), the building was originally the home of Montgomery’s Feed Mill, built circa 1940. It served many purposes over the years (including an auction house) until it became a traditional English pub. The pub is an original in many
ways, with a great veranda/patio out back, overlooking the Jock River. There are beams and original woodwork downstairs, church pews as benches, excellent food and − oh yes, a ghost known as George. George may open the door for you, turn up the music, or you may smell
a slight odor of cigar smoke. Nothing threatening, just a friendly sharing of space. With that in mind, it seems only
fitting that Art Hodgins and family, who launch all their pubs on the 13th
of
whatever month they open their doors, bought the pub a couple of years ago. Art started young in the business,
with a bit of background in architecture, by designing pubs and restaurants. He met his wife, Kerry, at Patty’s and together with their three boys they have been buying and selling pubs for more than 35 years. When he learned from long-
time friend, Lorne Hart, who had a commercial real estate license, that the Ashton pub was coming on the market, he knew he wanted to buy it, and Lorne orchestrated the deal. Art thought the basement would make
a great wine bar, but his boys, Quinn, Michael John (MJ) and Brendan had a different idea. They thought a brew pub would be more fitting and fun, and the Ashton Brewing Company was born. Again on the scene was Lorne Hart, formerly of Hart Breweries, who has
since mentored the boys and staff in creating the best beer possible. They bought the equipment from the States and the conditioning tanks (also called brightening tanks) were in sad shape. Enter Tom Cavanagh
Construction. Tom Cavanagh told Art to just send them over and the refurbished tanks were returned to them looking brand spanking new – shiny red. Go see for yourself. I took a tour of the brewery and it is really impressive. You can see the entire operation. This brewery makes incredible ales and a unique flavour is added to the beer by using the open-tank fermenting process. I was treated to a glass of the
Amber and I have to say it was most excellent. Full of body and flavour with a nice clean aftertaste. They brew their own Cream, Amber, Harvest Brown, Hop Stravaganza, Session and Seasonal ales. I guarantee you will want to take some home with you. Check out their website at
http://ashtonbrewpub.ca/ for more info on the menu, events, or beers. Better yet, check ‘em out in person. By the way, you can reserve
the basement for private parties (up to 30 people) or just drop in. You’ll feel at home; you’ll enjoy good food and drink great beer. You won’t be sorry you went. If you go on a Sunday, you’ll
26 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
hear the sounds of Kelly Sloan, a very talented lady who will be hosting Open Stage from 2 to 5 p.m. over the coming months.
www.bounder.ca www.bounder.ca Sales Representative Direct. 613.327.4409
1 Antares Dr., Suite 110, Ottawa, ON K2E 8C4
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