Thunder Bay's brewing industry is booming, but can it support 5 breweries?

There is something of an explosion happening in Thunder Bay,an explosion of craft beer.

The Lakehead Beer Company opened its doors tocustomers in the north core of the city, last week. It'sthe fifth craft brewery in the northwestern Ontario city of about 110,000 people.

Still, it's welcome news to the city's other, more established brewers.

"If people want to look and say, 'Oooh, you got more competition,'I don't think that's true." said Kevin Brewer. "I think now you have more variety for the consumerandthey can try a beer from a different craft brewery."

Brewer isthe general manager of theSleeping Giant Brewing Company, the oldest and largest of the current craft beer makers in the city.

He said he welcomes the competition and believes it should be good for all the other local craft beercompanies including One Time, Dawson Trail and the Prospector.

Sleeping Giant has been in business for nearly a decade and has 15 full-time employees. Yet, he said there are still people that walk through the doors and say they didn't know there was a brewery in Thunder Bay, Brewer explained.

Havingfive craft beer companies in business also makesmarketing a craft beer tour a real possibility, he said.

"When I've gone to a city and I only have so many hours in a day,I want to see as many breweries as I can," he said.

"And now there are five options for visiting people whocome to Thunder Bay. That's two days that you could spend trying, sampling, educating yourself or just enjoying Thunder Bay as a whole," he said.

"You could buy their beer and then go hiking onthe Sleeping Giant as well, or any of the numerous trails."

Across Canada, craft breweries are a major employer, with about 1,100 breweries employing 10,000 people. According to the Conference Board of Canada, 79 per cent opened within the last six years, since 2015.

The past year has been particularly hard on those smallest outfits, which are just getting started. Still, in Thunder Bay, brewers are looking toward the future.

Kerry Berlinquette knows more about Thunder Bay's craft beer scene and its tourism potential than just about anyone.

Berlinquette has been a key player in all aspects of Thunder Baybeer, from owninga tap house to being one of the founders of the city's Brew Ha craft beer festival. Berlinquette saidshe believes five craft breweries can survive in Thunder Bay, because it is the kind of place that supports its own.

"I'm a true believer that Thunder Bay loves anything that is locally made here," she said. "We have a real pride in our city and anything that people start here. I find that the local folks really try to support it and not just Thunder Bay, but northern Ontario, northwestern Ontario"

• PHOTOS|Take a look behind the scenes at the Lakehead Beer Company

Berlinquettesaid she believes that having different craft brewers also helps people expand their palate She says craft breweries can offer unique beers that may appeal to people who don't normally enjoybeer.

"Every time somethingnew opens, they bring new beer drinkers into the mix," she said. "And beers are changing all the time."

She says craft breweries can offer products, like sours, that appeal to people who don't really like the taste of beer.

Like Brewer, Berlinquette said she foresees a day when brewery tours will be a big attraction in the city. She said a lot of it hangs on a "return to normal"and the possibility of cruise shipscoming into the harbour.

"There are so many opportunities here, like youvisit a brewery and then maybe a local restaurant that serves the beer,"she said. "I can see all these things."