Belgian wrote:Coronaeus wrote:Who is the market for Old Credit?
Port Credit & surrounding Peel region for one. I know folks who go by the brewery or support it at the LCBO out of local sentiment, they are proud to have a bomber of honey-something ale made in the region while they relax in their suburban pool backyards.
It's not edgy craft beer but it has a market - the IDEA of it being a premium beer is there at least!
I feel a bit torn on this sort of thing, the support of average breweries that is. On the one hand I'm surprised that some continue to soldier on, and feel that it dilutes the reputation of ours brewing scene (not to sound too snobby). On the other hand though I like that so many people who would otherwise not even think about "craft beer" are supporting a local product instead of buying a macro, or god awful "premium" import that has no stake in Ontario. It's encouraging because I've converted people who drink "gateway craft" to lovers of beers like Headstock (my Keith's drinking, fishing aficionado uncle for instance), and once they get a taste for all the varieties of beer they get hooked on trying new things.
With that said though, I feel that a majority of local beer drinkers in Ontario are pretty indifferent and are happy buying whatever local pale ale/golden ale/blah flagship that's available, it's either that or super gimmicky beers that just come across as attempts to mask an ability to brew a solid base beer. I'd like to see the market mature to the point that we have year-rounds that match the quality of beers like Edmund Fitzgerald, Black Butte or Smuttynose Robust (just to pick one style). I feel like Ontario really lacks a mature offering of excellent, non-gimmicky beers that venture outside the old pale ale formula. I will say we're pretty blessed with great IPAs, but often times I'm craving something outside the pale spectrum and there's no much that isn't flavoured/barrel aged/soured-three-different-ways.
