Robert Simpson Brewery Bottles Barrie’s History

Robert Simpson Brewery Bottles Barrie’s History

On Weds the 16th of Sept, Roberrific went north to Barrie Ontario with his pal Timbits in hopes of meeting Peter Chiodo, the owner of Robert Simpson Brewery. The award winning brew master makes the best micro beer in Ontario, Confederation Ale. The brew is steeped in history, and the taste imparts the flavour of earlier times when lumber barons and Canada West settlers did business in Barrie’s streets and saloons.

This particular brewery, although not erected in its original historic location, is situated right in the heart of old Barrie, across from the historic Queen’s Hotel. And it’s the real thing – good beer is made (and consumed) right on the premises.

And this beer is made in the name of a particularly curious Canadian, an historic figure who played a prominent role in nation building. One of the foremost men of his time, Robert Simpson was the 1st Mayor of Barrie in 1871, and a master brewer. Even back then he’d been brewing beer for almost thirty years up and down Yonge St.

Tim Braithwaite is a stoneware collector. He posses a very rare Robert Simpson stoneware beer bottle that was made in 1849 as per the 1850 Toronto Business Index which lists Robert Simpson as a brewer in Toronto. This was a dark chapter in this historic brewer’s life. He disliked Toronto which was crowded and competitive. After that experience he moved everything he had north to Barrie Ontario in 1851 and set up a brewery there. He was no doubt anticipating the railroad would bring more settlers and logging companies and he was certainly hoping that perhaps Barrie Ontario would continue to grow into a prosperous settlement.

Robert Simpson lived in a different age when it was impossible to go online and get fire insurance or even the most basic Ontario homeowner’s insurance. This would be his fifth move in fifteen years and his young wife and family were used to hard times. He had yet to find commercial success as three deadly fires had destroyed his earlier breweries in Tollendale and Newmarket Ontario. Remember back then when you had a fire you were ruined, and you had to look around and borrow money and raise capital to start over again… Simpson found such opportunity in Toronto in 1848, and then shifted his assets north to Barrie in 1851.

Now this particular stoneware beer bottle, which was made by an unknown pottery shop in Upper Canada in the late 1840s, is one of two survivors and certainly worthy of display in any museum. Tim was very generous with information and told Peter a lot of secrets concerning the manufacture and trade in period stoneware. Knowing what to collect comes from knowing how these things are made, and that’s all very important knowledge these days. Tim Braithwaite has developed a wide readership because of this rare knowledge, and his thoughts are sometimes privileged information – but something he shares freely on Dumpdiggers..

TimBits had a lot of questions for Peter Chiodo too, and this modern day expert shared a lot of great insights about the modern day business of bottling beer.

Peter was just thrilled to be able to see and touch and connect with the namesake of his enterprise. Robert Simpson would also be proud of the association.