Beau's New 12 Packs - Wooden Crates

When I was in Montreal for Mondial de la Biere two weeks ago, Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. had a booth slightly beside/behind us, giving us the opportunity to chat over the five day festival.  One of those conversations led to a "what's next at Beau's?" chat and Beau's foot solider, Darren Stevens (a guy who knows how to throw a killer party - his business card says that), told me all about their new 12 Pack wooden crates.

This newest initiative from Beau's is cool.  The cases are made from wood, have handles on both ends, look like old milk crates, and are big enough to fit vinyl records in them when the beer is gone.  They're even stackable.

They will be available at select Beer Stores soon and will retain for $60.  You can get them at Beau's retail store as we speak and if you take the crate back to them when you're done the beer, they'll hand you back $15.  But really, who would return one of these?

I can picture the stiffs at the Beer Store right now, grumbling to each other every time someone orders a case!  Priceless.







Here is a video that has owner, Steve Beauchesne, speaking with /A\ Morning News news last week.

Mondial de la Biere - Days 4, 5, 6, 7

I left off my last Mondial post at the end of day three so I'll pick it up at the beginning of day four (my day four), the third full day of the festival (Friday).

Day 4
This was the day that the MBiere Contest awards were to be handed out to all the winners of the 5th edition of the tasting.  A group of international judges gathered on days 1 & 2 to judges numerous beers available at the festival and shortly after 4pm the winners where announced in the media tent:

Platinum:
A la fut - Trippe à 3 a la Brett
Gold:
Benelux - Congo
Benelux - Cuda
Broadway - Sein d'esprit
Hopfenstark - Saison Station 55
Le Saint-Bock - Malédiction
Le Saint-Bock - R.I.P.
Le Saint-Bock - Sacrilège
Le Saint-Bock - Sacrilège ultime
McAuslan - St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Trou du Diable - La Saison du Tracteur

Le Saint-Bock was the big winner with four gold medals (all four beers are big and bold, strong in strength) and A la fut received the Platinum award for their Brett infected Trippel.  **Starting next year the MBiere Contest will be named in honour of the late Greg Noonan**

We had more help in the TAPS booth from Jordan St. John again and we had another busy afternoon.  By this point my voice started to go and my legs felt like cement...but my energy remained high with each new subscription the magazine received.  There were a lot of people stopping by the booth, including Gerry Heiter, the founder and organizer of the Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria, BC.  Great guy!  Really passionate about good beer.  We chatted for a long time about his festival and how alcohol regulations in BC limit him from throwing a festival similar to Mondial.  

Another Toronto TAPS reader, Rob Symes, arrived on Friday night to volunteer in booth for the entire weekend and when day three came to an end we headed out to Le Cheval Blanc to drink some sours.  We started off with a couple bottles of their single hop Warrior IPA, 100% fermented with bretts, bottle conditioned.  Unfortunately it was for us and we ended up sharing the bottles with the large contingent of Toronto people who were also there.  A bottle of Boon Mariage Parfait ended up on our table and got us back in the game.  Delicious.  There were also glasses of a Saison aged for five months in Chardonnay Oak barrels and more.

Hungry and tired we headed down the road to Le Saint-Bock for some dinner and a night-cap.  Back to the hotel.

Day 5

Saturday morning.  Getting close to the end.  Close to some rest and relaxation.  Saturday was not the day for rest, though.

It was raining a bit in the morning which thinned the early morning crowd but it picked up again early afternoon.  All the Quebec brewers who stopped by the booth kept saying, "You haven't seen anything yet.  Wait till 5pm."  Well, by 3pm the place was packed.  And I mean packed.  Each time a glass was dropped the entire crowd let out a deafening cheer, something that would continue all day and all night.

At 5pm we had another volunteer show up which provided Symes and I the opportunity to head to Dieu du Ciel for some pints.  Penombre and Isseki Nicho were my selections and both were damn nice.  I could drink the Nicho everyday.  We sat beside a dj from LA who was in town for work and decided to stop in to try all the beers.  On the other side of us was a couple from New York who came into town just for the festival.  It was fun to rub it in that the Jays just beat the Yankees in 14 innings!

Back out to the street and off to the famous Schwartz's restaurant for some smoked meat.  Simply amazing.  If you haven't been before - go.  We grabbed a spot at the counter (after waiting outside in line for 15mins) and soaked up the atmosphere.....and the meat.  

After finishing up the food we headed back to the festival to work the rest of the night.  When we got back the noise was crazy.  The last two hours of the festival flew by and we even managed to sell a few subscriptions, even though reading was the last thing on most people's minds.  Our t-shirts were pretty hot sellers though.

Numerous trip to the exhibitor bar area and our previous session at Dieu du Ciel, plus the previous nights, were catching up to me.  It was back to the hotel and off to bed.

Day 6

The last day of the festival.  Rain, lots of rain.  The crowds were thin until about 4pm or so.  The exhibitor fridge was running low and many of the breweries, and the petit pubs, were slowing running out of certain products.  However, we had many, many coupons left and because it was the last day we had to take advantage of them (we really did).  

My day started and ending with beers from MicroBrasserie Le Trou Diable.  The Saison de Tractuer, which one a gold medal, was/is a beautiful beer.  I did a small video interview with Andre Trudel who was thrilled with winning a medal.

I also did an interview/beer tasting with a reporter from Belgium who was interested in how Canada's perceived Belgian beers.  We sampled some beers from Brasserie du Boco (Blanche de Namur) and Brasserie la Binichoise (Blond) while he asked me about Canadian beers, Belgian beer labels and what I tasted in each sip.  

Over in the media tent Mirella Amato (Beerology) was leading a blind tasting of Ontario and Quebec beers and individuals were tasked with voting on each beer - either from Ontario or Quebec.  Amato was shocked, as was I when she told me, that 18 people thought that the Stout from Ontario's Hockley Valley brewery was the St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout while only 3 people got it right.  Interesting...

The day was coming to a close and we started tearing down our booth.  Loaded and packed in the TAPS trailer we headed out to dinner.  We found a Polish restaurant in Old Montreal that served Unibroue and Polish coffee.  Back to the hotel after dinner to polish off the beers we accumulated over the course of the week.  3:30am - day over.

Day 7

Up at 9am.  Sore head.  Got the vehicle and headed off to Chambly for some cheese.  Got some cheese.  Drove home.  The end.

Mondial was a great experience - everything I thought it would be.  I'm looking forward to attending again next year and I'm excited to see the new location.

Move Over G20 - Countdown to OCB Week

10 DAY COUNTDOWN TO ‘ONTARIO CRAFT BEER WEEK’

25 CRAFT BREWERIES, 80+ EVENTS PLANNED TO DATE

June 20 - 26, 2010

Week-long Festival kicks off on Father’s Day at your local craft brewery

~ www.ocbweek.ca ~

TORONTO, ON – (June 10, 2010) – GREAT FUN WITH BEER & EVENTS – There are now over 80 events planned across Ontario for the first annual ‘Ontario Craft Beer Week’, a celebration of our province’s thriving, locally-based craft beer industry. Kicking off on Father’s Day, OCB Week runs from June 20 – 26, 2010.

CHECK OUT www.ocbweek.ca for the amazing lineup of week-long craft beer fun! Participants in Ontario Craft Beer Week can also support Prostate Cancer Canada. OCB breweries make a $40 donation when they book an event at their brewery or at a restaurant and visitors to OCBWeek.ca can make a secure donation to Prostate Cancer Canada online.

“We’re gearing up for a good, old fashion craft beer social,” says Ontario Craft Beer Week co-chair, Jason Ellesmere of Camerons Brewing Co. “Breweries, bars and beer lovers are jumping on the bandwagon so check out your local pub or brewery and get sampling.”

The week-long festival features a series of special events designed to expose consumers to the craft beer experience through tasting events, brewery tours, cooking demonstrations, food pairings, beer dinners, online contests and much more.  Visit www.ocbweek.ca for full details:

Beau’s All Natural Brewery - This eclectic brewery is offering everything from beer & cheese tastings and cask nights to Hungry Hippos tournaments and punk rock DJs.

Black Creek Brewery – Say Cheese, say Cheers at Pioneer Village, Field to Firkin Tour

Black Oak Brewery

Cameron’s Brewing – Father’s Day BBQ in Oakville, Let’s Drink the Cask Night, Pint Glass Giveaway

County Durham Brewing Co.

F&M Brewery

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery – Night of the Flying Monkeys

Grand River Brewing – Third Birthday and First Cask night in Cambridge

Granite Brewery – Taste all of Ontario at the Granite, Father’s Day at the Granite

Great Lakes Brewery – Project XXXX – with cask conditioned ales from Muskoka Cottage Brewery, Flying Monkeys & F&M

Heritage & Scotch Irish Brewing – Father's Day beer dinner at Serendipity Restaurant in Merrickville

King Brewery

Maclean’s Ales

Mill Street Brewery/Brewpub – Taps and Tapas

Muskoka Cottage Brewery – Father’s Day brunch and bbq with beer (Delta Grandview), Cottage County Comedy Festival in Bracebridge, Glassware Giveaway

Neustadt Springs Brewery

Niagara’s Best Brewery & Pub

Nickel Brook Beers - Burlington Sound of Music

Old Credit Brewing Co. Ltd. – Calling all Dads! Father’s Day Open House with free gift for dad in Port Credit, Old Credit Brewery has something brewing up their sleeves!

Railway City Brewery – Pints for Prostates in St. Thomas

Scotch Irish Brewing

Skeena Brewing Company

Stratford Brewing Company

Trafalgar Ales & Meads – Open House in Oakville

Railway City Brewery – Pints for Prostates, Meet the Brewer

Trafalgar Ales & Meads – Father’s Day Open House

Wellington Brewery

SESSION 2010 at SUNNYSIDE PAVILLION in Toronto – 25 Craft Brewers, music, sunshine at Lake Ontario

Mondial de la Biere - Days 1, 2, 3

Like I mentioned yesterday, I was away in Montreal for seven days for the 17th annual Mondial de la Biere with TAPS Beer Magazine, and I had an amazing time filled with many terrific beers.

Day 1
My TAPS colleague, Kristina Santone (Assistant Editor) and I packed the new TAPS trailer and headed east down the 401 to Montreal last Tuesday.  Neither of us had ever attended Mondial before and it had been a while for both of us since our last visit to La Belle Province.  Needless to say we were both looking forward to this trip.

We arrived in Montreal shortly after 2:30pm and checked into our hotel (Hotel le Dauphin - great experience) before heading over to Windsor Station to start setting up the TAPS booth.  We had t-shirts, books, TAPS glassware, back issues of the magazine and subscription cards that would be available for purchase over the course of the five day festival.

After setting up we headed back to the hotel to get ready for a night out on the town, but not before sampling Les Trois Mousquetaires newest beer, Imperial Weizen.  It turned out that we were the first people outside the brewery to try it and I throughly enjoyed it.

With no official plan we decided that we'd take a walk north to Benelux - Brassiere Artisanal Cafe for a bite to eat and to sample their beers.  I opted for a sample tray of five beers: Semuta (Saison Ambree), Congo (Belgian IPA), Magnum (Pilsner), Anniversaire 2010 (IIPA), Ergot (Triple Saison Seigle).  I found all five to be very well made with the Congo shining the brightest.

Benelux has a great outdoor sidewalk patio that screams European flair and on the night of our visit it was packed with young and old drinkers.  The inside of Benelux is unique.  Wide open with island bar seating scattered throughout the establishment it felt a little industrial; however, the rustic wooden tables and chairs and the natural light from the floor to ceiling windows helped soften the appearance.

We left Benelux and headed back towards the hotel hoping to find a depanneur  along the way.  After going through the selection at two locations, we left empty handed.  Molson Dry - no thanks.  An IGA grocery store suddenly appeared and ten minutes later we left with two cases of Dieu du Ciel (Corne Diable and a mixer pack).  It was then back to hotel for some much needed rest.

Highlight beers: Benelux Congo, Anniversaire 2010 and Magnum Pilsner, LTM Imperial Weizen

Day 2
Up at the crack of dawn to get organized before the doors to the Windsor Station were opened to the public.  Once the clock hit 11am people started pouring into the festival.  A sign that shows just how popular the Mondial is.  The TAPS booth was busy right from the start as subscriptions and glassware were purchased at a healthy pace.

A number of Toronto drinkers who had made the trip stopped by the booth to say hi, as did a number of subscribers from both Quebec and Ontario.  It was really nice to meet the people out there who are reading the magazine and hearing positive things about the publication offered a good start to the gruelling days ahead.

One of the perks about being an exhibitor at Mondial is the white bracelet you get upon entering.  Not only does it let you skip the absurdly long line-ups to enter, but it also allows you to enter the exhibitor area to put your feet up and to have a free beer.  And when I say free beer, I mean beer from all other exhibitors at the festival.  We were able to try numerous Italian beers, Quebec beers, and a number of US beers.

By 5pm Windsor Station was brimming with people, both inside and outside.  Drinkers both young and old.  Novices and seasoned veterans.  The Dieu du Ciel booth was kitty corner to ours and it was by far and away the busiest of the festival.  We managed to break away a couple of times to head over to try their new stuff and it was nice to see the regular Dieu du Ciel folks behind the bar chatting with their fans.

It was getting close to 10pm, closing time, when we completely sold out of glassware.  Many collectors had stopped by to obtain some for their collection and/or to trade with other collectors.  They were by far and away some or the most popular glasses at the festival.  We closed up shop and headed back to Dieu du Ciel for their American beer night.  Unfortunately the place was jammed and there was no prospect of us receiving a drink or a sandwich within 30 mins so we had to find another place to eat.

Highlight beers: DDC Roggenbier, DDC Pionnerre, LTM Doppelbock, Hopfenstark Post Colonial IPA, and ReAle from Birra del Borgo.

Day 3
We had a volunteer for the start of day three - Jordan St. John of Toronto, who helped us give-away our new TAPS bottle openers.  (Jordan just started a new blog - www.saintsgambit.wordpress.com and he has written about Mondial).  I started the day off with a beer and then another and then another.  Thursday was my day to imbibe and imbibe did I.

The first beer I headed for was Charlevoix's Dominus Vobiscum Brut where Frederick Trembly, Charlevoix's founder, happily told me about this wonderful beer.  Stephen Beaumont did a great job of explaining it over on his site go I'll direct you there to read all about it.  He poured the champagne style beer into its beautiful glass and I happily sipped on it for the first hour of the festival.

After the Brut it was onto some of the beers in the exhibitor's fridge.  Maui Coconut Porter, New Belgium Trippel, Kuhnhenn Winter Wonder Lager, Hopfenstark Tripel on cask and Brasseurs de Montreal Ghosttown Stout.  The Ghostown Stout, brewed with absinthe, had a lot going on in the nose and a bunch of different flavours on the palate.

Some members of Bar Towel from Ottawa and Toronto came by the booth to introduce themselves and I finally got to meet Mike from the A Year Of Beer Blog.  A number of other beer bloggers from Quebec also stopped by to say hi and some great new contacts were made.  For those of you who can speak or understand French, check out the Bieres du Quebec website.

The long day came to an end and it was off to Brutopia for dinner.  Good food, but the beers we had weren't very fresh.  The IPA had a cardboard nose and oxidized taste which disappointed us; some of their beers we sampled at the festival were nice though.

Highlight beers: Charlevoix Brut, New Belgium Trippel, Ghosttown Stout, Maui Coconut Porter, Hopfenstark Saison 55, Matt's Sleepy Time Stout from Beau's.

Up Next - Days 4, 5, 6, 7 - Large crowds, lost voice, smoked meat.

Next CASK! Social - June 19th

From CASK! Toronto

Let it be hereby known that your friends at CASK! have decreed a CASK! Social to be held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at the handsome Rhino, 1249 Queen Street West, from 3 to 6 pm.  The usual rules apply: turn up, drink cask ale, chat in a friendly manner to other imbibers.  That's about it -- simplicity itself.  See you there.

Back From Montreal - Regular Posting To Resume

You've probably noticed the lack of new posts here over the last week and a half - I was in Montreal for seven days at Mondial de la Biere with the magazine (TAPS Beer Magazine) working the booth.

It was my first time experiencing Mondial and it lived up to every expectation.  The reputation the festival has is well deserved and while I may not be in the mood for a beer right now, I already look forward to next years event in their new location.

More posting to come (including some Mondial pics), but for now back to bed for some much needed rest!

Muskoka Cottage Brewery to Release "The Docker"

Ok, so Muskoka Cottage Brewery has been getting a bunch of mention here on the blog lately as they've been busy rolling out new packaging options and introducing Ontario beer drinkers to their new Pilsner Light, and today they're back with another new member of the canned family - The Docker.

The new 5L mini-keg containing their Cream Ale will start rolling out across the province soon (within the next two weeks) and will retail for $24.95. 

As the name implies, this would be great at the cottage on the dock, or by the campfire, at family bbq's, and so many other functions.  This summer the Cream Ale will be the only Muskoka product featured in the 5L can and depending on sales others could follow next summer.

Mill Street and Dieu du Ciel On BNN

The Business News Network (BNN) recently ran a feature on Canadian craft beer and interviewed Mill Street's Brewmaster, Joel Manning, and Dieu du Ciel's Brewmaster and co-founder, Jean-Francois Gravel.

Unfortunately I cannot embed the video here, but please click on the links to view both video clips.

Jean-Francois Gravel
Joel Manning

New Website - Denison's Brewing Co.

I ran into Denison's founding brewer and owner, Michael Hancock, at Wednesday's Brewers Plate where he mentioned that he recently created a new website for his brewery.  It looks great, with some quality photographs and links to bars that carry his legendary Weissbier and Dunkel, the site is nicely laid out and easy to navigate.

Check it out: www.denisons.ca

Samichlaus Label Geared Towards Children?

If you take a look at the front page of yesterday's National Post you'll notice the headline ' Santa' beer on Ontario's naughty list' which shed's some light on an ongoing struggle between the importers of world famous Samichlaus beer from Austria's Eggenberg Brewery and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Those of us who follow the Ontario beer industry will have known about this issue for a number of years now, but the article penned by Drew Halfnight did a great job telling the rest of Ontario beer drinkers the real story; a story that should be told and needs to be heard.  I strongly encourage you to go read the article first (if you haven't already) before continuing with this post.......

**Before I continue, I must point out that I know the owners of Roland and Russell Importers, Vlado and Liliana Pavicic, very well, they are both good friends of mine**

At issue is the name/label of the beer, which as you can read in the letters below (which are very vague and don't really provide much information), was originally under the AGCO’s microscope long before the Pavicic’s began representing them here in Ontario.  Samichlaus translated in English means Santa Claus, which the AGCO have issue with, as well as the image on the label (old man).

Here’s where it gets confusing.  The AGCO first found the label in contravention of their advertising guidelines back in 2001 but the matter was dormant until recently.  A single individual lodged a complaint with the AGCO, who by law were forced to investigate and their finding is relayed to the Pavicic’s in the letters.

The LCBO is quoted in the article as saying that the beer was de-listed for commercial reasons and that it had nothing to do with the label, as they were not aware of the AGCO's stance.  It would seem that way; especially since the beer was purchased by the LCBO and sold through there retail system after 2001, even with the AGCO’s determination.

The LCBO, as we all know, work off the Social Responsibility tagline when determining whether or not a product’s label/name meets their own “internal requirements”.  The LCBO, who have been great recently with their beer selections, have no official documentation that the public (or importers/manufacturers) can view that outlines their reasoning for these requirements. 

The AGCO, if they find a product in contravention of their advertising guidelines, will only follow up with the importer/manufacturer and not the LCBO (unless the matter is of great concern).  So, the LCBO may be selling products that have been, or are currently in contravention of the AGCO’s guidelines.  And how do they decide which product they will investigate?  Complaints.  There is no pre-approval of names or labels.  They AGCO won’t investigate anything unless there is a complaint. The LCBO, however, sees all products when they get submitted and they may determine it doesn’t fit their requirements.  Still confusing?  I know, my head is hurting too.

This all means that two agencies are pretty much doing the same thing but could get two totally different outcomes and communication between the two doesn’t really exist.

What does all this mean for Samichlaus and Roland and Russell Imports?  Well, for starters, individuals will still be able to do private orders through Roland and Russell as the beer wouldn’t actually be sold through the Ontario liquor retail system (stores).  The AGCO have no issue with that, even though it wasn't spelled out in the correspondence to the Pavicic's.  However, the beer cannot be sold through in the LCBO unless the label/name of the beer is changed. 

But I thought I just said the AGCO couldn’t tell the LCBO which product they can and can’t sell?  I did, and they can’t (AGCO - licences, LCBO - retail), but Roland and Russell, as importers, must comply with the AGCO’s advertising requirements (as silly as they are) and this would include notifying the LCBO themselves, which would most likely result in the LCBO removing the item/s in question.  This is concerning for an agency such as Roland and Russell when the AGCO starts issuing pretty vague letters, as they are also the regulatory body that issues licences to importers (manufacturer's representative licence).

*On a side note*

If the Samichlaus label/name is in contravention of the AGCO’s advertising guidelines, one must wonder how the Old St. Nick’s Eggnog (spiced rum drink) seasonal release receives no complaints??  Look at the god damn label.

But why even lodge a complaint against a product?  If you have responsible service and educated parents, there is no need to, and there should be no need for two separate agencies telling people what can and can’t be drawn on a label!

*Please note that Lynda Clayton (author of the two letters before) has since retired from the AGCO*

Returns For Leukemia Bottle Drive

If you have a bunch of empties sitting in your garage you may want to wait until this weekend to return them as the United Food & CommercialWorkers, Local 12R24, and The Beer Store are hosting the fifth annual Returns For Leukemia Bottle Drive across Ontario.  You may have heard the radio ad's featuring Mill Street's Steve Abrams talking about it? (Mill Street matching any donation made by consumers that return their Mill Street bottles on May 29th and 30th)

On Saturday and Sunday, return your empty beer, wine and spirit bottles to the Beer Store to help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.  Last year the Beer Store raised more than $830,000 and this year they'd like to top the $1 million mark.

Beer Store employees (union) and The Beer Store have raised more than $2.2 million in the last four years. Donate 100% of your returns or even just a portion, any little bit helps.  (Beer Store radio ad)

New Steam Whistle Retro-Opener

Toronto's Steam Whistle Brewery is once again giving away retro bottle openers in suitcase twelve packs of their premium Pilsner.

Started on May 16th, individuals who purchase a case of Steam Whistle will find a new bottle opener, the sixth in an ongoing series of 'thank you's' to their customers.  The new opener was designed by Elton Clemente, the brewery's Art Director, who is also responsible for the design of the previous five.

Suitcase twelve packs can be purchased in Ontario at select Beer Store retail outlets, in Alberta at private liquor stores and at select British Columbia Cold Beer and Wine stores.

OCB Discovery Pack No. 5 - And Two New Members

The Ontario Craft Breweries (OCB) are getting ready to unleash the fifth instalment of their Discovery Pack series.

This nicely designed Discovery Pack is set to appear at select LCBO's in June (lcbo #183798).  The pack will feature four cans (two ales and two lagers), and will come complete with tasting notes.

The four beers: 
Muskoka Cottage Hefeweiss
Great Lakes Devil's Pale Ale
Wellington Trailhead Lager
Trafalgar - Elora Grand Lager


Discovery Pack 1, 2, 3, 4

**
In addition to the Discovery Pack launch, the OCB is pleased to announce the addition of two new members - F&M Brewery out of Guelph and Black Creek Historic Brewery out of Toronto.

6th Annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries - This Friday...

C'est What is getting ready to host their 6th Annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries and their line-up of eleven cask ales and thirty draught options (so far, more tba soon) sounds terrific.  

The popular one-night event gets underway this Friday (May 28th) at 5pm and will run until 10pm.  Admission is free and drink samples will only set you back a buck (most samples).

Cask Beers (11):
C'est What Al's Cask Ale

Black Oak Mucho Mango

Beau's Beaver River

Neustadt Big Dog Porter Extra

Granite Hopping Mad

Great Lakes Imperial Hefeweisen

Flying Monkeys Smash Bomb Atomic IPA

Duggan's Porter

F&M Stonehammer IPA

Wellington Anniversary Ale

Grand River Plowman Anniversary Ale.

Draught (30):

Amsterdam Spring Bock and Oranjeweiss, 

Barley Days Lager

Big Rock Warthog Ale

Black Oak Ten Bitter Years

C'est What Mother Pucker's Ginger Wheat, Coffee Porter and Steve's Dreaded Chocolate

Church-Key Weissenbitter

Cool Beer Spezial

Creemore Kellerbier

Durham Hop Addict

Grand River Raspberry Pils

Great Lakes Miami Weiss

Heritage Sargent Major

Hockley Valley Black & Tan

Hop City Lawnchair Weissbier

King Pilsbock

St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Cream Ale

Mill Street Lemon Tea Ale and Roggenbier

Muskoka Born Bitter IPA

Nickel Brook Strawberry Wheat and Gluten-free IPA

Railway City Dead Elephant Ale

Steam Whistle Pilsner

Unibroue Ephemere Cassis

Waupoos Cider

Peeler Cider

Ontario Cask IPA Challenge Starts Sunday

barVolo has released the official bracket for their 2nd annual Ontario Cask IPA challenge, which is set to begin this Sunday, May 30th. 

Round one will get underway at 12pm and will run until 8pm, a day after barVolo hosts their first ever Canadian Double IPA Challenge.  The Cask IPA Challenge will feature 22 IPA's produced by Ontario breweries across the province, an increase in participants that the 16 barVolo originally thought they would attract. 

Beers Included:
Division One: Toronto
Duggan Number 9 IPA vs. Black Creek IPA (TBA)

Great Lakes Red Neck IPA vs. Chesire Valley English IPA vs. Granite IPA

Black Oak Hop Bomb IPA vs. Great Lakes My Bitter Wife IPA vs. Mill St. IPA

Amsterdam Bone Shaker IPA vs. Granite Hopping Mad IPA vs. TBA

Division Two: Ontario
Country Durham Hop Addict IPA vs. Muskoka Cottage Born Bitter IPA

Church Key West Coast IPA vs. Flying Monkey Smash Bomb IPA vs. Grand River Plowman’s Anniversary IPA

Publican House Square Nail IPA vs. Beau’s Beaver River IPA vs. Durham XXX IPA

F&M Stonehammer IPA vs. Trafalgar IPA (TBA) vs. Scotch Irish Sgt.Major IPA 

**Volo would like to remind individuals that all beers will be served blind and will be disclosed the following day on their website. The top score from each beer pairing will advance to the next round. 

All beers will be available by the 1/4, 1/2 and full pint serving size
1/4 pint - $2.00 
1/2 pint -  $4.00 
Full Pint - $8.00 included tax.
Cash only - This is a 19+ event.