There is only one thing that can make sitting back and sipping a cold brew even better – doing it on an outdoor patio! Summer is the perfect time for beer-lovers to soak up the sun while drinking the season’s specials at their favourite brewery or beer garden.

It’s also a great time to highlight these outdoor spaces, where management went the extra mile to make sure customers enjoyed a drink in comfort, no matter the weather. Check out these open-air drinking venues with versatile weather protection:

Thornbury Village Cider House and Brewery

Since 2006, Thornbury Village Cider House has been located in the core of 7,500 acres of apple orchards. Using 100% Canadian apples, the brewery produces premium quality ciders available in-house or on the go. Continuously striving to enhance their ciders, the company also invested in improving its patio season by adding extra sun and rain protection.

To complement the contemporary design of their outdoor patio, ShadeFX installed an 18’ x 14’ outdoor structure powder-coated Window Grey. A motorized retractable canopy in Arcade FR Taupe fabric completes the outdoor solution. On those drizzling days, the waterproof fabric paired with custom gutters allows consumers to stay dry while satisfying their thirst.

New Realm Brewing Company

The American craft brewery started in 2016 on Atlanta’s east side Beltline trail with a mission to rethink tradition and bend the rules. In 2018, the co-founders of New Realm Brewing Company opened another location in Virginia Beach enabling them to increase their ability to innovate and create new beers. The Virginia Beach location is a 58,000 sq. ft. space with a brewhouse and a larger outdoor beer garden, private event space, and restaurant.

The outdoor beer garden is covered by a curved structure. ShadeFX customized nine top motorized canopies and a gutter system to protect the beer garden’s patrons from the elements.

Bellwoods Brewery

Pushed back from the street, a defunct auto repair shop was retrofitted into a fully functioning liquid laboratory called Bellwoods Brewery. The space quickly became a part of the neighbourhood’s social fabric, a gathering spot stimulating the senses and tickling the palette with a magic touch from the local ‘Witchshark’.

In order to solidify its place in the ‘Oz’, Bellwoods turned the expansive front lot of the former auto garage into an outdoor patio. Working together with the pioneering beer makers, ShadeFX proposed a large steel-framed pergola to cover the 26’x 20′ area with a motorized underside canopy system. Neither rain nor heat would stop the good vibes and beers from flowing at the Bellwoods Brewery.

Al Johnson’s Stabbur Beer Garden

After 58 years of devout Swedish tradition dedicated to goats grazing on roofs, Al Johnsons added a modern convenience to its beer garden. ShadeFX devised a 6 Bay Aluminum Structure with Retractable Roof and Gutters to the 2200 sq ft patio. In order to match the traditional aesthetic, all components were coated with an Ochre Brown, and the canopy fabric, a Ferrari Buttercup.

The ShadeFX team conducted the onsite assessment, delivery, and installation, while also treating ourselves to some of those world-famous Swedish meatballs. Now, regardless of hot weather or rainy days, ‘Skål’ can be heard coming from the ‘Stabbur,’ overtop the grazing goat rooftops and out into Lake Michigan.

Craft Beer Market, Kelowna

Located in the old Paramount theatre on Bernard Avenue, Craft Beer Market in Kelowna is a bustling summer attraction. Its rooftop offers visitors magnificent views of Lake Okanagan and the City park. Careful planning allotted 200 seats and is complete with shuffleboards, heater, and ShadeFX’s retractable roofs for a three-season rooftop patio.

A total of seven retractable roofs were installed, adding nearly 1700 square feet of sun and rain protection for those who come to enjoy great craft beer with delicious comfort food.

Molly Pitcher Brewing Company

Molly Pitcher Brewing Company is a microbrewery in the heart of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It offers a great selection of brews with 20 rotating taps and a full-service kitchen. With its convenient location in the downtown area and close to the Dickenson campus, it’s a hot spot for beer lovers alike.

The quaint pub decided to extend its footprint and added outdoor seating for its customers in front of the brewery. To the wooden pergola built over the space, a 20’x18′ motorized canopy from ShadeFX was installed. For extra rain management, gutters were added. This outdoor space also comes with waterproof curtains in burgundy fabric. The curtains as well as the added electric heaters transform the space into a three-season room for customers to enjoy year-round.

The Front Yard at Ellis Island Casino

The Front Yard at Ellis Island Casino is a two-story indoor/outdoor venue that incorporates its own brews from the family brewery next door. It has a casual brewpub atmosphere with the best seats in the house being the second-floor atrium with views of the Strip. The definitive highlight of the space is its impressive barrel-vaulted open ceiling.

The management team sought to create an indoor/outdoor feel that remains cozy and comfortable and desired a versatile retractable shade solution to fit the semi-cylinder form. ShadeFX manufactured and installed twelve 18’x14’ arched motorized canopies using ArcadeFR Radiant White material for the over 3,000 sq. ft. ceiling. Its customers are treated to clear open skies on a clear night, and protected from the occasional showers, with the push of a button.

Whether you’re into IPAs, lagers, pilsners, stouts, or something in between, these breweries and beer gardens have it all – great brews and atmosphere with the extra special touch of protected outdoor dining.

Interested in protecting your customers from unexpected weather? We can help.