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If we can establish a popular mood at the turn of the century in Toronto as it regards the labour movement during a period of rapid population expansion, we’d do well to look at the Toronto Star from March 23rd, 1901. The week’s labour column speaks not only of the […]

The 1904 Brewery Strike – Part Two

February 20, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

Having written the history of Toronto’s breweries, I’m frequently struck by how little things change over time. Watching the development of the Craft Brewery Workers Alliance of Canada over the last couple of months has caused bells to ring in the back of my mind. Brewing is a generational business. […]

The 1904 Brewery Strike – Part One

February 15, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

One of the main structural problems that exists with the beer industry is unchanged since the beginning of the industry in Canada: Beer is heavy, and the roads are poor. Back when Toronto was Muddy York prior to 1834, it was a common complaint. Brewing is one thing, but the […]

Janus Craft Beverage: The Future of Delivery?

February 9, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

Hop Water is better than Non-Alcoholic Beer for a simple reason: Non-Alc Beer is less than the sum of its parts. As we established last week, Non-Alc beer can just about hit the high points of a style without being sweetened in order to add texture, complexity, and nuance. Whether […]

… And All Beautiful Yellow Flowers

January 22, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

Recently, I was tasked with tasting a number of gluten free beers in order to accommodate a student with Celiac disease. This was an exercise with interesting parameters. In addition to the substitution of ingredients for wheat and barley, there’s the problem of texture. Alcohol makes up a certain amount […]

In Which I Drink No Alcohol

January 17, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

“The main obligation is to amuse yourself.” – S.J. Perelman I was standing, not that long ago, in The Only Cafe talking to Sam Corbeil and Dave Lee about the new hop variety that they were using in the beers that were featured at the Sawdust City 10th Anniversary Tap […]

Yeah, I’ve Tried Most Hops

January 3, 2022 in Uncategorized by admin

As we reach the end of the semester, I’m on the hook for marking papers. (Ed. Note: If you’d like to enroll someone in a beer class for Christmas, just follow the link) One of these papers is going to require a little extra effort. One student announced fairly early […]

In Which I Drink No Gluten

December 21, 2021 in Uncategorized tagged Gluten free beer by admin

There’s a famous quote that John F. Kennedy used. It’s commonly misattributed to Edmund Burke. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”It’s a nice sentiment, but it is not a call to action. “Don’t do nothing,” doesn’t tell you what to […]

Time Gentlemen Please

May 23, 2021 in Uncategorized by admin

I probably should have gotten to this earlier in the week, but better late than never. Right. Alcohol in the 7/11. It is sometimes difficult to keep track of the ins and outs of alcohol policy in Ontario. People’s memories are short for detail on big problems that do not […]

Strange Things Afoot At The 7/11

February 19, 2021 in Uncategorized by admin

Gracious, it’s been an interesting year. Looking at last year’s analysis, I mentioned that I liked to think about the state of the Ontario Market while trudging around to various breweries. I checked Google Maps to see my trip history for the last year and aside from a trip to […]

Ontario State of Play 2021: Scream If You Wanna Go ...

February 7, 2021 in Uncategorized by admin

St. John's Wort

Beery Musings And Amusing Beers