Town Brewery’s Pump House pop-up opens on Whitby’s waterfont
Published June 30, 2023 at 2:04 pm
The Pump House, vacant and unloved for 39 of its 119 years on the Whitby waterfront, is back in the liquid business again, only this time it’s pouring craft beer for its new and thirsty customers instead of pumping water for the masses.
Town Brewery, with its brewhouse a short distance away, was awarded a five-year food and beverage pop-up at the Pump House by the Town of Whitby last month and is now open for the summer, with multiple beers on tap, as well as wine, canned cocktails and non-alcoholic options.
“We’ve been hard at work putting this thing together with the help of friends, family and community members and we’re finally ready to share it with you all,” was the message on social media from the brewery, which opened on Charles Street in 2017.
The Pump House is located at 269 Water Street – right next to the pier on Lake Ontario – and will be open every weekend this summer from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), as well as holiday Mondays.
Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, who had been working with the brewery on the project for several years, called it the “first of many good news stories about the redevelopment of our waterfront,” adding that the pop-up will help make the waterfront “more vibrant and welcoming for residents and visitors alike.”
The Pump House, which opened in 1904, was Whitby’s first water pumping station. It had been vacant since 1984 when expansion took place at the water treatment plant located adjacent and east of the building.
Last year, the Town completed work to rehabilitate and preserve the Pump House building. Temporary exterior fences will be in place throughout the pilot project to protect the exterior structure.
“We’re extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with the Town of Whitby to bring life back to the historic Whitby Pump House this summer,” said brewery general manager and co-founder Jeff Talmey last month, who added that the brewery has focused on “strengthening our community through good work and good times” since they first opened.
Pump House IPA
The brewery even introduced a new ‘community collaboration’ beer for this weekend, called, appropriately, Pump House IPA. The beer is made with a hop combo of Columbus, Citra Cryo, El Dorado and Strata.
The pop-up will be cashless (debit and credit cards will be accepted) and there will be snacks available and a food truck close by. Well behaved dogs are also welcome.
Town Brewery is advising customers to keep an eye on its Facebook and Instagram pages in case of rainy days.
