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 […]
The Growler 10 Autumn 2018 Edition
In every issue of the Growler we pick 10 stand-out beers. Sometimes they’re cutting-edge and innovative; others they are the day-in-day-out favourites that have shown steady excellence over the years. Either way, they get a special “Growler approved” badge to […]
Final Draught: Great Lakes Toronto Island Time
Around now, in the middle of October, is an apt time for looking back on another year of craft beer in Ontario. Despite the smattering of holiday-related events, to me, Cask Days marks the end of the year’s beer festival […]
There’s a fly in my beer: When is it OK to send a beer back?
I recently had occasion to visit a nearby outpost of a franchise steak restaurant. It was one of those rare moments in our lives as parents when my wife and I realized that we were out, childless, hungry at the […]
Recipe: Fat Sparrow Group’s curried chickpea lettuce wraps
You can tell a lot about a year from the stretch between mid-August and mid-November. At the start of this issue’s life, we could easily have the hottest day of the summer, and then, just as easily, the first with […]
Final Draught: Nickel Brook Lost in Orbit
Black IPA? White IPA? Red IPA? Brett the Hitman Heart IPA? Enough already. It’s tiresome how IPA has become short form for “beer we’d really really like you to buy.” With that rant out of the way, I’ll double back […]
Vermont: The home of Bernie Sanders, ski slopes and farmhouse cheese is also a top craft beer destination
We should probably get something out of the way right here. I don’t ski. Or snowboard. I tried to learn, about ten years ago when I was in my twenties, but that went dreadfully. I learned to skate at a […]
The Exchange Brewery releases first spontaneous ale in Ontario
The Exchange Brewery in Niagara-on-the-Lake was definitely one of the Ontario craft breweries who made news this summer. On one end of the spectrum, they launched a can programme back in May; on the other, September brought news that they […]
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 […]
Ontario Brewing Awards and Golden Tap Awards winners announced
Last night, the winners of Ontario Brewing Awards for 2018 were announced at the Berkeley Church in Toronto. Cass Enright hosted the show and also announced the winners for his Golden Tap Awards. The OBAs are a traditional-style beer awards […]