Top 10 beers brewed in Ontario by ratebeer average

[matt7215]

just to furthur the quebec/ontario thing

out of the top 10 rated beers brewed in all of canada, 9/10 are from quebec

ontario gets the other spot with denisons

[Kel Varnsen]

just to furthur the quebec/ontario thing

out of the top 10 rated beers brewed in all of canada, 9/10 are from quebec

ontario gets the other spot with denisons

I always found that list strange. I mean I wonder if it is a population thing but I always found it weird that in the top 50 there isn't a single beer from BC (there is one cider), even though there are an insane amount of breweries out there all makeing some great stuff.

[Queef]

just to furthur the quebec/ontario thing

out of the top 10 rated beers brewed in all of canada, 9/10 are from quebec

ontario gets the other spot with denisons

I always found that list strange. I mean I wonder if it is a population thing but I always found it weird that in the top 50 there isn't a single beer from BC (there is one cider), even though there are an insane amount of breweries out there all makeing some great stuff.

It is strange. Probably an easto-centric thing. I'm not saying there aren't good beers in Quebec by a long shot, but I also find them to be fairly similar. While you find great IPAs and Stouts, the vast majority is dominated by Belgian styles (look at Unibrou), and I think that because that style is so underrepresented in the eastern states (aside from Allagash and Ommegang), the praise on the beer geek sites is heavily in favour maybe?
Just a theory. But I can think of many pint of Crannog, Wild Rose, Tree etc, I'd rather have any day over a les 3 brasseurs.

[JerCraigs]

I always found that list strange. I mean I wonder if it is a population thing but I always found it weird that in the top 50 there isn't a single beer from BC (there is one cider), even though there are an insane amount of breweries out there all makeing some great stuff.

Without crunching the numbers, I suspect it is largely a combination of overall quality and a demographics question.

Many of the Top Beers in Canada and Quebec on RB are Dieu du Ciel. They make great beer. They distribute some to the US (more ratings/exposure) and they are a destination for beer travelers. There are a number of other top notch breweries in Quebec. While BC and Alberta have some very good beer, there are no breweries that I would compare to DDC or Unibroue off the top of my head.

(I think, I haven't checked to confirm) but there are a lot more active Ratebeerians in Ontario and Quebec. There are twelve Canadians on this list - http://www.ratebeer.com/Users/TopUsers.asp - 4 from the West Coast - TiggMTl (ex of Montreal), CapFlu (ex of Ottawa), JoeMcPhee (living in NYC), and Oakes (world traveler and ex of Ontario)

Some of the busiest traders in Canada are also from Ontario and Quebec, so I suspect that the beer from those markets gets informally distributed more than those from the prairies or the west.

[Belgian]

I'm tempted to say that our French-Canadian neighbors also just have a different sensibility, a kind of reverence for the sensuality of good food and drink & all that creative Frenchy stuff. So - I guess - it must be a supportive culture for inspiring great adventuresome brewers, and also a great market that quickly promotes the less-conservative beer styles.

It's so odd those types of beers DO sell well in Ontario when imported - and yet nobody here thinks of brewing them. Is there ONE beer like Trois Pistoles or Aphrodisiacque bottled in Ontario?? Might be hard-pressed to find it.

I bet Quebec brewers won't set up here because they dislike our conservative Anglo culture & they would also really miss their great food. Can't blame 'em.

[matt7215]

March 4th 2010

does not include retired beers or ciders/meads

1) Denisons Weissbier
2) Scotch Irish John By Imperial Stout
3) Black Oak Ten Bitter Years
4) Wellington Imperial Russian Stout
5) Durham Hop Head
6) Denisons Dunkel
7) Black Oak Hop Bomb
8 ) Black Oak Nutcracker
9) Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
10) Durham Hop Addict

today

1) Denisons Weissbier
2) 10BY
3) John By
4) Welly IRS
5) Durham Hop Head
6) Denisons Dunkel
7) Black Oak Hop Bomb
Black Oak Nutcracker
9) Tankhouse
10) Creemore Kellerbier

[northyorksammy]

[- it must be a supportive culture for inspiring great adventuresome brewers, and also a great market that quickly promotes the less-conservative beer styles.//end quote//

They are not that adventuresome, and some brewers themselves have told me that. High percentage of the same styles in most places...DDC being higher on the innovation curve

Hey! But Ontario has picked up owing to competition and to developing talent and market

[Asst. Grain Shoveller]

Just to add my 2 cents to the discussion
(Also thanks for the kind words about our beers)

The Ontario market is extremely limited by the customers. In Quebec and BC and especially in the States there is a huge ground swell of support.

Here there is a limited number of people willing to regularly support and go out of the way for local craft beer.
Basically if you filled the Skydome with about 100,000 people perhaps 20 may have heard of craft beer. Of those 20, 5 can't afford to drink it, 8 will enjoy it, 5 are really good supporters and 2 are super rabid supportive fans.

I see the same people at beer events often dissing those events without doing anything to help spread the good word. People ask me what I've got that's new, and my reply is how many new customers have you got for me???

Customers in Quebec, BC and the states are open and willing to try new beers and add the ones they like to their portfolios.
Here in Ontario there are small pockets of acceptance, but we are 10-15 years behind in terms of having supportive customers that buy our craft beers regularly. The market has got better but its still a struggle.

So if you want to see us make more interesting one-offs & specialty beers start supporting our regular beers and beer events. Those help us pay the bills and craft brewing is very expensive. (Most of us should be in some form of therapy!!)

Like I said most of Ontario is indifferent to what we make and without you acting like good ambassadors for our local craft beer, you're gonna spend all your time envying what other provinces and countries have.
So start talking us up to your friends and co-workers.
Every little bit will help.

I'm always happy to see new faces at shows and events but we need you few to put in some effort and spread the good word.


Cheers
Ken

[matt7215]

did 10BY not provide a twinkle of hope?

its seems lots of people still want to buy that beer but cant because its sold out and no similar products are brewed here.

another batch might help pay the bills

[SteelbackGuy]

did 10BY not provide a twinkle of hope?

its seems lots of people still want to buy that beer but cant because its sold out and no similar products are brewed here.

another batch might help pay the bills

Makes sense.

[Bobbyok]

Here there is a limited number of people willing to regularly support and go out of the way for local craft beer.

With all due respect Ken, your brewery bottled what you thought was enough of an extreme beer to satisfy those limited number of people for a month, and it sold out in six or seven days. When Propeller first launched its IPA in NS, they expected it to be a limited seasonal release - it sold so well it became a regular and within a year to six months it was on not only private store but NSLC shelves across the province. When Garrison launched Imperial Pale Ale - same deal. Sure, regular supporters of craft beer are limited in both provinces - but it's not as limited as even the breweries themselves think.

[Bonesey]

People ask me what I've got that's new, and my reply is how many new customers have you got for me???

So start talking us up to your friends and co-workers.

Ken

That's your response to customers? "What have you got for me?" I think that's dreadfully backward business philosophy.

If I wax the virtues of craft beer to my non-craft brew friends much more I wont have any friends left.

[Bobsy]

Ken makes a really good point - if we're really passionate about this whole craft beer thing we need to work with the producers to expand the market. I hate drinking crap beer, so whenever our friends want to go out I always try and steer them to destinations with craft on tap, which is why I've been to places like Volo, Duggans, C'est What and 3 Brewers with groups of people who don't traditionally drink craft. Of course, some of them will go back to drinking their same old brews straight after, but I now have friends who've ditched Keiths for King and will pick up bottles like Chimay and Anchor at the LCBO. Its even got to the point where they'll suggest going to somewhere like C'est What and even go when I'm not around. Exposing more people to great beer is certainly more productive in the long run than keeping it to a tight circle of folks in the know.

I also second Matt and Bobby's points - brewers can't just sit back and expect this to happen. Something like Ten Bitter Years showed a huge demand for a certain type of beer that isn't currently being tapped by any of our brewers. It’s a simple equation: meering untapped demand = $$$$$. I also like to think that if a truly distinctive product is released on shelves then it might gain some traction. Right now, there are some very decent offerings, but they all seem to be variations on a few styles - pale ale, pils, etc. Finally, as much as I hate social media, I also believe it’s a great way to reach out to new clientele, and I think Beau's have shown that you can use it to really add significantly to your customer base.

[velovampire]

I see the same people at beer events often dissing those events without doing anything to help spread the good word. People ask me what I've got that's new, and my reply is how many new customers have you got for me???
[...]
So if you want to see us make more interesting one-offs & specialty beers start supporting our regular beers and beer events. Those help us pay the bills and craft brewing is very expensive.

A bit of a backwards approach, no? I'm not going to rabidly proselytize to my friends "you HAVE to try Black Oak's Pale Ale - It's amazing!!!!", but you can be sure that I will do (and have done) so with 10BY and your fantastic seasonals. You want me to bring you customers? Then bring me something new/different than what is currently available in this market.

No disrespect toward your very solid flagship beers, but it is your seasonals and one-offs that get me excited, get me driving out to the brewery, get me to force my friends to try them (and they really like the beers). Continued support from the customer will come with continued portfolio growth/experimentation, IMO.

As others have cited, wasn't the phenomenal success of 10BY a sign that people want/are ready for something different? And the premium price of the product was not an issue. Craft brewing is expensive? Your customers know this, and will pay accordingly, so long as you deliver the goods...

Also, any word on when we might see this year's Summer Saison?

[SteelbackGuy]

I see the same people at beer events often dissing those events without doing anything to help spread the good word. People ask me what I've got that's new, and my reply is how many new customers have you got for me???
[...]
So if you want to see us make more interesting one-offs & specialty beers start supporting our regular beers and beer events. Those help us pay the bills and craft brewing is very expensive.

A bit of a backwards approach, no? I'm not going to rabidly proselytize to my friends "you HAVE to try Black Oak's Pale Ale - It's amazing!!!!", but you can be sure that I will do (and have done) so with 10BY and your fantastic seasonals. You want me to bring you customers? Then bring me something new/different than what is currently available in this market.

No disrespect toward your very solid flagship beers, but it is your seasonals and one-offs that get me excited, get me driving out to the brewery, get me to force my friends to try them (and they really like the beers). Continued support from the customer will come with continued portfolio growth/experimentation, IMO.

As others have cited, wasn't the phenomenal success of 10BY a sign that people want/are ready for something different? And the premium price of the product was not an issue. Craft brewing is expensive? Your customers know this, and will pay accordingly, so long as you deliver the goods...

This.