The day that The Exchange Brewery in Niagara-on-the-Lake decided to pivot from taproom service to offering at-home beer delivery, events manager, Kathryn Dodington took a quick, survey of her fellow staffers. “Our tasting room manager was self-isolating because she was […]
You can now order an IPA with your burger thanks to new, looser restrictions over alcohol sales in Ontario during COVID-19
In a bid to support bars, restaurants and alcohol retailers, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced temporary measures today that will mean you can buy beer at the grocery store at 7 a.m., and add a bottle of […]
Taproom distancing, home delivery or shutting down? Three ways craft breweries are weathering the COVID-19 Crisis
Government movements on beer laws in Ontario are traditionally slower than molasses, but the pandemic has meant furious action and new flexibilities unseen in Ontario beer history. On Monday, March 16th taprooms stopped serving beer after the Ontario government ordered […]
Change Your Relationship with Booze: Now is the time to examine the role alcohol plays in your life
Two years ago, Karen Belfry agreed to try her first Dry January. Belfry was a brewer at Lake Wilcox working the early shift, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alcohol had become a daily habit: “I had plenty of time to […]
Northern Exposure: The craft beer coming out of Ontario’s most northerly breweries
Northern Ontario is a place where people where camo for moose hunting, not for fashion. Majestic pine and cedar forests blanket a gently rolling, rocky landscape criss-crossed by rivers and streams all feeding into some of the coldest, freshwater lakes […]
Trees and bees: The Growler guide to cider, mead and perry
Ontario’s climate and soil are made for apple growing. And our rich cider tradition, once lost to Prohibition, is having a renaissance. There are over 40 cideries and mead makers in the province—here’s our guide to tasting the most interesting […]
Brutal Honesty: A brewery owner shares his survival guide after losing $800K to DME
These days Jason Fisher is usually up at 3:30 a.m. He opens his laptop, pulls up an Excel Spreadsheet and punches in some numbers. “OK,” he tells himself, “We can be alive for the next four days, so let’s use […]
Joint venture: How craft beer and legal cannabis will collaborate rather compete
Since first-year university, about 20 of my girlfriends have gathered for our annual Girls Christmas Party. This regular affair has been going strong for 18 years. We’re not girls anymore, we’re 40-something moms, but other than that, little has changed. […]
A beer new world: Forget buck-a-beer, it’s the government’s promise of beer in more retailers that matters
Grabbing a 12-pack from a corner store, or a case of lager at Costco might not be far off for Ontarians. On July 12, in their throne speech, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives made good on some of its campaign promises—including […]
Brewing a Bunch: How the EI Parental Sharing Benefit is part of the changing craft beer industry
A few months back, Wellington Brewery’s head brewer came to management with a request to take six weeks of paternity leave when his new baby is born this year. Brewmaster Marvin Dyck, 38, was surprised. He has six kids of […]