A Debunked Conspiracy Theory

I didn't know it for very long.

I had my first taste of a Conspiracy Theory beer at Greenfield's Public House almost seven years ago, killing time while Kid 1 was at a nearby martial arts school. It was a decent beer and the person behind the bar had told me that it was a local craft brewer.

Very local.

Paul Card, the brewer, was creating beer out of his garage in Barrhaven. Shortly after, I sought him out and tried his products for a Beer O'Clock review post.

But in truth, I never tried the beer after that. And not because I had anything against the beer: it was just because I never saw any on tap at Greenfield's any more (they rotated several of their taps, including Conspiracy Theory, and it was never there when I was in).

At our meeting, Paul had told me of his plans to open a brew pub in the strip mall that was under development at the time, along Greenback Road, near Highbury Park Drive. But he was having issues with their management and might have to look elsewhere.

Apparently, Bells Corners became the brewery's home.

I had learned of his brew pub a couple of years ago but life got in the way, with the help of the pandemic, and I never found the time to check it out until late last year, when I met up with my friend, Perry, for dinner and drinks.

They made a good bacon cheeseburger.

Again, the beer was fine. Not great, but quaffable. But what held my interest, on that visit was the discovery that they had a weekly karaoke night. And this venue was great for my intention of having a practice spot, where I could sing songs away from the evenings when I joined my friends.

I would come to Conspiracy Theory's karaoke night for practice, and on my first evening of coming on my own, I made new friends. I wasn't crazy about the system that the karaoke jockey used, where I couldn't set up songs in advance, and I didn't like that he didn't have nearly half of the songs I requested.

At my first meeting with these karaoke friends, I learned that there was a venue near my house, in Barrhaven, and coincidentally, it was below Greenfield's, where I had first experienced Conspiracy Theory beer.

When I checked it out, I was duly impressed. So much so, that I decided on that night that Hummingbird Hall was going to be my regular practice venue, and that I'd go to Conspiracy Theory only periodically.

I have even rented out Hummingbird Hall and hired the KJ, Amy, for my upcoming birthday celebration.

Last Friday, I decided not to go to Conspiracy Theory because I had gone to Hummingbird the night before, and I was going to a karaoke night at another brewery, Stray Dog, on Saturday. Little did I know that I'd never be going to Conspiracy Theory again.

On Saturday, Conspiracy Theory unexpectedly closed its doors for good, stating economic issues—mainly, its inability to pay its rent and the increasing costs to suppliers and staff. I can't say that I was particularly surprised: on the five occasions that I went to the brew pub, I only saw it busy once, when someone was celebrating a retirement.

On the other occasions that I had visited Conspiracy Theory, only a small fraction of the restaurant area was occupied, with fewer than a half-dozen tables used. Now, perhaps that was due to karaoke night not being popular, but I've never been to a brew pub on a Thursday or Friday and it was not busy, or even full.

My last visit to Conspiracy Theory on a quiet Friday night. Our server had time to sing.

(DW came close to booking Conspiracy Theory for my party, and I'm glad she didn't.)

I feel sad for Paul. Years ago, this brewery was clearly his passion. Even when I talked to him, last November, he still seemed pleased with what he had accomplished, though he did hint that he was thinking about selling the business.

Was the writing already on the wall, or am I seeing some kind of conspiracy?

And while I'm sad for it's closure, I didn't bond with the place enough to truly say that I'll miss it. The beer was good but not good enough to draw me there on its own. We have lots of excellent breweries in Ottawa, so the loss of one that wasn't outstanding was likely inevitable.

Best of luck to those who suddenly found the doors locked and themselves out of a job. They were good people and I hope they find something else quickly.