A Calgary brewery is getting a fresh start under a Foothills banner.
Earlier in the summer, Fahr Brewery in Diamond Valley announced it had acquired OT Brewing Co.
The Calgary-based brewer has developed a dedicated following since its founding in 2018, as evidenced by the relief expressed by many on social media following the news that OT would be continuing under the Fahr roof.
Just a few months prior, OT announced the closure of their taproom, to the disappointment of many.
While the two breweries are fairly different at a glance, Fahr's brewmaster and namesake, Jochen Fahr, says there was a pre-existing connection.
"We have a little bit of history with OT, their head brewer at the time used to be our former head brewer so we're pretty familiar with them. So we decided to acquire their trademarks, listings, and products."
For any OT loyalists who may be concerned at the notion of radical changes to their favourite brand, Fahr says there's no need to fret.
"There's going to be two brands under the overall Fahr umbrella, that's the Fahr brand and the OT brand. We're going to keep the OT brand alive, and a few select products that they've been making that we feel are complimentary to ours, and potentially there are a few new ones coming."
He says OT products made under the Fahr roof have already hit store shelves, starting with an initial batch of OT's 5 Hundie.
As for the public reaction to the new partnership, it seems most are sharing in Fahr's excitement.
"We've gotten really good feedback so far, people seem to be excited. We're certainly excited about it. The guys from OT were really great to work with throughout the whole process. I'm pretty excited for the potential it gives us and the opportunities for innovation and different products we can produce under the OT brand."