OCB Week 2014 - June 13-24

[Cass]

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
ONTARIO CRAFT BEER WEEK 2014
LAUNCHES FATHER'S DAY

FIFTH ANNUAL ONTARIO CRAFT BREWERS' (OCB)
PROVINCE-WIDE FESTIVAL LAUNCHES JUNE 15, 2014
http://www.ocbweek.ca

(TORONTO) - January 2014 -
Ontario's fifth annual Ontario Craft Beer Week launches Father's Day, June 15, 2014. Hosted by 35+ Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB), the festival features hundreds of craft beer-themed, grassroots events held in cities and towns throughout the province.

"The annual celebration of local craft beer, the people who make it and the people who drink it, returns to communities across Ontario this Father's Day," says Darren Smith, chair, Ontario Craft Beer Week 2014 and president of Lake of Bays Brewing. "OCB Week is a way for Ontarians to toast our proud and thriving craft beer industry."

The goal of Ontario Craft Brewers' week-long, province-wide festival is to celebrate the local craft beer scene and expose consumers to the premium quality and culture of Ontario craft beer. OCB breweries host events on-site at their breweries, in pubs, restaurants, and event venues throughout Ontario in cities such as Toronto, Guelph, London, Ottawa and smaller communities from Cambridge to Vankleek Hill and Muskoka to Niagara.

OCB Week is also an opportunity for craft beer consumers to discover Ontario's newest breweries and the latest members to join the OCB, including: Big Rig Brewery, Ottawa; Highlander Brew Company, South River; Left Field Brewery, Toronto; Niagara Oast House Brewers, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Ramblin' Road Brewery Farm, La Salette, Norfolk County; Sawdust City Brewing Company, Gravenhurst; Silversmith Brewing Company, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Sleeping Giant Brewing Company, Thunder Bay.

"This is an awesome way for people to hop into Ontario's craft beer revolution," says Cam Heaps, chair, of Ontario Craft Brewers and founder, Steam Whistle Brewing. "Tourists, plan your trip to Ontario in June, and discover the great taste of Ontario and its thriving craft beer culture."

Last year, Ontario Craft Beer Week 2013 consisted over 200+ events, 200+ menu pairings in 40+ towns and cities across the province. Since its launch in 2009, OCB Week has ballooned in size and scope, with more breweries, pubs and people participating in craft beer events and tastings. This year's craft beer week promises plenty of craft beer merriment, such as:
Session Craft Beer Festival, Yonge & Dundas Square (June 13, 14)

Industry/Media Launch Party - Friday afternoon from 11 - noon;
Friday evening - ticketed 'Collaboration Nation' event;
Saturday afternoon - open to the public for craft beer tasting;
Saturday evening - ticketed 'Collaboration Nation' event.

Tickets go on sale MONDAY FEBRUARY 3rd; www.sessiontoronto.ca

Father's Day celebrations: Take Dad to your local craft brewery or Father's Day event

Visit your local brewery: Tours, tastings and meet the people behind the brands; brewmasters, owners, sales and production people

Craft beer 101: experience beer tastings and food pairings with the experts, including cheese, BBQ & chocolate

One-offs, cask & collaborations: Taste new, creative and collaborative brews not normally available

Craft beer and music: Battle of the Brewery Bands and other indie music events

Large-scale tasting festivals: Session, A Craft Beer Festival, kicks off OCB Week at Yonge & Dundas Square; Toronto Wine & Spirits Festival, Beach BBQ & Brews Festival at Woodbine and more

Pub crawls: Hook up with pals and taste your way through multiple craft-friendly licensees.

Brewery Tours: Contact breweries directly or sign up for a regional beer tour, such as: the Old Toronto Beer Tour™ by Toronto Beer Lovers Tour Co., http://www.beerloverstour.com/toronto.html OR Ontario Group of Touring Companies, Ontario Craft Brewery Tours http://www.ontariogroupoftouringcompani ... ery-tours/

First round of OCB Week event listings will be posted on May 1, 2014 at www.ocbweek.ca or visit www.ontariocraftbrewers.com
Interested parties with event ideas or requests should contact their local brewery or send an email to ocbweek@ontariocraftbrewers.com.

[El Pinguino]

Been contemplating going to Mondial de la Biere in MTL this year. Just realized there is some overlap with OCB Week, in particular the Beach, BBQ & Brews fest at Woodbine.

Did anyone go to a BBB fest last year? Sounds like it could be good times. Sine I know the Montreal fest always gets crazy on the weekend, thinking of MTL for Wed/Thurs then back to TO for the weekend, unless anyone says this Woodbine fest was a flop last year?

[JerCraigs]

Did anyone go to a BBB fest last year? Sounds like it could be good times. Sine I know the Montreal fest always gets crazy on the weekend, thinking of MTL for Wed/Thurs then back to TO for the weekend, unless anyone says this Woodbine fest was a flop last year?

Didnt go last year but went two (three? hmmm) years ago and had fun. The focus was more on the BBQ than the beer for me. Not sure if they have expanded the beer since then.

[El Pinguino]

Good to know, I'm happy to head to a good BBQ and food fest that just happens to have some decent beers....!

[wilco]

Went to the BBB fest at Woodbine last year. I remember Left Field and Great Lakes were there for sure and want to say Nickel Brook (among others). Focus is on BBQ, but it's nice to have plastic cups of good beer to drink while sitting on the grass and stuffing your face.

[El Pinguino]

Focus is on BBQ, but it's nice to have plastic cups of good beer to drink while sitting on the grass and stuffing your face.

My thinking precisely...!

[JerCraigs]

Other than the BBQ fest anything catching people's eye in the listings? Seems to be a lack of events at some big places (e.g. Volo, Bar Hop, Indie, Amsterdam etc.) Not sure if that means no events or just not listed yet.

Beau's & Sauce event could be fun?

[Kel Varnsen]

Other than the BBQ fest anything catching people's eye in the listings? Seems to be a lack of events at some big places (e.g. Volo, Bar Hop, Indie, Amsterdam etc.) Not sure if that means no events or just not listed yet.

Beau's & Sauce event could be fun?

Not a ton going on in Ottawa. Although when you consider that a significant number of the breweries in Ottawa and the surrounding area are not OCB members (BTP, Ashton, Covered Bridge, Cassel) that doesn't really help.

Hell the OCB site doesn't even show the Ottawa Mill Street location on their brewery map.

[Bar_Hop]

Other than the BBQ fest anything catching people's eye in the listings? Seems to be a lack of events at some big places (e.g. Volo, Bar Hop, Indie, Amsterdam etc.) Not sure if that means no events or just not listed yet.

Beau's & Sauce event could be fun?

We'll be doing Hop Talk for OCB Week on June 12th with sam Corbeil & Sawdust City. Details here: http://www.bartowel.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=9701

There will also be one more event announced in a few days for the following Thursday that in my opinion is gonna be really awesome.

[FEUO]

Other than the BBQ fest anything catching people's eye in the listings? Seems to be a lack of events at some big places (e.g. Volo, Bar Hop, Indie, Amsterdam etc.) Not sure if that means no events or just not listed yet.

Beau's & Sauce event could be fun?

We'll be doing Hop Talk for OCB Week on June 12th with sam Corbeil & Sawdust City. Details here: http://www.bartowel.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=9701

There will also be one more event announced in a few days for the following Thursday that in my opinion is gonna be really awesome.

Didn't someone already spill the beans in their newsletter?

Regardless, congrats to Matt.

[Bar_Hop]

Didn't someone already spill the beans in their newsletter?

Regardless, congrats to Matt.

Ha I didn't see that, but if the cat's outta the bag then we might as well say it: Bellwoods & Indie Ale House will be taking over our taps on Thursday, June 19th!

[ercousin]

Didn't someone already spill the beans in their newsletter?

Regardless, congrats to Matt.

Ha I didn't see that, but if the cat's outta the bag then we might as well say it: Bellwoods & Indie Ale House will be taking over our taps on Thursday, June 19th!

This is funny, the best beer event happening during OCB Week and it's put on by non-OCB members. I think OCB better wake up and start doing things that actually make it worth it for breweries to join.

When your trade organization represents only 40 out of ~130 open breweries in the province you would think you would recognize something is wrong. I never hear of them advocating for change....

[Cass]

When your trade organization represents only 40 out of ~130 open breweries in the province you would think you would recognize something is wrong. I never hear of them advocating for change....

That's because I'm not convinced their mandate is change, but working within the system. Here's the only time recently I've seen them put something down in writing to explain their position:

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/ocb_ ... on2014.php

What OCB is saying:

Ontario Craft Brewers are happy to see the government, political parties and candidates making comments and commitments on removing barriers to our growth and allowing us to create jobs more quickly throughout the province.

The craft brewing industry is growing by leaps and bounds, creating great jobs and bringing exciting new products to markets right across Ontario. (We have over 10 per cent annual volume growth and twenty to thirty per cent in the LCBO).
The parties are all correctly identifying retail access as the most effective way to accelerate our growth.
General Points:

Small brewers are creating jobs in cities and towns across the province with over 1,000 FTE direct brewery jobs, representing approximately 30 per cent of the direct brewery jobs in over 40 communities across Ontario.
Comparisons to other jurisdictions show we are in great shape on the number of breweries and on consumer acceptance but our market share is half of what it should be. We attribute that to retail access.
We are determined to find a way to give Ontario consumers true craft beer stores, like they have everywhere else in North America.
IMPROVING ACCESS IN CURRENT RETAIL SYSTEM:

We want to continue to improve our presence in the LCBO; it is an excellent shopping environment.
We want increased presence and visibility in the province’s leading beer retailer, the Beer Store system, as it sells about eighty per cent of the retail volume and is the only place, besides our breweries, where consumers can purchase larger format offerings.
The Beer Store system has many benefits; however, it would be even better if our beer could come out from behind the wall in their “traditional format” stores by creating/converting to self-serve stores. (There are currently 100 self-serves, up from 75 about five years ago. Total number of stores is approximately 440.)
Of course there are other broad structural and governance issues, as a result of the ownership, that also need to be sorted out.
NEW POINTS OF ACCESS:

For some time now we have asked for the ability to cross sell each other’s products in on-site stores at our breweries; we are also asking for the right to open one off-site store per brewery. These changes, while quite helpful for smaller brewers, would have very small impact on the overall market and in no way are substitutes for the broader changes mentioned above.

This would accomplish three key results:

Open a market for smaller craft brewers who are not yet ready or able to sell in the larger systems.
Give consumers better access to our over 350 brands, including seasonals, one-offs, collaborations, etc.
Allow our brewers to build true ‘craft beer stores’ featuring a great selection of craft beer, like ones that currently exist everywhere else in North America, except Ontario.
Of course, we would like to sell in farmers’ markets as well.

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS:

Small brewers already have a number of rights to self -deliver and co-ship and co-warehouse. However, a few more specific permissions need to be given so that this can be extended to the LCBO and to bars and licensees.
The PC’s Bill 191 was referring to this, as were the Green Party’s comments.
OTHER RETAIL SYSTEMS POTENTIAL:

Over the last number of years, we have focused on improving access and structural changes at the Beer Store because government has ruled out broader changes.
We are leaving it up to voters and government to decide on any other fundamental changes to the retail systems, such as private liquor stores, more agency stores, grocery and corner store sales, etc.
We are happy to continue working with them on how best to implement any changes they decide to make.

[ercousin]

When your trade organization represents only 40 out of ~130 open breweries in the province you would think you would recognize something is wrong. I never hear of them advocating for change....

That's because I'm not convinced their mandate is change, but working within the system. Here's the only time recently I've seen them put something down in writing to explain their position:

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/ocb_ ... on2014.php

What OCB is saying:

Ontario Craft Brewers are happy to see the government, political parties and candidates making comments and commitments on removing barriers to our growth and allowing us to create jobs more quickly throughout the province.

The craft brewing industry is growing by leaps and bounds, creating great jobs and bringing exciting new products to markets right across Ontario. (We have over 10 per cent annual volume growth and twenty to thirty per cent in the LCBO).
The parties are all correctly identifying retail access as the most effective way to accelerate our growth.
General Points:

Small brewers are creating jobs in cities and towns across the province with over 1,000 FTE direct brewery jobs, representing approximately 30 per cent of the direct brewery jobs in over 40 communities across Ontario.
Comparisons to other jurisdictions show we are in great shape on the number of breweries and on consumer acceptance but our market share is half of what it should be. We attribute that to retail access.
We are determined to find a way to give Ontario consumers true craft beer stores, like they have everywhere else in North America.
IMPROVING ACCESS IN CURRENT RETAIL SYSTEM:

We want to continue to improve our presence in the LCBO; it is an excellent shopping environment.
We want increased presence and visibility in the province’s leading beer retailer, the Beer Store system, as it sells about eighty per cent of the retail volume and is the only place, besides our breweries, where consumers can purchase larger format offerings.
The Beer Store system has many benefits; however, it would be even better if our beer could come out from behind the wall in their “traditional format” stores by creating/converting to self-serve stores. (There are currently 100 self-serves, up from 75 about five years ago. Total number of stores is approximately 440.)
Of course there are other broad structural and governance issues, as a result of the ownership, that also need to be sorted out.
NEW POINTS OF ACCESS:

For some time now we have asked for the ability to cross sell each other’s products in on-site stores at our breweries; we are also asking for the right to open one off-site store per brewery. These changes, while quite helpful for smaller brewers, would have very small impact on the overall market and in no way are substitutes for the broader changes mentioned above.

This would accomplish three key results:

Open a market for smaller craft brewers who are not yet ready or able to sell in the larger systems.
Give consumers better access to our over 350 brands, including seasonals, one-offs, collaborations, etc.
Allow our brewers to build true ‘craft beer stores’ featuring a great selection of craft beer, like ones that currently exist everywhere else in North America, except Ontario.
Of course, we would like to sell in farmers’ markets as well.

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS:

Small brewers already have a number of rights to self -deliver and co-ship and co-warehouse. However, a few more specific permissions need to be given so that this can be extended to the LCBO and to bars and licensees.
The PC’s Bill 191 was referring to this, as were the Green Party’s comments.
OTHER RETAIL SYSTEMS POTENTIAL:

Over the last number of years, we have focused on improving access and structural changes at the Beer Store because government has ruled out broader changes.
We are leaving it up to voters and government to decide on any other fundamental changes to the retail systems, such as private liquor stores, more agency stores, grocery and corner store sales, etc.
We are happy to continue working with them on how best to implement any changes they decide to make.

Published June 9th. I did go to the OCB website during the election to see their stance but that hadn't been published yet, guess they were a little late. It's nice to see some kind of position statement coming out because from where I sit watching the beer news everyday I rarely hear a peep out of them other than their lcbo mix packs. I wonder if they are actually concerned about the new small breweries not joining? Seems like they should be but at a glance it appears their direction is controlled by the bigger breweries like Mill St and Steamwhistle....

[Cass]

Yeah, it was very late and didn't get any kind of pick up that I could see. I happened upon it by accident as I think there was an email or tweet about it.

Like many industry orgs the OCB (from what I understand) calculates dues based upon volume to the big brewers will pay the most, and by extension likely yield a lot of sway.

That being said, brewing guilds in the US also have this model and both big and small guys continue to be a part of them. There is clearly an issue when a voice for craft brewers can't attract craft brewers.