News and Notes: October 21, 2024

iStock/Getty Images Plus/Arseniy45 photo

It’s late October and forecasted for 25 degrees today. It might be a Halloween where you can comfortably wear swim trunks and go as a victim from Jaws. Me, personally, I’ll continue to put on my Robert Shaw costume and crush it like Quint. 

Here it is: the head, the tail, the whole damn thing. 


NEWS

Lake of Bays and Merit Brewing have joined forces. Facebook.com/lbbrewery photo

Breaking news from Hamilton, Ontario where Merit Brewing has merged with the Lake of Bays Brewing Company. While Merit has a single location in Hamilton, Lake of Bays has three locations in the Muskokas. The announcement explains that founders Tej Sandhu, Aaron Spinney, and Jesse Vallins will continue on the Hamilton end of the business, while some of Merit’s beers will see expanded production and shelf space in the LCBO.

From a critical standpoint, this solves problems for both companies. Merit was largely unable to expand beyond their original location due to the size of their facility, but had no difficulty in coming up with innovative and interesting beers to go along with their range of excellent sausages. Lake of Bays has production scale, but has had little luck getting any of their brands to resonate with the wider craft beer scene. It’s a surprisingly good fit.

Also, I’m not exaggerating about those sausages. Go try the Butter Chicken one. I’ll wait.

The Ontario Craft Brewers have launched a new campaign called Save Local Craft Beer which is petitioning the Ontario government to change the taxation structure under which Ontario Craft Breweries operate. Compared to other provinces, the tax paid by Ontario brewers is exorbitant, and is among the highest in Canada.

Would a system of graduated taxation be helpful? Well, according to a recent study, the segment could grow by 40% with a small amount of reform and modernization. The question remains, however, whether the current Ontario government is likely to take up another topic on the alcohol docket so soon after putting beer into convenience stores. It’s unlikely that reform is going to happen in the short term with all the attention of this administration focused on Austrian Spas, denuding an Island, and making sure no one can safely ride a bicycle, but the effort is to be applauded. 

As of this writing, rumours have been circulating about Toronto’s Northern Maverick Brewing, which has been closed for at least a week at this point without any sort of explanation on their social media. Is it a renovation? Is it a remodel? Did somebody go to Cancun? In this economy?

Ottawa’s Beyond The Pale is opening a taproom in the Byward Market on the site of Ottawa’s old Courtyard Restaurant, and will have a job fair on October 26th from noon until 4 at that location. Those of you looking for gainful employment in our nation’s Capitol might consider dropping on by. 


EVENTS

Facebook.com/counterpointbrewingco photo

While the number of events has fallen off in the wake of Oktoberfest, there are still things to do. I’ll be adding events as they come in as usual, so expect to see some pumpkin picking events and some haunted houses over the next couple of weeks. It’s a good idea to get hopped up on Hazy IPA before you go in the haunted house just so that if you panic vomit on a zombie with a chainsaw, it’ll add to the patina of gore.


THE SIX PACK

2010 West Coast IPA has the big grapefruit and pine flavours of a classic American IPA. Great Lakes Brewery photo

INDIE ALEHOUSE FABBRI AMARENA SPARKLING CHERRY ALE

If you’re going to make a beer with fruit, why not make it a premium fruit? The boffins over at Indie Alehouse have leveraged their partnership with Eataly to fabricate a sparkling cherry ale with these luscious Italian cherries. The recipe apparently involves a secret syrup, which sounds much better rendered in the Italian as “sciroppo di glucosio.” I’m pretty sure that was a renaissance inventor and that Glucosio is a small town in the Tyrol. 

GREAT LAKES 2010 WEST COAST IPA

Oh, you say you want the haze. You claim you want the juice. But deep down in the sub basement of your heart, you know you want to scratch that old school caramel malt itch and indulge in grapefruit and pine bitterness. You wouldn’t even buy a dragon fruit, but here you are drinking beer that’s reminiscent of it. Nope. Deep down, you want to go outside a lick a Douglas Fir. Thank goodness for this throwback that’ll pelt you with citrus and leave you a pith covered but ultimately happier person.

BADLANDS HELLES

Wait, what? This can’t possibly be correct. A Helles? It doesn’t have a cute name and it’s not numbered. They don’t even have a named hop variety in the description. And it’s CLEAR?!

Man, the future is weird. 

THIRD MOON CHAINS FOR CHANGE

Third Moon has brewed a collab beer for a charitable cause. Working with PFLAG and Queer Disc Golf, Third Moon has brewed a Hazy IPA with Mosaic and Simcoe which is the perfect accompaniment to getting out there in nature with just hucking a plastic disc downfield towards a pole with rattling chains on it. I joke, but if we’re being honest, that’s a lot better than golf. You don’t need manicured lawns and a frisbee is a lot cheaper than a set of clubs. It’s fun for everybody regardless of socioeconomic status. Just get out there and fling it. 

MACKINNON BROTHERS WILD PEPPERMINT STOUT

I haven’t included Mackinnon so far this year, but that’s because I wasn’t signed up properly for their newsletter. I think they’re probably the best estate brewery in Ontario, but they’re given a real run for their money by Quayle’s and Paris. This is one of their fall seasonals along with their Harvest Ale. It’s a conventional Dry Irish Stout with locally grown Peppermint. Does what it says on the tin. Get it early before the menthol dissipates. 

NICKEL BROOK DOUBLE HEADSTOCK

It’s twice as big. 2x. XXL. This time they’ve chosen to go the Roger McGuinn route of the 12 string guitar instead of the Jimmy Page double guitar. No, Otto, I’ve never played one of those guitars. I can tell you that regular Headstock has been very good of late. I had one in August on the CNE midway. The Double version ought to be stellar. 


This week’s News and Notes is brought to you by:

You may also like