Sneak Peek - The Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity

Bracebridge's Muskoka Brewery have offered a sneak peek at the label for their upcoming spring seasonal beer - Legendary Spring Oddity.

Without saying what the style of the beer will be, the label indicates that it will be available in 750ml bottles (same as Winter Beard, Harvest Ale and Summer Weiss) and will clock in at 8%.

I've had some conversations with Mike Laba, Muskoka's Director of Marketing, in the past about this beer but he's done a great job keeping it under wraps. I do know that the beer will feature a number of unique ingredients gathered from the Muskoka's.

As with each Muskoka beer, the Legendary Spring Oddity comes with a story. "Each year the tempered thaw of a Muskoka winter gives rise to new and strange creations. Legends date back to the 1800's when lumberjacks and fur traders took to the woods and encountered the mysterious culture and wildlife in the unknown Northern Ontario region. Today, we echo our ancestors quest and have unearthed this season's most distinct offerings. The culmination of these ingredients rests in Muskoka's Legendary Spring Oddity brew. We invite you to Release the Legend."

The beer is slated to be released in April and will be available until June.

Creemore Springs Teams Up With German Brewery For 25th Anniversary Beer

Creemore Springs Brewery will be celebrating their 25th anniversary this summer and to mark the occasion the brewery has teamed up with Zum Schlüssel – a 162-year-old brewery brewpub in Düsseldorf, Germany – to create a new beer for the Ontario market.

Creemore brewmaster Gordon Fuller and head brewer Bryan Egan are on their way to Zam Schlussel where they will brew on location over a two day period to help gain some insight and to get some inspiration. The pair will come back to Ontario, with some yeast, and will brew an Altbier, which Zam Schlussel is best known for, and will be launched in the summer during the brewery's annual Cooper Kettle Festival to highlight their anniversary.

In a press release sent out yesterday, Creemore's Director of Marketing, Karen Gaudino, had this to say about the project - “Zum Schlüssel is a perfect partner for us to collaborate with, they have been brewing Altbiers for about 160 years. This is a rare style, not often seen outside its’ local market of Düsseldorf. We are fortunate to have an expert partner to collaborate with.“ 

The press release also provides some historical information about Zam Schlussel: Zum Schlüssel, which has been an institution in Düsseldorf since 1850, is located in Düsseldorf’s old town of narrow cobble stone streets and charming medieval half-timbered houses in a building that was first mentioned in documents in 1632. Today it is run by the Gatzweiler family whose members have been in the brewing trade since the year 1313, only 25 years after Düsseldorf received its city charter!

You can follow Fuller and Egan as they travel to Dusseldolf (with stops in Brussels and Köln) as Creemore will be using the following social media sites (Untappd, Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter) to capture their trip.

Great Lakes Brewery & C'est What? Celebrate Milestones

Great Lakes articles of incorporation - Feb 12, 1987

February 12, 1987 - the day and year that the Great Lakes Brewing Co. from Etobicoke, ON received their articles of incorporation from the province of Ontario. 25 years ago this past Sunday.

It has been an interesting adventure for Great Lakes. They started out as a malt extract brewery using plastic bottles before switching over to all grain and glass. They went through an ownership change in 1991 to the current Bulut family, and a location switch in 1992 to their current location just off the Gardiner expressway.

The focus in the beginning was on the Golden Horseshoe Lager, Red Leaf Lager and Black Jack Lager back in the day, and back in 2006/07 the brewery started introducing Ontario residents to new seasonal beers like their Pumpkin Ale, Orange Peel Ale, and Winter Ale.

Then a small batch of Devil's Pale Ale (666) made it's way to the Toronto Festival of Beer and it went over very well. So well in fact that the brewery decided to brew it regularly and came up with a great design for their can, which was another change for the brewery. Along with their line-up of seasonals, which were and still are very popular at the LCBO, the brewery started brewing and kegging a number of different one-offs for their Project X nights and some have since been adding to their core offering of brands (Crazy Canuck). The brewery has also stepped up big time at the last three Canadian Brewing Awards, winning a number of gold medals for a variety of their beers (Miami Weiss, No Chance With Miranda, Crazy Canuck).

So, 25 years old. How will the brewery celebrate this milestone in 2012? Well there are some big plans. Great Lakes plans on introducing four new beers during the course of the year that will surely catch the attention of craft beer drinkers. More info on that to come.

C'est What? Turns 24

George Milbrandt

Also celebrating another milestone is Toronto's C'est What?, a longtime craft beer hot spot on every beer drinkers list of places to visit when in the city, and a place for Toronto residents to get the latest offerings from Ontario breweries. Yesterday (Feb 13th) C'est What? celebrated their 24th anniversary and they offered this interesting tidbit on their Facebook page:

Our customers have helped the local brewing industry by consuming somewhere in the order of 2.9 million pints of beer over the past 24 years. If you were able to set these pints next to one another they would stretch from C'est What to Kingston. That would be a great pub crawl.

Publican George Milbrandt has done a great job over the years to help shape the Ontario brewing industry by supporting the beers that the men and women in this province brew. With so many taps devoted to so many breweries, customers always have a number of styles and flavours to choose from; something for everyone. Their cask program has also helped develop the real ale movement we've witnessed in Ontario over the last seven years.

Here's to both of these companies on their significant milestones!

Lake of Bays Brewing an IPA

The crew over at the Lake of Bays Brewing Co. in Baysville, ON are working on a new India Pale Ale that they hope to release to the LCBO April 1st.

The young brewery, who have two year-round offerings in their Pale Ale and Rousse, will add the IPA to their seasonal program which at this time only includes their popular Mocha Porter.

Darren Smith, the President of Lake of Bays, told me in an email that the IPA will include Magnum, Amarillo, Citra (dry hop), and Centennial (dry hop) hops and will be packaged in a 750ml bottle (same as the Mocha Porter) and will be available at various LCBO retail stores across the province.

Smith describes the IPA as follows:
Lake of Bays India Pale Ale is a moderately hopped IPA with an emphasis on hop flavour and aroma. It has a pleasing malt character with notes of caramel and roasted barley to balance out the hops. All in all, a refined take on this popular North American style. The aim with the IPA, as with all of our beers, is for it to represent a superb example within the IPA category. This means that we haven't sought to go to extremes with this beer, either in terms of bitterness or alcohol content. It's made to taste damned good, and that's it. Hop bitterness is one thing, but hop flavour and aroma are really what make an IPA enjoyable and distinct. On the malt side, the beer sits at 6% ABV, with some dark roasted malts for colour and flavour, and some caramel flavours too from our crystal malts. This will make it a medium-brown IPA, and provide the needed flavour balance for a beer with fairly pronounced hoppiness.

Smith confirmed that there are a couple of special "sneak preview" casks and kegs of the IPA already making their way out to bars and restaurants across the province, including many in the GTA. As mentioned, the 750ml bottles will hit LCBO as of April 1st and will be around until late September.

"We're excited! This beer is the seasonal counterpart to our Mocha Porter, and we're now halfway to our long-term goal of a seasonal beer for each season," said Smith.

The Ultimate Winter Two-Four: The Grid (Toronto)

When the Toronto Beer Week (TBW) board was looking at the 2011 marketing budget we explored the two largest Toronto weekly newspapers - NOW Toronto and The Grid (the latter was previously Eye Weekly).

The direction, content and fresh thinking at The Grid steered us in their direction, as did their promise of putting together a mini beer guide that would run during TBW. They did one, titled The Ultimate Two-Four, and it was a big success.

One of the many attractions of The Grid is that they have a dedicated writer for beer articles. Crystal Luxmore (Hopped Up column) has ingrained herself into the Ontario beer scene and has done a great job telling the stories about beer news around these parts. In short, The Grid is taking the craft brewing industry seriously and are doing a good job of spreading the word to a whole new demographic. In addition to Luxmore's articles, The Grid will be doing quarterly (seasonal) mini beer guides (like the one during TBW and this Winter one) that focus on the local beer movement.

Yesterday's edition of The Grid featured one of those mini beer guides (The Ultimate Winter Two-Four)  and focused on 24 winter beer reviews. Luxmore also provided some 'winter beer buzzwords', offered some ideas for winter friendly beers that are only available on draught, and takes a look forward at what might be in store for the 2012 Toronto beer scene.

Grab a copy around the city before their gone.

Getting To Know Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. - Thunder Bay, ON

2011 was a good year for beer drinkers in Ontario. New beer styles, some incredible seasonals, proliferation of cask ale and many new breweries/contract brewing companies opened their doors and introduced individuals to a variety of new beers. Most of the noise took place in the Toronto area with companies like Spearhead, Kensington, Junction, Sawdust City, Indie Alehouse, Gananoque Brewing Company and more opening, and 2012 is already shaping up to be another great year as Hogtown Brewers, Bellwoods Brewery, Snowman Brewing, Double Trouble and a couple others are planning on joining the burgeoning market.

Well, Thunder Bay is getting in on the action as the Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. is hoping to open later this Spring (May) as they're getting set to receive their brewhouse in early March.

There are four friends behind the new venture who secured a building at 946 Cobalt Crescent in the middle of Thunder Bay, and close to both the college and university. The crew took some time to answer some questions I had about the brewery, the beers they intend to brew and how cool it will be to be the only brewery north of the Muskoka's to Manitoba!

Tell us about the Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. Where did the name come from?
The name embodies our area and city that we love. We also find that when other people think of Thunder Bay they visualize the Sleeping Giant. Being the only current brewery in NorthWestern Ontario (NWO), we wanted the Sleeping Giant to be our Ambassador for us and our area.

You'll be the only brewery north of the Muskoka's to Winnipeg - how cool is that? 
Cool. We would love to bring beer culture to NWO. There are difficulties to being isolated and our craft beer market is smaller so we have to work to make it bigger.

Where will the brewery be situated in Thunder Bay? Will you be working on capturing the attention of Lakehead students? 
Geographically, we are in the “middle” of Thunder Bay (946 Cobalt Cres), within walking distance of both our College and our University. We will be looking the capture the attention of Lakehead and Confederation college students. We to look forward to expanding beer knowledge in those groups AND everyone looking for great tasting beer. Our head brewer is already making friends with some Lakehead students and staff who our just starting out in the home brewing game.

There are four of you involved. How did you all come together? 
We befriended each other in our neighbourhood, our kids have grown together and we fostered our beer knowledge and beer making skills together over the past 10 years. We our four besties who want to bring our passion for beer to our community in our next big adventure.

Where are you currently working on your recipe development?
Recipe development occurs in a small 10g homebrew set up. It also comes from course work, reading from the masters and trying new things.

What beers will you be offering on opening day? 
When we start, hopefully we will be able to offer the Elevator Wheat and 360° Pale Ale right away.

Why have you chosen the styles of beer that are mentioned on your website? 
Our picks come from a good starting point for our city. The pale ale is not quite an English and not quite a North American, but takes the best of both worlds into a tasty but not over the top ale. Our stout is loved by many, even people who don't necessary like dark beers. It's an easy drinking introduction to dark malts. The wheat ale is already loved in Thunder Bay and we want to bring more hop forward flavour to it and adjust local beer drinker's palates to more flavour in their beer. We hope to push the taste envelope more with our seasonal and limited editions.

The four founders

Is Thunder Bay ready for beers with bolder flavour?
Thunder Bay is getting ready. Not everyone is thirsty for more taste but we have lots of beer geeks out there who are trying to spread the word. Thunder Bay is also big on local and that will help us.

How has the local support been so far? 
Local support from previous brewers, locally-owned licensees and potential beer drinkers has been great.

Educating consumers will be a big part of your business plan I'm sure. How will Sleeping Giant Brewing go about this?
Our plans for educating people starts with licensees (the folks who will be selling our beer at their establishments), and tours at the brewery. We want to work with local restaurants and charities on pairings and tastings. Our female founders will be starting a chapter of Barley's Angels. We plan on inviting Mirella Amato of Beerology to help share her specialized knowledge. We hope to start a regular column in the local paper to spread knowledge. The best way to educate is to share a pint with potential customer and ambassador at the brewery or local pub. We enjoy that part the most!

Do you have any plans to get your product, once available, into the LCBO or Beer Stores? 
We will have kegs and growlers to start... tall boy cans in the future. Initially we'll just focus on draught and the brewery retail store and look to the LCBO once we start canning.

Check out their Facebook page for updates on the brewery's progress.

Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus - Sawdust City Brewing

Sounds like the title of an adult film...but wait, it's a new beer!

Sawdust City Brewing Co. is getting set to launch yet another beer to the public after successful debuts of their Golden Beach Pale Wheat, Ol' Woody Alt and Lone Pine IPA. The new brewery (contract) hopes to take beer drinkers on an adventure with a Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus, the new name of their latest concoction - a Uranal Imperial Stout.

Sam Corbeil, Sawdust's Brewmaster, describes the beer, which made a secretive debut (with some tweaks) back in late September at the Iron Brewers Competition, as follows:

8.5% ABV, 85 IBU and 2.57 billion SRM, this decadent treat is loaded with rich, sinful flavours of chocolate and espresso. It has a big bitter kick though, so approach with caution… this is not for the faint of heart.

Corbeil only produced 500 litres of the beer, which will start making appearances at select Toronto beer bars starting early next week. For those living in London, ON, you won't miss out. Gambrinus Cafe & Bistro will be getting some sent their way, as will the Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge.

And, if you haven't had the chance to try some of the Sawdust beers, make your way to The Only Cafe for their Winter Beer Fest (February 3rd & 4th). Corbeil will have some of the Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus, Lone Pine IPA and the Ol' Woody Alt.

Phillips Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine

Phillips Brewing Co. of Victoria, BC has announced via a press release that their latest seasonal offering is ready for consumers to purchase - Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine. 

According to the press release, this 12% barley wine was frozen three times during fermentation:

It’s called Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine and just like the dinosaurs this beer was ice-aged at glacial temperatures. It was frozen 3 times during the Fermentaceous Period causing the remaining liquid to distill into naturally-sweetened nectar, and driving the ABV up to a mammoth 12%. 

The beer is available now in 341ml bottles at the brewery's retail store and select private retail stores on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

Dieu du Ciel Receives Federal Funding

Josh Rubin, the Toronto Star's Beer Columnist, sent out a Tweet on November 8th that indicated that Dieu du Ciel (DDC) would be getting some sort of funding from the Federal government, and yesterday it was announced that DDC would receive $300,000 to assist them in increasing capacity and productivity at their brewery in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec.

Jacques Gourde, Member of Parliament for Lotbinière–Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, made the announcement yesterday in Saint-Jérôme. “Our government is proud to support enterprises that, like Microbrasserie Dieu du Ciel, are doing everything they can to increase their productivity and export their products to new markets,” said Mr. Gourde. “Moreover, this contribution from our government will help stimulate economic growth and job creation in the region.”

The $300,000 is a repayable contribution through the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and the Business and Regional Growth program. According to the CED website, the program aims to "strengthen the conditions conducive to the sustainable growth of Quebec’s regions and small- and medium-sized enterprises"

The press release on the CED website also states that DDC will be using the financial assistance to acquire a new, faster bottling line and fermentation tanks. The brewery also intends to install a conveyor, an accumulation table, a warm room and a refrigeration system.

Amsterdam Tempest Stout Back For A Day - International Stout Day

For those of you who missed out on getting your hands on some of Amsterdam Brewery's Tempest Imperial Stout back in the summer, now might be your chance.

The brewery will have a very limited number of bottles available today at their retail store as a means to celebrate International Stout Day, which is today.

Here is a review that Rob Symes wrote for the Tempest back on July 8th.

by Rob Symes:
There’s a storm brewing at the Amsterdam, though this kind of storm only includes a wind warning if consumed with a side of chilli nachos. Amsterdam’s newest beer – Tempest Imperial Stout – joins a small stable of Ontario examples of this weighty style. The buzz on the rating sites is that this brew delivers and that an increasingly experimental direction is paying dividends for the Bathurst Street outfit, and we’re ready to join the chorus.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the packaging for this beer is sexy, dark and sinister. A back and white image of the high of a hurricane casts a shadow over the label, but it’s the waxing that really grabs your attention. It’s rare to see a bottle dipped in wax in Canada. The practice is becoming increasingly prominent in the US – partly to indicate bottles suitable for aging, partly because it looks so damn good, and partly because it improves the appearance of a bottle and increases the chances of the sale. With a few notable examples (Half Pints Burly Wine springs to mind) our brewers have left waxing to their legs and chests, so it’s encouraging to see a waxable style on the market, and a fantastic job done of making the bottle look good.

So, the bottle looks good, but what of the contents? Another thumbs up, and a classic appearance, with a bordering on midnight body and a couple finger of dirty tan head that leaves abundant lacing. A few bubbles lazily make their way up the glass, indicating that the requisite full body is in place. The aroma is the weak point, lacking the fullness of Southern giants like Great Divide’s Yeti, but it still delivers a decent punch, mixing old coffee grounds with a light lactic note. It’s very much in the vein of a traditional English take on the style, and that continues in the flavour, which delivers a good coffee hit, followed by anise and bitter chocolate. I heard that the IBUs for this came in quite high, but it seems more subtle and drinkable than expected, and the bitterness seems to emanate more from the roast than anything. The posted ABV of 9% is nicely integrated – you can tell this is a big beer, but at no point does it cross the line into boozy. The medium body helps to boost the flavours, and a pillowy carbonation bulks things up somewhat. Things improved further as it warmed, and a little below room temperature is probably the best serving point, allowing the full range of flavours to make their presence felt.

Canada’s most populous province sorely lacks imperial stouts, and this entry from Amsterdam is a welcome addition. Its bad boy looks and robust flavour makes for a satisfying quaff, and for those interested in cellaring, this should hold up relatively well.

Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout is currently available at the brewery retail store: 21 Bathurst Street, Toronto.

Muskoka Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout Returns With New Name & Artwork

Muskoka Brewery released their Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout (DCCS) last winter as part of their ongoing seasonal release program, and the beer did so well at both retail and licensee outlets that the northern brewery is bringing it back again this year, albeit with a new name and new artwork.

We've all seen the changes the brewery has gone through since May, redesigning their products and packaging, and the Harvest Ale was the latest product to bare new label artwork.

However, as of November 7th, people will be able to see and purchase the new 'Winter Beard' DCCS as 240 LCBO stores across Ontario will have the beer stocked for take home purchase and it will start appearing at bars/pubs any day now. It will also be available across Alberta and Manitoba in due time. The beer is currently available at the brewery's retail store as of tomorrow and the 8% 750ml bottle will retail for $10.95.

The beer won over a lot of people last winter and Rate Beer.com even named it the "Top New Beer of December 2010" where it still maintains a 94 rating on the user generated ratings website. Here is the video the brewery made last year, showing the making of the beer. 

From Winter Beard DDCS sell sheet (below):
What could be more reminiscent of a frigid Northern winter than a cozy beard and a warming Muskoka seasonal brew? Our Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout is rich and sturdy with roasted dark chocolate malts, real cocoa, 70% dark chocolate, and freshly harvested local cranberries. Pair that with a slightly higher alcohol content and you'll find yourself sharing this bottle of joy all winter long. Beard not included.

In other Muskoka news, the brewery have recently confirmed that they've been able to get some of their product into a variety of restaurant chains, including Prime Pubs, the Keg, Jack Astors, and Canyon Creek, which is great for craft beer drinkers who usually have a tough time finding a beer to their liking at establishments like the ones named above.

Mike Laba, Muskoka's Director of Marketing, also told me that the Mad Tom IPA is now the brewery's number one selling brand, by a long margin, replacing Cream Ale at the top of Muskoka's core brands.

Brewery Trader - New Tool For Purchasing Brewing Equipment

Mario Bourgeois has been working on opening his own brewing company for some time now and like any start-up he's been looking for good used brewing equipment to get his Cassel Brewing Co. up and running in Casselman, ON.

"I’ve been quite into looking for used brewery equipment and the industry is seriously lacking a one stop shop like Auto Trader, so I got my hands on www.BreweryTrader.com, it is a free listing site," said Bourgeois over an email exchange.

Brewerytrader.com, as Bourgeois stated, is a free online site where breweries and homebrewers alike can post equipment that they'd like to sell or trade with others. The site was launched a few weeks ago and already has a number of items for sale, and has a number of items listed under 'wanted'. There will be more listing in time, as the site progresses, but this site, along with Probrewer.com (a great resource for brewers), offer individuals an easy method to buy, trade or sell brewing equipment.

New Ottawa Brewery Opens - Broadhead Brewery

Ottawa is once again welcoming another brewery to the capital city as the Broadhead Brewing Co. opened for business yesterday.

From their website:

WHAT IS BROADHEAD?
Broadhead is a scrappy little beer company that aims to do big things. It's the underdog - a long shot, a dark horse. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in spirit. With five feisty, flavourful ales brewed through good old-fashioned hard work and know-how, Broadhead proudly pays homage to the perfect pint.

The brewery, which is the work four homebrewing friends in the greater Ottawa area, is situated at 81 Auriga Drive (unit #27) in Ottawa and they have plans to produce five different beers ranging from a Pale Ale to a Stout. Individuals can currently purchase 20L kegs of their Underdog Pale, Backbone Standard and Long Shot White. Future beers will include Gritstone Amber and Dark Horse Stout.

Josh Larocque, one of the founders of the brewery, mentioned during a brief phone conversation that they are working on a keg fridge program that will allow customers to purchase a fully functioning keggerator ready to go; lines, tower and all, at a very reasonable price, just to enjoy the Broadhead beers. He also mentioned that an order of growlers have been ordered and they should be ready to sell in November.

Check out their website at www.broadheadbeer.com

Sawdust City Brewing Co. - Gravenhurst, ON - Coming Soon

*Up front disclosure. The following post features an update about a new brewery in which my employer has ties to. Please note that my intention when posting the material below is only meant as news, nothing more.*

It's official - the lovely region north of Toronto, affectionely known as Muskoka, is set to get another brewery with Sawdust City Brewing Co. close to breaking ground in Gravenhurst, ON. The brewery, with plans to be open to the public on Gravenhurst's Wharf in late spring 2012, will join other northern breweries like Muskoka Brewery and Lake of Bays Brewery.

Sawdust City Brewing, baring the original name of Gravenhurst (known as a logging village), will be situated right on the shores of the Gravenhurst Wharf and will be operated as a tied-house, producing beers with names like Skinny Dippin' Stout, Lone Pine IPA, Golden Beach Wheat and more.

Rob Engman, President of TAPS Media, and Sam Corbeil, formerly of Mill Street Brewery, are the two founders of the brewing company, with Corbeil handling all the brewing duties. A graduate of VLB Berlin, Corbeil has worked for a number of Ontario craft breweries before connecting with Engman to bring Gravenhurst their first craft brewery.

The two men are getting set to break ground this fall, with a projected opening date in the spring, but they've been busy contract brewing at the Niagara College Teaching Brewery at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus. You might remember hearing about a beer that they recently debuted that was brewed in collaboration with the college, Great Weiss North, which was featured at the Craft Beer Garden at Toronto's CNE where it received positive response from the public. The beer, as I posted on this blog back in August, is brewed with an ingredient from each Canadian province and territory, making it a unique offering.

The brewery has received their manufacturer's licence and will soon be brewing enough product to get out to select pubs and restaurants in the north and some will be made available in GTA. Their first 'commercial' brew day is fast approaching.

You can follow the progress of Sawdust City as they have an active blog where they'll be sharing stories about getting up and running - Sawdustcitybeer.blogspot.com

Here is a little video about the Great Weiss North

Great Weiss North at the C.N.E. Summer 2011 from DMJHodge on Vimeo.

Hop City Canning Barking Squirrel

These new cans are pretty damn good looking. We all know that nice packaging helps sell beer, and now that Hop City has their flagship, Barking Squirrel, in cans at the LCBO, I suspect they'll see a good turnout at the cashier.

As you can see in the image to the right, the cans are all black with the cool image of the squirrel eyeing up a fresh hop cone. The white text bounces off the can and everything is nice and clean, easy to read.

Looks will get you to buy it once, but the product inside the can is what will determine whether you purchase more. Hop City has done a good job with this beer, producing an easy drinking amber lager that works for both serious beer enthusiasts' and new beer drinkers alike.

I first mentioned Hop City back in November of 2009 and reading that old post reminds me that Hop City has already been around for two years now, as of yesterday (October 5th).

The Barking Squirrel is now available in select LCBO's (267773) and is starting to appear on the online database. $2.65 per can. 2010 silver medalist at the Canadian Brewing Awards.

Canada's Only Teaching Brewery & Start-Up Put All Of Canada In One Glass

*upfront disclosure - I am employed with TAPS Media (parent company of TAPS The Beer Magazine and the Canadian Brewing Awards)*

The following is a press release from TAPS Media, Niagara College Teaching Brewery and the Sawdust City Brewing Co.

August 15, 2012 – Toronto, ON: TAPS Media, parent company of TAPS The Beer Magazine is pleased to announce the release of the first collaboration brew between the Niagara College Teaching Brewery and Sawdust City Brewing Co - Great Weiss North

Brewed on July 27th, Great Weiss North is an All-Canadian brew in every sense of the word. Made with an ingredient from every province and territory in the country, it is a unique beer that was designed to showcase all that Canada has to offer. The idea was the brainchild of Sawdust City Brewing Co., Brew Master Sam Corbeil, the beer itself was designed and made by Jon Downing Brew Master and professor at the Niagara College and a team of his first year students from the College’s Brew Master and Brewery Operations Management course.

Along with an array of malts, supplied by Canada Malting, and home grown organic Ontario hops, the beer also features a variety of interesting ingredients such as Birch Syrup from the Yukon and teas from the North West Territories and Nunavut.

The beer will be released Friday, August 19th at this year’s Canadian National Exhibition and will only be available at the CNE’s Craft Beer Garden. A first for the CNE, the Craft Beer Garden is headed up by Jed Corbeil and Curt Dunlop, proprietors of the Griffin Gastropub of Bracebridge, ON and the brains behind the Muskoka and Session Craft Beer Festivals.

Along with Sawdust City and Niagara College, the CNE’s Craft Beer Garden will have 10 other Ontario Craft Brewers on hand to sample their wares and educate people on the wonderful world of craft beer.

For additional information about Great Weiss North, Sawdust City Brewing Co, or Niagara College, please contact Sam Corbeil or visit sawdustcitybrewing.com

For additional information about Great Weiss North, Sawdust City Brewing Co, or Niagara College,
please contact Sam Corbeil or visit sawdustcitybrewing.com

Sam Corbeil, Brew Master / Sales & Marketing TAPS Media:
tel: 416-536-7121
fax: 416-536-2898
email: sam@sawdustcitybeer.com

More Exciting News For Ontario Beer Drinkers From NAC

Tree Brewing Co.,from Kelowna, BC, were thrilled to hear that the LCBO would be ordering pallets of their Hop Head Double IPA for the Specialty release this past spring, but were nervous about how well it would sell in this market.

I can remember having a conversation with Tree's Sales Director, Chris Stirling, before the beer arrived here and told him not to worry; the beer wouldn't last long. It didn't. A mere week went by with all but 10 or so cases remaining in the province leaving Tree happy, but left drinkers wanting more.

Then came April 1st. Stirling, along with Tree's Brewmaster, Stefan Buhl, made their way to Toronto to meet with the LCBO Beer Category and to do a number of meet and greet tastings at to Toronto flagship stores. Stirling had brought a case of Tree's regular IPA (Hop Head IPA) and mentioned that they had been working hard behind the scenes to get a listing here in Ontario.

Seeing that the sales of the Double IPA were so swift, the LCBO decided to give the Hop Head a chance and gave Tree a general listing in May.

This is where North American Craft (NAC) comes in. As mentioned here a number of times, Claude Lefebvre, owner of NAC, has been focusing on getting his clients (Black Oak, Denison's, Propeller, Stratford, Paddock Wood, and most recently Brooklyn and Rogue Ales) more shelf space at LCBO locations across the province. The people at Tree were looking for a company that could represent them at the retail level and today they've announced that North American Craft was chosen for the task.

From Lefebvre earlier today:
"We are very proud to announce the latest signing of Tree Brewery that we'll be managing and supporting with infield sales support here at the LCBO market in Ontario," said Lefebvre.

"Tree Brewery has a strong reputation with producing amazing craft beers and we are proud to be working with one of their finest - Hop head IPA!  The Ontario market is looking for bigger and bolder beers and Hop Head is a brand that will complement our (NAC) family of beers. We look forward to representing Tree (only independent craft brewery from BC at the LCBO) at the LCBO conventional stores here in the province."

Lefebvre also mentioned that while NAC's main focus will be the Hop Head, his group will work with Tree and their seasonal program, hoping to bring a number of their other brands to Ontario stores in the future.

You can follow up on NAC's website with the latest brands and also on Facebook.

Hop Aboard! Steam Whistle Available On Via Rail's - The Canadian

After working their magic to get their flagship Pilsner on board all Porter flights back in 2009, Toronto's Steam Whistle Brewery has landed another great account in Via Rail's, The Canadian, which incidentally, ties in perfectly to the heritage of the Roundhouse that the brewery calls home.

The train, which carries passagers between Toronto and Vancouver over a four day journey, has started carrying Steam Whistle's recently released 355ml cans for the sleeper and coach class sections of the train.

In a press release issued by the brewery, co-founder Greg Taylor had this to say about the recent news. "“My young family took a trip of a lifetime aboard the Canadian. It was an incredible way to see this amazing country of ours, and the gourmet dining on the train was definitely a highlight. As soon as we got home, Steam Whistle contacted VIA Rail to see about adding our Pilsner to their lineup of regional beverages. I’m really proud that our Canadian-made Premium Pilsner will be served aboard this national showpiece.”

Seeing the beautiful landscape of our country from the comfort of a train with a can of craft beer in your hands isn't a bad way to spend some time!

Bellwood's Brewery...Coming Soon To Toronto

Bellwoods Brewery - coming soon to Toronto.

I spoke with Luke Pestl last week, Bellwoods brewer and partner, and he mentioned that he and his business partner Mike Clark, also a brewer, are excited to be opening in Toronto's west end and they're looking forward to start brewing on a commercial scale.

Hoping to be operational by late October (if all goes as planned), the brewery, cafe and retail store will be situated at 124 Ossington Avenue in a location that the co-owners recently secured.

"We'll start off very small, a nano-microbrewery on a humble 8.5 hectolitre system where we'll brew a variety of styles," said Pestl, who formerly brewed at Amsterdam Brewing Co. "We plan to brew some traditional beer styles, alongside a wide range of lesser known and experimental beers."

Pestl also stated that Bellwoods, which will have a tied-house licence, will bring in a rotating selection of craft beers from other local breweries. "We want to create a community tasting room, within an indoor picnic style cafe, and with that we want to have rotating 'community taps' sitting alongside our own beers."

With the location secure (30 seat capacity), the team has begun brewing (privately) on a pilot system Bellwoods have purchased in order to strengthen some recipes that will one day be served at the brewery. They hope to keep this system in operation at the brewery to continually develop new recipes.

While we wait for Bellwoods to open, check out their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts to keep up to date with their progress. They have also started up the City Hops Project, a cool initiative that saw Bellwoods and volunteers plant hops in 8 different locations in Toronto that may one day be used in special release beers.

And here is a short video the future brewery put together about the production of their first set of posters.

Alpha-Fornication: Barrie, ON's Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery to Release World's Hoppiest Beer**

The following is a press release from the Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, ON

June 20, 2011 – (Barrie, Ontario): As part of Ontario Craft Beer Week, this Tuesday, June 21, at Gambrinus Bistro & Café in London, Ontario, the Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery is unveiling Alpha-fornication, their claim to the World’s Hoppiest Beer!

Peter Chiodo, Founder & Artisan Brewer, says of Alpha-fornication:

“Clocking in at 2500 IBUs and 13.3% ABV, Alpha-fornication proves that sometimes people climb mountains just because they’re there. And sometimes, Beer Geeks will try anything on a dare. The hoppiest beer we know of was a meager 2007 IBUs, so we bested that and then some. We Flying Monkeys see extreme beers as the continuing evolution of Craft Brewing and the expansion of Ontario beers. It's not just a contest of bravado to see who can make the world's strongest beer (even though now we’ve got the world’s hoppiest one covered); it's a movement - a movement to showcase the craft and how complex and versatile beer can actually be.”

Named for the alpha acids, or the compounds in the hop plant that are the source of hop bitterness, Alpha-fornication is brewed through highly creative and complex manipulation of the high alpha acid hop varieties, Warrior (17% AAU) and Centennial (11.5% AAU). A hop-steeped wort re-circulated through an additional “Hop Vorlauf” punches up the insane intensity of this brew to a stupefying 2500 IBUs. Keeping with the concepts of extreme brewing, the 13.3% ABV of Alpha-fornication adds bigness to this beer.

When asked about availability, Chiodo noted, “This creation was so highly specialized and it was such a small pilot batch, by the time we kegged 15 litres, in the end, we only saved 6 bottles! We’ll sell them for $45 at the brewery store –first come, first “alpha-fornicated!” It would be a fun beer to sample with a big group of friends.”

Created as part of the Flying Monkeys’ Everest Experiments, a series of extreme beers showcasing the complexity and versatility of artisan brewing, the Flying Monkeys are actively engaging the expanding minds and palates of Ontario’s craft beer drinkers.

*International Bitterness Units

**Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery claim