What are the top 3 brewing provinces?

You hit the nail on the head there. I think Great Lakes has very much been a victim of trying to have the best of both worlds...

 

It'll be a great day when GLB replaces Red Leaf can production with Karma Citra.

....dream big, right?

 

One of the things holding Great Lakes and Amsterdam back without a doubt. Never have, nor will I ever buy a bomber of the Orange Peel or Green Tea, or bottles/tall boys of Amsterdam's Blonde 416/Blonde etc.

 

This isn't relegated to the bigger brewers. Smaller breweries in Ontario tend to start their lineups with uninspired styles as well. Typically their initial lineup will be some combination of a blond, amber, brown, pale, wheat/wit, and stout.

 

This.

 

I wish I knew enough about Ontario and Quebec beers to answer this question with any semblance of an informed opinion But even so, I wouldn't put BC above Quebec I don't think. It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement with so many great things opening up this year but I think it's important to remember that not everything is going too be earthshakingly good.

 

What is the necessity (obsession?) in including Unibroue in these discussions? Geographically they are in Quebec but there are not many here that consider them a microbrewery, me included. They DO nail the Belgian style but that's all they do. Would love them to flex their creative muscles. Instead of giving us a new fruit beer (no thanks Ephemere Cerise), how about a sour?! Plus, i'm glad that the new breweries are branching out and not producing Belgian-style ales, i think Quebec has beaten that style to death. We need more local sours! (thank you A la fut and TDD).

Still, i'll be a homer and say that Quebec is first but BC is breathing down it's neck and Ontario is miles ahead of where they were 5 years ago. If the archaic (and monopoly-driven) distribution could be eradicated in ON, look out because that would bring an influx of great craft beers province-wide.

 

They brew craft beer. That's what matters.

It is impossible to say that just changing the way beer is distributed in Ontario will make the craft beer scene far better. Look at Alberta. They've opened it up and their local craft beer scene is way behind where it should be.

Getting rid of The Beer Store would be huge for Ontario though. Too bad there's more talk of privatizing the LCBO than getting rid of the real villain.

 

Maybe an interesting side question: Obviously any sane top 3 is going to be BC, Ontario, Quebec in some order. What would people rank as the 4th-best brewing province?

For me it would probably be Manitoba, just because of Half Pints.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards that, but Nova Scotia needs to be in the list with Garrison & Hart and Thistle... Half Pints has kind of hit a rut with me lately. Glad they are doing a sour regularly and trying new stuff, but for some reason I just feel like drinking my own stuff over theirs...

 

I wish I could put Alberta...if it was beer selection I would say we were in with a chance.

Quebec
BC
Ontario

 

Contemplating that question is making my head hurt.

 

The term craft is a very broad category. I can say that in the local craft(!) beer community here, they are not regarded as craft brewers. Not hating on them since i do enjoy their brews but with the pull they have, i'm sure they could try to brew something different (a gueuze or lambic would be awesome) and not another variation on something they've already brewed (looking at you Grand Reserve 17).

 

I have had quite a few Quebec and Ontario beers (though not as many as BC) and I agree with the view that it is Quebec, BC and ON, but I would say that BC is closer to Quebec than it is to Ontario - therefore:

1a. Quebec
1b. BC
2. Ontario

 

Both of DDC and Le Trou du Diable will be available in BC later this month.

 

True, but I still drank and enjoyed GR17

 

We also get Microbrasserie Charlevoix in Vancouver at Viti, but seemingly(?) nowhere else I've seen. Darby's already had DDC when I was last there a week or two ago.