The Bar Towel

sofakingdrunk wrote:FWIW I was in Baker Street station(one of really only two pubs in Guelph with decent tap selection) just the other day. Reading the chalkboard; I noticed spearhead has no taps anymore, when I believe they used to have at least 2 if not 3 full time for the past couple of years.

i swore i heard that, a year ago, Spearhead had the funding and were going ahead and building their own brewery.

sofakingdrunk wrote:FWIW I was in Baker Street station(one of really only two pubs in Guelph with decent tap selection) just the other day. Reading the chalkboard; I noticed spearhead has no taps anymore, when I believe they used to have at least 2 if not 3 full time for the past couple of years.

Who is the other?

MatttthewGeorge wrote:

sofakingdrunk wrote:FWIW I was in Baker Street station(one of really only two pubs in Guelph with decent tap selection) just the other day. Reading the chalkboard; I noticed spearhead has no taps anymore, when I believe they used to have at least 2 if not 3 full time for the past couple of years.

Who is the other?

I'm assuming the Wooly. I haven't been to the Borealis in Guelph, but I'm sure it's at least equal to the one in Kitchener. Looking up their other place, Miijidaa, it looks similar to what Borealis offers.

MatttthewGeorge wrote:

sofakingdrunk wrote:FWIW I was in Baker Street station(one of really only two pubs in Guelph with decent tap selection) just the other day. Reading the chalkboard; I noticed spearhead has no taps anymore, when I believe they used to have at least 2 if not 3 full time for the past couple of years.

Who is the other?

The Wooly

I assumed you would say The Wooly, but also Sip Club has a very good selection. eBar is decent too. Just saying, I think there's more than 2 places in Guelph.

atomeyes wrote:

mahcinesquad wrote:

El Pinguino wrote:
I would say that was their best beer, and I would also say there are probably at least a dozen other Ontario breweries I'd rather see vanish before Spearhead.

There really is very little risk being a contract brewer, so what's this "dangerous game" you're referencing?

The danger is you have to pay a brewery to make your product, and you don't have a storefront like a bricks and mortar brewery to sell your product. Margins are much lower.

Jordan has a good write-up on it recently: http://saintjohnswort.ca/acehilllostcraft/

Spearhead is also (likely) paying staff (reps, etc). and who knows if they "bought" taps at bars.
when you own a contract brewery, you pay for your beer. you have to sell that beer. and you likely bought a LOT of kegs.
like any business, there is a financial investment to play the game. whether it's $5000 or $50 000,that's still money that someone may lose.

not being a dick, but did you think they produced all this beer for free and people worked for free? Spearhead likely spent a LOT of money in R&D, staff, equipment, swag and other promotions, their Spearhead car that i used to see in the city. that's dangerous.

More risk = more reward, we all get that, I just wouldn't call it a "dangerous game". It's a low-profit game that you have to get into because you love it and understand it.
Huh, I thought contract brewers got everything done for free and only had to pay for what they sold. We're way off topic here, so I won't corrupt this thread any more. Contract brewing is an exciting topic though!

El Pinguino wrote:
More risk = more reward, we all get that, I just wouldn't call it a "dangerous game". It's a low-profit game that you have to get into because you love it and understand it.
Huh, I thought contract brewers got everything done for free and only had to pay for what they sold. We're way off topic here, so I won't corrupt this thread any more. Contract brewing is an exciting topic though!

yeah. contract breweries are doing it solely for the love and passion. lolz.
don't know about you, but i don't have $50000 to lose over a poorly plotted business venture. Spearhead was a bigger player with lots of employees, so i'd assume that their potential for a large debt was very, very real. we're not talking about $1 million for buying a kit and a leasehold, but i'd be quite confident to say that someone like spearhead has well over $100 000 invested in their operations.

a contract brewery has so little potential to make money that it's a foolish business venture to get into in the first place. that's probably why Evil Twin and Mikkeller sell their products at a premium. Lost Craft and Ace Hill are not in that price range and are spending $$ on (likely) buying lines and swag and other crap. Evil Twin bikini is $0.70 more a can and half the alcohol. easy math that, i feel, some parties just aren't grasping and will go the way of the dodo. or of the Spearhead.

Spearhead was the first time I saw a visible rep of one brewery verbally trashing another (better) brewer while promoting his own product. I suspect that happens a fair bit but it was enough to put me off their products. Their post Hawaiian beers sucking was just a bonus I guess.

sprague11 wrote:Spearhead was the first time I saw a visible rep of one brewery verbally trashing another (better) brewer while promoting his own product. I suspect that happens a fair bit but it was enough to put me off their products. Their post Hawaiian beers sucking was just a bonus I guess.

you don't like a Moroccan belgian ale or a Belgian stout that uses adjuncts/spices instead of having the yeast express itself?

MatttthewGeorge wrote:I assumed you would say The Wooly, but also Sip Club has a very good selection. eBar is decent too. Just saying, I think there's more than 2 places in Guelph.

I'vehonestly never been in the sip club before but that's good to know. I'll have to make a point of stopping in. I havnt been to the ebar in probably a year and a half. I do remeber that they used to have a decent bottle selection, but can't remeber much of the taps besides creemore and steam whistle.
You're right that there are a few decent places around town, but if I'm looking for a beer destination first and foremost,baker and wooly are the definite go-to

sofakingdrunk wrote:

MatttthewGeorge wrote:I assumed you would say The Wooly, but also Sip Club has a very good selection. eBar is decent too. Just saying, I think there's more than 2 places in Guelph.

I'vehonestly never been in the sip club before but that's good to know. I'll have to make a point of stopping in. I havnt been to the ebar in probably a year and a half. I do remeber that they used to have a decent bottle selection, but can't remeber much of the taps besides creemore and steam whistle.
You're right that there are a few decent places around town, but if I'm looking for a beer destination first and foremost,baker and wooly are the definite go-to

No disagreement on Baker or the Wooly. Definitely the top spots in Guelph, and with being around the corner from each other, it's hard to go elsewhere. But try Sip Club. It's got a cool back patio and has different stuff on tap: Nickel Brook, 4 Fathers, Amsterdam, Duggans(!), etc.

As for eBar, the new manager used to work at the Wooly so he has a good grasp on beer. Nothing mind-blowing, but much better than it used to be. I would put it ahead of Borealis/Miijidaa/Cornerstone/Atmosphere/NV/Fionn MacCools/Buon Gusto... just naming all the places with craft I can think of

MatttthewGeorge wrote:

sofakingdrunk wrote:

MatttthewGeorge wrote:I assumed you would say The Wooly, but also Sip Club has a very good selection. eBar is decent too. Just saying, I think there's more than 2 places in Guelph.

I'vehonestly never been in the sip club before but that's good to know. I'll have to make a point of stopping in. I havnt been to the ebar in probably a year and a half. I do remeber that they used to have a decent bottle selection, but can't remeber much of the taps besides creemore and steam whistle.
You're right that there are a few decent places around town, but if I'm looking for a beer destination first and foremost,baker and wooly are the definite go-to

No disagreement on Baker or the Wooly. Definitely the top spots in Guelph, and with being around the corner from each other, it's hard to go elsewhere. But try Sip Club. It's got a cool back patio and has different stuff on tap: Nickel Brook, 4 Fathers, Amsterdam, Duggans(!), etc.

As for eBar, the new manager used to work at the Wooly so he has a good grasp on beer. Nothing mind-blowing, but much better than it used to be. I would put it ahead of Borealis/Miijidaa/Cornerstone/Atmosphere/NV/Fionn MacCools/Buon Gusto... just naming all the places with craft I can think of

I haven't been to Sip Club in a bit - but I'd echo what Matt says.

I shall definitely check it out

Miijidaa in Guelph has a positively stunning kitchen and well-priced menu. The chef is a bit of a star.

Might go there to eat and the other places mentioned to drink afterwards, the next time I visit my cousin.

Belgian wrote:Miijidaa in Guelph has a positively stunning kitchen and well-priced menu. The chef is a bit of a star.

Might go there to eat and the other places mentioned to drink afterwards, the next time I visit my cousin.

Just be prepared for slow service. Anytime I've been in there, while food was good, service was almost non-existent.