Meet Brock From Kensington Brewing Company

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Brock

Photos by Mandeep Flora (Like his Facebook Page, Follow him on Twitter)

This is Brock Shepherd. He lives and breathes Kensington Market. He has owned and operated two restaurants in the Market. At the same time, he has been part of the craft beer scene in Toronto since the early days. Brock owns the Kensington Brewing Company (KBCo.) and he has just announced the opening of KBCo.’s new brewery and retail store in the Market.

Having lived and worked in the area of the Market for over 30 years, Brock is the guy who knows everyone. He knows the histories of all of the buildings and businesses, and knows the stories of the Market’s denizens. He opened Rice Bar at the north end of Augusta Avenue in 2005. The focus was on organic, naturally raised meats and health conscious food. For beer, he decided to stock only local products on the beer draught lines. “The focus was all local, and we had an interesting variety with what was available at the time,” reflects Brock. “After some consideration I started rotating six of my taps to promote a greater variety.” In 2009, Rice Bar underwent a metamorphosis and emerged as Burger Bar. Burgers and beer are natural companions, and it provided the opportunity for Brock to put a greater emphasis on beer. Careful attention to the craft beer selection he offered allowed the humble burger joint to gain notoriety in the local craft beer scene. “As Burger Bar transitioned into a craft beer destination I was becoming more and more immersed in the craft beer scene and wanted to explore the possibility of brewing my own beer,” explains Brock.

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His original plan was to setup a small brewing facility in Burger Bar and turn it into a brewpub. “I stuck with that idea for a while, but I didn’t have the space, and [the plans] never really gelled.” No brewpub is complete without a retail store, and Burger Bar presented challenges with the physical space: “I had the space at the back of the restaurant for the brewery but no space at the front for the retail store. I would have needed to sacrifice part of the dining room to put the retail store in.” After some careful consideration, he decided to put the brewpub dream on the backburner and wait until he could find a suitable space in the neighbourhood.

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In the interim, he decided to establish the KBCo. and have the beer produced via contract brewing. (Contract brewing is the practice of a company having their own branding and recipes but outsourcing the actual production and packaging of beer.) Brock is not a brewer – just a man passionate about making great beer, so he solicited assistance from Paul Dickey, a local brewmaster with a sterling reputation. Brock worked closely with Paul at Black Oak Brewing Company to assist in the creation and production of KBCo.’s flagship brand: Augusta Ale (AA).

“The plan was to establish the brand and get it out on the scene while I figured out logistical considerations of a physical space.” He has done that in spades. Initially, KBCo. was making only one beer; AA ale was available only on draught, and primarily in Toronto’s craft beer bars. Demand rose, and production of AA continued to grow at Black Oak and transitioned to their larger fermenters. Once the time came to package AA for retail sales in the LCBO the operation again moved. This time to Wellington Brewery in Guelph where they were able to brew at an increased capacity, take advantage of their canning equipment, and have AA distributed to the LCBO.

Even though KBCo. continued to experience steady growth, the more Brock waited for his own space the stronger his desire became. “All I could think of was getting out the restaurant business and opening up a physical space in Kensington. “Having a name like ‘Kensington Brewing Company’ it is extremely important to have a brick and mortar location in the Market – we cannot just be another brand on the shelf in bars and stores. We have to be tangible and not just a brand.”

Brock has been patiently waiting for his dream of a brewery to materialize, but the waiting will be over soon. The plans are for KBCo. to move into 299 Augusta Avenue after the property undergoes development; including the creation of their brewery space and the installation of brewing equipment. The location will house the brewery, a bar, and the sought after retail space.

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Brock has confirmed that KBCo. is going to be a brewery for the community. “We want to take input from the clientele who live nearby. We want to collaborate with home-brewers, professionals, or anyone who wants to come by with a recipe.” Speaking excitedly, Brock is brimming with ideas and cannot wait for the first mash-in. “We’ll be able to be nimble – we want to make interesting beers and do them really well!” Looking to the future Brock says: “There are so many things to come, and having a small facility we have the ability to test out these new recipes and styles, and if something goes really well we have the option to make it on a larger scale.”

Connecting with the Market’s community is as important to KBCo. as producing great beer. The identity of Kensington Brewing Company ties them directly to the neighbourhood, and they cannot exist without that intimate connection. To Brock, KBCo. is not just another company moving into the Market, it is a company that will stand proudly as part of the of the community. KBCo. will be an embodiment of the Market’s philosophy. They will be the friendly neighbours who wave to passers-by and help out other neighbours in need. They also happen to be the ones who make and sell fresh, delicious beer.

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2013 Brewers Plate Toronto

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The Brewers Plate Toronto event has been around for six years and celebrates the best in local and sustainable food and drink in Ontario. Celebrity chefs, local breweries, wineries and musicians create a special celebration once a year to raise money and awareness – this year the proceeds will benefit Not Far From The Tree. NFFTT is a unique, local charity which helps to harvest local produce from homeowners in Toronto who grow more than they can consume and distribute it to food banks, shelters, and other like places which share the abundance to those in need. A fantastic cause that emphasizes community and the focus on nutritious food.

NFFTT

The 2013 gala event is being held on April 17, and tickets are $125. Admittedly, the ticket price is somewhat steep; however, the experience will be like no other – rubbing shoulders with Toronto’s hottest chefs, drinking the newest and freshest craft beer, and supporting an incredible local charity. Nearly 20 of Ontario’s top  breweries are participating. So how about it?

Brewers Plate

Local Spring Harvest Supports Toronto Food Charity

Toronto, ON. March 13, 2013 – The Brewer’s Plate returns for its sixth annual celebration of local sustainable food and beer in a spring feast that will benefit Toronto based charity, Not Far From The Tree (http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/) held at CBC (Barbara Frum) Atrium on April 17th. This year’s Patron is celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, who has been involved with the event since it began in 2008.

Over the years The Brewer’s Plate has built an enviable reputation as one of the first and foremost locavore celebrity events in the city showcasing outstanding Ontario chefs whose dishes are charmingly paired with local craft brews. The event is rooted in slow food principles and uses local sustainable produce created with agricultural methods that promote and enhance biodiversity.  The result is a rich and complex local feast that deliciously demonstrates the viability of import substitution.

This year’s beneficiary, Not Far From The Tree, was the winner of the 2012 Green Toronto Award in the category of Local Food. The nonprofit puts Toronto’s fruit to good use by mobilizing volunteers to pick and share the bounty when homeowners cannot keep up with abundant harvest production. The fresh fruit is shared equally among volunteers, homeowners and food banks. Not Far From The Tree is all about the pleasure of local food. Their volunteers harvest fruit from trees all over Toronto, so it connects agriculture with urban culture. The fresh fruit is share equally among volunteers, homeowners and food banks. “It’s a beautiful organization that can really put our funds to good use,” says Chris Lowry, Founding Director of the charitable event. “Support from this year’s Brewer’s Plate will go directly to expanding their work in a new neighborhood, so that soon every neighborhood in Toronto will benefit from this award-winning program”.

Last year’s beneficiary was local charity, Green Thumbs Growing Kids, an award winning organization which offers food growing and environmental education programs to inner-city schools and park sites reaching over 3,000 children each year as well as youth and adults. Their school gardens are about kids and their grownups, plants and their people – from all over the world!

The Brewer’s Plate features dishes from chefs Brad Long (Cafe Belong/Veritas), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Brook Kavanaugh (La Palette), Chris McDonald (Cava), John Robertson (The Big Carrot),Lora Kirk (Ruby Watchco), Matthew Dunbar (Grapevine Catering), and Karen Vaz (Rebel House).

The highly skilled Craft Brewers offer an extraordinary variety of beers, from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, Black Oak, Cameron’s, Dennison’s, Great Lakes Mill Street, Nickel Brook, Steam Whistle, Grand River, Muskoka, Neustadt Springs, Amsterdam, Kings Brewery, Granite, Hog’s Back, Barley Days, Spearhead and Wellington.

Guests can also enjoy a glass of wine from Ontario’s first biodynamic Winery, Southbrook Vineyards. Applewood Farm Wines, who offer fruit wines with ingredients from their neighboring Stouffeville fields will also be available, as well as The Country Cider Company, an artisanal cider producer specializing in mouth-watering hard ciders made with 100% pure apple juice. Remarkable local food artisans include Chocosol, Culinarium, Joshna Maharaj, Vert, Lilly’s Italian Eatery, Magical Catering, Ninutik Maple Sugar, Evelyn’s Crackers, Wanda’s Pie InThe Sky, and Daily Apple, Toronto Garlic Festival, Dairy Farmers of Canada, health and wellness chef Andrew Muto, and NP Joshna.

The Brewers plate features several live blues and jazz entertainers such as Saxophonist Neil Brathwaite, jazz pianist Bill Gilliam, strolling percussion artist Jurji Konje, and Chris Lowry on stage throughout the evening.

Where: CBC (Barbara Frum) Atrium, 250 Front Street West Street, Toronto ON M5V 3G5
When: Wednesday April 17th 2013, Doors open at 6:15pm
Ticket price: $125.00 + Service Charge, NO HST

Great Lakes Brewery – My #GLBweek

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Great Lakes Brewery

Last week started as any ordinary week would start. On Monday evening I cracked a can of Devil’s Pale Ale from Great Lakes Brewery. Tuesday evening started with Pompous Ass from Great Lakes. With my Untappd check-in on this beer I noted it was a GLB kind of week. At this time I realized I had enough GLB products in my fridge and cellar to get me through the week, so I decided to have a GLB product each day just for fun. #GLBweek! Why not, right? (Note: I cheated and did a business week – Monday–>Friday.) I have a few other GLB bottles that didn’t get touched but here’s the rundown of my GLB choices for last week:

Monday: Devil’s Pale Ale (American Pale Ale, can)
Tuesday: Pompous Ass (English Pale Ale, can), Belgian Dark Strong Ale (project X bottle)
Wednesday: Lube Job (Baltic Porter, project X bottle)
Thursday: Anniversary Robust Porter Buffalo Trace Barrel Aged (barrel aged porter, project X bottle), Harry Porter and The Fair Grounds Coffee Bean (American Porter, Project X bottle)
Friday: Harry Porter (again!)

Great Lakes Brewery

Each day I enjoyed the beers at home, with the exception of Friday when I visited the Only Cafe. A few years ago I never would have believed I would have been able to sample so many excellent beers from a single, local brewery at home- without going to a specialty bar or  event. Granted many of these were picked up at the brewery and are not part of their regular line up (except for Devil’s Pale) but it wasn’t a great effort to acquire them. (Saving them, in particular the barrel aged porter, was admittedly not so easy.)

Great Lakes Project X

GLB is one of many breweries who continue to push the boundaries in the local brewing scene. While not the only brewery who does this, they were one of the first breweries commit to experimentation and produce new beers on a weekly basis, often with styles not familiar to local taste buds. Many breweries have joined the industry in the last 5 years, and new breweries continue to launch, it’s fun to reflect on one of the pillars of the local, craft beer scene.

Cheers, GLB!

Note: As a nod to the Beau’s tap takeover at The Only Cafe this coming Saturday (appropriately named The Beaunly) I’ve decided to put a dent in small collection of Beau’s beers. Happy #beausweek everyone!

Experimenting With Blending Beers

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Over the past few months I’ve started experimenting with blending beers. It’s end-user experimentation, which has nothing to do with the brewing process, and the beers I use are final products and sourced from cans, bottles, kegs or casks. “But haven’t the brewers put a lot of time, energy and love into creating their final products? You’re bastardizing them!” Yeah, well, that’s just your opinion, man. Even if it does offend them, which I’m not concerned with, I’ve paid my hard-earned dollars for the product so I may do with my fermented beverages as I see fit! In fact, I would not be surprised if this was a common practice in a brewery when pilot/test batches are being brewed!

Brewer 1: I say, old bean, batch #1 of new-super-awesome-brew had a cracking hop profile, but the roasty malts in batch #2 is really top-drawer.
Brewer 2: Hmm, yes, quite.
Brewer 1: How in heavens could I find out what the hops and malts would taste like together….?

Blending beer is certainly not a new trend. Did you ever think of how a black & tan came to be? Blending beer.

Black and Tan

A proprietary representation of a beer blend

There are certainly many ways to blend beers together. At its core it’s as simple as pouring one (or more) beer into another. I recommend that you try (or have tried) each of the beers before blending them. This ensures you understand the flavour profile each beer brings to the mix (literally). Think about the variety of IPAs you’ve had, and if you assumed they were all the same your blend may not taste as expected. (On the other hand it may turn out even better.) I recommend playing it safe at first.

So where to start? A few weeks ago I ordered a (draught) blend at a bar. The bar had an intriguing milk stout on tap that I had my eye on. Milk stouts are delicious but I only like them in small quantities/tasters due to their sweetness. How can I extend the awesome flavour of a milk stout but make it more palatable to my personal preference? It certainly depends what your options are but in this case there was a beautiful, roasty porter available on draught. A 50-50 mix gave my blend a round sweetness of the milk stout accompanied by a dry, roasty finish. This helped to minimize the lingering sweetness on the finish. It was exactly what I wanted. The DDC Rosée D’hibiscus is delicious but too sweet on its own (again, my personal preference). Cutting it with either Beau’s Lug Tread or Black Oak’s Pale Ale creates a refreshing mix with all of the best properties of each beer.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this, it’s all based on personal taste. If you’re having a night in with a few IPAs why not hold a few ounces of the glass you’re finishing up and add in a few ounces of your next beer. If you’re feeling bold try mixing up the styles too! Splash a bit of IPA into your stout and see what happens. Trial and error is the name of the game, and not all blends will be a rousing success, however the options to explore are limitless.

2012 Beer Favourites From @WhatsdreThinkin

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Back in November I ran a series of guest posts by @whatsdrethinkin. In this series he explored his decent down the rabbit hole into the big, beautiful world of craft beer. These posts were very well received, so he’s back to provide his retrospective look-back at 2012!

As readers of my first guest series will recall, I started 2012 with a bang! 100 unique beers in 100 days. Prior to 2012 I knew nothing about craft beer. Well… things have changed dramatically in the past 12 months. Over the course of the year I’ve tried nearly 300 unique beers (287 at time of writing), and I’ve learned and experienced a lot. In this post, I’ll endeavour to share a few of my favourite things, but don’t get your hopes up. Unlike Oprah Winfrey, I unfortunately can’t afford to give away one of each of the items listed below to the entire reading audience. I also didn’t take detailed notes, nor did I study the BJCP style guide, so the below is purely based on personal preference and foggy memories.

Favourite Beer of the Year: I guess I’ll start with the toughest one first… 2012 allowed me the opportunity to sample some of the very best that the world of craft beer had to offer, but in the end, my favourite craft brew was also one of my first. Dieu du Ciel’s Péché Mortel gets the nod as my favourite beer thus far! As such, it is also my Favourite Stout of the Year although competition was stiff and I fell in love with many. #Péché4Life

PecheMortel

Favourite Newly Released Beer of 2012: Again, another tough one. For me this is a toss-up between the Great Lakes Karma Citra, and Muskoka’s Legendary Spring Oddity (which I only just recently discovered was a new release), two completely different animals all together. Forced to choose, I’ll go with the Karma Citra which also takes the prize for my Favourite IPA of the Year by a landslide.

Muskoka Brewery

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AKA Karma Citra

Favourite Hefe: So many great ones to choose from in this style, but steeped in history, Weihenstephaner is my favourite. As the oldest continuously operating brewery in the world, established back in 1040, it’s not surprising that these guys have mastered the art of the hefeweizen.

weihenstephaner

Favourite Session Beer: My favourite “session beer” of the year is the Kensington Augusta Ale. You’ll always find at least a few of these in my fridge, and its quickly becoming the “gateway beer” I use to get friends and family hooked on the goodness that is craft beer. Honourable mention to Muskoka’s Cream Ale, and the good ‘ole Steam Whistle Pils. Whatever it is you choose to drink, be sure to take Kensington’s advice and #DrinkGoodBeer!

Kensington Brewing Company

Favourite Seasonal Brew: In 2011, and then again with their 2012 rendition, the good folks at Muskoka tantalized my taste buds with the beauty that is Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout. Stock up on these bad boys… they’re awesome, and they aren’t around for long. Honourable mention goes to the Southern Tier Pumpking, which in my humble opinion is the best pumpkin ale I’ve ever tasted.

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Favourite Style of Beer: Over the course of the year, there were really three key styles that I gravitated towards: Stouts, Wheat Beers, and IPA’s. While most choose to enjoy wheat beers in the summer, stouts in the winter and IPA’s all year long, I absolutely fell in love with the deep, dark and delicious flavours of stouts. While my consumption may slow in the summer, I rarely miss a #SuperStoutSunday and it should be no surprise that Stout’s are my favourite style of beer.

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Favourite Craft Beer Bar: Earlier this year, I didn’t even know these places existed, but over the past twelve months I’ve visited quite a few. I’ve found that most of them are magical places, with knowledgeable staff, and amazing international and local brews. When it comes to picking a favourite, Bar Volo is the hands down winner. It was one of the first that I visited, and it set the bar very high for all that were to come. Honourable mentions go to Pub Milos in London Ontario, where you are greeted by a massive digital tap list, and C’est What which played host to my first ever Toronto Beer Week event.

bar-volo

Lastly, my Favourite Brewery: Here again I find myself torn. There are so many great breweries to choose from, many of which I’ve had the opportunity to develop relationships with via Social Media. The two that top my list are the ones that in my view did the most to open my eyes to the wonders of craft beer, and to the creativity that brew masters can unleash when empowered to do so. Before sharing my favourite, I’ve got to acknowledge that as someone who lives outside of the downtown Toronto core, my opportunities to attend beer events and hit craft beer bars are limited. As such, my access to one-off brews and casked goodness is also relatively limited to things that make it into bottles and cans. With that in mind, Dieu du Ciel, and Great Lakes take top marks. While DDC has a massive variety of unique and awesome beers available in bottles, the Great Lakes Project X brews (I’d kill for another bottle of Harry Porter and the Bourbon Soaked Vanilla Bean), and their incredible 25th Anniversary special release series are overwhelming examples of Mike Lackey’s talent and testaments to the brilliance of Ontario Craft Beer!

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Looking forward to 2013, I anticipate seeing several new craft beer bars and breweries opening in the GTA. As consumer demand and the popularity of craft (read: Good) beer continues to skyrocket, we should continue to see access to fresh, creative, local and international suds grow exponentially. While the recently announced plans to roll out “LCBO express” outlets in major grocery chains across the province seems like a step in the right direction, what we should really have our fingers crossed for are some much needed updates to our archaic liquor laws, and some relinquishing of the stranglehold that the dreaded “Beer Store” has on our beloved brews. Cheers!

Beer Mail From Ramblin’ Road!

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In the last few months of 2012 a new Ontario brewery opened its doors – Ramblin’ Road Brewery Farm. In what’s becoming a common trend, this brewery opened outside of the GTA, and seeks to establish local dominance in Norfolk County and beyond.

Ramblin' Road

Ramblin’ Road is the real deal when it comes to local. Their current claim to fame is they are “Ontario’s first and only Brewery Farm” which means they grow and harvest their own hops. They also use water sourced from a local aquifer. It’s hard to get any more local than that. At the time of publishing they offer 3 beers: Country Lager, Country Ale, and Country Pilsner. They offered a sneak peak of their wares at the Norfolk County Fair this past October, and sold over 1000 cases in one day on their unofficial opening day at the brewery in December. At this point the brewery is still fairly small but as demand for their product grows their production will need to follow suit.

Though the brewery is still quite young they have established a better online presence than some Ontario breweries which have been in the game for much longer. The website is thoughtfully designed and feels very welcoming. Information about who they are, their location and significance, beer information, food pairing recommendations, swag and links to their social media platforms are easy to find. Ramblin’ Road is impressively active on Twitter. In an industry where word of mouth is king they are taking advantage of communications in 140 characters or less! Also, they’re really friendly, so drop them a line to say “hi”.

I received a sample of their Country Pilsner for consideration. A few days ago, after the hectic holiday season calmed down, I sat down with @mandeepflora to taste this beer with some thoughtful, uninterrupted consideration. Here are our notes:

The Country Pilsner pours light gold and is crystal clear. With colour considered, the bright white head, and a moderately high carbonation, one may confuse this with a cider on visual inspection. The head dissipated quickly and left little lacing. The aroma was of lightly toasted grain and low amounts of noble hops were present. I detect a subtle, corn-like aroma as well. Onto the sipping, there is a moderate noble hop flavour up front which promptly gives way to a thin, sparkling finish which is clean and moderately sweet, but not cloying. While the description touts this as inspired by a Czech pilsner, I place it closer to a Classic American Pilsner as it doesn’t hit all of the marks of a traditional Czech pilsner (big saaz hop and pils malt presence).

Honestly, I don’t see this beer hitting it big within the Toronto craft beer community, but allow me to qualify that statement. It seems us craft beer folk in Toronto are fairly…particular… about new beers. Generally, if they aren’t big, bad, and bold they’re going to have a tough go of it. For better or worse, that’s how we tend to roll. This beer straddles the line between micro and macro. As much as the righteous craft beer folks would have you believe that craft/micro is good and macro is bad, the truth is that some people simply do not and will not ever care. They are happy drinking their macro beer day in and decade out. They just don’t care about hippie craft beer. I feel the Ramblin’ Road County Pilsner (I can’t speak about the other offerings that I haven’t sampled yet) seeks to expand the horizons of Joe Sixpack. It’s not macro, but it’s close enough to it that you’re not going to offend or frighten away prospective drinkers/customers. To bring it into perspective, Mill Street Organic Lager, Great Lake’s Red Leaf Lager and Muskoka’s Craft Lager all provide comparable craft alternatives for Joe Sixpack. That said, I can see this brand being extremely successful in its local market by providing an honest-to-goodness simple beer as an alternative to foreign-owned, multi-national brewing corporations. If more adventurous styles are explored in future I can see a larger regional expansion take place. (A Cask Days entry?)

All the best to Ramblin’ Road in 2013! Cheers!

 

 

Year End Beer Thoughts

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Happy New Year, Y’all! A whole year can’t easily be summed up in a single post, but here are a few reflections about beer for the end of the year: 

  • My personal tastes are becoming clearer to me. I will still drink almost anything but I’m better able to articulate my preferences (in general, and in the moment). My advice to anyone is keep trying everything! Even if you’re not sure what you DO like you’ll be able to tell what you DON’T like!
  • Low alcohol beers are your friend! Milds, Bitters and Berliner Weiss(eses) are just a few examples of exciting beers that won’t cripple you with a high (or even mid) ABV.
  • I say this with pleasure: It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of the new breweries popping up across the province, never mind all of the new and interesting beers being put out by all Ontario breweries!
  • I thought the LCBO did a good job this year with respect to beer selection. Not only did they bring in some great beers from outside of Ontario’s borders, there appeared to be a larger selection of Ontario craft products on the shelf. This may be owing to the brewers producing more for LCBO shelves, or a more relaxed or expedited process by the LCBO to have new items listed. Perhaps it’s both. At the end of the day there is more new, great, fresh beer to enjoy.
  • My cellar/collection is growing at a faster rate than I can consume. I estimate that by 2016 I will be visiting the LCBO twice daily.
  • There is a lot of good conversation happening on twitter about craft beer including breweries, general industry talk, trends, LCBO & The Beer Store, and of course beer itself!
  • While craft beer is not yet a norm in the city a lot more people are asking for it and slowly restaurants and bars (including chains) are listening. I can now walk into a Firkin and proudly order items from Cameron’s, Steam Whistle, and Muskoka. That’s alright by me. This is in addition to new craft beer bars popping up (or adopting craft) to satisfy the growing demand.
  • How about Cask Days this year? What an event! The Morana’s have raised the bar on themselves. I can’t wait until CD13!
  • I don’t have numbers but the social app Untappd is continuing to increase in popularity. Want a simple way to track which beers you’ve had, with the option of social (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare) integration? Untappd is it.

 Here are a few thoughts for 2013:

  • Roll out the barrels! With the barrel aged trend continuing to build up steam there is likely a lot of beer currently sitting in barrels. Hopefully we get to drink it this coming year!
  • With the war currently being waged by the “craft” on “crafty” I see a lot of posturing being done by both sides. I see Six Pints (@ Beer Academy) continuing to produce solid work and silencing some critics.
  • Based strictly on what a random generator told me, I predict 11 new Ontario breweries will open their doors in 2013.
  • Cask Days 2013 will be awesome! (Too easy?)
  • Cask ale will continue to proliferate in Toronto but still won’t “make it big” outside of the GTA.

 If you want some thoughtful predictions keep an eye on A Year Of Beer! Mike had some great predictions for 2012, with a high % of correctness! I’m sure 2013’s will be just as insightful.

Cameron’s Awesome Beer & Website

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If you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale (RPA) you should create a goal for the week: try the RPA.

Along with barley and wheat, rye is a grain which can be used in the production of beer. Typically, rye will comprise only part of the grain bill but a little bit can go a long way. The addition of rye in a brew most notably adds a spicy malt character, and will also add a fuller, smoother texture to the mouthfeel. Debuting at the 2011 IPA challenge at Bar Volo, this RPA can stand with the best of the IPAs. Serious hopheads may not agree, but to the average beer drinker this packs a substantial hop punch, and the rye really helps to accentuate the bitterness.

I wanted to write a bit more but I feel the urge to digress about another topic related to Cameron’s. Toronto Beer Blog has a great write-up which you should read, including tasting notes. Click here to find out where to get your RPA.

Rye Pale Ale

[Digression starts...now]

If I had to give up either the internet or beer I would be put into a Sophie’s choice type predicament. I love the internet. Fortunately, I don’t anticipate ever having to make that choice. So combining two of my favourite things is very easy and enjoyable. I am engaged in social media, read articles and history about beer and blog about beer on my beloved internet. Recently I’ve become more interested in social media opportunities in commerical craft brewing. I don’t want to join their ranks (never say never), I’m just curious to see what the best practices are, who does what well, who could do better, etc.

With this top of mind I’m fairly critical when I view local craft breweries’ and bars’ websites. I like to see easy to find links to their social platforms (as applicable), other content which builds brand engagement, and a good amount of information about their products, brands, etc. These are  inexpensive ways to promote your brand, which relies as much on word of mouth/referral business as it does beer drinkers experimenting with new products and brands. Folks may not have seen your products but likely they’ve heard of you. You need to be able to engage with them in whatever way they want to. Websites and social media platforms are free or cheap to promote your product and engage with your prospective and existing clients.

While seeking out the above link to the RPA finder I hit the main Cameronsbrewing.com page. I browsed around for a few minutes and realized that their site is awesome, and near ideal. (There are some stylistic things that I don’t care for but that’s just, like, my opinion, man.) Anyone can do splashy graphics or funky layouts, but what makes this site awesome is it’s content. Information about their beer, history, yadda yadda yadda – everyone has that. What makes this site special? A focus on content pertaining to customer engagement!

  • Easy to find links to their social accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube)
  • Upcoming events listing
  • Beer locator
  • Cameron’s team bios
  • A mission statement
  • Newsletter
  • Easy to find contact info

This isn’t everything, and these are by no means unique to Cameron’s. A lot of breweries do a lot of these and more, but a ton of thoughtful detail has been put into the content and design of the site. Their site helps to reinforce that the brewery exists to make their customers hoppy and happy. They want you to know who they are and why you should care about them. Again, not unique to Cameron’s but they are doing it well.

Many of the larger Ontario craft breweries also have excellent sites, but I feel some of the smaller and up-and-coming breweries could take a few notes from their big brothers. Get engaged. Talk to people on social, have an awesome website and make yourself matter! Obviously there’s more to the beer business than that, but it can only help.

Big Beer Making Small Beer & Rickard’s Oakhouse

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The past few weeks have brought on some interesting discussions regarding big breweries launching or buying craft brands. This isn’t something that has just started now but it’s being widely discussed now. Read this piece for more details. Discussion of local examples could include Creemore/Mad & Noisy/Six Points and Rickard’s. For now I”m a fence-sitter on the issue.

One thing I will touch on is Rickard’s Oakhouse, which I received on my doorstep a few weeks back. If you recall I was rather surprised by their first seasonal, the Cardigan. It was halfway decent. The spiced lager was meant to evoke sentiment of the autumn – taking walks in the cool, crisp air while wearing a sweater (or something of the like). Oakhouse is Rickard’s winter seasonal and I’m a bit baffled by it.

It’s a lager that’s “[s]pecially aged with lightly toasted oak, subtle hints of vanilla and a deep amber hue.” If you’ve had Innis & Gunn Original before you’ll know roughly what this should taste like. While those flavours do exist they are much subtler than the I&G, to the point where I want an I&G before I’m done my Oakhouse. (Actually, if you find I&G too much you may like this one.) The underlying beer comes in @ 5.5% abv and feels too thin to support the subtle but complex flavours.

Serving temperature for Oakhouse is recommended at 6° C. 6 degrees. That’s cold. That puts it in the same temperature range as that refreshing hefeweizen or pilsner you want to have on a hot summer’s day. Yes, Oakhouse is a lager but not all lagers need to be served cold- think helles (~9°C) or eisbock (~15°C). A winter lager is reliant on the season (i.e. it’s not a style that will stand on it’s own outside of the time of year) so who wants to drink a 6° beer in the winter? I certainly don’t want to cozy up to the fire with a cold beer! When I think winter I think of styles that are robust or high in alcohol such as porters, stouts, their imperial cousins, barley wines, etc. These are all styles which can be consumed at cooler temperatures but really open up as they warm.

To sum up, it’s not a bad beer but I don’t see the place for it in my fridge this winter. More thought may need to be put into the appropriateness of the beer to the season. The first two Rickard’s seasonals have been reliant upon the season – I wonder what will be in store for the spring?