Draft Horse Brewery - Navan Ontario - Brewing in Canada

The Old Naven Mill and Draft Horse Brewery

1668 - Jean Talon, Louis XIV 's intendant to New France built Canada's first commercial brewery at Quebec City called La Brasserie du Roy. It produced 4000 casks/year. Talon limited the amount of alcohol and wine coming from France. He saw the brewery as a way of having a monopoly, expanding the agricultural industry, and controlling the price. The settlers were still allowed to brew for their own use as Talon saw beer as a wholesome and nourishing beverage. Talon left office in 1672. The brewery closed in 1675. It remained unused until 1852 when Boswell Brewery re-opened it. It eventually closed in 1971 and remains as a museum on St. Vallier St. in Quebec City.
1786 - John Molson set up in Montreal.
1829 - Alexander Keith ( Halkirk, Scotland) bought Charles Bogg's Brewery & founded his brewery at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1840 - Thomas Carling, originally from Yorkshire, England arrived in Canada in 1818 when he took up farming. He lefy the farm in 1840 and opened his small brewery called the Brewing & Malting Company in London, Ontario delivering his beer in a wheelbarrow to the locals.
1842 - First Canadian Patent concerning an improved method of brewing beer issued to G. Riley.
1847 - John Labatt arrived from Ireland & set up in London, Ontario to rival Carling. Initially, purchased Simcoe Street Brewery along with a partner Sam Eccles. Later became sole owner in 1855 - John Labatt's Brewery. His son John Jr. took over in 1866 - the year John Sr. died followed by expansion the brewery's distribution facilities in Montreal & Toronto.
1849 - Thomas Carling turns over brewery to sons John and William. They call the brewery - W&J Carling Brewing Co.
1859 - John Aldwell & Thomas Aldwell established a brewery on William St. in Toronto. By 1867 it was the most prosperous brewery in Ontatio. A falling out between the 2 caused the brewery to be sold at auction in 1874. The Toronto Brewing & Malting Co. was formed at the brewery in 1874. Cosgrave's Brewing acquired the breweryin 1910. Prohibition brought about a vinegar factory.There was a interim period in the 1920s that a Montreal group took over. In 1928 the name changed to Canada Bud Breweries. A legal battle followed when Anhheuser-Busch of St. Louis , Missouri took exception to the name "BUD". The labels were later redesigned. In 1931 Canada Bud bought the insolvent City Club Brewery that became a subsidiary. E.P. Taylor's Canadian Breweries bought Canada Bud in 1937. It discontinued the brand by 1944 & closed the City Club Brewery at the same time. It finally closed in `1967 after operating as O'Keefe & Dow plant. It was later demolished.
1861 - Eugene O'Keefe, originally came to Canada from Cork County Ireland at age 19. He frequented a pub near Dundas & Yong in Toronto that was owned by Charles Hannah and George Hart. These two also operated the Victoria Brewery in the 1840s . It was orginally at 30 Richmond Street but moved to Victoria and Gould Streets in 1849. Eugene O'Keefe bought the Hannath & Hart Brewery in Toronto from his friend and Sr. partner Hannah. George Hawke & Patrick Cosgrave were O'Keefe's original partners.In 1862 it produced 1,000 barrels/ year. In 1870 it was producing 365,000 gallons/ year.It was called the O'Keefe Co. Cosgrove left the partnership and started the West Toronto Brewery.They were the first to produce a lager in Canada along with their ales & porter. Later called the O'Keefe Brewing Co. & Eugene was sole owner. In 1893 it employed 78 men who produced 918,950 gallons. In 1927 during Prohibition it produced soft drinks. In 1966 it was closed and the plant demolished. The name lives on & it became part of Molson Breweries.
1864 - Dunkin Act - the United Province of Canada (now Ontario & Quebec) brought in legislation that allowed a city or county on majority vote to prevent the retail sale of alcohol.
1867 - Oland family opened their first brewery in Dartmouth, N.S. John Oland & his wife Susannah started the Army & Navy Brewery named after their intial clients.Susannah was the brewer. Her first brew was - Brown October Ale. John Oland died shortly thereafter. Susannah carried on with the brewery followed by her son George. In 1917 the brewery was destroyed in the Halifax Explosion. George moved to St. John , New Brunswick & bought the Simeon Jones Brewery followed buy the purchase of the James Ready Brewery. They became known as the Moosehead Breweries Ltd. The brewery is still owned by the Oland family - Derek Oland is current President. Moosehead Breweries is Canada's largest 100% Canadian owned & Canada's oldest independent brewery.
1875 - John & William Carling ( Thomas' sons) build new Carling Brewery at London, Ontario.
1878 - Canada Temperance Act (Scott Act)- the follow up to the Dunkin Act in 1864 allowed of 25% of the voters to bring a petition in a city or county to make their area "dry" that couldn't be changed for 3 years.
1891 - Eugene O'Keefe incorporated O'Keefe Brewing Co.Toronto, Ontario. The brewery was the largest & first producer of lager beer in Canada in the 1890s. Other firsts - delivery by motor trucks; refrigerated storage; & first to advertise.
1901 - Prince Edward Island is the first province to achieve prohibition. PEI also the last to end prohibition in 1948.
1901 - Edward Plunkett Taylor was born in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 1901. E.P. graduated from McGill U in 1922 as a mechanical engineer. In 1923 he joined his grandfather's Brading Breweries. He saw in Ontario a number of small breweries competing for market share . He set about to consolidate the industry. In 1929 he formed the Brewing Corporation of Ontario which now owned Brading's, British American Brewing (Windsor), Kuntz Brewery (Waterloo), Taylor & Bate (St. Catharines). In 1930 he arranged a stock swap with Canadian Brewing Corporation ( owned 5 breweries). From 1930 to 1937 he aquired 7 more breweries. Total 16 breweries. He then sold 1, closed 9, & kept 6 open. He bought London's Carling Brewery in 1930; Toronto's O'Keefe's in 1934. In 1937 he named the company Canadian Breweries Ltd. From 1937 to 1971 he bought many other breweries - Western Canada Breweries & Quebec's National Breweries. Starting in 1968 and into 1969 Rothman's of Pall Mall (cigarette maker) buys control of Canadian Breweries. In 1974 Rothman's merges all divisions into Carling O'Keefe Breweries. Their market share began to decline in the 70's. In 1983 Carling got rights to brew Miller High Life Beer in Canada & made some $. In 1986 Carling bought the rights to Foster's. In 1987 Elder's (Australia) buys majority ownership in Carlings. In 1988 Carlings lost right to Carlsberg to Labatt's. On May 14, 1989 E.P. Taylor died at 88 after a long illness. In the same year Carling O'Keefe (Elder's) & Molson Breweries merge.
1907 - Molson Brewery produces 1 million gallons of beer.
1911 - O'Keefe Brewing Co. sold to Sir Pellat, Sir Mulock, & Charles Miller. Prior to this sale Eugene O'Keefe had sold 60% to Widner Hawke ( O'Keefe's former partner's son ) & Sir Henry Pellat ( 40%). From 1916 to 1926 ( Prohibition) the brewery limited itself to ginger beer. It was later sold to E.P. Taylor's Canadian Breweries Ltd. in 1934.
1915 - Prohibition - the forbidding of the manufacture & sale of alcohol in Saskatchewan commences.
1916 - Ontario passes Temperance Act banning the selling of liquor and beer during WWI. Breweries continued to brew " temperance ales " of less than 2% alcohol and full strength beer for export to the USA. Ontario had 44 breweries. 1919 - Ontario Referendum continued prohibition due to wartime. Labatts brewed 2 temperance ales of less than 2%
1920 - USA passed Volstead Act prohibiting the manufacturing or selling of liquor thereby ending Canadian sales to the USA. The start of the "bootleggers".
1920 - British Columbia is the first province to make alcohol available through government stores.
1921 - Manitoba & Saskatchewan bring in government liquor stores.
1923 - 1929 Prohibition defeated in all provinces except PEI. ( 1901 to 1948). Only 15 breweries remained in Ontario at the end of Prohibition's repeal.
1925 - Ontario legalizes the sale of 4.4 proof spirit beer.
1927 - Great Western Brewing Co. was founded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was initially called Hub City Brewing Co. In 1930 it was renamed the Western Canada Brewing & in 1932 renamed Drewery's Ltd. O'Keefe's Brewery bought Great West in 1956 & ran the brewery until 1989 when Carling - O'Keefe amalgamated with the Molson Brewing Co. Molson was going to mothball the brewery in that same year when 16 employees came forward,pooled their resources,and bought the brewery from Molsons under CEO Ron Waldman. Viv Jones, Master Brewer formerly with Upper Canada Brewing & Northern Algonqiun is the brewer.
1927 - Brewers Warehousing Co. Ltd. created ( now the "Beer Store" owned by Labatts, Molsons, & Sleemans not the Govt. of Ontario) - today controls 90% of beer sales in Ontario.
1927 - Ontario Liquor Control Act was proclaimed ending prohibition. Only 15 Ontario breweries continued to operate.
1928 - George B. Oland acquires James Ready Brewery in St. John N.B. ( now Moosehead Breweries )
1929 - Collapse of the Stock Market in North America. Depression begins. Beer market also collapses. No USA sales. Bootleggers continue to partially supply US market.
1929 - Kuntz Brewery ( Waterloo) sold to E.P. Taylor ( Canadian Brewing Corp. ). Later dropped & absorbed into Carling-O'Keefe.
1930 - E.P. Taylor's Canadian Brewing Corporation purchased Carling Breweries.
1933 - USA ends prohibition ( lasted almost 14 years ). Volstead Act repealed.
1934 - Ontario legalizes full strength beer by the glass in hotels.
1934 - O'Keefes is sold to Canadian Breweries Ltd. ( E.P. Taylor)
1935 - Beer can introduced in the USA
1939 - WWII - Beer sales soar.
1942 - Canned beer prohibited in the USA
1943 - Ration system put into effect - 4 coupons issued for 24 bottles of beer.
1944 - E.P. Taylor and his Canadian Breweries start amalgamation of beer industry with gusto ( 42 breweries ).
1945 - Labatts & Molsons became publicly traded companies.
1946 - Beer rationing ended.
1948 - PEI ends Prohibition - the last holdout - 1901 to 1948.
1950 - Labatts introduces first light ale - "Annie" & "50".
1950 - Canadian Breweries Ltd. merged its British American Brewing ( Windsor,ON.) with Brading's Brewery of Ottawa & changed name to Brading's Cincinnati Cream Brewery.
1951 - Labatts introduces Pilsner Lager - "Blue" named after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
1953 - Molsons builds a brewery in Toronto on Fleet Street next to E.P. Taylor's Canadian Breweries.
1954 - Labatts expands to Montreal.
1954 - Brading's purchased assets of Pellers Brewing Co. (Hamilton)
1955 - Molsons opens its new plant in Toronto.
1956 - O'Keefe's under Canadian Breweries Ltd. undertook to build the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto at Mayor Nathan Philips input. The Centre opened Ocober 1, 1960.
1956 - Canadian Breweries Ltd. consolidated its subsidiary companies. Carling Brewery Ltd. purchased Bradings in Windsor; Bradings in Ottawa became O'Keefe plant; O'Keefe's Old Vienna Brewery formerly Walkerville Breweries moved to Toronto; Carling Brewery ( former Old Comrades Brewery ) in Tecumseh moved to Windsor & absorbed by Bradings ( Windsor) & renamed Carling Brewing Co.
1958 - Labatts purchases Lucky Lager Breweries (B.C.)
1959 - Molsons introduces " Canadian " beer replacing Crown and Anchor Lager. Also marked the end of the wooden keg which was replaced by the stainless steel keg.
1961 - Labatts expands to Toronto.
1962 - Labatts expands to Edmonton.
1962 - The "stubby " was the standard bottle in Ontario until 1983 when American pressure brought about the change to the long neck bottle. It is interesting to note that the stubby could be re-used 20 times as opposed to the long neck bottle at 16 times. Molsons introduced the stubby in the "Pleasure Pak".
1962 - Labatts purchases Bavarian Brewing ( St. John's, Newfoundland).
1962 - Nova Scotia allows its first taverns to be licensed & for eight years men only.
1964 - Metal kegs introduced in Germany but used had already commenced in Canada.
1965 - Molsons began canning beer.
1967 - Ontario allows alcohol to be served on Sundays between noon & 3 pm & 5pm to 9:30 pm.
1968 - 1969 - Canadian Breweries Ltd. ( E.P. Taylor & Argus Corporation) sold to Rothman/Pall Mall for $28.8 m. Known as Carling-O'Keefe in 1973.
1969 - Molson's Toronto brewery is largest in Canada (1 million barrels/year).
1969 - Carlings closed in Windsor, ON. now present site of Windsor Casino.
1971 - Labatts purchases Oland & Sons Ltd. in Halifax N.S. & St. John, N.B.
1972 - Carling's launch Carlsberg Lager.
1974 - Labatts purchase Columbia Brewing Co.( Creston, B.C.) famous for Kokanee beers.
1977 - Labatts introduces lite-beer. - Labatt's Special Lite.
1980 - Labatts licenced for Anheuser Busch / Budweiser beers in Canada.
1981 - Renaissance of "microbreweries" - a pleasant alternative to the giant breweries. Microbreweries follow the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 - " beer must be only be made with barley, hops, water, and yeast ". It prohibits a number of things ( adjuncts) often added to beer including chemical additives, sugar, rice, corn, and unmalted barley.
1982 - First American Brewpub - Grant's Brewery Pub at Yakima, Washington. " Brewpub " - a combination restaurant + microbrewery.
1984 - Brick Brewing Co. Ltd. founded by Jim Brickman ( originally raised in Waterloo,ON.; attended York University - BA Eng. & Psy.; wroted copy for ad agency in Toronto; eventually had own ad agency in Toronto & Waterloo) in Waterloo, ON. after sampling his way through 29 European countries & 68 breweries for a number of years - the first craft brewery in Ontario; publicly traded; Ontario's largest Canadian owned. Brewer : Barry Heisz. Approx. 120,000 hectolitres/year. The brewery was initially set up in a 19th century furniture facory in Waterloo. Recently, 30 million litres produced. One of Brickmam's first deals was to secure rights to brew & distribute Germany's Henniger Kaiser Pils in Ontario shortly after Heinneken closed its Amstel Brewery in Hamilton. Brickman then commenced aggressive growth strategies - he purchased Conners Brewery ( St. Catherines, Ontario) famous for its Best Bitter; Sam Adams rights; 1997 - bought Laker brands from Molsons; 1997 - agreement to brew Andechs Spezial Pale Lager ( Germany); 1997 obtained rights to Celis White; 1989 - opened Brick Brewing Co. in Formosa, Ontario by combining the Algonquin Brewing Co. & the Formosa Spring Brewery brands in Formosa, Ontario. Today has over 25 brands that include Waterloo Dark, Henninger, Kaiser Pils, Conners, Sam Adams, Laker, Celis' White, Andechs, Carling Red Cap, Northern, Algonquin, Formosa. In 2007, Ontario experienced a 9% drop in total beer volume . This impacted the Brick's bottom line as the Brick had a net loss of $858,000 on 9 month sales of $54.5 M. ending Oct. 31, 2007. Jim Brickman was pleased to announce the Brick's grand opening of its new bottling & distribution plant in Kitchener, Ontario in 2007 with the hope of cutting costs & improving the bottom line. The Brick continues to operate its breweries in Waterloo & Formosa, Ontario. Also, brews Tiger Malt( non-alcoholic beer) for Banks Brewing ( Barbados) & Cadbury's Motts Caesar, an alcohol based beverage.
1984 - Twist-off cap introduced for refillable bottle.
1984 - Upper Canada Brewing Co. - founded by Frank Heaps - 1st microbrewery in Toronto on Atlantic Street. Frank was orginally involved with Granville Island Brewing while working as a consultant in Vancouver.Granville was a limited partnership. Frank brought this concept to his home town Toronto. After touring Europe for recipes, equipment, and a brewer - Klaus Antz, he set up the limited partnership - Upper Canada Brewing. There were 5 board members @ $500,000 & 42 limited partners @ $25,000.00 + a $500,000 loan from the Ontario Development Bank & $1.5 million from the CIBC. Total $3.5 M. in capital. With these monies he bought 2 Atlantic Ave. for $560,000 & put in $700,000 in improvements.
1985 - 1st batch at Upper Canada Brewing brewed ( Upper Canada Lager & Upper Canada Dark Ale.
1985 - John W. Sleeman revived Sleeman Brewing & Malting Company at Guelph , Ontario after dicovering family recipe for Sleeman Cream Ale. The original Sleeman Brewery had seized operations in 1933 when the Sleemans were caught smuggling beer into US. John' great-great grandfather ( John also) had originally started in St. Davids, Ontario in 1836 at the Stamford Spring Brewery. He later moved to Guelph to become involved with Hodgerts Brewery ( later named Holliday Brewery). In 1851 the original John purchased the Silver Creek Brewery. It was in 1898 that his son's son George formulated Sleeman Cream Ale. In 1900 the brewery became known as the Sleeman Brewery & the Spring Bank Beer Co. ( later changed to the Canadian Malt Products).
1985 - Wellington Brewery ( Guelph,ON.) named after Arthur Wellesley -1st Duke of Wellington ( defeated Napoleon in 1815) - Michael Stirrup Pres. & Brewmaster.
1985 - Big Rock Brewery founded in Calgary, Alberta by Ed McNally
1985 - Canada drops the rule of government authorization for home brewers.
1986 - Ottawa Valley Brewing Co.( Carleton Place, ON.) founded by a group of Ottawa area investors. Ottawa Valley Ale ( a dark ale ) & Bytown Lager ( a pilsner style beer) became famous in the Ottawa Valley. In 1990 the company ran into a bottle ( non- standard) return problem & closed shop as revenue dwindled.
1987 - Carling- O'Keefe bought by Elders IXL of Australia.
1987 - Upper Canada Brewery is 1st Canadian brewery to export beer to Germany.
1987 - Great Lakes Brewery founded in Etobicoke, ON. by Bulut family. Advertised as Toronto's oldest craft brewery. Marketing: John Bowden; VP : Peter Bulut Jr.
1989 - McAuslan Brewing established in Montreal, Quebec in St. Henri area by Peter McAuslan ( formerly an administrator at Dawson College). The first brewer was Allan Pugsley. McAuslan also brews under contract Moosehead & Carlsberg. It distributes Beck's, Tuborg, Double Diamond, & Caffrey's in Quebec. It's signature brand is St. Ambroise Pale Ale. Most recently Mr. McAuslan has taken issue with Labatts allegedly trying to take market share by introducing St. Urban ( brewed under the Oland Specialty Beer Co. name). It is referred to as the "Battle of the Saints". Recently, Mr. McAuslan is sporting a t-shirt that states - "Beware of False Saints". The Quebec microbrewers have taken up the cause in support of Mr. McAuslan.
1989 - Carling- O'keefe merged with Molsons - Rothmans (USA) initially purchased Canadian Breweries & renamed it Carling- O'keefe ; Elders ( Fosters) of Australia purchased Carling-O'keefe from Rothmans and then merged with Molsons. Molsons began to favour its own brand over Carling's beers. Carling sales begin to fall. With 2 large breweries in Toronto ( Molson's Fleet Street & the Carling plant in Rexdale) one had to go. It was decided to close the Fleet Street brewery as Rexdale had more opportunity to expand. Fleet Street brewed it last beer on Oct. 31,1990 - "Last Call - Fleet Street Finale". By 1990 Carlings is gone forever. In 1994 Jim Brickman revived the name Carling Red Cap at the Brick Brewing Co. The old Carling location on Carlingview Dr. in Toronto is now a Molson Brewery.
1989 - Hart Brewery - Founded by Lorne Hart in Carleton Place, On. Founding partners Gary Lawton and Leo Richer. - 1st batch 1991 - contractor - Frits Bosman - had bought out bankrupt brewery Ottawa Valley Brewing Co. - later Hart/Robinson Brewing Co. - Carleton Place & Mississauga, ON - exported to USA & Canada - famous for cask conditioned Ale (Real Ale) - no filtering; left to settle and ferment in keg - eventually bought by Banks Canada - Famous for Banks Beer - closed 2005 and moved to Toronto for import only of Banks Beer. Banks beers now produced by Brick Breweries.
1989 - Molson and Labatts control 95% of Canadian beer market.
1990 - 62 breweries operating in Ontario.
1990 - Labatts introduces 1st non- alcohol beer - ".5"
1990 - A. Dion & Serge Racine founded Unibroue after buying a brewery in Lennoxville, PQ.
1991 - Better Bitters Brewing Co. Ltd. ( Burlington, ON.) founded by John Romano.
1992 - Lakeport Brewery opens in Hamilton, ON.
1993 - Trafalgar Ales & Meads ( Oakville,ON.) opened by owners Mike & Nancy Arnold & George Hengstman. Head Brewer: Dave Jamieson.
1993 - Ontario taxes u- brew- it stores ( 26 cents / litre - in 1994 dropped to 13 cents ).
1994 - Carling Red Cap is re-introduced by Brick Brewing Co.
1994 - Upper Canada Brewing Co. completes its 100 hectolitre brewhouse. Corby Distilleries bought remaining 60% share of Upper Canada after original its 40% purchase in 1991. It quickly sold its shares back to Frank Heaps, Upper Canada's founder, Hurlow Partners, & undisclosed pension fund for $15.7 m. in 1995.
1994 - Old Credit Brewery opened in old Conner Brewery at Port Credit,ON.
1995 - Labatts bought by Interbrew ( Belgium) - $2.7B ( Belgium's Den Hoorn Brewery established in 1366).
1995 - F&M Brewery( Guelph,ON.). Frasnk Cerniuk ( Pres.); Charles MacLean - Brewmaster;George Eagleson - Head Brewer; Andrew Henry - Brewer. Stonehammer Beers.
1996 - Upper Canada Brewing Co. goes public. 3.125 million share sold for $25 m.@ $8 each. Terry Smith was appointed President & CEO. Frank Heaps was made Chairman of the Board. In same year loses .54/ share.
1996 - Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. - St. John's Newfoundland - founded by David Rees & David Fong. It has 25% of draft sales in Nfld. It is largest microbrewery in Atlantic Canada. It is third largest in Nfld. after Labatts & Molsons.
1997 - Ontario allows liquor stores to be open on Sundays.
1997 - Garrison Brewing Co. ( Halifax N.S.) founded by Brian Titus Pres. In 2007 Garrison won "Canadian Beer of the Year" with its Imperial Pale Ale. Present Brewer - Greg Nash.

1997 - Propellor Brewing - founded by John Allen. Named after John Patch inventor of the marine screw propellor in 1830s. Head Brewer Don Harms.
1998 - Upper Canada Brewing Co. purchased by Sleemans. The share offer was $2.75 + 0.433 of Sleeman share. Valued at $27.3 m. or $5.35/share ( 25% higher than Upper Canad's shares). Sleemans eventually closes original Toronto brewery & moves operation to Guelph,ON. Sleeman's brands also include Okanagan Spring Brewery ( B.C.) & Seigneurale ( PQ).
1998 - Steam Whistle Brewing - Toronto, ON - Old John St. Roundhouse at base of CN tower - founded by Cam Heaps ( son of Frank Heaps of Upper Canada Brewing Co. fame), Greg Taylor, Greg Cromwell - named for whistle at the end of the work day. - brewmaster Matt Letki; headbrewer Jeff Pearson; brewers John Hanbek & Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
1999 - Black Oak Brewing Co.(Oakville,ON.) founded by Ken Woods ( Pres.) & John Gagliardi in 1999. Head Brewer: Adrian Popowycz; Associate Brewer: Paul Dickey ( Paul was brewer in 2001 & also brews for Pepperwood Brewpub ( Burlington,ON.). It is a 17 hectolitre brewhouse with 4- 34 Hl. Unitanks & 1- 34 hl. Bright Tank. Black Oak brews 13 beers.
1999 - B.C. drops law about "meals" with serving of alcohol.
2000 - Maritime Beer Co. (Dartmouth N.S.) sold to Sleemans.
2000 - "The Junction" , the last dry neighbourhood in Toronto voted for the end of the ban on serving liquor in area pubs and restaurants. It had been in place since 1903.
2000 - Sleemans introduces beer in a can to the Ontario Craft Beer market through its Upper Canada Brewing Co. brand.
2000 - Heritage Brewing founded by Donna Warner and Ron Moir with partners Chris Graham, Frank Farrell, and Dom Boulet - first opened in Ottawa and now Carleton Place, ON - known for Heritage Premium Lager and Heritage Traditional Dark. Ancil Hartman is brewer. Member Craft Brewers of Ontario. 1000 hectolitres/year.
2000 - Church Key Brewing Co. - Campbellford, ON - founded by John & Cherie Graham in a 1978 Methodist church - "church key" a tool that produces a triangular hole in a beer can.
2002 - Mill Street Brewery ( Distillery District - Toronto ) founded by Headbrewer Michael Duggan, Jeffery Cooper, & Steve Abrhams in historic Gooderham & Worts Distillery.
2002 - Brick Brewing brought back the stubby - Red Cap.
2002 - B.C. bars are allowed to remain open until 4:00 AM.
2003 - Ontario Craft Brewers formed association to " re-kindle & keep alive the spirit of traditional brewing". 30 members.
2004 - Molsons merges with Coors Brewing Co.
2004 - Interbrew (Belgium) merges with Ambev (Brazil) to form INBEV ( Headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. Labatts now controls the following sales in Canada - Blue,Stella Artois, Alexander Keiths ( brewed at the Oland Breweies in Halifax, N.S.), Bud & Bud light.
2004 - Steelback Brewery ( Tiverton, ON.) - opens - 11 brands - CEO Frank D'Angelo
2004 - Sleemans buys Quebec brewer Unibroue.
2004 - Northern Breweries ( Ontario) is purchased by investment group. Leo Schotte & Bill Sharpe ( founder of Lakeport Brewing Co. - Hamilton) from an employee cooperative. It was first established by J. J. Doran in Sudbury in 1907 ( Sudbury Brewing & Malting Co.); followed by Soo Falls Brewing Co. in 1911 ( Sault Ste. Marie); Kakabeka Falls Brewing Co. ( Fort William); Doran's Brewery ( Timmins) in 1919; Port Arthur Beverage Co. in 1948 ( Port Arthur). In 1960 all these breweries became Doran's Northern Breweries. In 1971 Canadian Breweries ( E.P. Taylor - Argus Corp.) bought all these breweries but kept name - Doran's Northern Breweries. In 1977 Canadian Breweries sold the company to the brewery's employees. Bill Sharpe et al closed the breweries in 2006.
2004/2005 - Molson/Coors merger - $18 billion - Molsons bought Kaiser(Brazil) - $1 billion. - Failed
2005 - Draft Horse Brewery opens Navan, ON Sept 10, 2005 - owner Ted Gulliver - Headbrewer Dom Boulet - Asst. Matthew Gulliver (co-op student Mohawk college - Hamilton, ON)
2005 - Guiness - founded 1759 - owned by Diageo(London) - Diageo has world sales of $18.6B which included sales of Johnny Walker and Smirnoff - London closed brewery and production shifted to Dublin - trying new product Brew 39
2005 - Molsons purchases craft brewer Creemore Springs. Vows to keep same recipe.
2005 - Molsons - Coors and Inbev (Labatts) hold 80% of Canadian Beer market.
2005 - Brewers Association of Canada reports that 19.6 m. hectolitres of Canadian produced beer was sold in Canada in 2005. Imported Beers sold in Canada - 2.4 M. hectolitres. Canada exported 3.5 m. Hectolitres to the USA in 2005.
2005 - Ontario allows patrons to bring their own wine (BYOW).
2006 - Scotch-Irish Brewery - Perry Mason joins Heritage Brewery in Carleton Place, ON.
2006 - Sleemans sells to Saporro ( Japan )
2007 - Lakeport sells to Inbev (Labatts).
2007 - Barley Days Brewery ( formerly Glenora Springs Brewery) Hwy 33 Between Picton & Bloomfielf). Owners Chris & Norah Rogers. Brews 4 beers.
2007 - Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. Vankleek Hill,ON. - Tim, Steve, Phil, & Jamie along with Matt their brewer set up in Vankleek Hill after subcontracting for awhile at Church Key. Lug Tread Lagered Ale.
2007 - Oct. - Molson-Coors combines with SABMillerPC in USA. Canada is a different story. SaBMiller has 150 brands worldwide + bottle Coca Cola. Miller in North America produces Weinhard's, Icehouse, Leirenkugel's, Miller, Milwaukee, Olde English, Peroni , Pilner Urquell. Molson has historically the rights to bottle Miller in Canada. In court over a conflict situation over sales of Coors Light and Miller Lite in Canada. May be a non-issue depending future agreements between Molson- Coors & Miller as they are now one. Coors Light, Miller Lite, & Bud Light continue to battle over market share in Canada.
2007 - Oct. - Carlsberg (Valby,Denmark) - 3rd largest in world & Heineken ( Amsterdam, Netherlands) -4th largest in world announced a hostile takeover of Scottish & Newcastle ( Edinburgh, Scotland) - 5th largest in world - producers of Kronenbourg & Fosters (UK) & others in Europe ( Heineken wants these ) & Baltic Beverage Holdings (BBH)( Russia) ( Carlsberg wants BBH ).
2007 - Oct. - Forbes Magazine reports that Heineken to sell 1.4 million 5 liter DraughtKeg @ $20.00 in US next year. A new concept for the throw away nation. No word on the recycle aspect.
2007 - Oct. - Speculation that Anheuser-Bush ( #1 in the world ) to team up with InBev ( #2 in the world). InBev in 80 countries - Stella Artois, Brahma & Antartica ( Brazil), Beck's ( 125 countries), Chernigivske (Ukraine), Keith's (Canada), Bergenbier(Romania), Skol (Brazil), Cass ( South Korea), Celis' Hoegaurden
2007 - The Who's Who of Beer Branding in Canada Update Summary:
Labatt's ( InBev) - has 60 brands in Canada - including Blue, Bass,Beck's, Budweiser, Keith's, Stella Artois, Kokanee, Lakeport brands + others.
Molson ( Molsons-Coors) - Canadian, Coors Light, Export, Richard's Red, Pilsner, Heineken, Corona, Miller, Fosters, Tornade, Carling, Carling Black Label, Bohemian, Dave's, Murphy Irish Stout, Caffrey's, Milwaukee's Best, Creemore, + others
Sleeman's ( Saporro) - All Sleeman product + Unibroue
2007 - Nov. - SABMiller PLC world's second largest brewer agreed to buy Royal Grolsch NV ( 1.18 Million Dollars ) a 329 Year old Dutch brewer. SAB was founded in 1895 in South Africa and limited sales to South Africa until 1990. SAB purchased Miller Brewing Company (US) in 1999. Oct. 9, 2007 - SABMiller entered a joint venture with Molson/Coors which combined their U.S. operations. It will be known as Miller-Coors. The Canadian operations will be kept separate & the Molson name will continued to be used in Canada. Miller produces its beers in Canada under licence to Molson's.
2007 -Nov.- Steelback Brewery seeks creditor protection after costs exceeded sales revenue. Frank D'Angelo gives up majority shareholding & position as CEO but remains a minority shareholder & Chairman. Jonathan Sherman, son of Barry Sherman ( Apotex & Wasanda Enterprises) is new CEO. Plans are to cut labels & staff & reduce marketing. Assets of $8.5 M. & Debt of $47M.
2007 - Nov.- Walkerville Brewery first established in 1885 at Windsor, Ontario declares bankrupcy. See Walkervillebrew.com for complete history of the brewery. Karen Behume Plunkett, owner had restarted the brewery in 1998 originally founded by Hiram Walker of Canadian Club Whiskey fame. There is hope to reorganize under new ownership.
2007 - Nov. 30 - A University of Alberta researcher ( thru Natural Resources Canada) has found that Canadian Beer drinkers are contributing to "Global Warming" by using outdated beer fridges that are inefficient. Apparently, 1 in 3 Canadian households are doing the damage.
2007 - Dec.- Breweries suffering from hops shortage. Microbrewers & Craft Brewers are feeling the crunch. Blamed on bad weather, farmers switching crops, & a fire at Yakima, Washington warehouse in 2006. Price went from $11/kilogram to $46 ++/ kilogram. Hops adds signature flavour, aroma, & bitterness to beer. A Microbrewery is a brewery producing over 18,000 hectolitres/ year. Every brewery producing under 18,000 hectolitres/ year is a Craft Brewery in Ontario, Canada. Hops ( Hemp family ) is a perennial climbing vine. It grows up to 18 feet. Found mainly in Nothern Europe, Pacific Northwest, & Eastern States. Canadian organic growers are producing more each year.It is either a male or female plant. The brewing industry uses the cones from the female hop plant. The cones are harvested in late summer or early fall. Historically, hop pickers used stilts to harvest the crop. Today, mechanical harvesters do the job. Brewers use hops & their bitter oils to counter the sweetness of the fermented malt. The best brewers are able to perfect the right balance of sweetness to bitterness to create great beers. Hops also acts as a natural preservative & keeps the beer fresher longer. The British discovered this when they tried to ship beer to their troops in India. They discovered that by over-hopping the beer that the beer was able to survive the trip between England & India to the delight of their troops. Hence, the name INDIA PALE ALE - a hoppy beer.
2008 - Jan 3 - Groupo Modelo (Mexico) & Molsons-Coors(Canada) created a joint venture for the importation of certain Mexican brands including Corona Extra into Canada. Andrea Mandel-Campbell in her book - Why Mexicans Don't Drink Molsons - laments the fact that Mexico with its lack of good water, barley, and its under developed economy sells its Corona beer in 150 countries and furthermore is one of the top imports into Canada. Whereas, Canada's beers are not exported to Mexico even with NAFTA in place. Why? Andrea suggests that Canadians are too timid, too self-effacing, and too ill-prepared to succeed in the global economy. Canada's problem is that it has burdensome regulations, it subsidizes many industries, and goes too far with its protectivenism. This brings about a failure to enter the global economy. Canada's beer industry is a prime example. The Canadian beer industry is too protected at home. Why would would one go beyond Canadian borders when one has a government seeded monopoly with no level of competiveness? The duopoly in Ontario - the Beer Store (foreign owned) is a prime example of how the beer industry in Canada operates. Canadians seem more interested in frittering away our natural resources than building viable multinational businesses. This should be a wake up call to enter international markets. Canadians seem more interested in arguing about $50.00 tax increases for snow removal than entering world markets. Canada can lay claim to some of the best beer in the world made from its fresh waters and golden barley. We need to get going!
2008 - Jan. 18 - Prof. G. McOuat, University of Kings College- Halifax,N.S. commences a course - Beer 101. It is the first course in Canada that traces the history of beer, its culture, & its science.
2008 - Jan. 25 - Scottish & Newcastle finalized sale to Carlsberg/Heineken.
2008- Feb. 6 - SAB Miller(London) acquires Grolsch(Dutch Brewery founded in 1897). SAB Miller now world's largest brewer by volume placing INBEV second. Heineken after purchasing S&N becomes world's third largest brewery.
2008 - Feb. 6 - Steve & Tim at Beau's All Natural Brewery( Vankleek Hill, ON.) introduced Bog Water Dirty-Brown Ale ( Ontario's first non- hops beer) - a great seasonal beer.
2008 - Feb. 6 - Perry Mason founder of Scottish-Irish Brewery ( Fitzroy Harbour, ON.) has left Heritage Brewery( Carleton Place, ON.) to pursue other projects. Scottish - Irish Brewery had sold its name & brands to Heritage in 2006. Ancil Hartman, Heritage's brewer continues to brew Sgt. Major.
2008 - Feb. 8 - INBEV ( founded in 2004 by a merger between Belgium's Interbrew & Brazil's AMBEV) is talking about a merger with Anheuser-Busch ( U.S.A.).
2008 - Feb. 12 - Molson-Coors announces that its Canadian business had a pretax income of $129.6 M.in 2007 excluding special charges. It increased Canadian market share slightly with its biggest seller Coors Light. It announced that its cost of goods sold increased by 11% due to inflation & terminating of the Foster's contract. Molsons employs 3000 Canadians & operates 6 breweries in Canada.
2008 - Feb. 14 - Updated 236 links to breweries in Canada. See Breweries on the Web.
2008 - Feb. 18 - Family Day ( Ont.) - Globe & Mail reports on importation of Ukrainian beer ( Slavutich & Lvivske brands from Baltic Beverage Holdings AB - BBH Ukraine) to Canada by John Vellinga ( Multiculture BEVCO) first started in 2001 with wife Katherine. Ontario drinkers downed 16,750 cases in 2007. Mr. Vellinga laments the fact that Polish beer outsold Ukranian beers by 333,250 cases in 2007. Even more suprising - there are an equal amount of Poles compared to Ukrainians living in Ontario.
2008 - Feb. 21 - The Globe & Mail reported today on the state of decline of Labatt's Blue in Canada. Blue has gone from #1 to #4 as US labels take over. #1 - Bud, #2 Coors Light, #3 Molson Canadian, & #4 Labatts Blue. Blue has been branded as the beer of "old Folks". Blue is made under license in Canada to Labatts from Anheuser-Busch. The Canadian beer landscape has slowly changed due to discount beers, premium imports,niche microbreweries,& taste changes to wines & spirits. Even though it costs more ( 20% more) to brew Bud in Canada, the increased marketing expenditures have increased Bud's sales to offset these costs as Bud's market share increases. When was the last time you saw an ad for Blue?
2008 - Brewers Association of Canada reported 2007 production in Canada - just under 20 million hectolitres. Canadians per capita are drinking beer at a rate of 60 litres/year. Canadians are drinking 5.8 million Hl. in cans; 12.3 million Hl.in bottles; & 1.9 million Hl. in draft. Note: the average tax burden on a case of Canadian beer is 51% of the retail price ( the 2nd highest in the world). Brewers Association also pushing for more Canadian malt in 2008. Malt is a Canadian product produced by Canadian malting companies & considered the best in the world. The starting point is BARLEY. The process includes the drying of the barley; the soaking of the barley in water; the germinating of the barley( converts starches into sugar); the separating from the water; the germinating stopped; the placing in a kiln at high temperatures;& the removing of the rootlets. The remaing product is called - MALT used in the production of BEER. The style of MALT depends on the kiln temperature & length of toime in the kiln - the higher the temperature the darker the colour & the stronger the flavour.
2008 - Feb. 21 - The Ottawa Citizen reported that the Dutch Brewer - Heineken saw a decline in profit due to increased costs in raw materials ( metal, barley, & power - up 15% in 2008) & packaging. Profit down 33% to $1.32 billion). As a result they will raise prices 3%-4% only outside US. This will effect Canada. Heineken's stock has dropped 12% in 2008. Annual sales in 2007 were $18.54 billion on a volume of 51.1 million hectolitres.
2008 - March 15 - Moosehead Breweries Ltd., St. John, New Brunswick announced Andrew Oland, as the new President & eldest son of Derek Oland. Andrew represents the sixth generation of his family to lead Moosehead starting with Susannah Oland in 1867. Andrew joined Moosehead in 1992 after graduating from Old Dominion U.& Harvard Business School (MBA).Moosehead is Canada's 3rd largest brewery by volume. It is the last major brewery owned by Canadians.
2008 - March 21 - Hayley Mick in the Globe and Mail reports that Nova Scotia's 80 year old law has ended (August 17, 2007). Patrons can now drink on Good Friday. Also, the "meal" restrictions no longer apply. This is a small move to modernize Canada's liquor laws that are still swayed by moralistic and religious values.
2008 - March 24 - Shannon Kari in the National Post laments the fact that Ontario beer drinkers are missing out on the "hoppy American beers". Shannon indicates that there is a renaissance going on in the craft beer industry in the U.S. Shannon reports that Ontario's LCBO carries 200 brands of beer which includes only 2 beers from the US - one of which is Rogue Ales ( Newport, Oregon) Brutal Bitter. Jack Joyce, co-founder of Rogue Ales says that "people are drinking less, but drinking better". On the International Bitterness Units Scale Rogue Ale's Brutal Bitter is 59 compared to Keith's at 20. Shannon says Ontarians don't know what they are missing. Where are Bell's Brewing's ( Kalamazoo, Michigan's Expedition Stout or Three Floyd's Brewing Co's.( Hammond, Indiana) Dreadnaught IPA ? THe LCBO must be listening as they have indicated that there will be 4 U.S. additions to their selves in the near future. The Bar Towel beer geeks true to their "forum" are arguing what the big 4 will be - Southern Tier IPA, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, DFH 60 Minute, & Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout??? This is another wake up call to the Ontario Craft Brewers Association.
2008 - March 26 - The Windsor Star reports that the Trustee in Bankrupcy for Walkerville Brewing Company (Windsor,ON.) has found a group of buyers from Toronto willing to buy the brewery. The brewery was built 120 years ago. It survived the temperance movement in the 1920s, beer rationing during WWII, and its closing in 1956 by Canadian Breweries Ltd. In 1998 Karen Behune and her husband Michael Plunkett revived the brewery. Details of the new owners has not been reported but apparently they want to "grow the brand". It presently brews - Classic Amber, WBC Premium Blonde, & Superior Light.
2008 - March 28 - UPDATE on Canadian Breweries on the TSX as follows: Big Rock Brewery Income Trust ( Calgary, Alberta) BR.UN (TSX) shows that units are going for 13.45 which is a % change of -.860%. The 52 week low was 6.02 with a 52 week high of 19.45. Net Income for 2007 $5.468 Million compared to $8.38 Million in 2006. Molson Coors Canada (TSX -TAP) shows shares as 53.24 (52 week low of 38.75 & 52 week high of 57.70). Molson Coors Canada produced 8.1 million barrels with net sales (after excise taxes) of $1.9 Billion in 2007. Earnings for Molson Coors Canada in 2007 were $426 Million. Molson Coors worldwide produced 42 Million barrels of beer with net sales of $6.1 Billion. Brick Brewing Company Ltd. (TSX:BRB) was valued at 0.93 ( 52 week low of 0.67 & 52 week high of 2.340). Recently, Jim Brickman, founder reported that his holding company was buying back 3.15 million shares which represents 14.4 % of the issued shares. In a deal with Laurence Capital Corporation, Brickman's holding company & Laurence will control 19.9% of Brick Brewing. In the 12 months ended October 31, 2007 sales were reported as $31.675 Million with a loss of $2.473 million.
2008 - March 29 - Many recent articles about the increased price of "hops"(humulus pupulus) and the increased interest in hopped (more bitter) beers requires an UPDATE on hops. It is the hops that provide a counterpart to the rich sweetness provided by the malt. The bitter flavour is extracted from the hops during the boil. Unsoluble alpa acids in the hops are isomerized (rearranged) into soluble iso-alpha acid ( the bittering substance in beer) during the boil. The best sites to better understand "hops" are as follows: Norm Pyle's Hop FAQ and Glen Tinseth's Hop Page. Bitterness is measured in International Bitterness Units (IBUs) = 1 mg. of iso-alpha acid/litre of solution. The higher the number, the greater the bitterness. IPAs are 40 or higher; Irish Stouts (eg.Guiness) are 25-60; Hollie Wyllie 70- 100. Compared to Belgian Lambics 11-23 and Blonde Ales 15-30. The limit is 100. There are 3 formulas used to measure bitterness is beer. Tinseth's formula is noted as the most accurate. The bitterness depends on the boil time, the amount of hops added, the amount of alpha acid in the hops, the volume of the boil, and the gravity of the wort. Additional adjustments for the type of hops (plug, whole, or pellet), agitation during and after the boil, time during the cooling after the boil, losses during fermentation can also alter the IBU.
2008 - March 29 - The Battle continues about the drinking age in Ontario. The Middlesex-London Health Board ( London, Ontario) passed a resolution that Ontario's drinking age be increased to 21. Included is the resolution to drop the driving from .08 to .05. The Board is asking the Asscociation of Local Public Health Agencies (Ont.) to endorse the resolution and pass it on to the Ontario government. The last time Ontario changed the drinking age was in 1979 when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 19. The Board's main concern is the binge drinking and traffic accidents. Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec keep the drinking age at 18. The Board cites US studies where the drinking age is 21. Yet, the US is looking at lowering the drinking age. Bush's daughters raised the issue. If an 18 year old can vote and go to war, why can't they have a drink of alcohol? In the opposite camp, there is an on-line petition asking to lower the age from 19 to 18 in Ontario. Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty is staying out of the battle at the moment.
2008 - April 2 - Cask Brewing Company of Calgary, Alberta is creating a stir in the craft brewing industry by promoting its aluminum canning system both in the U.S. & Canada. Cans are superior to bottles - no UV light, less oxidation, lighter in weight, crushable, non- breakable, extremely portable, & environmentally friendly. Its small opening, lips touching a sharp metal object, & its awkward head-tilting are easily overcome by drinking canned craft beer in a glass. When was the last time you drank a fine wine out of a bottle?
2008 - April 5 - Miller Brewing Co. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) owned by SABMiller PLC announced that in trying to woo today's beer drinkers, who want more flavourful brews. It is going to market with its Miller Lite Brewers Collection that includes "craft style light" wheat, amber, and blonde ale. Why? Craft beers are growing faster than the overall beer segment ( 12% over the last 2 years compared to domestic beers of 2%). Miller plans a test market in selected areas. At the same time Anheuser-Busch announced its involvement in the craft beer industry by going the other way with stronger brands such as Michelob Porter to go along with its Skipjack Amber & ZiegenBock. Whether Canada follows is yet to be determined.
2008 - April 21- Labatt's USA has changed its headquarters to Buffalo, N.Y. Labatts indicates that the Buffalo area is its strongest US market where its Labatts beers are imported from Canada. In the 52 weeks ending March 23, 2008 sales of Labatts Blue in the US was 2.24 million cases which places it 28th in US sales. Labatts Blue is ranked is ranked 8th in the top imports into the US. Overall Labatts USA sold 4.3 million cases of beer to rank it 9th in the vendors category.
2008- April 22 - Top Brands in the US for the year ending March 23, 2008 are as follows : #1 Bud Light - 75 million cases; #2 Miller Lite - 40.3 million cases; #3 Budweiser - 37.1 million cases; #4 Coors Light - 34.9 million cases. The Top Vendors are as follows: #1 A-B - 207.8 million cases; #2 Miller - 95 million cases; #3 Molson-Coors - 53 million cases. The Top Import to the US was #1 Corona Extra - 15 million cases; #2 Heineken - 9.8 million cases. The Top Craft Beers were #1 - Sam Adams Boston Lager - 1.8 million cases; #2 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - 1.7 million cases; #3 Sam Adams Seasonal - 1.5 million cases; & #4 New Belgian Fat Tire Ale - .85 million cases.
2008 - April 23 - Brick Brewing Co. Ltd. (TSX: BRB) laments the fact that it is over the small brewers tax threshold ( an increase of $2.5 m in Taxes). Net Annual Revenue has declined to $30.3 M. on sales of $68.6 M. The Brick lost $2.6 M. The Brick is Ontario's largest Canadian owned and Canadian based publicly held brewery.
2008 - April 25 - The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), a government owned corporation under the Liquor Control Act, is responsible for production, importation, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages in Ontario. It is exempt from income taxes. Most of its profits go to the province's Consolidated Revenue Fund. The Board just released its annual financial statements ending March 31, 2007. Net sales of Beer & Special Markets were $921.7 million versus previous year's sales of $880.6 million. Sales represented a 11% increase over the previous year. Net income on all liquor products combined was $1.3 billion. Sales of wines reached $1 Billion - up 7.5%. The Board also reported that its Deposit Return Program which commenced on February 5, 2007 collected $6.3 million of deposits on containers and was invoiced $3.8 million by Brewer's Retail Inc. for refunds and $2.5 million for service fees to Brewers. The Province has given Brewers Retail the sole responsibility to run the Deposit Return System. Brewers are to be reimbursed for the deposits plus receive a service fee for operating the program. At present the deposits are 10 cents for beer cans and bottles which is reimbursed to the customer upon return. In addition, the Board is to spend at its own expense $7.5 million over 2 years to promote the program.
2008 - May 4 - The Supreme Court of Canada has limited the " two beer defence". In a decision released on April 17, 2008 the Supreme Court in R. v. Gibson & MacDonald 2008 SCC 16 (CanLII) held that " straddle evidence" presented through an expert wherein the readings are on either side of .08 will not rebut the presumption that an accused is over the legal limit of 80 mgs. of alcohol in 100 ml. of blood. The "two beer defence" arises when an accused is charged under the Criminal Code of Canada with operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level exceeding the legal limit of .08. In such a case the accused testifies that he or she only had two beers in their system when the police stopped them. An expert is called by the defence to show that the breathalyzer readings are inaccurate based on the expert's opinion that the amount of alcohol in the accused's system is different than the breathalyzer results. This according to the defence is "evidence to the contrary". It creates a reasonable doubt and therefore rebuts the statutory presumption that breathalyzer readings are proof that the accused's blood alcohol concentrations exceeded the legal limit at the time of driving. The defence argues the accused should be found not guilty. The Supreme Court held that "staddle evidence does not rebut the presumption. The case still leaves open the defence wherein the expert testifies that the range of alcohol are both below .08. The Government of Canada has been sitting on Bill C32 which has not been proclaimed to help clarify the meaning of "evidence to the contrary". The proposed amendment is opposed by many law groups as it will invokes more litigation over the issue.
2008 - May 21- Diageo (London) owner of Guiness announced to the joy of local beer drinkers in Dublin that it will renovate and keep open the famous brewery at St. James Gate Dublin, Ireland. The brewery was first started in 1759 when Arthur Guiness bought the dormant brewery for 100 pounds received from his godfather's will. It will serve only Dublin & the local area. Diageo is also looking at spending $1 Billion on a new brewery to be located in the Dublin area within the next 5 years.
2008 - May21- LCBO reports that Ontario Craft Beers increased market share by 37% which means sales are up 8% to $990 Million.
2008 - May 22 - SAB Miller PLC ( the world's largest brewer) announced earnings for the year ended March 31/08 up 22% to $2.02 Billion on sales of $21.4 Billion. Miller says it is contending with sharp rise in barley and aluminum cans offset by higher pricing of its beer. Also, Miller sells most of its beers in countries that are using returnable glass bottles which has kept its costs down. The Molson Coors Brewing Co.'s joint venture with Miller Brewing is still pending as the deal awaits the US Department of Justice decision. Molson Coors will still be headquartered in Denver & Montreal while Miller must decide whether to remain in Milwaukee.
2008 - May 23 - InBev ( the second largest brewer) is still pursuing A-B. A-B has 50% of the US market which no small feat. The combination of these 2 companies would bring their market share worldwide to 25% and sales of $35 Billion. A-B shares rose significantly on this news.
2008- May 23 - Steelback ( Tiverton, Ontario) is back. Jonathan Sherman is CEO after purchasing company & others for $8 Million. The company stopped brewing for a short time after it went into receivership in Nov./07. Ian MacDonald returns as President. The Brewmaster is Jayne MacGillvray. The brewery will limit itself to 5 beer types & take on the status of microbrewery as opposed to its former national aspirations & advertising. Frank d'Angelo, former CEO is no longer involved.
2008 - May 27 - U.S. sales of beer for 52 weeks ending April 20,2008 are as follows: TOTAL 461,583,500 case (+.3%)
TOP 4 - #1 Bud Light 75,823,160 cases(+.8%) #2 Miller Lite 40,258,980 cases(+.4%)
#3 Bud 36,870,400 cases (- 5.9%) #4 Coors Light 34,965,590 cases (+3.3%)
2008 - May 27 - The Good Beer Blog takes a shot at a recent OPP ( Ontario Provincial Police) press release concerning the drinking of alcohol on a moving boat. The OPP remind folks that a canoe is a boat. They then go on to describe exceptions to the rule under the Liquor Licence Act. Its OK if you have permit designating your boat as a "private place" which means the boat must be anchored, have a fixed approved kitchen ( BBQs not included), and have a fixed toilet with pumping capacity. Alan, a blogger points out - firstly, can one vision a canoe complying with these restrictions and secondly, would it not be simpler to say "no drinking of alcohol in a canoe" ?
2008 - June 9 - Statistics Canada released their 2006/2007 numbers on the $8.4 B. annual sales of beer in Canada. The numbers indicate that imported beers have gone up 7.6% over the previous year while domestic beers edged up only .9% over the previous year. Imported beers hold 11.4% of the total Canadian market. Beer holds 47%, Spirits 25%, & Wine 28% of the overall alcohol market in Canada.
2008 - July 1 - SAB Miller PLC & Molson Coors announce closing of joint venture to form Miller Coors. This joint venture 50/50 involves breweries & distribution of their beers in the US & Puerto Rico only.
2008 - July 14 - In-Bev finally purchases A-B for $70/share for a total of $52 B. cash. The combined company's sales will exceed $36B in annual sales (85% greater than InBev's 2007 sales). InBev will surpass SABMiller as the world's top seller of beer. It will hold 17% of the 174B litres/year of the beer produced worldwide. InBev, a Belgian company will now have 50% of the US market through its Bud products. It will also own 27% of China's second largest brewery - Tsingtao Brewery Co. Warren Buffett made $770 m. for his shares. in A-B.
2008 - July 15 - The Toronto Star's Dana Flavelle tells us the state of the beer industry in Ontario in a series of articles. The Beer Store controls 80% of the annual beer sales of $2.9 B. in Ontario. Unknown to a majority of Ontarians the Beer Store is privately owned by 3 major companies as opposed to being government owned - InBev(Belgian), Molson-Coors/Miller, and Sleemans (Sapporro- Japan). John Hay, President of the 29 member breweries of the Ontario Craft Brewers takes the position that the Beer Store is a " provincially sanctioned monopoly". Its 29 members are charged an initial fee to have their product on the selves at the Beer Store plus a $3.48/case handling fee. There is a sense of unfairness when a beer drinker enters the beer store. Already inundated by TV, paper, & billboard ads from the majors, the consumer enters the store where he or she sees no product & logically picks one of the 3 major brands that advertise on a massive scale. In fairness the Beer Store has self-serve stores ( Note: 25% of the beer stores in past were self-serve. This is now being erroded back to the out of sight stores under the new marketing stores called the Ice Cold express) where the sales of the craft brewers are greater. The Craft Brewers account for only 5% of the $2.9 B. market. The Beer Store carries 300 brands of beer originating from 75 breweries. The 3 majors share the $1B in profits approx. 40% Inbev. 40% Molson Coors, & 20% Sleemans. The problem that consumers face in Ontario is the price unfairness compared to other jurisdictions. The price of a case of Coors Light in Ontario is $36.96 compared to Quebec at $28.20. Yet some Ontario beers such as Lakeport ( now owned by Labatts) are priced at $26.40. The Ontario government is being lobbied by retailers and craft brewers to change the system.
2008 - August 27 - The New York Times tells us of the latest Department of Health's sanctions in the Big Apple. It seems that putting a lime into a bottle of Corona with one's bare hands is a no-no. Fines will follow if one is caught performing this misdemeanor. What's the answer - use plastic gloves, tongs, fork, or simply serve lime on a plate. The good-old boys seem dissatisfied & are slow in changing their old ways. The Health Department persists.
2008 - August 28 - The return of "Session Ales" - beer that is full- flavoured and less alcoholic (3 to 4%) than a Coors Light (4.2% alcohol) are making a comeback in the craft brewing industry in the USA. It is meant for long nights of conversation at the bar. It's a great beer to have a few pints without having to take a nap. Session beers are at one the other end of the spectrum while Trappist and Farmhouse ales are at the other end. It is a Belgian tradition to have Session Beer for lunch - "bieres de table". The meaning of Session Beer came about during WWI in England. The factory workers in the munitions factories had there drinking times limited by law during 2 sessions during the day - 11 am-3pm & 7pm-11pm. This meant that they had a 4 hour "session" mid-day to drink. The average worker would drink 8 pints during the "session". This meant that during the afternoon working shift they needed to return to work in a condition that allowed them to function properly at their jobs. The "Session Beer" was born - less alcohol & great flavour.
2008 - September 8 - A followup to March 29, 2008's article on hops. It appears that Canadians are very slow to "commercialize hop production" as prices go through the roof. One asks - Why are there no commercial suppliers supplying locally grown hops in Canada? If someone knows the answer or there is a supplier out there in the vast regions of Canada - please let us know. An interesting article in Brewery Age delves into the increased production and interest in hops in NY state. Although most of the US hop production is based in the Pacific Northwest, new growers have entered the market in New York state. The history of hop production in New York state started in the early 1900's. It was once one of the largest hop production regions in the world until 1909. In 1909 the hop crop was decimated by mold and aphids. Not until recently has the crop been reintroduced with the hope of local brewers becoming more self sufficient and helping the local economy. Most recently a NY local grower of hops reinvented a historical social event where 40 volunteers helped pick the green hop buds from the vines that had been cut down earlier in the day. The yield was 150 pounds of organically grown Cascade and Nugget hops.
2008 - September 20 - A recent Ottawa Citizen article on touring Prince Edward County in Ontario noted the area although famous for its wines also produces craft beers. The history of Prince Edward County revolves around the United Empire Loyalists settling in the area. The Loyalists produced and shipped barley and hops throughout Canada & the US. It was also noted for its ship building and shipping port. The local historians called these boom times in Prince Edward County - the "Barley Days" Thus the name for the craft brewery situated on Loyalist Parkway in Picton, Ontario - Barley Days Brewery. It is owned by Christopher & Norah Rogers. Sales are looked after by Donna Sauve. The brewery was formerly owned by the McKinney brothers - John & Jim. It was formerly called the Glenora Springs Brewery. The brothers had quality control issues & eventually sold to the Rogers in 2006. Doug Pengelly, brewer of the St. Andre Brewery helped the Rogers sort out the quality control issues. The brewery supplies to the local market & the LCBO and is a member of the Craft Brewers Association of Ontario.
2008 - November 15 - INBEV (Belgium) has agreed to divest itself of Labatt USA as part of the deal whereby INBEV is buying A-B ( BUD & BUD Light). The US Department of Justice feared that consumer prices for beer would rise as competition is needed to keep prices lower. INBEV has owned Labatt since 1995. INBEV has not named a new buyer as yet. Labatts ships approx. 15% of its Canadian production to the US. THis represents 1.7 million hectolitres of Labatt's Blue & Blue Light to the US. THis represents less than 1% of the total US market. Labatt's ships approx. 60% of its US exports to the State of New York. Labatts has manufacturing facilities at London, ON. (its head office); Edmonton, AB.; St. John's, Nfld.; Montreal, PQ; Halifax,N.S.; Creston, BC; & Hamilton, ON ( Lakeport Brewery). Labatt's USA is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. Labatt's has 25% of the Buffalo market. A new licensee for the USA must be found before the deal goes through.
2008 - December 9 - An interesting article in the New York Times includes an interview with the founder of the Boston Beer Co. - Jim Koch. Jim founded the Boston Beer Co. in 1984. Famous for its Sam Adams beer. It is the largest independent beer manufacturer in the U.S. Koch points out that 2 foreign companies hold 95% of the beer market in the U.S. The same is perhaps true in Canada. The two foreign companies are the Miller- Coors Co. (South Africa) and Anheuser-Busch InBev (Belgium). Miller Coors was created by combining SAB Miller (South Africa) with Molson-Coors (originally Molson Inc. (Canada) & Adolph Coors (Colorado). A-B InBev was created last month when InBev (Belgium) bought out Anheuser-Busch (USA). There are 1400 Craft brewers in the US. Boston Beer is the largest and holds less than 1% of the US market. Koch indicates that 1000 of the craft brewers in the US are brewpubs (supply only to own restaurant). In Ontario there are 44 craft breweries (30 belong the Ontario Craft Brewers Association). Koch says that for years craft beer has been "a largely ignored curiosity". Historically, Americans have had 2 choices - mass produced domestic beer and imports. "No one thought about beer as having quality differences". The craft brewing industry provides that difference. Koch has been trying to change the way Americans think about beer. Koch is succeeding as sales rise for the Boston Beer Co. The same is happening in Canada as sales increase for craft beers.
2008 - December 22 - The 24 for $24 has seen its last days in Ontario. The Government of Ontario has mandated that the price of a case of 24 beers will have a minimum price of $25.60 at the LCBO & the Beer Store. It will effect 40 of the 400 brands available on Ontario shelves. It is in line with the philosophy of many governments - "social responsibilty". But, it also ads to their tax coffers. Just last week Nova Scotia set its minimum price at $2.50 for beer, wine, or spirits at its bars. Apparently , the increased prices will not deter the university students in Halifax from bar hopping. Minimum prices at the bars was already in place in Ontario. Beer drinkers in the U.S. have also been hit in an attempt to raise taxes. Governor Arnie in California has placed an additional tax of 5 cents on alcoholic drinks in an attempt to bring added tax monies to the state. The State of Maine has also put another 16 cents on a 6 pack. Other States like Colorado have opened up the sale of alcohol on Sundays to increase tax revenues. Other states are considering the same Sunday sales.
2009 - January 1 - Monique Haakensens, Ph.D. Student at the University of Saskatchewan may be the "beer saviour" of the beer world. She has been working with new methods to detect beer-spoiling bacteria. The beer industry has historically waited for 2-3 months before it ships its beers to ensure that its batch is clear from bacteria. Monique has developed 3 methods to discover whether a batch has been spoiled within 1-2 days. This testing allows the beer to arrive at the market faster, saves on lab costs, and prevents financial loss.
2009 - January 22 - This date marks the 50th Anniversary of the aluminum can first introduced in 1959 by Coors Golden Brewery USA.
2009 - January 22 - Jim Brickman, the Chairman and Founder of the Brick Brewing Company in Waterloo, Ontario announced his retirement as the executive chairman of the company in December 2008. The Brick was founded in 1984. It was the first craft brewery in Ontario. It is credited with pioneering the present day craft brewing renaissance in Canada. It had a 9 month loss of $782,311.00 (ending Oct. 31, 2008) compared to $1.5 million for the same period of time the year before. Sales for the 9 month period were $23.3 Million compared to the previous year of $24 million. Also, in December the Ontario Craft Brewers Opportunity Fund gave the Brick $1 miilion in funding. George Croft is the president. The Brick (TSX BRB) traded at .34 today. Its 52 week range is .23 to 1.15. At its height it traded just over $2.50 in 2006-2007. In other news, Labatt's is suing the Brick over the likeness of the Brick's Red Baron to its Brava brand.
2009 - February 2 - The argument continues to brew as to whether there is any difference in the alcohol content between the USA & Canada. A myth has grown over the years that Canada's beers are much stronger than their equivilant beer brands in the US. The overall findings are that they are all the same with one exception - Labatt's Blue - 4.7% vs 5% by volume
2009 - May 20 - Calgary Herald reported that Alberta beer prices have gone up since April /08 when a12 pack of Molson's Canadian went from $18.45 to 23.98 -24.99 (keep in mind that varoius retailers charge different prices but must buy their beer from the province at a set price). The reason is increased taxes. Nfld - 22.25; NB 20.50; NS 19.99; PEI 20.49; PQ 18.12, ON 20.50, Man. 18.03.
2009 - May - 28 - Niagara College (Niagara-On-The Lake, Ontario) announces a new & Ontario's first Brewmaster Program. The two year course is to start in Fall 2010.
2009 - June 2 - An update on the founder of the Brick Brewing Co. - Shortly after Jim Brickman's retirement in January 2009 the company commenced legal action against Mr. Brickman on this date. The company allegedly claims that Mr. Brickman had his wife on the payroll, paid her RRSP contributions, & her gas money through the company. Apparently they claim she did not work for the company. In addition, the claim alleges that he was taking 6 cases of beer/ week through the retail store over a period of 4 years (1300 cases). The writ also claims that he pre-empted his firing by retiring in advance. Mr. Brickman denies these alleged claims. Stay tuned.
2009 - June 9 - Molson's Canada has cut off its retirees from receiving their 3 cases of free beer ( 6 doz.)/month to 1 doz/month (1/2 case). The retirees claim this was part of their benefit package upon retirement. It involves 2400 retireee which means a savings of $1 million. The retirees claim that there was no consultation in the matter.
2009 - June 10 - What country drinks the most beer? The Czech Republic is #1 in per capita consumption -161.5 litres/year. China is #1 when it comes to overall consumption - 350 million hectolitres/year; the USA is #2 - 245 million hectolitres/ year; Russia is #3 - 96 million litres /year.
2009 - June 20 - Fat Cat Brewery (Nanaimo, B.C) announces that it will remain open.
2009 - June 29 - Charles MacLean a new brewery - Maclean's Ales at West Grey, Ontario.
2009 - August 29 - Michael Duggan, former brewmaster at Mill Street Brewery & most recently at Cool Brew announces the opening of his new brewery - Duggan's Brewery (Toronto). It is in the former Dennison's Brewery.
2009 - August 30 - Golden Tap Awards (Toronto, Ontario) announces following: Best Micro /Craft Brewery & Best Craft Beer in Ontario - Beau's All Natural Brewery - Lugtread Lager Ale (Vankleek Hill, Ontario)
2009- Aug. 31 - AB Inbev ( AB + Labatts) sues Brick Brewery over Red Baron Lime. They allege that the Brick Brewery illegally infringed Bud Light Lime's trademark and copyright. The Red Baron Lime with its natural lime flavour only hit the market on August 19/09. It is the second legal suit that the Brick Brewery faces. The claim is that Brick's Original Red Baron's advertising is too similar to Brava (brewed at Lakeport Brewery - a sub of Labatt's).
2009 - Sept. 11 - Queen's University students (Kingston, Ontario) in conjuction with Hastings County (Andrew Rudden, Development Officer) announced that they are drafting a business plan to establish a micro-brewery at Belleville, Ontario.The area was famous for its local hops.
2009 - Sept. 22 -Great Lakes Brewery (John Bowden), Cameron's Brewery (Jon Graham), and Church Key Brewery (John Graham) - Ontario announce that they will collaborate on producing new micro brews.
2009 - Sept. 22 -Molson Coors is suing AB Inbev ( Labatts) over Kokanee's infringement of their Coors Light mountain logo. It claims $10m. Labatts denies all wrongdoing.
2009 - Oct. 4 - Hog's Back Brewing Co. announces it will be opening a new brewery in Ottawa in March 2010. It is to specialize in a European style lager.
2009 - Oct. 19 - Beau's All Natural Brewery -Steve & family have to be very proud & happy with one of their latest awards at the Strausbourg, France's - Mondiale De La Biere - Their Beau's All Natural Festivale received a gold medal. Festival is an amber, seasonal beer brewed in the German style with certified organic malts and hops. The award schedule is set up the same as Mondiale (Montreal). First place is a platinum medal. Second place gold is shared with 10 other brewers. The First Place Platinum Medal was awarded to Allessio Selvaggio ( Croce Di Malto Brewery, Italy) with his Triple XXX. The brewery has been open for only one year. Brewed from barley, wheat, and oat malts (hence 3Xs). The Triple XXX is 7.8 alcohol and is related to a Belgian Tripel style but with a more complex malt style.
2009 - Oct 19 - Creemore Springs Creemore, Ontario) est 1987 (now owned by Molson-Coors)@ www.creemoresprings.com announce today that they are buying Granville Island Brewery (Vancouver, B.C.) est 1984 & owned by Andrew Pellerin Ltd. @ www.gib.ca
2009 - November 9 - Manjit & Ravinder Minhas (Minhas Creek Brewery) announced today the introduction of their Boxer Lager - Beer of Champions in Ontario - "the lowest legal price of beer in Ontario" - 12 pack of 355ml. cans at $15.90 which includes taxes and deposit at the Beer Store. They advertise - "premium quality beer at agressive prices". The sister- brother team started out in Alberta with family liquor stores in 1999. This eventually expanded to Ravinder buying out his sister's share in the Mountain Crest Brewing Co.in 2003. Mountain Crest Brewing Co. became the fastest growing beer company in western Canada. It has approximately 10% of the Alberta beer market. The company expanded quickly with its "guerilla style" marketing. Manjit expanded into Saskatchewan and Manitoba under the Minhas Creek Brewing Co. in Regina and Winnipeg. The company ran into a bit of interference when Labatt's Lucky Lager started campaign ads that claimed their beer was not Canadian but brewed in the US. In 2006 Ravinder had bought the Joseph Huber Brewing Co. in Monroe, Wisconsin. and renamed it the Minas Craft Brewery. All their beer is brewed in cans out of Monroe, Wisc. In addition, he bought the Blumer soda line of soft drinks.
2009 - November 18 - Nick Pashley's new book is now available. A great read and a must read for Canadian beer geeks - Cheers! An Intemperate History of Beer in Canada. "We Canadians have a reputation for drinking beer... We pride ourselves on our beer drinking, but how well do we stack up against the world?.... At last count, we occupied 20th place on the planet, just behind Poland and ahead of Iceland. Even the Americans are ahead us, in 14th place.... We down 68.3 litres each year.... the 1 st place Czechs manage 156.9 litres per year ... Right now we are the Toronto Maple Leafs of international beer drinking....."
2009 - November 18 - Molson Coors (which controls 40% of Canadian beer sales) announced 2 new brands - Molson M which uses a proprietary process -"microcarbonation" which removes dissolved oxygen and helps preserve flavour & Molson Canadian 67 which is only 67 calories. Molsons has been losing market share to smaller regional players amid heavy discounting from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV's Labatt unit (43% market share) in Canada and craft brewers. The 2 new brands are aimed at males over 30. Canadian sales for Molson Coors dropped 7.7% in the 3rd quarter to $139.3 m (US). Canada is the biggest source of profit for Molson-Coors which co-owns MillerCoorsLLC, the #2 US brewer with London's SABMiller PLC. There will also be an advertising push for their Molson Canadian brand which now has only 7.2% of the Canadian Market. The Canadian beer market in general is down due to the spending habits of Canadians during the recession. But sales of cheaper brands has not gained share as Canadian consumers shop for premium brands that are being sold at "promotion prices".