'This is a passion': Surgeon retires from medicine and opens brewery in Sherwood Park

Richard McLeod, right, hired his father and son to work with him in his new brewery. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton)

An Alberta surgeon traded medicine for beer full time and has never had so much fun.

Richard McLeod and his wife Nicole Perkes, a family doctor, opened Manual Labour Beer Co. in Sherwood Park last month.

"To me, this is a passion. I love it. I'm so fortunate I can do a job I'm so passionate about," McLeod, formerly an orthopedic surgeon at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CTV News Edmonton.

"Every day for me here is like a vacation."

The couple bought the building in May 2022, started brewing in February and opened on May 20.

Perkes still works as a doctor at three different clinics, so McLeod hired other family members to work with him full time: his father Archie, who came out of retirement to make beer, and his youngest son, Ethan.

"To work with my father and my youngest son everyday is awesome," Richard said. "We have a lot of laughs, I'm closer to them than I ever have been in my entire life, and honestly, one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't get to spend enough time with my kids when they were young, which I get to do now and it's amazing. It's a lot of fun."

Manual Labour Beer Co. has a number of mainstay beers, seasonals and cider. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton)

Perkes is also having fun in the "friendly" and "welcoming" brewing industry.

"[Customers] are just so happy," she said. "They are happy to just come in, they are happy to taste the beer. They're great human beings. It's just fun on all sides."

Manual Labour is pouring four flagship beers, some seasonals and cider, and serving food from Nitza's Pizza and That Bar-B-Q Place.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa