Saskatchewan Puts Itself on the Map Rob Symes   Most craft beer drinkers won’t know much about Saskatchewan because so little beer makes itself elsewhere, and that’s a shame. It’s a province that punches above its weight in the craft beer world. With only a little over 1.1 million people, spread over 650,000 square kilometres, the ground may not seem as fertile for craft beer as it is for the province’s crops. Yet, not only does Saskatchewan have an increasing number of breweries, it is also able to produce everything in-house because of its field to glass capability. We spoke to Shawn Mo ..read more

By Stephen Beaumont Growing up in Montréal in the 1970s, I quite vividly recall a springtime ritual in which my father would annually engage. Right around the time winter showed the first signs of relenting in its grip upon the city, my dad would hop in the car and head across the Ontario border to Cornwall, in search of cheaper gas and mini-kegs of bock beer. If that surprises you, well, it shouldn’t. Back in the days when Ontario was served by all of five or six breweries, spring bock was a revered tradition and its release much-anticipated. Each of the three national breweries – remember Ca ..read more

By Stephen Beaumont    October 18 marks the beginning of the 15th edition of Cask Days, the Toronto festival devoted to cask-conditioned beer which is, in the estimation of most beer-savvy folk, yours truly included, the largest such event held outside of the United Kingdom. And, remarkably, as I type these words just one week ahead of that start day, I’m told that a handful of tickets still remain.  This year’s edition marks a scaling back of sorts for the festival put on by the tireless Morana family of Bar and Birreria Volo fame, with “300+ Casks” on offer over the three days ..read more

Rob Symes This week we caught up with Mathieu Brochu of À la Fût to find out what’s hot in Quebec right now. Located in St-Tite, a 25 minute drive from Jean Chretien’s birthplace of Shawinigan, À la Fût erupted on to the scene in 2007 and has gained a reputation for innovation. They were amongst the provincial pioneers in the use of brett, barrel-aging, sours and canning, and have received no shortage of recognition and accolades, including a bronze, two silvers and a gold at the 2019 Canadian Brewing Awards. Who better to gauge where things are going than this kind of brewer? If you were expe ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 25, 2019 CHICAGO Contact: John Scholl john@cicerone.org / 773-549-4800 Explaining the difference between a stout and a schwarzbier just got easier for 15 Canadian beer professionals who were just awarded scholarships through the Cicerone® Certification Program and the Canadian Brewing Awards’ Second Annual National Beer Scholarship. The scholarships help Canadians begin their beer journey with Cicerone—a global certification program that puts beer professionals to the test. Over 100 applicants who serve or brew beer for a living applied for the scholarship, but ..read more

by Stephen Beaumont  Several years ago, while attending a Blue Jays game at the Skydome (it will always be the Skydome to me!) my friend waved down a wandering beer seller and ordered himself a can of Labatt Blue. “Do you want one?” he asked. “No, thanks.” “Oh, you’re too good to drink Blue?” I paused, reflecting for a moment on this unexpected and rather pointed query. “As a matter of fact, yes, I am.” My reply was as tongue-in-cheek as was his question, since we were both well aware of what I do and had done for a living for a couple of decades at that point. But my underlying point was ..read more

Toronto, ON (September 12, 2019) – Ontario brewers gathered at The Berkeley Church (315 Queen St E, Toronto, ON) on Thursday, September 12th to celebrate the best of Ontario beer. The evening recognized beer from breweries across the province. Medal winners in each of the 30 categories were evaluated by a team of Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges. The event was hosted by Taps Media, and included industry members and media personnel. Below is a complete list of winners for the Ontario Brewing Awards 2019: Standard American Beer BRONZE: Gold | Big Rig Brewery SILVER: Beach One Cerve ..read more

Session Toronto 2019 Ticket Giveaway Your Entries 0 Total Entries 9 Days Left Ended Enter for your chance to win 1x ticket to Session Toronto 2019! 24 Hour Ticket Giveaway! Don't miss your chance to attend Ontario's premier beer festival FREE. The winner will receive a complimentary ticket ($40 value) to the event on Friday.  This contest expired. Powered by ContestFriend ..read more

By Stephen Beaumont You can credit Nathan Keffer for this column. Nathan is the American ex-pat who is one half of Quito’s Bandido Brewing, a brewery with two locations in the Ecuador capital, and an ardent booster of Ecuador craft beer. He began pestering me to visit when first I met him at a Mexican beer event a few years back and has kept it up since. In July, I finally took him up on the offer. Admittedly, my motive was more than just getting Nathan off my back. As Tim Webb and I are now hard at work developing the third edition of The World Atlas of Beer, and since my responsibilities inc ..read more

By Rob Symes When it opened in 2016, Foghorn Brewing Company was the first brewery and taproom in Rothesay, a suburb of Saint John. Launched by Steve Russell and former Picaroons brewmaster Andrew “Esty” Estabrooks, they were quickly joined the following year by two more breweries opening in their backyard. New Brunswick flies under the radar for many Canadian beer drinkers, but the province is a strong supporter of local business, and this is helping the craft beer scene reach a tipping point. “It’s exciting to be part of this great industry and to help grow it”, says Steve Russell.  “We ..read more