Former NHL goalie Marty Turco is co-founder of the Kingsville Brewery.
The sport of hockey and beer go together like fish and chips or peanut butter and jelly. A cold, frosty one after a spirited game on the ice has always proven to be a natural combination. In fact, in Canada, recreational hockey players are often referred to as beer leaguers.
Marty Turco has proven to be an all-star in both hockey and beer. Playing goal for nine seasons with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, Turco holds franchise records for wins (262), shutouts (40), games (509), minutes played (29,063), assists (22) and single-season goals-against average (1.72) by a netminder. Always a top team, check the odds through a Bookmaker sportsbook review and you’ll see that the Stars are top contenders to win the Stanley Cup.
Turco turned pro in the IHL with the Michigan K-Wings from 1998-2000. He holds the NCAA record for wins (127) from his time with the Michigan Wolverines. During his NHL playing days, the netminder was a three-time all-star.
These days, Turco is more invested in pouring and brewing than he is in puckstopping. He’s the co-owner of the Kingsville Brewery, which he co-founded with his cousin Mark Muzzin in 2016.
How Kingsville Brewery Came To Be
Kingsville is located in Southwestern, Ontario Canada, about a 45-minute drive from Detroit. Though he was born and raised in another Canada-US border town, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Turco’s ties to the Michigan area, combined with family connections just across the border in Kingsville, Ontario, would lead him into the craft brewery business.
Turco’s cousin Muzzin is a butcher who hails from Kingsville. Muzzin’s dad, Lou, and Turco’s dad, Vince, are first cousins. Growing up, Mark would spend his summers in the Soo, hanging out with Marty.
The two men explain the birth of Kingsville Brewery as so: after many laughs, long nights, and one too many beers, they decided to transform their passion into a business, thus creating Kingsville Brewing Company. Just two Canadian boys from Kingsville and Sault Ste. Marie who believed that small town dreams can materialize into a reality.
“It’s a big part of my progression as a retired athlete, entrepreneur and businessperson,” Turco explained to the Dallas News.
Along with the craft brewery, the pair also operate an eatery, Taphouse 127.
But you don’t need to travel all the way to Canada to sample some of Turco’s beers. If you happen to be on a layover at Love Field in Dallas, you can get yourself a taste of some of the Kingsville Brewery’s products. Turco, who still makes a home in the Dallas area, stocks them at Turco 35, the bar he owns and operates in the Dallas airport.
“You can’t put your name on something and not be totally all in on it,” Turco said.
Kingsville Brewery products are also currently in distribution across Michigan and can be ordered online.
Kingsville Brewery Beers
The Kingsville Brewery India Pale Ale pours out with a clear and dark amber color. You’ll take note of the flavors of blueberry and grapefruit alongside grass and hay, with touches of toffee, pine and even a hint of spicy pepper. It can be bitter to the taste at first sip, but the spicy finish will leave you wanting that next sip right away.
As stouts go, the Kingsville Brewery Barrel Aged Stout certainly delivers the goods. The darkness that makes a stout such a delight is dancing all about with this beer. Start with the coffee-colored foam, accompanied by the aromas of fig, vanilla and coffee. Further sips reveal other taste delights such as dark chocolate and cocoa. There’s a slight taste of roasted coffee that lingers on the tongue.
Kingsville Brewery’s Czech Style Lager is a clear amber lager that will remind you of the aroma of dry leaves on a crisp autumn day. Featuring a fine, creamy ivory foam, you’ll sense bread, biscuit and toast with every sip, along with the sensations of leather and honey.
Hefeweizen could be described as a dessert beer, if there can indeed be such an entity. You’ll find that it hits your taste buds with a combination of the flavors of ripe banana, bubble gum and honey, alongside just a hint of clove. After each sip, there’s the lingering taste of bread and banana dancing around your mouth.
Their Light Eh! Lager is for the calorie-conscious beer consumer. It delivers a crisp, clean finish with a clear, golden appearance and eggshell-colored foam. You’ll find the aroma of butterscotch, cereal, biscuit, and white crackers, combined with the taste of whole grain bread and honey. Is it a beer, or is it a breakfast cereal?
Turco Succinct And Authentic In His Goals And Objectives
Every product brewed by the Kingsville Brewery is distinctively embossed with the number 127, a tribute to Turco’s likely unbeatable NCAA wins record.
He took stopping pucks as serious business. As a goalie, he knew everyone on the team was counting on him to come through. He’s putting that same level of commitment into his pursuits in the craft beer industry.
“My life and career has been shaped by my family, sports, competition and community,” Turco said. “I strive to learn more as a leader, while using my experience to grow the entities I am involved with today.
“Many ups and downs have shown me what’s important. I love collaborations, the pursuit of excellence, and making a solid difference everyday. With the concept of leaving things better than I found it, I plan to help make our community better, push a family to make the best of it, and aid in delivering an amazing brand that makes me proud to have created it with my partners.
“I relish the chance to succeed, with risks around every corner, while doing so with many great people beside me.”