13 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, May 5, 2022 | When the founders of Brooklin's new Banter and Co. Brewing say they built the business themselves, they mean it quite literally. For months, co-founders and longtime friends James Mercier and Dan Bastas worked around the clock to transform the downtown space at 66 Baldwin St. into a brewery and taproom -- they even custom built the tables. "When they say you built a business with your own two hands, we were those guys," says Bastas. "We would put our kids to bed and come here, put the radio on, get some beers and some food and work all night." Both are big fans of craft beer and Mercier has been brewing as a hobby for almost a decade. "Whenever he would bring a keg or some beer to a party, people would say, this is fantastic," Bastas says. The two were at a backyard party when the idea of starting their own brewery came up -- almost as a joke at first. "I looked at him and I said, 'we should do it,'" Mercier says with a laugh. Starting a business in a pandemic was risky. Both have young families and say there were sleepless nights as they navigated leaving their previous jobs, learning the ins and outs of launching a brewery and facing COVID-related hurdles. Bastas' brother Johnny Bastas and his business partner Adrian James joined the ownership team and Banter and Co. started to come together once the downtown Brooklin location was secured. As they prepared for the grand opening on April 23, Bastas and Mercier called the business a dream come true. Banter and Co. Brewing currently has four beers available on tap and in cans. The No. 1 seller so far is the Blonde, which Mercier describes as "a highly approachable beer that's easy to drink and it goes with everything." There's also a Belgian Witbier spiced with coriander and orange peel; a New England Pale Ale that's heavily dry hopped to harness the fruit flavour of the hops; and an IPA with floral, fruit and citrus notes. The plan is to release one or two new beers every month. The next two beers coming out are an Irish stout -- "perfect for the patio" Mercier says -- and a traditional English ale. The owners are looking forward to seeing the brewery's patio buzzing during the warm weather. They hope Banter and Co. will become a favourite spot for locals and visitors alike. "We want to grow a friendly community space," Bastas says, adding that dogs are welcome on the patio. "We're so excited to welcome people. We're already getting to know some customers by name." We want to hear about your favourite places to eat and drink in Durham! Old favourites, hidden gems, new restaurants opening, awesome food trucks. Send your great eats to reporter Jillian Follert at jfollert@durhamregion.com. FOOD AND DRINK NEW BREWERY OPENS IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLIN Banter and Co. Brewing founders James Mercier, left, and Dan Bastas in the fermenter area. The new brewery is located at 66 Baldwin St. in Brooklin. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM BANTER AND CO. BREWING Address: 66 Baldwin St., Brooklin Website: banterandcompany.com Facebook: facebook.com/banterandcobrewing Instagram: @banterandcobrewing Email: info@banterandcompany.com Test your Durham Region real estate knowledge: If you are buying a country property, would you want warranties on the well and septic? If you are buying a lot to build a home on, would you want to know if it is guaranteed that a home can be built on the property? When buying a home would you want to ensure your financing is in place prior to placing the offer? These questions might seem random, and easy to answer; however, they are all questions or situations I have encountered dealing with offers to purchase homes over the past few weeks. What I was left with was how important experience and local knowledge are when buying or selling a property. A section of the code of ethics realtors work with includes not offering service to a client when the agent does not possess reasonable knowledge, skill or judgment. What this means is that to work on behalf of a client, the agent is required to have the relevant skills and knowledge in order to offer competent service. With the above questions, the first came up recently when I sold a country property. My listing disclosed the presence of a well and septic, however, the standard warranties that ensure that these systems operate satisfactorily was absent from the accepted buyer agreement. Also, many times the buyer will ask for the equipment to take care of the property, however nothing was mentioned or requested. A tractor for a couple of acres can add thousands after the fact. The second question came up with someone in conversation about a lot they are hoping to build on. Once they purchased the property (hours north of Durham), they are dealing with the local conservation authority hoping they can build what they dreamed they could. The third question came up when I had five offers come in on a property I had listed. One of the offers had a finance condition. I mention this only to draw attention to how powerful a full lender pre-approval is, allowing the buyer to purchase knowing that the mortgage will be available to them. There can be a bit of theatrics in securing a property as a buyer, or with a seller selling a highly desirable property; they may have several offers to consider when making a decision. When you strip away the excitement and theatrics, what you are left with is a contract, and the contract exists to have seller and buyer's expectations met. Nothing more. The issues arise when things are missed by the agents drawing the agreements up, things are vague or easily misinterpreted. This is where experience is critical. When you are considering a move, my advice is to interview several agents, ask for referrals from clients they have recently done business with and call them. Make sure that what they hoped would happen when they purchased or sold did, in fact, happen -- that when they opened the door of their new home or locked it one last time, they had no surprises. Surprises are good around birthdays; however, rarely are they welcome from a lawyer's office. Lindsay Smith is with Keller Williams Energy Brokerage and has been a Durham real estate broker for 36 years. He lives in Oshawa and can be reached at lindsay@buyselllove.ca. EXPERIENCE, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE KEY IN REAL ESTATE OPINION LINDSAY SMITH SAYS 'INTERVIEW SEVERAL AGENTS' BEFORE CHOOSING ONE LINDSAY SMITH Column Surprises are good around birthdays, however, rarely are they welcome from a lawyer's office.