The Ontario government released its first full budget yesterday. There’s a lot in there worth looking at, including major cuts to education funding. We should pay attention to the whole package, but importantly for our purposes, it included the biggest […]
How new beer retailers can get craft beer right
Personally, I’ve long thought it would be a good idea to allow for a freer system of beer retailing in Ontario. There are a few upsides to the current system — especially if you’re a curious consumer in places like […]
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. […]
Do you really drink beer? A discussion with Renee Navarro about diversity in Ontario’s craft beer industry
“If I had a dollar for every guy who asked me ‘do you really drink beer?’ we’d be on my private island right now,“ Renee Navarro says as we sit down on my local patio at Clinton’s to talk about […]
Brewer vs. Brewer: The Cask Days Edition
There are a few big weekends in the Ontario craft beer calendar. May 2-4, Canada Day and the rest of summer’s long-weekend gang come to mind, but none is really as important as the one after Thanksgiving when Cask Days […]
Shake the LCBO, stir the Beer Store
The Ontario government wants to know what you think of their system for selling alcohol. A long list of Ontario beer players, from Indie Ale House to Keep6 Imports, have used their social media feeds to support the idea of […]
From graft to glass: Why it’s a bad thing that craft breweries have to pay to be on tap
As a paying customer in a bar, you might think that the beer on tap is chosen to suit your tastes. It feels like a safe assumption that not only the food but also the beer pouring from the gleaming […]
The OCB continues to throw a good conference
The Ontario Craft Brewers conference continues to grow in scale and importance. It’s a rare opportunity for Ontario’s expanding craft beer industry to get together in one place, reconnect and share ideas. This year, it was held on November 7 […]
Contract brewing contrarians
In the middle of Ontario’s craft brewing boom, one segment of the market has been maligned more than any other. It’s become the butt of jokes and a magnet for scorn. The idea that a beer was brewed under contract […]
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 […]