Ontario Craft Brewers Conference 2016 Is Coming In October!

The 2016 Ontario Craft Brewers Conference is coming up in just a few short weeks. This fantastic one day event in its 5th year is put on by the Ontario Craft Brewers Association of Ontario and runs all day with insightful opening sessions presented by  craft beer specialists from across North America and then a series of breakout sessions that have a more local flare. The day will cover everything from starting a brewery to how to effectively utilize social mediums to drive business results – especially on a start-up! There will be a suppliers marketplace and of course craft beer and food pairings all day. If you are in the business , or just curious about this amazing industry, register before September 30th and save $25 off your ticket. Get ready for the ultimate networking and education experience in the world of local craft beer!

Winter Brewfest Coming To Toronto!

That’s right , after a couple of years of success in Ottawa Toronto’s first major beer festival is taking place the weekend of February 19 & 20 at the Enercare Center. Unlike summer festivals this will be taking place at night with 50 craft breweries from across Ontario along with cutting edge DJ’s performing  each night. Saturday night is already almost sold out so if you want to go, grab the link below and make it happen.

See you there!

The Falcon………

Brewfest

The Falcon Flies Into Grocery!

Yes it has finally happened after all the planning and announcements craft beer is in the grocery stores – 2 months in! We are proud to announce that Falcon’s two brews, Laggar and Red Falcon are in at Metro starting this week. There will be allot more choice for your dinner parties now when you are shopping for your essentials for entertaining! Just remember you have to check out in the “Beer” line as these cashiers have all been Smart Serve certified – and bring your ID!

Try grabbing all kinds of different beers and provide flights of beer at home for sampling – most home retailers sell 5 ounce glasses or you can stop by any local craft brew shop and they will certainly have – maybe even the wooden paddle to serve them on for the authentic craft beer experience! The point is to have fun with it and support your Ontario brewers!

Toronto’s Festival Of Beer is back for the 19th year!

It is the one that everyone waits for – Toronto’s Festival Of Beer happening this weekend down on the Exhibition grounds. You can get together with 30,000 other beer lovers and enjoy 3 days of food, music and of course….beer! In fact 120,000 liters of it.  There will be over 60 craft and national breweries on hand to do tastings with 300 brands to chose from. Your 40 bucks gets you in for the day, the best 5 ounce tasting mug I have ever received and the entertainment for the night. My Friday night this year features the classic rap band , Naughty By Nature. If you are in the mood for more classic Canadiana rock , then hold out for 54-40 on Saturday night.

With attendance up 11% the event is basically sold out , so the only way to get in is to follow Ontario Craft Beer association members on Facebook and wait for the contests this week. I gained entry last year winning 2 VIP tickets from a Mill Street Facebook contest , so don’t be shy – follow and enter!

There will be brew master events, food tastings and the Bud Rig entertaining the crowd with bands and DJ’s all weekend. One of the most entertaining parts of the festival is seeing all the cool brewery vehicles that show up every year and the creativity that goes along with these amazing machines!

Getting access this year will be a challenge with Pan Am going on, but I recommend Go Train, Uber (first ride is free up to $20) or park at Liberty Village with your DD like you would for an TFC game – we did it on the weekend and had no issue finding parking.

So I hope to see you down there this weekend getting “Beereducated” and enjoying the middle of the Toronto summer with all your beer loving neighbours down by the lake!

Ontario Craft Brewers association launch new app for beer lovers

In an effort to make it easier to find your favorite Ontario craft beer , the OCB has launched its new Beer Finder app for Apple and Android platforms. Basically this allows you to discover the 50 plus breweries that make about 70% of the province’s independent craft beers. Every time you open the app you are greeted personally with news of the latest releases – you can then dive in and get the details on both the beer and the brewery it comes from. It then allows you to rate the beer with various attributes such as appearance ,mouthfeel ,aroma and flavour.

There is then a area for you to track the beers you have tried and your favorites. The next cool thing is a brewery finder that allows you to get details such as location, contact info and beers available. Perhaps the most useful tool is the beer finder – this allows you to search individual beers and allow you to rate as well , but more importantly where you can purchase. A map appears and shows LCBO , Beer Store ,bars and the brewery locations that sell the beer you are in pursuit of.

Getting out there and supporting your local breweries is not only is allot of fun, but it supports a local industry that employs thousands of people in the province that embraces the true spirit of adventurous business entrepreneurship!

OCB Beer Finder

Cans or bottles – what is going on in the Canadian craft beer market?

Have you noticed that most independent craft breweries chosen delivery vessels are tall boy cans? It used to be a big deal when we were in the eighties that a beer company came out with a tall boy or king can, and now it is common place. Basically they are little kegs that preserve beer better, cool faster and ship easier then bottles. They are also the most cost efficient way for breweries to get their beer through the supply chain.They just don’t quite present as well when placed on the bar or table when you sit to enjoy them. While our European cousins have not embraced this trend , Canada has really gone the road of the canned beer. In fact according to Beer Canada , sales of cans have gone from 34% of market in 2011 to 57% in 2014.

What is interesting is how this varies across the country. When you look at the 3 biggest markets it really varies-

Quebec – 51% cans -up 15% over 5 years

Ontario – 43% cans – up 5% over 5 years

B.C – 82% cans – up 5% over 5 years

It would seem Quebec is moving at quicker pace towards cans while most of B.C’s market is in fact cans. Cans do provide the opportunity to billboard you brand personality quite effectively, but you cannot beat the personality you get from growlers or the 500 and 750 ml bottles that present so well in a social setting. The bottom line is there really is not a best way to enjoy a beer , but it certainly has regional biases that are quite dramatic.

Trouble brewing for just opened craft brewery in Leslieville

The folks at Left Field Brewery located in an alleyway just south of the Danforth are facing some pressure from local residents in regards to noise on the weekends. Breweries are different then Brewpubs in that they do not serve food and can only operate 11:00am – 11:00 pm and can only serve 12 oz and 5 oz glasses of beer. As with most breweries that are being set up these days they have a sliding clear  “garage” door that serves both as ventilation and for  entertainment purposes. I have been down this laneway and as it has been zoned for business, it is nicely refurbished with a coffee company located right beside it. I do understand the concerns over noise, however the LFB folks have conceded that they will close at 9:00 out of respect to the neighbourhood. The brewery has certainly created a hub for the community and brought a new dimension to an otherwise unsightly alleyway. Coming from Unionville, we deal with traffic, music and allot of bar activity especially during festival weekends, but would rather have this kind of activity and “life” then a non active community even if we don’t participate in allot of these events. I am not sure what solution the city and LFB can come to, but let’s not see the right to brew in this location get revoked – they have worked very hard to get to this point , not mention the new jobs created and the joy this type of business brings to many people. Maybe everyone should get together over a beer and see if things can get worked out!

Ontario craft beer market is red hot!

Recent data released from the LCBO is showing craft beer up a staggering 26.6% year over year in an overall market that is actually in decline as consumers look to spirits and wine as an alterative.  Looking at the actual growth of breweries in Ontario, after a few years of no growth, since 2011 brewery count has doubled to 140 according to Beer Canada. The Ontario beer network notes that Ontario Brewery directory there are over 60 more in the planning stage. This translates into good news for beer drinkers as variety and accessibility will only get better over time as each location not only will offer tastings , but will have opportunity for retail. If recent announcements by the Ontario government hold true then each brewery can add a second offsite location.

These new breweries will add to the communities personality and create a location that true beer lovers and casual fans can get together and talk all things beer and maybe take in some entertainment and a tour the brewery and understand what goes into making a craft beer – get out there and take a tour!