OCB President Talks Grant Cancellation With CTV News

John Hay, President of the Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB), was recently on CTV News Weekend to discuss the Ontario craft brewing industry and the recent news about their provincial grant/funding being cancelled at the end of the 2011/12 fiscal and not being renewed as hoped.

Waterloo's Brick Brewery was the first to break the news of the cancellation of the grant when they released a press release on January 11th stating that they made the most of Ontario Craft Brewers Opportunity Fund, which was launched by the provincial government in 2008.

The OCBOF was created by the Liberal government as an $8 million, four-year commitment to help support craft brewers in Ontario and the significant economic contribution they make to the province. The province provided the OCB and their member breweries $2 million per year under the OCBOF to be used for marketing, job creation, education and to help create market awareness at the LCBO level.

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.

Caps, Corks & Forks - Beer vs Wine @ Niagara College

The students at Niagara College's Teaching Brewery (Brewmaster and Brewery Management Operations program) are getting set to face off against the students in the Teaching Winery program in a Caps, Corks and Forks Beer vs. Wine dinner at the college's Benchmark Restaurant at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.

On February 2nd, students in both programs will be offering beer and wine pairings to go along with an elegant six-course menu (prepared by the college's culinary students), explaining why they chose the pairings and why they believe it works together. All the beer and wine will have been prepared by the students themselves.

The individuals in attendance will then vote on which beverage (beer or wine) went best with the food on their plate, which will determine the ultimate winner at the conclusion of the six courses.

Tickets are available by contacting Benchmark at 905.641.2252 ext. 4619. Seating is limited.

If you are looking for local accommodations, contact the White Oaks Resort which is right across the road from the college.

Innis & Gunn Looking For A Canadian Brand Ambassador

Innis and Gunn, the popular Scottish based brewery, has announced that they are in the search for a Brand Ambassador role for its Canadian sales team in order to help with the surging increase in Canadian sales.

In a press release sent out this week, Innis and Gunn state that the Canadian sales of their oak-aged series of beers (Original, Blonde, Rum Cask, Original Draught and a number of seasonals) increased 46% over their 2010 numbers, and with the addition of their signature Innis and Gunn Original available in draught format, the brewery requires a body to help continue their momentum into the new year.

“2011 proved to be a very strong year which saw our first-ever release of a Limited Edition Innis & Gunn Canada Day Beer featuring original Canadian artwork, the permanent release of our popular Innis & Gunn Rum Cask and the launch of draught Innis & Gunn Original,” said Innis & Gunn International Brand Manager Nicol Rennie. “The addition of a Brand Ambassador to this market represents another exciting milestone that deepens our relationship with Canada."

Interested applicants for this new position can direct resumes to pma-hr@pmacanada.com. You can also send an email to the mentioned email address to request a job description.

January CASK! Social

From CASK! Toronto

The next CASK! Social will take place on: Saturday January 21st
Time: 3 - 6pm
Location: C'est What
67 Front Street East, Toronto, ON

Hi Everyone, and happy new year.

We are pleased to announce our first CASK! Social of 2012, taking place on Saturday January 21st from 3:00-6:00pm at C’est What, 67 Front Street East. It’s our usual format; just show up, buy a pint and join your cask friends for some friendly banter.

The folks at C’est What have long been proud supporters of cask conditioned ale and with 5 hand pumps to choose from we should indeed have a fine selection for our Social. So, forget the fizz; celebrate the New Year with a pint of something cask conditioned!

TAPS Video - Down The Hatch With Great Lake's Mike Lackey

Up front disclosure: It is no secret that I am employed by TAPS Media, the parent company of TAPS The Beer Magazine. From time to time I've posted material on this blog (before and after being hired) with respect to work that has appeared in TAPS. My intention when posting said material, and the material below, is only meant as news or entertainment, nothing more.

The winter issue of TAPS The Beer Magazine profiled Mike Lackey (old Meet the Brewer link...), a brewer with the Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke, ON., as part of the regular "Down The Hatch" column.

One part of Down The Hatch is a short video of the brewer profiled, which TAPS posts on their YouTube page and website. Here is the video with Lackey, who discussing his past with Great Lakes, Project X, his experimental beers, the pilot system, where he gets his inspiration, the worst beer he's brewed and winning back to back gold medals at the Canadian Brewing Awards for his Crazy Canuck Pale Ale.

Tonight - Great Lakes Project X

The January edition of Great Lakes Brewery's Project X takes place tonight  and there will be a number of special beers on hand to sample from, including one of the Toronto Beer Week HomeBrew Competition winning beers that was commercially brewed at Great Lakes.

Kama Stoutra Indian Imperial Stout won a gold medal at the 2011 TBW HomeBrew Competition and moved onto the final rounds for additional prizes. One of those prizes was the opportunity to brew the beer on a larger scale at Great Lakes with brewer Mike Lackey, which Zach Weinberg, who brewed the beer, won.

Weinberg of Toronto Brewing (homebrew supply store) wowed the final judges of the competition as they were amazed at how complex the beer was with all the spices used in its creation (madras curry, cayenne pepper, cumin and toasted coconut). Together, Lackey and Weinberg brewed the beer at Great Lakes back late November and tonight it is ready to be released to Project X members.

Here is the video of the two men talking about the beer. Weinberg also provides a brief description of the beer.




Here is the complete list as taken from Great Lakes Facebook page - In bottles - varying quantities:
Feature - Kama Stoutra
IPAs - Karma Citra, I saaz her standing There
Saisons - No Chance With Miranda, The Ginga Ninja, Same Ol' Citrasaison, Saison du Pump, Rye did the Chicken?
Porters - Currently Incarcerated, Harry Porter
Big Beers - Vanilla Imperial Stout, Apocalypse Later, Barley Wine, A Waste of Men.....
ALSO- Sour Mash, Belgian Rouge, Black Wit.

Beau's Greener Futures Program - New Release Tomorrow

The team at Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. in Vankleek Hill, ON have announced that the latest offering in their Green Futures Program will be released tomorrow.

Beau's Bourbon Barrel Aged Dunkelbuck (Dunkelweizen Bock) was brewed last fall and has been aging in bourbon barrels since that time. The brewery only produced 400L of the beer and it will be available tomorrow for members of the Greener Futures Program; with a very small amount available to the public.

The program is beer club/co-operative that the innovative brewery created last year as a way to raise funds in order to install solar panels on the roof of the brewery (30,000 sq. ft). Individuals who sign up to become members, and pay the $300 membership fee, are entitled to 30 bourbon/rye barrel aged beers (10 x 600ml bottles per year) over 3 years. The program won the Beau's an award in 2011 as the Globe and Mail Newspaper named it one of the 10 Ideas that Changed Food in 2011.

Check out Beau's website for information on how you can get a membership for the program.

The Bourbon Barrel Aged Dunkelbuck will be available while quantities last through BYBO, the Ottawa-based home beer delivery service, as well as direct from the brewery in Vankleek Hill. The 600 ml bottles retail for $12 including tax and deposit.

New TBS Beer Boutique Opening Soon

The Beer Store (TBS) has announced, via their online blog, that the second Beer Boutique is inching closer to opening in Toronto's Distillery District.* The new location will be at 41 Mill Street, around the corner from the Mill Street Brewpub.

You may remember that TBS opened the first of many rumoured Beer Boutique locations in June of last year in Liberty Village, which received a very lukewarm response from craft beer enthusiasts who were hoping for more 'craft' selection. Many commented on the fact that it appeared to be nothing more than just a fancier Beer Store with no real change on the shelves.

However, if you are looking for work, TBS is currently accepting applications and resumes at the Liberty Village location for positions at the new Distillery District store until January 13th.

*No actual word on the actual opening date.

Evolution of Beer Bottle Openers

I believe I've mentioned it on this blog before - I collect the odd breweriana. Canadian growlers, old tap handles, glassware, books and bottle openers are just some of the items that take up room in boxes scattered throughout my place.

I was recently given some 'new' old bottle openers during the holiday's and when I went to put them with some of the others that I have accumulated throughout the last couple of years I took notice of how different they all are. From the early 30's (first images - so I've been told) to the 50's, 60's and today, the shapes, design, material have all changed, but all do the exact same thing: open your beer.

Bottle openers aren't just a device to allow you access to your beverage, they are also a key marketing feature that breweries have used since their inception. Each opener that I have in my possession all bare the name of the brewery and/or a brand that a particular brewery makes/made. Some fit in people's wallets (Cameron's below), some are wall mounted (think Steam Whistle's big metal and magnet one), some take on a persona (O'Keefe's below) and some smaller ones are perfect for keychains (allowing you to have one wherever you go, Bar Towel below). The latest bottle opener that caught people's attention in the last year are the BBbarfly butterfly knife style openers (TAPS below) that are not only durable and sleek, but are is fun to play with and a great conversation starter. 

Here are just some of my openers. If anyone has ideas on dates for any of the openers, please leave a comment.

No branding - very old bottle openers that are also equipped to pierce an old tin beer can

Molson's, Canada - still the most common style of opener

Colt 45 - hard plastic (think hockey boards)

O'Keefe, Canada - starting to realize the importance of branding

Carling Breweries, Canada - continuing with unique branding (one of my favourites - so simply yet cool)

Labatt Blue, Canada - cheap material, but shows the brand quite well

Lowenbrau - plastic with metal opener

Carlsberg - metal with plastic covering

The Bar Towel.com website - key chain

Brahma, Brazil - sleek, wavy-said to be shaped like the curves of a woman's body

Creemore Springs Brewery, Ontario - also acts as a paint can opener

St. Bernardus, Europe - wooden handle (old wooden handle openers become more beautiful the more they get used imo)

Flying Monkeys, Barrie, ON - wall-mounted, great for cottages

Boston Beer Co., USA - classic for bartenders

Peroni - Sleek and slim, yet heavy and durable

Grand River Brewing, Cambridge, ON - solid and durable, with hole for keychain

Steam Whistle Brewery, Toronto, ON - the brewery releases new openers each year

Cameron's Brewing Co., Oakville, ON - Credit card opener. Fits nicely in your wallet to take with you wherever you go

Alley Kat Brewing, Edmonton, AB - key chain and other side has a cap to place on your beer if you can't drink it all at once 

Dogfish Head Brewery, USA - in the shape of their actual logo

BBbarfly butterfly knife style bottle opener

TAPS The Beer Magazine - BBbarfly butterfly knife style bottle opener

Alley Kat Brewery News

Edmonton's Alley Kat Brewery has announced the latest beer for their "Big Bottle" series, and like the previous releases the name is a clever play on words - Abbey Kat Belgian Style Quad.

The Big Bottle series, which the brewery launched last year and included releases like the Gringer Cranberry Ginger Ale, Red Dragon/Blue Dragon double IPAs, Three Bears Oatmeal Stout, Fresh Hop Full Moon Pale Ale, and more, has been very popular with beer drinkers in Alberta. I've been lucky enough to sample most of them and simply enjoyed each one.

The 9.4% Abbey Kat Belgian Style Quad is described on their website as:
Taking a page from the traditional Monastery breweries in Belgium, Alley Kat releases Abbey Kat a “double Dubbel” or Quadrupel brew. This high alcohol beer has notes of burnt caramel, fruit and clove.

The beer will be launched on Friday January 13th between 5-8pm at the brewery, with free samples, snacks and brewery tours. The 650ml limited offering will be available for purchase at the brewery's retail store and at select liquor stores across Alberta.

In other Alley Kat news, the brewery is brewing up another Double IPA, which will be known as Green Dragon. The Green Dragon follows in the footsteps of the Red Dragon and the Blue Dragon series (under the Big Bottle series), which are all made with various hop varieties. Alley Kat plans to launch a new Double IPA every two months moving forward and the Green Dragon is slated for release in February.

Informal Poll Open At Bar Towel - Ontario Brewery Of 2011

Go to Poll

Spurred by a year-end blog post written by Stephen Beaumont over at his World of Beer site, who declared Muskoka Brewery from Bracebridge, ON as his pick for the best Ontario Brewery of 2011 for a multitude of worthy reasons, members of Bar Towel.com have started an online poll to see what results they'll come up with.

After Beaumont's post, a forum was created on the popular beer chatter website and members shared their thoughts. Etobicoke's Great Lakes Brewery, Toronto's Amsterdam Brewery, Beau's All Natural from Vankleek Hill, Barrie's Flying Monkeys and Muskoka received the most acknowledgement from the posters, so the online poll that has been created only allows you to choose between them. No other Ontario brewery can be chosen.

At the time of this post, with only 45 votes cast, Great Lakes is in the lead by only a handful of votes, followed by Flying Monkeys in second and Amsterdam in third. This tells me that people are thrilled with the change that all three breweries have gone through in the last couple of years, which all three have successfully managed to achieve with seasonals, one-offs, and collaborations.

Bar Towel runs the Golden Tap Awards each summer - an online voting event recognizing the best craft beer achievements in Ontario, including a category for Best Craft Brewery in Ontario, that Bar Towellers vote on. The 2011 GTAs saw Beau's All Natural Brewery win the coveted award. And the year before, and the year before that. So it's interesting to see these results, and the comments that go with them.

What I like most about this poll, and the debate on the forum born from Beaumont's post, is that it really is tough to come up with an answer as more and more Ontario breweries seem to be evolving at a pace that us beer enthusiasts' have been hoping for for years!

Beers from the breweries mentioned above are making their way into high end restaurants, chain pubs, new restaurants, trade shows and specialized events that once only had the likes of Molson, Labatt, or the import brands either brewery represented. Packaging is evolving, more breweries are pumping out terrific seasonals, one-offs, and creating events to drive people to their breweries. Our Ontario breweries work with charities, win awards at various national, provincial and international competitions on a regular basis and are winning over beer drinkers of all stripes.

Since I started with TAPS Media (TAPS The Beer Magazine), I tend to stay subjective with things like this. Sure, I like some breweries more than others, but each brewery that I work with have their own traits, quirks, hidden gems and 'new-found' direction. Debates and polls like this are fun because it allows the breweries to see what people (beer enthusiasts') are happy with. We (beer enthusiasts') were a minority years ago, and still are, but the change we've been pushing for has spilled over in the mainstream market as evidenced by the strides our breweries are taking in gaining a bigger fan base.

*Beaumont has also stated that his vote for Canadian Brewery of the Year goes to Alley Kat Brewery of Edmonton, AB. Check out his blog post. 

New Atlantic Canada Beer Blog

A new beer blog has popped up that will cover the Atlantic beer scene, which is properly titled - Atlantic Canada Beer Blog.

Started as a new year's resolution by a gentlemen named Greg, ACBB will strive to provide coverage to the breweries operating in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador. From tasting notes to brewery profiles to book reviews, ACBB will try to offer insight into what our east coast breweries are up to. Yesterday's post focused on Shiretown Beer, a brewpub in Dalhousie, NB. 

The site, which went live on January 1st, already has a nice list of Atlantic breweries and brewpubs, complete with live links, and a listing of Atlantic Canada beer events. There are also listings for miscellaneous Atlantic Canada websites (homebrew groups, other bloggers) and all the provincial liquor boards. 

www.atlanticcanadabeerblog.wordpress.com - Reach Greg at atlanticcanadabeerblogger@gmail.com

Garrison & Phillips Mash Up #2 Released in BC

East meets West... again!

After collaborating on a successful Belgian IPA last summer in Halifax, Victoria, BC's Phillips Brewing Co. and Halifax, NS's Garrison Brewing Co. have announced that their 2nd creation in their Mash-Up Series has been released.

The Mash-Up Baltic Porter was brewed at the Phillips brewery in November when Daniel Girard, Garrison's Brewmaster, travelled to Victoria to join Matt Phillips and his team in the brewhouse. The beer is described as follows (from the Phillips website):

The Mash-Up Baltic Porter weighs in at 8% and pours a deep earthy brown colour. The infusion of fresh figs endows the beer with a bold fruity sweetness your palate will appreciate, with subtle hints of black licorice adding a delicate richness to the aroma and body.


This limited release beer is now available in selected private liquor stores on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

As mentioned, this is the 2nd release that Phillips and Garrison have collaborated on. There is no word yet on a third beer at this time.

Meet Patrick Fiori - Clocktower Brewpub

Meet Patrick Fiori, the Brewmaster with the four Clocktower Brewpubs in Ottawa. 

Fiori got into the brewing industry like so many other brewers before him - homebrewing while getting a degree in chemistry/biochemistry during University. Not wanting to work in a traditional lab setting, Fiori ended up at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland studying at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling. And it's a good thing for Ottawa residents as Fiori's beers are popular with the locals in our nation's capital city.  

Under Fiori's watchful eye, Clocktower recently opened their fourth location in Westboro where they'll be serving their regular beer menu (see styles).

Meet Patrick Fiori

Where are the Clocktower Brewpubs situated and what beers do you currently produce?
We are an Ottawa based brewpub. We have a location in the Byward Market. Our other locations are situated in well established neighborhoods around the city. We just opened our 4th store in Westboro. All of our brewing is done out of the original Bank Street locations.

We have 5 standard ales: the Kolsch, our lightest offering, a Raspberry Wheat, ESB, Red, and a Brown. We have a rotating selection of seasonals and occasional one-offs. We also do cask conditioned product out of the Bank street location.

Describe the history behind the brewpubs.
The first brewpub was established in 1996. Since we have opened we have seen a couple of brewpubs come and go. At the moment we are the only brewpub situated inside Ottawa (although that is about to change).

We opened our 2nd store in 2004 in New Edinburgh and the location in the market in 2009. We are now running with 4 locations and who knows where it will go from here.

What is your best selling beer?
Our best selling standard is by far the Kolsch. It is a little more flavor than your standard Kolsch and not quite as dry. As far as our seasonals go our Pumpkin ale is unstoppable. We have been running the Pumpkin for 4 years and have seen our production explode from 1 batch to 14 batches over the same time frame.

What's new at the brewpub?
The biggest news is the opening our new location in Westboro. To celebrate we created a one-off called “#4”.  It is a Belgian Style Pale ale with 4 malts, 4 hops, and weighs in at 6.2%.

We picked up a bronze for our Brown at the Canadian Brewing Awards, which I am proud of. Aside from that not much going on, we should have our IPA up for just after Christmas.

Why did you get into the brewing industry and describe your passion for it.
I got into the brewing industry out of a love for beer. I have a chemistry/biochemistry degree and I didn’t want to work in a lab. I was homebrewing at the time and one thing led to another and suddenly I was in Edinburgh studying at the ICBD (International Centre for Brewing and Distilling).

I love beer and I love the brewing industry. I love being part of something that when someone creates a beer, they put their energy, life, and love into that product. It’s hard not to get a little sentimental when a bunch of brewers are talking about their products. It’s like talking about a close family member.

What is the best aspect of working in the Canadian craft brewery industry?
I also love the camaraderie that exists in the craft beer world. We are all in it together and we all know it. There are a lot of great people in the industry.

I get frustrated sometime when someone walks into the pub and even though there is a brewing system behind glass they ask: You brew beer here? The look on the face of someone who has just been converted to your product because they genuinely like it is priceless.

Where can someone find your products?
The only way you can get our beer is at one of our four locations.

Tell us something about Clocktower that not a lot of people know about.
I will tell you three things:

1. We have a manufacturing license just like any other craft brewery.
2. We use four open top fermenters
3. The brewery is run by a rabid Saskatchewan Roughrider fan and is thus closed on almost every game day

What advantages do smaller breweries have over the big guys?
I will answer that from the perspective of someone who is smaller than most small guys. From my point of view the ability to use expensive premium ingredients is paramount. Our raw materials cost is so relatively low that I can use the right malt from the right maltster and not have to worry too much about cost. We also stock 9 varieties of hops, I can use the perfect hop for each beer.

Besides brewing, I do most of the marketing, accounting, whatever the brewery needs me to do. I have learned so much about the business of brewing and I like that I can spend time in all facets of the business.

What is the highlight of your brewing career - to date?
Two highlights, winning medals in the first two beer competitions entered.

Second, I am going to be featured in the University of Saskatchewan alumni magazine next year. I am immensely proud of that.

Name your favourite non Clocktower produced beer?
Just for the record I hate this question. There are so many factors to weigh in but among my top 5 are Kozel, Stone Hammer Pilsner, Beau's Beaver River IPA, Great Lakes Crazy Canuck, and Caledonian 80.

Best time for a pint?