In February, Counterpoint Brewing celebrated two milestones. The Kitchener-based craft brewery celebrated its sixth birthday, and owner and head brewer Graeme Kobayashi announced that the brewery had begun renovations on its new location at 1600 Victoria St. N. in Kitchener.
Kobayashi announced the brewery’s move in an Instagram post in December. The move from its original location on Frederick St. was not something Kobayashi was expecting for the business, but a significant rent increase made it necessary.
“The biggest factor was rent, which has almost doubled since we moved in seven years ago. Our sales were generally back up to where they were before the pandemic, but, in combination with all the other expenses and difficulties trying to grow our customer base, the rent limited what we could do,” Kobayashi said.
The new space is smaller than the original location, but that is by design. Kobayashi said he has learned a lot about how to better use space after brewing and hosting events at the Frederick St. location. While they still have the tap room, the whole unit is about half the size of the previous one.
“I’m focused on keeping it as a fun and positive space for people to come in and enjoy beer,” he said.
“I didn’t want excess space to have to fill with large events just for the sake of filling it. We can really focus on making and serving beer,” Kobayashi said.
Kobayashi is the sole production person at the brewery, which he said allows him to brew the styles of beer that he is interested in and his customers want. Kobayashi added that it can be easy to get pulled in one direction or another based on beer trends, sales or seasons.
“Sometimes, I find myself forgetting to brew dark beers in the seasons when they’re in demand because I’m caught up trying to perfect a lager or something like that,” Kobayashi said.
Counterpoint Brewing’s Victoria St. location will open in April 2025. The brewery is also launching a membership program, Counterpoint Collective, that provides members with early access to new beers, merchandise discounts, and the opportunity to make their own pint glass at Blown Away Studios in Elora.
Kobayashi said he had hoped to open sooner, but renovations and inspections are taking longer than expected. As the next chapter begins for Counterpoint Brewing, Kobayashi said he knows there will be challenges—but that is part of being a small, independent brewery.
“Moving a business is a difficult decision. Every moment of downtime, you worry about losing potential customers. But we have a loyal following, which is great…[and] I hope we can make some waves and gain a bunch of cool new customers,” he said.
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