It comes as a small, pleasant surprise that I get to talk about excise taxes for the alcohol industry in a vaguely positive way for once, given the announcement today that a couple of changes are being made at the federal level that will support small brewers across Canada. After […]

Fun With Numbers: Federal Alcohol Excise in 2024-2025


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I got out over my skis a little.  Part of my plan for the year, just at home, is to read more. I’m aiming for a couple of books a month and so far I’m a little above that. I had been reading Slavoj Zizek’s Living In The End Times. […]

So You Want To Be A Teacher – Regression


In the run up to week five, the first of this year’s completely redeveloped lectures for the Beer Appreciation class at George Brown, I had some problems to contend with. As stated earlier, the sheer volume of imported American Craft Beer that had fallen out of the LCBO chain made […]

So You Want To Be A Teacher – Redevelop



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It’s hard to say exactly why the wheels came off the lecture. It was probably a combination of things. There was news out of the UK last week that Marston’s was going to stop using its Burton Union system for yeast propagation, and having been there just over a decade […]

So You Want To Be a Teacher – Reminisce


When I got hired to teach in 2017, I was a subject matter expert. I didn’t have any teaching experience to speak of, except for having been an instructor at a music camp in high school. I also had a dread of public speaking which I overcame in about a […]

So You Want To Be A Teacher – Recall


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A quick question for you.  Which country uses coolships in the production of an iconic beer? The answer is Belgium. Also Germany, Czechia, England, America, Canada, and very likely others. I’m standing in U Fleku beneath ceiling beams that carbon date to the 1350’s staring at the coolship they use […]

So You Want To Be A Teacher – Rebuild



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Matt Pearson said to me, “take off your glasses.” It’s a weird request, coming from a guy I barely know, but since we’re in public, I do it. “Close your eyes and turn around in a circle three times.” This is not Simon Says, and besides, we’re in the middle […]

So You Want To Be A Teacher – Redux


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Hello, Minister. I’m writing to you today to express my hopes for the alcohol industry reform that is currently tabled for discussion within the province. I’m an odd duck in regards to this situation in that I’m periodically referred to as an expert and have made a minor career out […]

An Open Letter To The Minister of Finance


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  (ed. note: I always thought it would be fun to cut a heel promo.) I want to tell you something really important about your brewery.  It’s going to sound patronizing, and it’s going to sound obvious, and it’s going to sound as though I am being condescending. Possibly, I […]

Breweries: Let’s Talk About Your Website



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Recently, there was a pretty well written piece about taxes that showed up in the wake of the Ontario Craft Brewers’ charm offensive to get the public onside and prevent brewery closures within the province. It’s over here at baytoday.ca and written by Stu Campaigne interviewing New Ontario Brewing’s Mike […]

Some Thoughts about Ontario Beer Excise and the MFA