Grand River Brewing

[Tapsucker]

Yes, good adds. I liked a strong bitter or old ale Niagara did, as I recall,though the name escapes me. Brick's Bock was quite nice for a little while.

I thought of Granite, which I immediately loved, but in those days you couldn't get them "to go", so think of it more as a destination. Same with Denisons of course.

I'm guessing you are referring to Gritstone. That was a fine beer.

[S. St. Jeb]

Yes, good adds. I liked a strong bitter or old ale Niagara did, as I recall,though the name escapes me. Brick's Bock was quite nice for a little while.

I thought of Granite, which I immediately loved, but in those days you couldn't get them "to go", so think of it more as a destination. Same with Denisons of course.

I'm guessing you are referring to Gritstone. That was a fine beer.

Yes, Gritstone was very good.

[Belgian]

What a retro discussion! I drank Gritstone sometimes, also Niagara Trapper Lager.

Way early on I liked Connor's Best Bitter even more than Gritstone, and Algonquin Country Lager which was hazy and unfiltered, making it seem more natural.

Upper Canada was a trainwreck of often good beers that could be horribly inconsistent. Sleeman made them better when they were bought.
Remember Upper Canada Rebellion?

[BartOwl]

I remember drinking Gritstone fondly, as well as Conner's Best Bitter, Wellington Best Bitter, and who can forget Dragon's Breath Pale Ale. DBPA was a very hoppy beer for the time. How times have changed.

[Gedge]

Remember when Mill St. Tankhouse was actually pretty decent?

Also, Sgt. Major.

[Tapsucker]

What a retro discussion! I drank Gritstone sometimes, also Niagara Trapper Lager.

Way early on I liked Connor's Best Bitter even more than Gritstone, and Algonquin Country Lager which was hazy and unfiltered, making it seem more natural.

Upper Canada was a trainwreck of often good beers that could be horribly inconsistent. Sleeman made them better when they were bought.
Remember Upper Canada Rebellion?

I actually got to drink a lot of Rebellion and other Upper Canada in the 80's. It was a bit pricey for my budget in those days, but for a brief while I had a roommate that worked there in some admin capacity. He didn't drink and my other roommates were not into beer, so he would bring home his weekly 'employee supply' and give ti to me. It was a terrible arrangement.

[Tapsucker]

Remember when Mill St. Tankhouse was actually pretty decent?

Also, Sgt. Major.

Yes, but I'd say these came along in a much later wave.
Scotch Irish was great. I'd love to refresh my memory on their beers to see how they would fit in with my palete today .

[S. St. Jeb]

Pioneer Ontario Breweries

[Andicus]

Remember when Mill St. Tankhouse was actually pretty decent?

Also, Sgt. Major.

I remember this, well. It was still decent, IMHO, until they switched to 'Organic.' Definitely downhill after that. After I tried the first one, I bought most of the old recipe Tankhouse I could find, around town.

As it had been my go-to everyday beer for about 13 years, I adapted to the new recipe, but it's very inconsistent. A lot of foamy batches, and a 'good' batch is just okay.

The baffling part is that I've been having trouble even finding it, locally (St. Catharines), lately. One would think Labatt would have a decent distribution network, but it has been noticeably less available since the buyout.

And, yeah, Sgt. Major! Somebody get Perry brewing again. I'll drink to that!