Tap Handle #352: Creemore Springs - Mad & Noisy Hops and Bolts IPL (V1)
Rarity: 10 or less seen, beer retired
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut
(Editors note: This post was updated in December 2025)
Creemore Springs Brewery was founded on August 15, 1987, in Creemore, Ontario, Canada, by John Wiggins. Born in Vancouver in 1931, Wiggins had a remarkable life story that included surviving an encounter with a tiger during a cross-country move in the Depression era. After a successful career as a graphic designer and advertising consultant in Toronto, Wiggins first visited the area while skiing at Devil's Glen with his family. He fell in love with the village of Creemore and moved there full-time in 1977, purchasing the former W.A. May Hardware Store at the corner of Mill and Elizabeth Streets. At the time, the village was largely boarded up and struggling economically. Wiggins initially had no plans for brewing, housing various businesses in the building including a clothing boutique and an art gallery. He became involved in the community, offering free graphic design services to local businesses, and his work helped give the village a cohesive identity that is still visible today.
In the mid-1980s, Wiggins developed severe arthritis that prevented him from continuing his design work. At age 57 and facing health challenges, he sought a new venture that would allow him to remain active. With the help of two friends, including a master brewer, Wiggins decided to start a brewery in the old hardware store on Creemore's main street. This was a bold move in 1987, when craft breweries were the exception rather than the norm in Canada, and the few that existed were not always producing quality products. Ontario's beer distribution was highly restrictive at the time, with over 89 percent of beer sold through The Beer Store, which was owned by the major brewing corporations. Despite these challenges, Wiggins saw possibilities in the village and the natural spring water available on his property, and he decided to take the risk.
Creemore Springs Brewery opened with a focus on quality and tradition rather than mass production. The brewery was located in the repurposed hardware store right on the main street, using an authentic copper kettle and open flame to fire-brew beer in small batches. Wiggins deliberately crafted the brand identity to evoke a sense of craft and tradition, creating labels featuring a brook and waterfall, and positioning Creemore as "the little guy, the beer made by elves." The brewery adhered to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, using only four ingredients in its brewing process: malted barley, hops, water, and yeast. The water came from the Creemore Spring, an artesian well located on one of the founder's properties, and was trucked daily to the brewery in 10,000 liter truckloads, with each load containing enough water to brew one batch.
Wiggins took an unconventional approach to marketing the brewery. Rather than focusing solely on the beer's quality ingredients, Creemore's marketing campaigns romanticized both the Bavarian Purity Act and the quaint village itself. Radio advertisements spoke of the Duke of Bavaria and the traditions of European brewing, while also highlighting the charm of the tiny village of Creemore that most people had never heard of. This strategy proved remarkably successful, as beer enthusiasts began traveling to Creemore to visit the brewery for tastings and tours. The brewery's presence helped transform Creemore from a struggling, boarded-up village into a bustling destination with cafes, art galleries, and tourist attractions. Ironically, Wiggins grew the brand without traditional advertising, relying instead on word-of-mouth and the brewery's unique story.
The brewery's flagship beer was Creemore Springs Premium Lager, an American amber lager with affinities to a Czech pilsener, brewed with specialty malts and fire-brewed in the copper kettle. The brewery also added urBock as a well-received winter seasonal offering. Creemore Springs was known for not using preservatives during the brewing process and not pasteurizing afterwards, which required the beer to be kept under perpetual refrigeration to maintain freshness. In 2002, the brewery built a new facility that doubled production capacity to keep up with growing demand. Creemore Springs became the second Ontario brewer, after Hockley Valley, to offer its product for sale in cans.
Like many small brewing companies, Creemore Springs faced the classic dilemma of whether to remain small and limit production or expand to compete with larger breweries. Being caught between these two options could lead to failure, especially in a market dominated by Molson, Labatt, Big Rock, Sleeman, and Moosehead. Wiggins sold his interests in Creemore Springs to his business partners in the early 2000s. In April 2005, Molson Coors, fresh off its merger, acquired Creemore Springs Brewery for approximately 25 million dollars and operated it as a subsidiary. Industry sources noted this was a remarkable return on investment for a brewery that had started in 1987. While acquisitions by mass market breweries often had negative effects on smaller operations, Creemore Springs retained the ability to operate as a distinct organization while benefiting from Molson Coors' knowledge, resources, marketing, and distribution networks.
In 2009, Creemore Springs applied for planning permission to expand its plant by 60 percent in order to triple its brewing capacity to 150,000 hectoliters per year. The location of such a large industrial plant in downtown Creemore generated significant debate among residents. A group of local residents opposed the expansion and took their fight to the Ontario Municipal Board, arguing that the industrial facility was too large for the village setting. However, the mayor supported the expansion, citing the substantial tourism revenue the brewery brought to the town and expressing fears that if the brewery relocated, Creemore might become a ghost town. The debate epitomized the struggles that many breweries face as they grow, balancing community concerns with business needs. Creemore Springs emerged from the controversy and proceeded with the expansion, though the company subsequently lost its status as a member of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association due to its ownership by a multinational corporation and large production capacity.
In October 2012, Creemore Springs announced the launch of Mad & Noisy Brewing, a new brand name for a series of experimental small-batch beers. The name was derived from the Mad River and Noisy River, which merge and flow through the village of Creemore. The first release under the Mad & Noisy imprint was Hops & Bolts India Pale Lager in 2013, described as a Czech twist on an English IPA that combined elements of both lagers and ales. Initially available as a draft-only limited release, Hops & Bolts IPL later became available in 473ml cans. The beer was characterized as lighter than a traditional IPA but fuller than a golden lager, featuring pithy bitterness balanced by silky malt sweetness, with an unfiltered haze that settled to a bright orange-cedar color.
The Mad & Noisy series expanded to include additional experimental offerings over the years. In 2013, the brewery introduced Sunny & Share Citrus Saison, a Belgian-influenced beer that became the second release in the Craft Beer Exploration Series. Other releases in the Mad & Noisy lineup included Mad & Noisy IPA (an American IPA with 6 percent ABV that was later retired), Mad & Noisy Lagered Ale (a robust lagered ale in the style of a Kölsch that some reviewers felt resembled a lagered ESB), Mad & Noisy Coconut Porter (an American porter featuring subtle notes of toasted coconut alongside chocolate and nutty flavors), and Mad & Noisy Orange Pale Ale (an American pale ale with touches of citrusy orange oil). The Mad & Noisy series allowed Creemore Springs to experiment with bolder, more hop-forward styles compared to their traditional flagship lagers, appealing to craft beer enthusiasts seeking more adventurous flavor profiles. As of 2025, the Mad & Noisy India Pale Lager continues to be available in cans and on draft at various locations throughout Ontario.
In March 2016, Creemore Springs opened Batch, a 2,500 square foot gastropub at 75 Victoria Street in downtown Toronto, in a space previously occupied by Beer Academy and other breweries. The gastrobrewery served beer and food, with six small-batch beers brewed on-site under the direction of brewmaster Andrew Bartle, including Pale Ale, Cream Ale, Witbier, Porter, and India Pale Ale, along with seasonal offerings. The food menu was designed by chef Ben Heaton and featured elevated pub fare and comfort food classics. Marketing director Karen Gaudino described Batch as a "consulate" for the brand, allowing urban consumers to experience the Creemore ethos without traveling to the village. The location served as an incubator for product testing and development, with new beer styles evaluated for potential commercialization through retail channels. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Batch to temporarily close in June 2020, and in May 2021, Creemore Springs announced the permanent closure of the gastropub.
In 2019, Creemore Springs introduced a new logo and package design, marking the brewery's first major branding change since its founding in 1987. Brand manager Stephanie McLarty explained that founder John Wiggins' traditional logo needed updating to break through the marketplace clutter, and that the change embodied Wiggins' original spirit of risk-taking and fresh thinking. The brewery stated that the new design highlighted what made Creemore beer unique: spring water and the process of fire brewing in a copper kettle. The logo's open-ended banner design was intended to pay homage to Wiggins' values and the idea that there are always possibilities for new beginnings. However, the rebrand proved highly controversial, generating overwhelmingly negative reactions on social media. Beer fans criticized the new design as amateur and generic, with many changing their profile photos to the old logo in protest. Even John Wiggins himself was vocal in his criticism of the rebrand, expressing concerns about changes to the company he had founded. Despite the brewery's assertion that the rebrand was a local initiative rather than one dictated by Molson Coors, many consumers remained skeptical, viewing it as evidence of corporate interference with a beloved local brand.
John Wiggins remained an active and vocal presence in Creemore after selling the brewery, maintaining strong opinions about decisions affecting the company he founded. He was particularly outspoken when the business was sold to Molson Coors in 2005, during the major expansion in 2009, and again during the 2019 rebrand. Wiggins played an important role in Creemore's economic development beyond the brewery, spearheading the movement to install a municipal waste treatment system and helping other businesses with branding while attracting entrepreneurs to the community. His daughters remembered him as unfailingly modest despite being the driving force behind the brewery's success, always quick to attribute the community's agricultural roots and strong work ethic for making Creemore Springs possible. John Wiggins passed away peacefully on April 10, 2021, at the age of 89, at his home in Balmoral Village in Collingwood, where he had lived with his wife Sylvia until her death in 2018. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no public memorial service was held.
As of 2025, Creemore Springs continues to operate under Molson Coors ownership, employing a team of over 100 people, many of whom are second-generation family members with strong agricultural, family, and community values. The brewery's current facility has the capacity to brew 130,000 hectoliters annually. Creemore Springs maintains its commitment to fire-brewing beer in small batches in the authentic copper kettle, using locally sourced spring water that is trucked daily from the Creemore Spring. The brewery has implemented extensive environmental initiatives, including reducing water usage by 1 million liters per year, ensuring that 99.5 percent of brewery waste never reaches landfill, hosting plastic-free events, and launching Canada's first eco-friendly ring packaging. The brewery's commitment to quality and tradition continues to honor the legacy of John Wiggins, who at age 57 took a chance on a dream that not only created a successful brewery but helped transform an entire village.
Mad & Noisy Hops and Bolts India Pale Lager is brewed with a combination of Czech, English, and West Coast influences, creating a beer that takes the best components of a lager and an ale and rivets them together. The beer is lighter than a traditional IPA but fuller than a golden lager, featuring pithy bitterness that blends into a silky balancing malt sweetness. In the glass, it displays a slight unfiltered haze which settles to a bright orange-cedar color with a dense, lingering off-white head. The big hoppy aroma features a blend of light tropical fruits combined with bold piney and grassy notes. With 60 IBUs, the beer offers substantial hop character while maintaining the crispness expected from a lager. Recommended food pairings include hot spicy dishes and Asian cuisine, where the beer's bitterness and carbonation help cut through rich flavors.
BeerAdvocate: 80 out of 100 (good)
Creemore Springs Brewery Limited
139 Mill Street
Creemore, Ontario L0M 1G0, Canada
Source Material
Where to get one beer handle like this ?? I live in Montreal Canada
ReplyDeleteI have one
ReplyDelete