Mill Street Buys Rights for Bluesfest!

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:50 pm

Big news:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Blues ... story.html

Mill Street will have exclusive rights to Bluesfest in Ottawa next year. They will pour 2 beers around the festival and set up a central pub with "up to 8 taps". This is a pretty big moment for craft brewing in Ontario. For Bluesfest to make an effort to seek out a craftbrewer, there must have been a lot of requests.

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:24 pm

This is really neat - its nice to see a craft brewer step up and sponsor a big event like this, though the amount of cash it costs probably limits the guys who can do it to a select few. I wonder if Joel is going to make a special festival brew for you guys?

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:32 pm

That would be pretty awesome.

My one worry is the cost of beer. I wonder how quickly people will rethink their requests for craft beer if they're paying $8 a cup.

inertiaboy · Post by **inertiaboy** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:57 pm

Bytowner wrote:My one worry is the cost of beer. I wonder how quickly people will rethink their requests for craft beer if they're paying $8 a cup.

They don't question paying that much for crap at Sens games so I think it will be okay.

notdan · Post by **notdan** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:20 pm

Awesome news. This is something I really did not expect. Hillside in Guelph always has Mill Street, F&M, and Wellington, but half the point of Hillside is to not be commercial. Bluesfest making a move like this is pretty impressive.

hops are your friend · Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:35 am

Bytowner wrote:My one worry is the cost of beer. I wonder how quickly people will rethink their requests for craft beer if they're paying $8 a cup.

As I understand it Mill Street products will be the only beer available at the festival. That tells me that the price for at least some of the beers will be similar to when Molson's provided the beer. I don't know what the price has been in the past because I've never thought there was any beer worth buying at the festival (at least in the last 8 years I've been going).

I'm sure the Bluesfest staff are also aware that the majority of the beer drinkers are just looking for something cold, wet, with minimal flavour, and at an acceptable price. I expect to see a lot of Organic Lager and Stock Ale being drunk by the usual Labatt/Molson drinkers.

I'm just glad that it looks like I should be able to get some Tankhouse, and hopefully some IPA and ESB, at the festival.