More Additions to the List of Canadians at the Craft Brewers Conference

I just received an email from Beerology's, Mirella Amato, who was in Chicago for the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), informing me that I missed listing representation from two Quebec establishments on the list I compiled of Canadians who attended the CBC.

Le Saint-Bock
Mondial de la Biere

I don't know how I missed the ladies from Mondial as we shared drinks with them before the World Beer Cup dinner and after the dinner at the late night party.  They have now been added.

To see the full list, click read more:

Hop City Lawn Chair Hefeweizen - By Rob Symes

**Hop City Brewing Co. launched a new beer last night and Rob Symes and I were there to sample it.  Rob, who has written here before, has kindly provided you with his thoughts.  Enjoy!**
(sorry for the quality of the pic)

By Rob Symes:
Yesterday I was fortunate to head down to the launch party for the new beer from Hop City - a craft brewery that has the backing of Moosehead. Late last year, Hop City debuted on the scene with Barking Squirrel Lager, a crisp and drinkable beer that instantly reminded me of a Creemore. While Barking Squirrel would not displace any of my craft favourites I'd take it in a heartbeat over the crap that's available in most bars. The announcement that the new brew would be a hefeweizen got my hopes up that this beer would eclipse its predecessor and become an option I'd consider on a regular basis. I love hefeweizens and their rich flavours of sweet banana, spicy clove and tangy wheat. After extensive tasting of hefes from three continents I can happily say that the local Denison's Weissbier is one of the best in the style. The flavour profile described by the brewery seemed to indicate good things and whetted my appetite:

"A true Bavarian style Hefeweizen with a deep golden colour and naturally cloudy appearance. A beautiful balance of exotic fruity and spicy notes followed by a crisp refreshing finish."

So how's the beer? Well firstly I should reveal that they've gone with the name: Lawn Chair "Classic" Weisse, and the tagline on the coasters reads "Grab a Chair". They've certainly got the whole retro summer look going on, and for a brewery whose website talks about beer not being about expensive ad campaigns, there's certainly some slick marketing and big money behind this one. I grabbed a couple pints over the course of the evening in the interests of you, dear readers. This is what you can expect from Lawn Chair:

Halifax Microbrew Fest and Conference Cancelled

Halifax, NS - I just got word this morning that the Halifax Microbrew Fest and Conference has been cancelled.  I was asked months ago if I'd like to sit on the advisory board and had no problem saying yes, thinking that there was sufficient time to pull it off. 

Well, this is actually the first time that I've heard back from them with regards to progress on the event and it's sad to hear, especially just after returning from the Craft Brewers Conference.  I think Canada, could use something like this, and judging from the Canadian turnout in Chicago it looks like there might be enough support to one day do this in Canada.

The two women who were trying to put together the Halifax Microbrew Fest and Conference were, when I first talked to them, very focused and I believed that they had the passion needed to pull something like this together.  I still believe that, so I hope they don't completely abandon their goal, and maybe they will revisit this down the road. 

Ontario Brewing Awards Judging Commences

Last night marked the start of the judging for the Ontario Brewing Awards (OBA) which featured both BJCP judges and non-BJCP judges.  The accredited judges are actually doing the proper judging to determine the winners of the individual categories and the non-BJCP judges are there to determine the 'people's choice' award for each category.  That's where I fit in.

Two years ago I was asked to help judge the OBA's and I didn't really have a good experience.  I made a note to myself that I wouldn't help judge again unless I became an actual BJCP judge or if the awards had more BJCP people involved.  Last year it did, so when asked this year if I'd like to help select the people's choice awards I thought I'd give it another go. 

Like I said, the OBA's were sanctioned last year and it is no different this year.  All the actual judges there last night (with the exception of guys like me) have all been doing the BJCP thing for years; it adds so much credibility to the awards.  It was good to catch up with some of them too, as I hadn't seen many of them since the judging of the Canadian Brewing Awards.  Roger Mittag, who runs Thirst for Knowledge - Beer School and the Prud'homme Beer Certification program, and who also organizes the OBA's, stated that this year features the highest number of entries, just under 200, which he said was a significant leap over last years OBA's.

Part 1 took place last night and the second round goes next Tuesday to determine the final overall winners.  Our table, which was comprised of three judges and three people's choice judges, drew the Light Lager, Amber Lager, and Pale Ale categories, and I can say, without knowing the names of the breweries who entered them, that some beers surprised me - both good and bad.  There was good banter between the judges after they finished tallying their scores, seeing if their scores jived with one another.

No word yet on when the actual winners will be announced, but stay tuned, once I find out, I'll post here.

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Feature at barVolo - Tonight

Tonight at 6:00pm, barVolo will be featuring beers on tap and on cask from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. from Vankleek Hill, ON.

Co-founder Steve Beauchesne and Toronto Representative Rob Morra will also be on hand to discuss their product. Volo will be tapping the following beers, which will be available until supplies last:

Beaver River I.P. Eh? – On Cask
Bogwater – Strong & Spicy Dirty-Brown Ale – On Cask
Beaver River I.P. Eh? – On Tap
Lugtread Lagered Ale – On Tap
Matt's Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout – On Tap

Craft Brewers Conference - Canadian Breweries Well Represented

Canadian brewery representatives were everywhere during last week's Craft Brewers Conference.  When I posted here last week that I was headed that way with a healthy number of Canadian breweries, I was way off.  I listed a handful, but 26 breweries/brewpubs where there from all parts of our great country. And there were 10 other businesses from Canada (and possibly more) in attendance, along with numerous exhibitors whose names have escaped me and two individuals planning Toronto brewery openings in the near future.

I know in speaking with many of the different brewery reps the seminars they attended sparked some fire in their bellies to either try brewing something new, or at least look into doing something big and bold; maybe even a cultist brew.

Here is a list of the Canadian representation in Chicago.  Sorry to those I may have missed.  If you were in Chicago and I didn't mention you, please shoot me an email and I'll get you added.


Alberta
Alley Kat Brewing Co.
Drummond Brewing Co.
Wild Rose Brewing Co.

British Columbia
Central City Brewery
Phillip's Brewing Co.
R&B Brewing Co.
Russell Brewing Co.
Tree Brewing Co.

New Brunswick
Pump House Brewing Co.


Nova Scotia
Garrison Brewing Co.
Granite Brewery

Ontario
Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Beau's All Natural Brewing Co.
Black Oak Brewing Co.
Cheshire Valley Brewing
Clocktower Brewpub 

F&M Brewery

Grand River Brewing Co.

Granite Brewery
Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Mill Street Brewery

Quebec
Benelux Brasserie
Dieu du Ciel
McAuslan Brewing Co.
Le Trou du Diable
Le Saint-Bock Brasserie
Microbrasserie Charlevoix

Others from Canada In Attendance
Artisan Ales Consulting Inc. (AB)
Bar Towel (ON)
barVolo (ON)
Beerology (ON)
Better with Beer (ON)
Bob Latimer (with Hops Direct booth) (ON)
Brewery Creek (BC)
Chester Carey (Canada's first certified Cicerone) (BC)
HMH Negotiants (ON)
Mondial de la Biere (QC)
TAPS: Canada's Beer Magazine (CDN)
The Rhino (ON)

Craft Brewers Conference Adventure Pics - Part 1

At the World Beer Cup reception.  These are just some of the leftover beers from the judging.  Scooped a 2006 Barrel Aged Speedway Stout, Tree Double HopHead IPA, St. Feuillien Saison, Nogne-O Imperial Stout, Stone Sublimely Self Righteous... and more.

The sign out front of Clark Street Ale House, a Chicago landmark.  We grabbed out pints of Founders Diablo de Noche (a huge Black IPA), Southern Tier's Matt and Phin's ExtraOrdinary Ale, and headed out back to their patio to drink with the dogs....

Stone Brewery co-founder Greg Koch and I at the Stone/Nogne-O/Jolly Pumpkin collaborative dinner.  The face - check out Koch's twitter hash-tag (#gregface) to see what it's all about.

The bar at the State & Lake hotel bar near the entrance to the rail line.  All the kegs are stored underneath the bar and are showcased by the clear glass.  The State & Lake was our last stop (bar #15 for us) and had great deals on flights of beer from all over the US.

Here we have John Bowden from Great Lakes Brewing Co. and George Eagleson of F&M Brewery at The Local Option who were congratulating some woman on her birthday.  Don't you love the shirts?  "Proud to be a Canadian Craft Brewer" (some are still available)

And.....the draught menu at The Local Option.  Still drooling.

More pictures will come soon!

Philadelphia Beer Raids Hearing - Streaming Live

Remember the Philadelphia beer raids?  From Lew Bryson's Facebook page:

The PA legislative hearings on the 'beer registration raids' will be live on PCN (the Pennsylvania Cable Network) this morning, beginning at 10 AM. I'm in the Caucus Room, ready and waiting. Testifying: Leigh Maida (Memphis Taproom et al), Dominic Origlio (wholesaler), Artie Tafoya (Appalachian Brewing), Joe 'PLCB CEO' Conti, & others. Should be a good show.

The hearing into the matter is now streaming live at the following link: http://www.pcntv.com/streaming/streaming.html  Then click on Live Channel 1.

Beer For A Cure Gourmet CASK! Ale Dinner

The menu for St. George's Day: Beer for a Cure Gourmet CASK! Ale Dinner has been released and boy does it sound good.


CASK! Toronto, the group behind the successful CASK! Social's, are the people organizing this dinner which will take place on Saturday April 24th at the Granite Brewery (Toronto) in support of Prostate Cancer Canada.

Tickets are $65 a person, which will allow you to feast on the four course dinner and indulge in four cask conditioned ales - 2 from the Granite, 1 from Durham County, and 1 from MacLean's Ales.  Nick Pashley, author of Notes on a Beermat: Drinking and Why Its Necessary and Cheers!  An Intemperate History of Beer in Canada, will also be on hand to engage the crowd with a sure to be humorous and entertaining talk about all things English.  There will also be a silent auction and door prizes.

Call Caroline or Robert Hughley to purchase tickets by calling (416) 462-3788. *Click on image to expand and view*

Menu:
-Appetizer-
Sausage rolls in step with Granite Hopping Mad

-Round 1-
Cream of asparagus soup made with Granite IPA, served with Granite spent grain bread: Beer - Granite IPA

-Round 2-
Roast beef with a Granite Peculiar gravy, Yorkshire pudding and a medley of roasted vegetables: Beer - Durham Hop Head

-Dessert-
Apple crumble or bread and butter pudding: Beer - MacLean's Ales Claymore Oatmeal Stout

7 Medals Won By Canadian Breweries at World Beer Cup

As many of your dear readers know by now that I was away in Chicago last week for the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) (organized by the Brewers Association) to meet with a number of people in the industry and to learn about some trends that are occurring in the craft beer sector. 

Part of the CBC is the Saturday night World Beer Cup (WBC) reception and the awards presentation dinner.  Now I didn't purchase tickets for the dinner, and the group of other Ontarians I was with decided to pass on the dinner too, so we headed to the reception only to indulge in all the beers that were leftover from judging (and there were many).

Once the dinner started and the doors were shut our group headed out for dinner at Chicago's newest brewpub, Revolution Brewing Co., and watched the twitter feeds come in announcing many of the winners.  We were actually only looking for updates concerning our Canadian breweries and when the first one came in we all let out a big cheer.  We ended up taking away 7 WBC medals, including 2 silvers and 5 bronzes - see list below in numerical order.

This was the largest commercial beer judging competition in history.  There were 642 breweries from 44 countries and 6 continents that submitted 3,330 beers!!  There were even a number of judges from Ontario who were in Chicago earlier in the week who helped judge this enormous competition.

Category 5: Fruit Beer or Field Beer
Bronze – Ephémère Apple, Unibroue, Chambly QC

Category 48: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale
Bronze – Fin du Monde, Unibroue, Chambly QC

Category 49: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale
Silver – La Grivoise de Noel, Micro-Brasserie le Trou du Diable, Shawinigan QC

Category 53: English-Style India Pale Ale
Bronze – Russell IP’eh!, Russell Brewing, Surrey BC

Category 57: Scottish-Style Ale
Bronze – Russell Wee Angry Scotch Ale, Russell Brewing, Surrey BC

Category 58: English-Style Mild Ale
Bronze – Whistler Black Tusk Ale, Whistler Brewing, Vancouver BC

Category 68: Barley Wine-Style Ale
Silver – Thor’s Hammer, Central City Brewing, Surrey BC

So, congratulations to our Canadian breweries that represented our great country!

Check out the WBC website to see the full list of winners

Back in Ontario to Dry Out

Well, I'm back.  I just spent four full days in the windy city hanging out with a bunch of people from the Canadian beer industry during the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC).  It was a great time, great time. 

I wanted to do a number of posts from the conference but for some reason Chicago isn't to big on the free wi-fi thing just yet.  Everywhere we went, even the different hotels, wanted to charge $20 a day to get logged on and I'm too cheap for that.  And besides, it was kinda nice not touching a computer for a weekend.

There is lots to write about.  Some good stuff to share with you.  Most of the seminars I attended provided good information and a particular one about importing US craft beers to British Columbia provided me with some good material for a possible story here on the blog.  I will get to this over the course of the week and I'll include a bunch of photographs that I compiled during the week.

Up first - the seven medals won by Canadian breweries at the World Beer Cup. 
Second - the story on how we almost didn't get there....

*in pic - Dogfish Brewery founder Sam Calagione behind mic

Off to Chicago For The Craft Brewers Conference

Later on today I'll be jumping on a plane headed for Chicago - destination: Craft Brewers Conference.  This will be the first time I'll be attending and my anticipation for the plethora of amazing beers I'll be able to consume is growing with each passing second. 

There is going to be a large crowd of Ontario brewery representatives there this week, as members of Muskoka Cottage Brewery, Mill Street, F&M, Grand River, Black Oak, Cheshire Valley, Beau's, Great Lakes, are all planning on attending.  The guys from Garrison Brewing Co. are also flying in tonight, and a high number of other Canadian breweries submitted their beers for World Beer Cup judging, so I'd assume there will be many more representation from across Canada joining us.

I had some t-shirts made up for the occasion that read "PROUD TO BE A CANADIAN CRAFT BREWER" and there is a large maple leaf on the back of the shirt, which is Cardinal Red in colour.  We won't be hard to miss.

Anyways, gotta get packing.  Look for updates here throughout the week and on the twitter account.

Hop City to Introduce New Brand

Remember Hop City and their Barking Squirrel Lager?  It wasnt' to long ago that they were introducing themselves to Ontario beer drinkers.  I wrote a post on them here back in November of '09. 

I went to their launch party with a bunch of other people shortly after they announced their arrival and we were all surprised at how receptive we were to the beer, considering that the small brewery making it is a subsidary of Moosehead Breweries.  We were also told of the number of establishments that had already took the beer on draught, and the last I heard it was in well over 100 places.

Fast forward five months - banking on their fast success with Barking Squirrel, Hop City will be releasing a new brand later this month: Hefeweizen. 

Their tasting notes - A true Bavarian style Hefeweizen with a deep golden colour and naturally cloudy appearance. A beautiful balance of exotic fruity and spicy notes followed by a crisp refreshing finish.

 Stay tuned for more.....

A New Job....A New Start

For those of you out there who know me personally, you'd know that for the last three years I have been employed by the provincial government, working in a department of the the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. 

During that time I have somehow managed to maintain this blog, sell advertising for TAPS: Canada's Beer Magazine, write my Burtch on Beer Column for TAPS. conduct interviews with people in the industry for TAPS features, help out with a weekly radio show, and attend numerous events and festivals throughout Ontario.  It has been hard work (I know you might laugh at that.  I mean, how hard could it be to attend beer events, talk about beer....?), especially juggling everyday work commitments while a deadline is looming over my head or spending an entire weekend doing nothing beer related. 

Something had to change.  I was getting bogged down, feeling stressed out at times.  I knew that I needed to re-evaluate things in my life and was hoping that the beer writing wouldn't lose out to the steady job that working for a government branch offers. 

So, I'm about to make a significant change to my life and the beer world that I've ingrained myself in over the last 3 1/2 years won't disappear at all.    In fact, it will become my life.  As I mentioned last week, I left my cushy job with the government to embark on a new venture. 

Starting today, April 6th, I'll be assuming my new role with TAPS Media as the National Director of Sales and Marketing.  I'm very excited about this.  I have a lot of ideas for the magazine and everything that goes along with it, some that I hope to get up and running in the next month.  And as I'm getting my feet wet I'd love to hear from TAPS readers out there with their thoughts on how to improve the magazine, changes you'd like to see, articles that would be of interest to you, or anything you'd like to pass along for consideration.  Feel free to drop me a line at troy@tapsmedia.ca.

I'll continue posting information on this blog, but I'm assuming that the post count will  drop slightly.  The new position will provide me with the chance to travel the country, visiting our terrific breweries, brewpubs, and pubs/beer bars which will give me much to post on. 

Goodbye government - hello beer!

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Hiring Toronto Sales Rep.

Peter Chiodo, President of the Flying Monkeys Brewery in Barrie, ON, posted the following message on Bar Towel Sunday.  It seems that Flying Monkeys will be making a push for space in the Toronto market and the brewery is looking to hire the right person to help them acquire some accounts.   And the job ad is great.

Yes, the Monkeys are growing…..We are looking for a Toronto area sales rep to add to our family of 11 employees. We thought we would try something new by recruiting folks on the Bar Towel….people passionate about the micro culture in Ontario! Well, here I go...Are you looking for an unglamorous job? Do you enjoy hard work for little pay ? Are you independently wealthy or have a spouse or significant other that earns a decent enough salary to compensate for your lack of pay? Then read on…Do you drink microbrewery beers? Do you know anything about the microbrewery industry in Ontario? Does a career with Beer Benefits actually sound ideal to you? Here’s what’s available at our brewery right now:

Toronto Sales Rep
Do you enjoy cold-calling on Bistros and micro-friendly restaurants? Are you passionate about the microbrewery culture in Ontario? Did I mention cold-calling? Are you organized? Can you complete a weekly plan, daily reports, and make it to meetings on time? Just maybe you`re right for the Monkeys.

Job Description
Developing New Customers
Develop prospect lists
Execute a new account presentation- Communicate our philosophy
Manage existing prospect follow-ups and calls
Manage Point-of-sale budgets
Draught installs

Other Stuff
Manage customized staff incentive programs
Provide occasional emergency deliveries
Participate in beer samplings
Festivals & Shows – set-up and support...i.e. work!
Monday AM meeting attendance

Hours
Flexible Hours which may include occasional evenings and weekends

Personality
A proven beer lover. A positive attitude is a must i.e. “no energy vampires.” If you are a negative person, do not apply. Must have the ability to work under the pressure of a sales budget (sorry we are not a charity). The ability to creatively solve problems on your own,. Must be disciplined with solid time management skills.

Performance Review
1. Territory Sales
2. Number of new licensee accounts
3. Customer retention of 90% or higher

Email your resume to peter@theflyingmonkeys.ca. If I see brilliance in you, I will call for an interview. If not, I will likely not return your email (because I am just plain lazy--unlike the people I am trying to hire).

Yours in Brewing,

Peter