Dildo Brewery & Museum was the vision of brother and sister Angie Reid and Roger George, and their spouses Rob and Debbie. The 4 Dildonians set out to start a microbrewery in their hometown of Dildo, and wound up securing a unique homebase for it: The Dildo Museum.

The museum was in need of reinvigoration and repairs, and after 20 years of running it, the Society of United Fishermen Lodge 84, could no longer maintain or operate it. So the siblings and their spouses proposed to take over operating the museum, and use the building’s unused space for a brewpub. Their vision was executed wonderfully, and with the help of funding from The Overcast’s Albedo Grant.

Brewery Space in the Province?

In addition to being both a museum and great brewery, they’ve also nailed their vision of being “an arts venue with a view.” The physical space itself is beautiful; maybe the nicest in the province as far as breweries go.

Located right on the water — with patio seating to boot — there’s pub food like wings, onion rings, and mozza sticks, and most importantly, beer. Good beer. There’s well-designed merch, live music, and the kinds of views you’d see on postcards and trending Instagram feeds. Not to mention plenty to do and see in the area, if you’re a townie thinking it’s a long drive for a beer.

Not that it needs foot traffic from townies. There has been lines out the door of people waiting for a table! Inside is a mix of locals, tourists, and townies. Staff aren’t too surprised by the buzz and busyness.

“We felt confident in our brews and we knew we’d be busy,” says Angie Reid, “but we did not expect the overwhelming response from across this country and around the world.”

She says they’re pleased with tourists and locals alike for being so patient and supportive while they find their footing in their bustling new brewery. “We have had line ups for hours in the tap room, tables overflowing with people, and yet they all beam with a smile when they get their pint or their growler filled … the people are amazing, we are so grateful.”

Meet the Beers

To please all palates, they have 4 core beers, and will make a varierty of seasonals and small batrches as well. Upon launching, for example, they had a Blonde Ale brewed with blueberries, called Blue-Eyed Buoy.

I’se the B’yePA (IPA)

A solid IPA. Saying an IPA has a tropical taste is commonplace, but the tropical notes in this one are pretty unique. As for the title of the beer, if you need an explanation, you’re not a Newfoundlander, b’y. It’s a clever pun, and strong contender for Best Beer Name in NL. “There’s a lot of ‘cleverness’ in our group!” says Angela Reid.

“Sometimes we are completely off the wall with our names and ideas, we reel each other in. And then there’s times like this one when we named the I’se da byePA. Roger threw it out there & we loved it.”

Red Rocks Ale (Red Ale)

This one’s simply interesting: it’s brewed with beets, how quintessentially Newfoundland is that? “We plan to use ingredients from time to time in our brews that are native to this province,” says Angela Reid. “Beets are cool and we added them to enhance the color.”

Apparently its title is a reference to a popular nearby fishing hole. “The Red Rock Grounds, as we know them here in Dildo is a sure spot to catch a fish (or a few),” Reid says.

Route 80 Blonde (Blonde Ale)

A great offering for people in your crowd who may be wary of “Craft Beer,” but want to come along with you anyway, or for anyone looking for the perfect, easy drinking ale. The Route 80 Blonde is a delicious and more-ish example of a Blonde, with a uniquely, subtly sweet thing happening, and just the right body and mouthfeel for its style. The author of this article may have been gifted a growler of it that did not last past supper that night. As for the title of the beer, Route 80 is the highway off the main highway that leads to the brewery.

Stout Dildo (Stout)

This is a great stout and a must-drink for fans of the style. It’s got the coffee-toffee hits of a Guinness, without the flaws inherent to a mass produced beer. It was the first beer they made when their tanks came in. They must’ve known they were off to a great start upon first sip.

The name is a bit of an inside joke. “When you say it fast, it sounds something like our neighbouring community of South Dildo,” Reid says. “We said it as a joke, we all laughed, and continued to laugh each time we repeated it, so we went with it!”