The Bar Towel

While I hope to see better beers at more outlets and especially Ontario micros (who happen to also be shareholders in LCBO with the rest of us), the cynical side in me spots the participation in a sad trend... So many businesses across many industries have sought to improve profits by 'going upmarke...

I finally found a few bottles of John By at my local LCBO. They made a great self inflicted Christmas treat.

Good job Perry and thanks from all of us who have been suffering from stout withdrawal!

A little surprised he picked up on a Bar Towel Forum.
Must have Google'd himself looking for some self esteem...

I came accross this slightly dated article on New Belgium's brewery. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4212733.html I wonder how many of the brewers here have considerd some of these ideas. What other ideas might also be employed? Obviously brewing local uses less in transport, so the mi...

Great thread! This is all over the place, in a good way. So, to touch on a few points. 1. 'high end restaurants'. If everything they serve is not the best then don't pay the price. Any good chef cares about the whole dining experience. If the chef doesn't believe beer is important, there will be no ...

Oh, and I forgot to mention - I'm really really really looking forward to this one. Perry the pressure is on!

One more thing - what does 'John By' mean? It's a nice historical reference to Colonel By who oversaw the engineering of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa - the one that you can skate on year round since despite global warming it never gets above freezing up there :D The past Tsarina brand makes more sens...

While we continue to preach to the choir... The only topic not covered is the importance of distribution. The so called 'long tail' harped about in internet marketing has worked wonders for niche and connoisseur products. Unfortunately craft brewers have a regulatory environment (especially in Canad...

PRMason wrote:There is no truth to the rumour that I used up all the hops in North America. But I will someday...

But I do hear that you once tried to get them all in one bottle.

Nice editorial in today's NY Times. Preaching to the choir here, but still nicely put. I'm glad he mentioned "proper beer ingredients". http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/opinion/19oliver.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin Op-Ed Contributor Don’t Fear Big Beer By GARRETT OLIVER Pub...

I'll second the vote on the Black Irish! Tasty! I got a little excited when I saw them loading the shelves at Summerhill after I thought I would never get to try it, so I bought all I could carry. I only got to have a few after all, since the wife took to it before I had a chance! Great stuff, but I...

They seem to be making a big deal of this.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/263622

Everytime I have a Blue/Stella etc. I feel sick too.

Yeah, I saw this too. Proof that there is an industry brewing! If wine regions can be a tourist draw, then so can beer. It's happened overseas, but Victoria is proof it can be a good business here in Canada also. Waterloo region seems like a natural to develop in the same direction. I have not had a...

Definitely pubs have changed with society. When people lived in smaller homes, pubs (and taverns in Ontario) were their living rooms where they gathered with friends. Now people have big screen TVs to replace their friends. When people used these 'living rooms' to join their friends it's because the...

All good. I will add Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Not easy to find here, but such a good fallback when travelling in the US. It's tasty and pretty widely available even in places with no other micros to offer.