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About Stonehooker
The Stonehooker story began long ago, lasted some generations before it was history, and today, forgotten. A home-grown industry that came and went, like the hundreds of brewers in Ontario who provided every community with the essential pints in that era. Concrete block and Prohibition ended these traditional livelihoods, leaving us with only a handful of breweries to control the industry. Ontario craft breweries have revived that industry with a link to a past history that values independence, and dedication to a local, quality product. We’ve revived the Stonehooker history as we expect our beers to have a big personality just like they did.
Stonehooking was a serious industry only found along the shores of 19th-century Ontario, with many lakeport home to fleets of stonehookers and their captains and crews. Early Toronto was an active market for stone, as builders could not get enough of it for walkways, roads and foundations. Local mariners found a livelihood in the stone trade, and they could manage a fairly balanced lifestyle for their time. As hard working day-sailors, they usually returned to their home port, and could often enjoy the simplre reward of a pint (or two) in the local tavern at the end of the day
Stonehooker Brewing Company opened in 2019, inspired by the spirit of the stonehookers to reward you with a pint at the end of your work day, or anytime. Like those stonehookers and their crews, the hookermen:
We laugh a lot.
We work hard and we enjoy the fruits of our labours.
We embrace a challenge and perservere in stormy weather.
We have respect for all with whom we associate.
We take pride in what we do.
Discover our brewery, here on Lakeshore Road in Lakeview, just east of Port Credit.
Relax, enjoy a delicious pint or a series of tasters in a plank. Friends meet here.
Taste the difference a Stonehooker makes and take some home for later.
Remember, “When you’re down by the lake, drop in!”
History of Stonehooking
An industry very specific to Lake Ontario that was booming in the mid-1800’s to the early 1900’s. Schooners sailed Lake Ontario’s north shore, anchoring in shallow waters for crew to hook stone and haul it up on deck, often 30 tonnes in a day's work. They would sail into Toronto harbour and unload the stone at Queen’s Wharf, at the foot of Bathurst Street. The stone was widely used for construction of buildings, sidewalks and roads, as concrete block was not available back in those times. To make the most of their day, the schooners would often load up with cargo for the return trip back to Port Credit.
The Captain of the ship and the schooner itself were called Stonehookers while the crew were called Hookermen. They worked hard, had a wicked sense of humour, always ready to help their neighbours and enjoyed coming home to a well-deserved beer at the local tavern after a strenuous day on the lake.
Port Credit, Bronte, Frenchman’s Bay and Oakville harbours were home to many Stonehookers. The pictures below highlight some of the ships and families, which are central to the local history that inspired our brewery’s name.
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