Yearly Archives: 2025

Walking down Manning as the November light fades reveals that the Annex likes its period authentic gloom. Sodium lights didn’t come in until the 1960’s, and it’s called the Annex because Toronto absorbed the neighbourhood in the 1880’s. I grant you, we’re a little further over than that. Johnny Wayne […]

In Which I Visit Bickford Brewing

November 25, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

At the behest of Cask Marque, I’m in Montreal. It’s late September and it is coincidentally Montreal Cask Beer Week; an event that is only really nascent this year. My job is simple, if a little funny to observe from the outside. I have to ensure that the cask ale […]

Rule #4: You Can’t Fake Production Value

November 17, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

A student says, “are hops used for anything other than beer?” We’re sitting in the second floor lab of 215 King Street East, which houses the Chef’s House at George Brown College. The Chef’s House is a gem that doesn’t get enough public recognition in Toronto. The students stage there […]

So You Want To Be a Teacher – Levelling

June 23, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

I didn’t really want to think about numbers today. I had hoped to finally get to Rule Four for craft beer, but that’s probably going to have to wait. The Ontario budget dropped yesterday and there are changes transpiring for the Craft Beer industry in Ontario. In fact, this is […]

Fun With Numbers: A 50% Tax Cut?

May 16, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

(Ed note: Ok, so we’re jumping around a little. I already had rules four and five figured out, but when something presents itself, you have to talk about it.) I was coming out of King Subway Thursday night when I got a call from the head of a brewery in […]

Rule #6: Brewing is Generational

March 25, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

Rule 3 really breaks down into two sections. 3A) Every time you introduce a new beer, it’s going to be someone’s favourite beer. It could be an incredible beverage and a wonderful experience. It could be middling, but suited to the person who is drinking it. It could be objectively […]

Rule #3: Novelty Is A Two Way Street

March 13, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

Sometimes, when I make a Collaboration beer there’s a hidden double meaning. For example, Amsterdam Revelator, Shacklands Golden Mouth, and Granite Fisher King are all secretly St. John beers. John the Revelator, John Chrysostom, John Fisher. They fit the tradition they’re in as well. Bock, Golden Ale, English ESB. I […]

Collab Beer: Rorschach Fancy Lads Peanut Butter Boy

March 4, 2025 in Uncategorized by admin

As we established in Rule 1, beer is a luxury good that contains small amounts of recreational poison which people really enjoy. For that reason, it hits people’s desire button. The difficulty is that since the audience for beer does not have uniform desires (since desire is somewhat ephemeral) and […]

St. John's Wort

Beery Musings And Amusing Beers