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I don’t brew collaboratively as much as I used to. I’ve been blogging about beer for five years this week and originally I was only doing it to get into brewing school. The focus on brewing was a great deal heavier at that point because I was trying to build […]

So You Want To Be A Brewer: Innocente & Collaboration ...

May 26, 2015 in Uncategorized by admin

(Editor’s Note: The Kensington Brewing Company is the only company from which I have ever accepted money as a beer writer. They bought a banner ad when they launched their crowdfunding initiative. I don’t think the banner ad did much good and I felt bad enough about that to leave […]

Review: KBC Hops & The Grain Merchant

May 23, 2015 in Uncategorized by admin

The Background Muskoka’s been going great guns of late. When you think about the amount of reach that their brewery now has, it’s impressive considering where they were just a few years ago. Here’s a picture of their branding from when I started writing about beer in May of 2010. […]

Review: Muskoka Moonlight Kettle Summer Saison

May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized by admin

The Background Black Oak started in the last days of 1999, initially launching with a Pale Ale, a Nut Brown Ale and a Premium Lager. I know that sounds weird. By all accounts the Lager nearly killed them. It was the least well received of the beers and it was […]

Review and Food Pairing: Black Oak Epiphany No. 2

May 11, 2015 in Uncategorized by admin

The Background I have a pretty good working relationship with Innis & Gunn, which is odd because I only like their beer about 50% of the time and I’m honest about that publicly. I think that oak treatments work well with some styles of beer and not with others. The […]

Review: Innis & Gunn White Oak Wheat Beer

May 8, 2015 in Uncategorized tagged Innis & Gunn by admin

Lab Report #1 By Jordan St. John – Grade 7 (held back) Question: Given the tendency of beer brewed with a significant quantity of hops to undergo changes to its chemical nature in direct sunlight, there has recently been introduced to the market a line of glassware that claims […]

Bru-V: Science and Sam Adams

May 6, 2015 in Reviews / Uncategorized tagged Brown Glassware / Bru-V / Rebel IPA / Sam Adams by admin

The Background Grand River started brewing in Ontario in 2007, but the site that they’re on in Galt has actually been producing alcohol for something like 200 years. Absalom Shade had mills there and eventually managed to vertically integrate the whole community. He sold seed and milled grain and made […]

Review: Grand River Olde Defiant

April 24, 2015 in Reviews / Uncategorized tagged Bob Hannenberg / Grand River / Olde Defiant by admin

Sawdust City’s situation provides a revealing look at the current beer retailing situation in Ontario. Here we have a brewery riding the crest of the current wave of craft beer’s expansion and they’re handicapped somewhat by the market. I’ll explain what I mean. At the moment, there is one product […]

Sawdust City’s Spring Seasonals

April 9, 2015 in Uncategorized tagged Princess & Girl Pants Meet The O.D.B / Princess Wears Girl Pants / Sam Corbeil / Sans Pants / Sawdust City / There's no Way of Knowing / Twin Pines IPA by admin

The first thing that I noticed walking into Left Field’s brewery on Monday was how much calmer and happier everyone seemed to be now that the place is finally opened. There has been rejoicing on social media about the fact that it is now possible to buy their beer in […]

Root For the Home Team

April 1, 2015 in Reviews / Shameless Plugs / Uncategorized by admin

People complain about St. Patrick’s Day vehemently. Over the next week or so, you’ll see people correct the spelling of abbreviations and talk about amateur drinkers being on a night out or the fact that it’s unlikely there ever were any snakes at all, at all. People cringe (and rightly […]

A Pint of Plain is Your Only Man

March 10, 2015 in Uncategorized tagged Flann O'Brien / Frank McCourt / Ireland / St. Patrick's Day by admin

St. John's Wort

Beery Musings And Amusing Beers