Hop City To Launch New Pilsner

Have any plans next Thursday evening? Curious to try Hop City Brewing Co's. fourth release?

On Thursday April 7th Hop City will be launching a new Pilsner at 99 Sudbury street and they want to open the doors to readers of this here blog! Yes, Great Canadian Beer Blog readers (you) are invited to attend the party, as long as you RSVP in advance.

The Brampton based brewery, which is a subsidiary of Moosehead Breweries Ltd. and distributed by the Premium Beer Company, has been around for a little over a year and in that time they have released three brands - Barking Squirrel Lager, Lawn Chair Classic Weisse and Happy Hour Premium Ale.

The Barking Squirrel won an impressive silver medal at the 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards in the North American Style Amber Lager category and the Weisse, along with the Barking Squirrel, won medals at the 2010 Ontario Brewing Awards.

From Hop City:
Join us for live entertainment, hors d’oeurves and of course, a couple delicious pints.
When: Thursday April 7, 2011. 7:00pm - 1:30am
Where: 99 Sudbury, Toronto

Canada Malting Launching New Maritime Malt Tonight

Canada Malting is proud to launch their new Maritime Malt tonight in Halifax, and to help celebrate they'll be bringing a number of Atlantic Canada breweries together to pour some special beers.

Starting at 7pm tonight in a private event, at the Hart & Thistle Gastropub, seven breweries will be serving a number of beers that were brewed using the new barley, which is grown exclusively in the maritimes:

Propeller Brewing Company - Propeller Mild Brewery
Rudder's Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub - Pompey Dick IPA
Garrison Brewing Company - Hopyard Pale Ale Brewery
Yellow Belly Brewery & Public House - Yellow Belly Single Malt
Paddy’s Brewpub & Rosies Restaurant - Rosies Red Anniversary Ale
Northampton Brewing Company (Picaroon's) - Maple Cream Ale
Granite Brewery Ltd. - Hopping Mad Ale


In a press release issued last week, John Holliday, the President of Canada Malting, had this to say about the new malt: "The launch of our Maritime Malt is consistent with our goal to support producers and brewers across North America and to offer high-quality, regionally produced products. The Maritime malt brings our Central and Eastern Canadian malts to a total of three: 'Ontario Select', 'La Québécoise' and 'Maritime Malt'. We are happy to be a part of this collaboration between the farming, brewing and malting industries and we are very pleased with the warm reception from the Atlantic brewing community."


For more information, please contact  Matthew.Letki@CanadaMalting.com

Meet the Beer Bloggers - Matt Caldwell

Part Eight of the Meet The Ontario Beer Bloggers


Meet Matt Caldwell, the man behind the One Beer At A Time blog. 

It turns out the movie Julie & Julia inspired more than wanna be chefs, it helped form the motive behind Caldwell's blog. Instead of creating one Julia Childs recipe every day, Caldwell decided to try a new beer a day for a year and keep notes on them. From heavily hopped IPAs to roasted stouts and light lagers, Caldwell tastes them all.

Meet Matt Caldwell


Describe the moment when you first saw the craft beer light?
My first exposure to craft beer was around 1995 when I was working in a small restaurant in London, Ontario called the Pelican Diner. We only had 2 beers on tap and both were from Upper Canada Brewing Company. The Lager and the Dark Ale. I was particularly fond of the the Dark Ale. This was where the love for craft beer started but I think it fully developed when I moved to Toronto around 1999 and started working in renovations during the summer time. My boss Frank was a home brewer and craft beer nut. He really helped me develop my tastes for all things craft beer. Especially really hoppy beers!

What made you decide to blog about beer?
It was kind of a dare from my wife. We were watching the movie Julie and Julia where Julie does one Julia Childs recipe a day for a year. My wife said I should try it with beer. I said sure no problem, I could drink one new beer a day for a year easily......! Well it was not as easy as it sounded, try having a beer while you are sick. Not much fun!

My wife also thought it would be a good way to get out of my comfort zone of beer. Specifically Hoppy IPA's and APA's! She was right - I have really developed a love for many different styles since then. Especially Porter and Imperial Stouts.

How long have you been blogging about beer and how long do you think you'll continue?
I have been blogging about beer for just over a year. I am definitely going to continue as I have met so many industry people and new friends since I have started this adventure. I think that my blog will likely morph into more tales about beer pairing, events, and my trials in home brewing once I have finished posting all 365 beers.

What has been the biggest change in the Ontario brewing industry since you started blogging?
I would have to say that one of the biggest changes has been the amount of specialty/seasonal/one-off brews that have popped up. Brewer's like Beau's, Mike Lackey/Great Lakes, Amsterdam and Barvolo's own HouseAles (and a many more) have really pushed the envelope as far as variety. So much so that you hear of other brewers installing pilot systems and starting to produce more one-offs every day.

If you could change one thing about the industry here in Ontario, what would it be?
I think like many of the other bloggers that you have spotlighted it would be the draconian liquor laws in Ontario. Instead of me rehashing it here, just go read freeourbeer.org which has a much better explanation than I will ever be able to give!

What beer book would you recommend to someone looking to learn more about beer?
I think a great book is "Learn To Brew" by John Palmer. I know that it is a Home Brew book but I think it would be a good read for anyone interested in beer. John has a keen way of making it interesting and really gives you good insight on what goes into making beer, it pretty much answers any question you would ever have had about beer.

When you're not drinking, writing, or out at the pub, what else preoccupies your time?
Work :(....Just kidding! My family takes up most of my time since I have a young daughter but for fun I love to snowboard and travel!

Best beer festival or event you've attended?
I would have to say the best was my first time at C'est What's Festival of Craft Brewers. I am not sure which one since it was around 8 years ago but I had a blast and have been to many since! I am looking forward to going to Mondial this year though!

Name your favourite beer blogging experience
Hmmm....that is a tough question. I have been to so many fun events this year but I would have to say it was heading to The Burger Bar to share some special beers and finish my 365 different beer in 365 days.

Best time for a pint?
Saturday afternoons. I love being able to sit down with family/friends on a patio or in the backyard on a sunny Saturday afternoon and enjoy a pint. But really, is there a bad time for a pint?

O'Canada - Canadian Craft Brewers Belt Out The Tune

Thank god they're not considering a career change!

On the last night of the 2011 Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco, after the last bottle had been poured at the closing reception, a large group of Canadian brewers/writers/trade/licensee's gathered in the lobby of the SF Hilton to pose for a group photo only to belt out O'Canada at the top of their lungs... and guess what? I captured it on video using an iPhone (thanks Jordan).

The quality of the video isn't the greatest, and I am up on the next floor looking down on them, but the key message is heard loud and clear; and like I said, no career changes!

This group represented only about 1/3 of all Canadians who were in attendance during the Conference, many many more had already left the hotel for the lobby when this was taking place. In total, based on my estimation concluded through sloppy note-taking, was that there appeared to have been as many as 200 Canadians, if not more, out of the roughly 3900 people registered for the conference. (I'll be posting a full list later in the week sometime)

Here's the video - enjoy!

April CASK! Social

From CASK! Toronto

The next CASK! Social will take place on: Saturday April 2nd 2011
Time: 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Location: The Twisted Kilt
1954 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON

Hello everyone, 
Our next CASK! Social will be held at The Twisted Kilt, 1954 Yonge Street, Toronto, just North of Davisville subway station, on Saturday April 2nd, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. This is another new venue for us, and the owners will have three different cask ales for us to try. Two casks from Muskoka Brewery are currently planned, one of which is a special one-off. We look forward to seeing everyone there. 

Cheers, 

CASK!
Mirella, Maz, Robert & Nick

Tweets From The Craft Brewers Conference

Just arrived back in Toronto late last night after a great trip to San Francisco for the 2011 edition of the Craft Brewers Conference put on by the great folks at the Brewers Association. Four action packed, fun filled days learning more about the industry, drinking west coast IPAs, visiting the craft beer hot spots and catching up with the large contingent of Canadian craft brewers.

I'll get to all that later, sharing some stories throughout the week once I catch up on my exploding inbox. And I hear a lot happened here in Ontario while I was gone (LCBO back at it again with their social responsibility...), so I've got some catching up to do with that news.

In the meantime, here are a number of tweets I posted from my blog account throughout my time in SF, some of which include images and video of the conference (links). Click here to read the TAPS The Beer Magazine tweets, which I was also tweeting from.

troyGCPBBlog Mar 27, 3:24pm via Twitter for iPhone @bartowel an I are drinking the good stuff @ SF airport! @beerwithmeTO Not a drop of #craftbeer to be found @ Pearson airport. Show Conversation

troyGCPBBlog Mar 27, 3:22pm via Twitter for iPhone
Anchor Steam at the SF airport bar... To be followed up with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale http://t.co/ZiPBtWX

troyGCPBBlog Mar 27, 3:18am via Facebook
Um, yum! http://fb.me/JMKp24rS

troyGCPBBlog Mar 27, 3:14am via Facebook
My boy (George Eagleson - F&M Brewer) and I in San Fran at #cbc2011 @StoneHammerBeer http://fb.me/XQKsa6AA

troyGCPBBlog Mar 27, 2:51am via Facebook
(bad quality...) A bunch of Canadians at the Thirsty Bear in San Fran! Wait for the O' Canada tomorrow! http://fb.me/NzCtfJ1t

troyGCPBBlog Mar 26, 2:45pm via Twitter for iPhone
Normal beer, old beer, under-carbonated, dirty draught lines & compressed air gas.. Interesting off flavours in each one http://t.co/xH25nEF

troyGCPBBlog Mar 26, 3:34am via Twitter for iPhone
Calling it a night... Great times with great #canadiancraftbrewers , great beer & food tonight. Tomorrow brings another day & more #cbc2011

troyGCPBBlog Mar 26, 1:02am via Twitter for iPhone
We're dancing in the moonlight... Moonlight Death & Taxes http://t.co/JbTiY4O

troyGCPBBlog Mar 26, 12:40am via Twitter for iPhone
Sitting in Pi Bar in SF's Mission District w/ @Lackey101 @bartowel @indiealehouse drinking off this menu: http://t.co/lmYjaMZ

troyGCPBBlog Mar 26, 12:36am via Twitter for iPhone
I got the pics! @MuskokaBrewery Memories were made and lost last night at the Russian River & @SierraNevada collaboration event w @bartowel

troyGCPBBlog Mar 25, 7:26pm via Twitter for iPhone
Just had a great meeting with Joe Tucker @ratebeer and now listening to sour seminar with 3 outstanding brewers #cbc2011

troyGCPBBlog Mar 25, 3:36am via Twitter for iPhone
Btw - I won! @MuskokaBrewery The craft beer debates are getting intense. @troyGCPBBlog @bartowel #CBC2011 yfrog.com/h3yd4zgj

MuskokaBrewery Mar 25, 3:35am via Twitter for BlackBerry®
The craft beer debates are getting intense. @troyGCPBBlog @bartowel #CBC2011 http://yfrog.com/h3yd4zgj Retweeted by troyGCPBBlog

troyGCPBBlog Mar 25, 2:12am via Twitter for iPhone
Yeah we are! Pliny baby! @bartowel Strong beers and jukebox @toronado with @Lackey101 @troyGCPBBlog @MuskokaBrewery Show Conversation

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 10:11pm via Twitter for iPhone
@21Amendment drinking a 21A Ninkasi Collaboration Ale with a great bunch of Ontario peeps! http://t.co/tfRmaaT

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 8:17pm via Twitter for iPhone
Last #cbc2011 seminar of the day -exporting... Is Canada a viable market?

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 5:16pm via Twitter for iPhone
Which to chose from? #cbc2011 http://t.co/WOxviPa

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 1:55pm via Twitter for iPhone
Samples coming! Sierra Nevada & Anchor collaboration #cbc2011 sounds of hundreds of corks popping #awesome http://t.co/h4Az1PX

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 11:19am via HootSuite
RT @bimddc: Honestly an amazing night at day 1 CBC in San Francisco. Man! Let's put it this way.. I have the best job in the world!

troyGCPBBlog Mar 24, 3:33am via Twitter for iPhone
Hello Cali! Finally arrived in San Fran for #cbc2011 with @bartowel Checking into hotel then off for a quick pinty!

Off To The Craft Brewers Conference In San Francisco

After surviving the publication of the Spring issue of TAPS The Beer Magazine, and living through the Toronto Beer Week 6-Month Pub Crawl event on Saturday, I'm off to San Francisco today to represent TAPS at the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC).

For the next five days I'll be sampling, socializing, and networking with numerous brewery representatives from a number of Canadian craft breweries while taking part in daily seminars that cover everything from how to open a brewpub to social media panel discussions, sensory panels and so much more. The conference has witnessed a huge growth over the last number of years, attracting more and more Canadians who bring the wealth of information learned back to their respective breweries.

I'll be posting tweets throughout the conference on my twitter account and on the TAPS account.

And A Successful TBW Pub Crawl - Kensington/Annex

TBW Pub Crawl wristbands

By 2pm on Saturday afternoon the inside of the Cloak and Dagger was beginning to fill with loyal supporters of Toronto Beer Week (TBW). The same was happening a couple of kilometres away at the Queen and Beaver on Elm St. It was the beginning of the TBW six-month countdown event - Two simultaneous pub crawls through the streets of Toronto, visiting 10 establishments along the way and knocking back numerous pints from the fine producers here in Toronto.

Nick Pashley, the author of notable beer books like Notes on a Beermat: Drinking and why it's Necessary and Cheers! An Intemperate History of Beer in Canada, joined me in leading a pub crawl in the Kensington/Annex area of the city while Bar Towel.com founder, Cass Enright, and Rob Symes led another one in the downtown core. (all four of us are founding members of TBW)

The Kensington/Annex Crawl
As soon as the doors opened at the Cloak and Dagger a handful of eager beer drinkers made their way towards the bar for what would be a great day of socializing, drinking, and celebrating the 2011 edition of TBW.

Armed with special edition TBW wristbands, pub crawlers were entitled to a number of discounts and prizes throughout the day, and the Cloak started our crawl off right as ten tap lines were devoted to $5 pints; a great way to kick things off.

Drinking on Caplansky's patio

After 45 minutes of introductions and sampling, Pashley took to the stage and awarded a number of prizes - two passes to Amsterdam Brewing Co. for brewery tours, a couple of TAPS The Beer Magazine t-shirts, a Great Lakes t-shirt, and a number of Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB) podcast cd's. A representative from Spearhead Brewing Co. (first commercial brew fast approaching) graciously donated some swag, including a hat and bottle opener at the Cloak.

Out the door and after a two-minute walk east our group stood in front of Caplansky's Deli at College and Brunswick. All the tables in the deli were jammed packed with hungry customers, so crawlers decided that the weather was good enough to claim their patio as ours. Chairs and tables were arranged and pints of Denison's Dunkel were consumed. We reached 40 people near the end of our time at Caplansky's and by our next stop, it jumped to 49.

The Burger Bar & Tequila Tavern is on the east side of Augusta just south of College. Another two minute sojourn. Again, upon arrival we were greeted with a packed house of Burger eaters and thristy beer drinkers. Thankfully the patio was wide open and it called out to us, as did the Robust Porter from Cheshire Valley Brewing Co., which word has it, we almost drained. Some more prizes were awarded at the Burger Bar before we pulled up stake and headed to our fourth stop -  The Harbord House.

 Rob Morra (Beau's) & Paul Dickey (Cheshire Valley)

The longest walk between establishments, The Harbord House crew were ready for us when we arrived. Our large crowd was whisked to the second floor where Superman, I mean, ummm, Rob Morra of Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. was waiting for us with a pin of Beau's Winterbrewed. We promised we'd do our best and dammit, we did it - we drank every last drop... After drinking on Caplansky's patio, and the Burger Bar's patio, the upstairs sit down area at the Harbord House was most welcoming.

We gave away some more prizes before heading onto the last stop on the crawl- a wall mounted Steam Whistle retro bottle opener and a bucket full of beer and swag from Great Lakes.

Another quick journey brought us to our final destination - The Victory Cafe on Markham. I'll admit it now, but I was concerned about showing up a 6pm on a courageous day. The Victory is known for filling the place and we weren't 100% sure if we'd be heading to the second floor or not. Luck was on our side as the pub was light in attendance, so we did our best to fill the place. After taking part in a very encouraging chat with the Victory's new owner we handed out the grand prize to one lucky winner - a tub of beer and goodies from the OCB.

By 7:30pm we called it a day. Some individuals moved onto other well-known Toronto craft beer pubs, some went home, and some stayed and helped the Victory empty their kegs. It was a great day from start to finish with 52 people taking part throughout the crawl! People in Toronto love their craft beer!

It needs to be said that the staff at all of the places we attended did an unbelievable job making us feel welcome, serving us in a timely and efficient manner, and doing so with a smile on their face(s). A huge thank you to the staff at Cloak & Dagger, Caplansky's Deli, The Burger Bar & Tequila Tavern, The Harbord House and The Victory Cafe!

Toronto is home to some amazing craft beer establishments and we touched on but a few. Get out there and explore!

We'd also like to thank the following breweries/organizations for donating prizes for the crawl - Steam Whistle, Great Lakes, Amsterdam, TAPS The Beer Magazine, OCB, Spearhead Brewing Co.

New Toronto Beer Week Website

If you happened to make your way over to www.torontobeerweek.com today you may have realized that we've got a new website up and running. We're very happy with the new layout and design and we'll be adding more content in the next couple of weeks. More images, more video, more information for you to browse through!

It will also be going through other changes late in the spring once we have the confirmed breweries and licensee list, complete with a comprehensive events listing index that will be searchable by area, event, day, etc. This will allow individuals living in the east end to search events based on their location, seeing which licensee or brewery will be hosting an event in their area.

Chris Schryer, the mastermind of Toronto Beer Blog, is the man behind the new site. Check out his other work here: ChrisSchryerDesigns.com

Today's the Day! Toronto Beer Week 6-Month Countdown Pub Crawls

It's go time... 2 separate Toronto Beer Week (TBW) 6-month pub crawls through the streets of Toronto at the same time today, kicking off at 2pm.

Downtown crawl: Hosted by Cass Enright and Rob Symes
2pm: Meet at Queen & Beaver
2:45: Head to 3 Brewers (arrive 3pm)
3:45: Head to Duggan's Brewery (arrive 4pm)
4:45: Head to beerbistro (arrive 5pm)
5:45: Head to C'est What (arrive 6pm)
7:00: Wrap Up

Visit of Facebook event page - Twitter Feed

Kensington/Annex crawl: Hosted by Nick Pashley and myself
2pm: Meet at Cloak & Dagger
2:45: Head to Caplansky's Deli (arrive 3pm)
3:30: Head to Burger Bar (arrive 4pm)
4:40: Head to Harbord House (arrive 5pm)
5:45: Head to Victory Cafe (arrive 6pm)
7:00: Wrap Up

Prizes/Offers
- The OCB has provided TBW with some beer tubs full of ..... one winner per crawl (to be awarded during crawl - handed out at a later date)
- Steam Whistle has donated some prizes for the pub crawl - winners will be chosen at the Harbord House and C'est What.
- Amsterdam Brewing Co. has also graciously donated some prizes for the crawl that will be awarded along the way (on both crawls)
- Great Lakes are putting together two cool gift packs that are going to be sweet!
- TAPS The Beer Magazine has some t-shirts to award lucky crawl participants
- 2 reps from Spearhead Brewing Co. will be joining the crawl (one on each) and will have some swag

- beerbistro: Free frites
- Queen & Beaver: App specials
- Burger Bar: $5.50 tax in for a pint or a flight
- Cloak and Dagger: $5.00 select pints

Beers
- 3 Brewers is offering a Pubcrawl-exclusive $6.50 (tax and tip IN) flight of their beers
- Duggan's will be featuring the new Irish Cream Ale for the crawl
- Harbord House will have a pin of Beau's Winterbrewed
- Burger Bar: Hockley Stout, Cheshire Robust Porter, Beau's IP'eh, and Railway City ShamBock. On Cask GLB Citra Blast
- C'est What will be tapping a special cask of Big Butt (version 3) just in time for the pub crawl

Craft beer - great establishments - lots of prizes - creating memories: Join us!

Cabin Fever - Muskoka Cottage Brewery One-Off Series

Cabin Fever* - Chiefly Canadian acute depression resulting from being isolated or sharing cramped quarters in the wilderness, esp during the long northern winter.

Some cool news from the Muskoka Cottage Brewery in Bracebridge, ON.

Starting next month, the brewery will introduce drinkers to a new series of one-offs beers that will be made available at a very few select bars/pubs.

The series, dubbed Cabin Fever, will debut on April 6th at Muskoka's next Monthly Event at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto. It's a guessing game as to what the beer will be, as Muskoka is keeping that close to their chest.

"Restless Brewers = One-off Brews. These will be 20 barrel batches that are 100% the mind melding of our brewers looking to experiment with ingredients and flavours. Cabin Fever No. 1 will be available at our April 6th Muskoka Monthly Event at the Dakota Tavern where will also be launching our Summer Weiss. Very Raven Indeed," stated (poetically I must say) Mike Laba, Director of Marketing for Muskoka.

Keep an eye on the Muskoka Facebook and Twitter accounts to see where the Cabin Fever beers will make appearances.


(*Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 www.thefreedictionary.com/cabin+fever)

Prud'homme Beer Certification Program - Now Online

As first reported here on February 15th, The Prud'homme Beer Certification course (Level 1) founded by Thirst for Knowledge Inc. President, Roger Mittag, is now available to participate in online.

For $150, individuals can sign up to take the Level 1: Beer Enthusiast self directed course that focuses on: Brewing Concepts - Understanding Beer - Beer & Food - Draught Beer Quality - Pouring & Serving, and is shaped for hospitality providers, retail beer sellers, brewers and distributors of beer and the beer enthusiast.

In a press release issued yesterday, Mittag had this to say about his program: “Modern beer consumers are asking for more selection, more information on beer styles and how to pair beer with food. This program simply meets those demands.”

Prud'homme Beer Certification was created in 2009 and is named after Canada’s first licensed brewer, Louis Prud’homme.

Head to beercertificate.ca to obtain more information.

The Coast - Halifax's Weekly Newspaper: The Brewers Speak

Christine Beevis, a TAPS The Beer Magazine regular contributor (Carboys In My Laundry Room - Homebrew Section), has a great piece in The Coast, Halifax's free weekly newspaper titled "The Brewers Speak," part of a Beer Guide the newspaper features today.

Beevis emailed me a week ago to let me know that she was working on this project for the paper, and this morning she notified me that the story is now online for all to view. And it's a great read.

In the piece, Beevis introduces readers to all the men brewing in Nova Scotia in interview style format, similar to what I do here with the "Meet the Brewers..." Eight brewers in total were interviewed and eight questions relating to their brewing career were answered.

Brewers Involved:
- Bobby Zacharias (Propeller) - (Bobby has taken over the head brewer position since Don Helms moved to Ontario to manage the brewhouse at Kichiseppi Brewing Co.)
- Brett Mason (Sleeman)
- Daniel Girard (Garrison)
- Greg Nash (Hart & Thistle)
- Kevin Keefe (Granite)
- Lorne Romano (Rogue's Roost) - (Look for Craig Pinhey's profile of Romano and Rogue's Roost in the spring issue of TAPS)
- Randy Lawrence (Sea Level Brewing)
- Graham Kendall (Alexander Keith's - Labatt)

Other stories featured in the Beer Guide: Take it to the limited, by Craig Pinhey - The beer doctor is in, by Beevis - Six hacks for a six pack, by Lizzy Hill - Barley Whines, by Amber Young - The gassy truth, by Allison Saunders

LCBO Raises Funds For Japan Relief

The following is a press release from the LCBO that is worth reading:

LCBO COLLECTS DONATIONS FOR RED CROSS RELIEF IN JAPAN

March 17, 2011 - Effective immediately, the public can help support those whose lives have been devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan by making donations to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami Fund at any of the more than 600 LCBO stores throughout Ontario.

“Ontarians have a long history of giving generously to help others affected by natural disasters,” said LCBO President and CEO Bob Peter. “LCBO staff at checkouts will be inviting customers from now until April 2 to contribute to the relief effort in the aftermath of this catastrophe.”

“The Red Cross Movement is rapidly mobilizing to meet the urgent humanitarian needs following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan,” says Ron Kelusky, director general for the Red Cross in Ontario. “We are extremely grateful to the LCBO and its customers for their compassion and support of Red Cross relief and recovery operations in affected communities.”

Donation boxes for the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief will be displayed at all LCBO store checkouts until further notice.

Beer For A Cure - The Not So Official Royal Wedding After-Party

CASK! Toronto will be holding their annual Beer For A Cure fundraiser on April 30th at Toronto's Granite Brewery in support of Prostate Cancer Canada, an event being tagged as "the not so official Royal Wedding after-party."

For $65, part of which includes a partial donation receipt, ticket buyers will take part in a four-course dinner matched with different real ale from the Granite, MacLean's Ales and Cheshire Valley Brewing Co.

Robert Hughey, a founding CASK! member and Ontario beer writer for Great Lakes Brewing News, will be the evening's master of ceremony and will be joined by guest speaker Nick Pashley (Toronto Beer Week board member and another founding CASK! member) who will be celebrating all things English. There will also be an auction, fancy hats and door prizes.

You can purchase tickets by calling Caroline or Robert Hughey at 416.462.3788 or by emailing Robert at robert@brewingnews.com

Beer For A Cure
Saturday April 30th - 7pm
Location: Granite Brewery (245 Eglinton Ave East)
Tickets: $65 per person
4 courses, 4 beers (real ale)