Ben's Beer Blog

The following is an email response I sent to “Liyonala” this morning while I was sitting on the toilet. She was following up to a previous inquiry about my interest in posting some content she was “excited” to see on my blog. 

If you’ve been sleeping all day and haven’t heard, there’s been some beer news.

On January 7, 2015, The Beer Store announced that they would be “opening up ownership opportunities” to all Ontario breweries.

You can read the full scoop over on blogTO where I broke it all down the morning it happened.

Since the news broke, there’s been a veritable shit storm of activity as people reacted and responded to the news. At first, the news seemed like a PR masterstroke. The Beer Store changed the conversation that had largely been about their unfair monopoly up until now and instead issued what would surely be seen as a great step forward for Ontario beer. Right?

Well, not so much.

Reaction has been pretty swift and not all that supportive. People aren’t taking too kindly to the Beer Store, arguably the source of the problem, opting to be the solution to the problem and the move has come off as, at best, a token gesture and, at worst, insulting.

Here’s a round-up of the fallout:

TV and Radio

Jason Fisher of the Indie Alehouse really got the fun started this morning by responding on AM1010 with Jerry Agar (skip to 39:38) and then The Beer Store’s Jeff Newton joined Jerry and got pretty roundly flustered. Lovely stuff.

• The Ontario’s Craft Brewers, who evidently weren’t consulted on this move, issued a statement late this afternoon that was essentially “WTF.”
• City News Toronto chatted with Great Lakes Brewery’s Peter Bulut Jr.
• Peter also appeared on Global News alongside Beer Writer Crystal Luxmore.
• Later on Global, the clip of Peter ran again, and Leslie Roberts chatted with Jason Fisher.
• CTV chatted Beer Writer Stephen Beaumont and, you guessed, it Peter Bulut Jr. Man that guy gets around! 
• Steve Beauchesne of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company chatted with the CBC’s Lorenda Reddicop. 
• John Romano, co-founder of Better Bitters Brewing in Burlington chatted with CHCH.
• Steve also chatted with CBC Radio’s As it Happens (skip to 7:10)
• Jason Fisher was on The Exchange with Amanda Lang on CBC last night. 
• Jason was also on The Morning Show on Global 
• And, running neck and neck with Peter for media darling this week, Jason also went on CBC’s Metro Morning Radio Thursday. 

 Print Media Coverage

• Beer Store says it will open up ownership to all Ontario-based brewers CTV News Ottawa
• Ontario brewers say Beer Store changes don’t go far enough CP24
• Beer Store opens ownership to Ontario-based brewers City News Toronto
• Foreign-owned Beer Store says it will open up ownership to all Ontario-based brewers National Post
• Beer Store’s move to open up ownership deemed ‘self-serving’ The Globe and Mail
• Ontario craft brewers balk at Beer Store offer Ottawa Citizen
• Beer Store opens ownership to all Ontario-based brewers CBC
• The Beer Store to open up ownership to craft breweries Toronto Star
• Beer Token Gesture Torontoist
• Craft Brewers mixed on Beer Store Ottawa Sun

Photo by Robin LeBlanc

The Blogs

• Craft Brewers Not Consulted on Beer Store proposal Crystal Luxmore
• My obligatory The Beer Store critique Toronto Beer Blog
• A Word of Advice for Ontario Breweries… St. John’s Wort

In the interest of keeping the conversation going and maintaining a resource for everyone to share in the fun, please share your links or news schedule tips as comments here.

Owing to the increasing number of brewers in the city, every year vetting the ever-growing output of craft beer made in Toronto to find the very best becomes a more and more difficult task. Thankfully, my constitution and my inability to deal with emotions make me uniquely suited to the task of consistently consuming large quantities of alcohol in my quest to find the beers that rise above the others.

Here are the fruits of my trauma-suppressing labours — the top local beers of the last year.

Bellwoods Brewery’s Motley Cru
The name given to the beer that Bellwoods opts to release on their birthday in April each year, the ingredients and process of this second installment had nothing to do with the first Motley Cru–and little to do with any other beer either. A blend of IPAs, Motley Cru was barrel-aged with funkifying Brett Lambicus yeast for 14 months before it was dry-hopped and then bottle-conditioned with fresh champagne yeast for another two months. The taste was simultaneously woody and fruity with vanilla, juicy peach, and even smoke and cherries. This a beer that you crack, smell, and sip, and then put your fist through some drywall in rage because you didn’t buy more.

Great Lakes Brewery’s THRUST! An IPA
People sometimes complain about Ontario’s craft brewers and a perceived propensity toward “overly-hopped” beers. THRUST! An IPA is the beer that proves there is no such thing. This beer was hops on hops on hops and its execution proved how amazing that can be in the hands of an adept brewer. The Gold winning entry for the American IPA category at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards has citrus, mango, and stone fruit in the aroma and the flavour is big, juicy fruits balanced with resinous pine. The finish is perfectly bitter. If you can drink this and still talk shit about hoppy beer, you probably don’t deserve to drink beer.

Read the rest of this post over on blogTO…

Mark Bylok’s writing about whisky has appeared in a variety of online and print publications, including Spotlight Toronto and his own website. With considerable experience in the industry, he brings an insider’s view to whisky writing and his book, The Whisky Cabinet, is a no-nonsense whisky primer that provides some straightforward info on whisky and a wealth of recommendations, most of which can be had for under $100.

We asked Mark for his picks for resources in Toronto for enjoying a wee dram.

Best place to buy whisky: Summerhill LCBO – 10 Scrivener Sq.

As you’d probably expect, Bylok names the former North Toronto Railway Station as the go-to place in the city for spirits. “If you’re looking at where to buy whisky in Toronto,” he says “the Summerhill LCBO has by far the biggest and best selection. “ Indeed, the Summerhill LCBO has an entire room devoted just to whisky. “It’s kind of an obvious choice,” Bylok says, “but they have pretty much everything. The only LCBO location that might even compete with them is the Queen’s Quay location because they have tastings once in a while.”

Best place for your home bar supplies: BYOB Cocktail – 972 Queen St. W.

“I’ve been going here a lot lately,” Bylok says of the West Queen West BYOB Cocktail Emporium. “I don’t really talk about mixed drinks in the book, but for getting cocktail supplies or getting the right glasses for whiskey, BYOB has a really great selection.”

The store, owned by Ryerson Hospitality and Tourism Management Kristen Voisey, features everything from glassware, to bitters, to myriad ice cube trays and ice alternatives. “It was tough when I started expanding my bar,” Bylok says. “I was having trouble finding things online. The really interesting stuff is in the US and they either don’t ship to Canada or it’s really expensive. So BYOB was a great find for me.” Bylok, like a handful of other Toronto mixologists, both amateur and professional, has recently become enamoured with BYOB’s cocktail-aging supplies. “My latest favourite thing is barrel-aging cocktails like Manhattans. BYOB sells those little barrels, so it’s great. I turn a spout and I’ve got a Manhattan. Add a little ice to cool it off, give it a stir, pour into a glass, and you’re good to go.”

Read the rest of this post over on Post City.