1833 to Now

Kerr Farm keeps the stories alive.

"Every place has a story.

Some deserve to be told again and again."

Welcome.

If you've made it this far, it's probably thanks to a beer.

And that's exactly what we hoped for. Brasserie Sir John has always created beers that inspire travel. Each brew highlights a region, a story, or a part of our heritage.

At Kerr Farm, we believe that places can also tell stories. When the idea for this beer was born, it quickly became clear to us that it had to do much more than celebrate a collaboration.

It was intended to become a gateway to nearly 200 years of history.

Before Kerr Farm

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Laurentians were still covered in a vast forest.

Among the first 200 or so families who chose to settle in the township of Gore was the Kerr family, like most of these pioneers who came from Scotland and Ireland.

Like all settlers of the time, their daily life was demanding.

Before they could even cultivate the land, they first had to cut down the trees.

The forests were burned, and their ashes were collected to extract potash, a highly sought-after product in Montreal for the manufacture of soap, glass, and many other essential goods.

For several decades, this industry provided a livelihood for the families of Gore.

But when the great forests disappeared and farmland became difficult to cultivate, many residents migrated to the major urban centers.

At the end of the 19th century, rural exodus gradually emptied the village of Lakefield, now Gore.

Many then believe that the future of the canton is compromised.

A forward-thinking idea

One family, however, saw things differently.

Amos Kerr and his wife Pearl refused to abandon their village.

In 1917, they expanded their family home and transformed it into a resort inn.

Their vision was simple yet revolutionary.

Instead of simply selling their farm's produce, they decided to offer visitors an experience: spending a few days on a real Canadian farm.

Families came from Montreal, the United States, and even Europe to discover rural life in Quebec.

Long before the term agritourism existed, Amos and Pearl Kerr had already envisioned its foundations.

An unforgettable vacation

Kerr Farm quickly became a popular destination.

Days were filled with horseback riding, fishing, swimming, shared meals, and evenings of dancing.

To provide his visitors with a real beach, Amos Kerr had several truckloads of sand transported to Hughes Lake.

When tourists arrived by train in Lachute, Henri Kerr, Amos's son and future owner of the famous Kerr's Restaurant in Lachute, would greet them aboard a Bombardier B-12 proudly bearing the inscription "Kerr Farm Taxi."

Luggage was securely fastened to the roof.

The vacation began as soon as they arrived on the drive to Gore.

The stories that remain

The milestone dates tell part of the story.

The memories tell the rest.

Hundreds of children still remember the old Coca-Cola refrigerator where they would choose their ice-cold bottle.

Many visitors still talk about Sam, the Asian cook who lived on the property in the 1940s and introduced people to flavors from elsewhere, long before it was common in Quebec.

Others still picture the old gas station and its pumps.

Or the young shepherd sitting on the old stone walls built by the first Irish settlers, peacefully watching over the sheep in the pastures.

The Riley family's horses.

The plays performed by vacationers on the old tennis court.

The dance parties.

First loves.

Summer reunions.

Everyone has their own memory of Kerr Farm.

And each of these memories is now part of her story.

A place that inspired

Kerr Farm also attracted artists.

The writer Marguerite Cook, a friend of the Kerr family, regularly came for tea.

She observed the visitors, listened to their conversations, and drew inspiration from the people she met.

Many of her stories originated in this unique atmosphere.

For Kerr Farm wasn't just a place where stories were told.

It was a place where they were born.

Now

Nearly two centuries later, the purpose of the place remains remarkably the same.

Visitors no longer come to help with farm work.

They come to see a show.

Celebrate a wedding.

Explore a market.

Share a meal.

Or simply spend time with loved ones.

The buildings have changed.

The generations have changed too.

But the reason people come together has remained the same.

To create memories.

Why this beer?

A good beer has always been an excuse to slow down.

To sit down.

To chat.

To laugh.

To tell stories.

At Sir John Brewery, each beer invites you to discover a corner of the country.

At Kerr Farm, each generation has left its mark.

This partnership was therefore a natural fit.

We wanted the tradition of sharing a good beer with friends to also become a vehicle for sharing this rich history.

By scanning the QR code on this special edition, you're not just discovering the past of an old farm.

You're helping to keep alive the stories that have shaped this place.

The story continues...

What you have just discovered is only a small part of the story of Kerr Farm.

The photographs you see on this page are authentic.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, we have chosen to bring them back to life in order to connect the past with the present and pay tribute to those who shaped this place.

But there are still many chapters missing.

Perhaps you have an old photograph.

A letter.

An object.

Or simply a memory.

If so, we would be honored if you would share it with us.

Because heritage doesn't just live in archives.

It lives in people's memories.

And now...

You too are part of the story of Kerr Farm.