What are the top 3 brewing provinces?

Really, when I'm in Ontario (actually I work here, so I get the best of both worlds so to speak) I like to hit Bellwoods and the odd Great Lakes or Amsterdam one off. Problem is I have to be in Toronto to do that, which is at least an hour of driving.

What does wind up in the LCBO's in my area isn't terrible, but there's hardly anything to get excited about from an Ontario brewer in the LCBO, let alone the beer store. Seems a lot of what is there from the Ontario micros is there to try and convert MolBatts drinkers - Safe, fairly pedestrian translations of styles that could be done a lot better, or styles that would be far lower on a US craft breweries radar.

I've managed to get quite a few BC beers and Quebec beers through travelling and trades and I'm not convinced that Ontario is on par with BC as a whole, or anywhere close to Quebec. Shitty retail system does play a big factor into that, but the fact that there is only a small handful of Ontario beers I drink regularily..... or would if they were distributed outside their breweries.

 

Driftwood bottles absolutely everything they make, period (with the exception of one off casks for events, which I think we can ignore for the sake of argument). They have to date made zero brewery-only beers or varients on their beers. Even their most limited runs see great distribution throughout BC, with avid beer nerds finding Singularity's and Belle Royales in distant liquor stores well after everywhere else sells out - check their twitter and you'll see them retweeting sightings of Sartori Harvest as recently as last week.

And finally, the growler fill station at their "brewery" (why the quotation marks? fairly sure they brew beer there ) is a relatively new addition - I believe less than a year old.

 

TDD has been going downhill since before the expansion (bottle, tap festivals and brewery) aside from the food, definitely delicious. Now that there beer is everywhere, you don't have to drive very far to get an overpriced low quality beer (might just be a phase but I won't risk it). I think dunham has more of a shot.

 

I don't agree with this at all.

 

Perhaps time for a less contentious question. Which province has the best hockey team?

 

You really don't have to buddy. That's the magical thing about opinions and open discussions.

 

I'll admit to never been to Quebec, and although I've been to Toronto a few times I've never experienced the beer scene. Seems like people from out East are basing their thoughts on the reverse, having never been to BC. Pretty sure if we all lived in each place for a few months we'd appreciate them all in their own way!

Have to reinforce that Driftwood is by no means the only outstanding brewery here. The list is huge and only getting bigger. As I'm sure it is in Ontario and Quebec.

Another part of the debate could be who has the best southern neighbours Washington and Oregon for sure play a huge role in the scene here. Keep hearing things about that Vermont place too

 

Half Pints #1 seller (more than twice as many batches then any of their other beers now, with all the others having a 3 year head start) is St. James Pale Ale. A perfectly fine bland blonde ale, I would guess is in the same vein as 416. That said, the fact that it is their #1 by so much means that they can actually afford to take on expansion that allows for all the specials and one offs they've been doing (and a reflection of the market).

Not all craft can be "punk" and say "eff it, we're gonna be true to our roots". In the end most people are in the end capitalists, even the commie leadership.

 

Oh they can! Try a Yakima IPA from Le Castor. I preferred the bottle I got in my canbif box to sartori...

 

Yakima and Dunham Leo's have been my go to's in Quebec since they both came out. Benelux Catapulte kicked ass in the few bottles I had. I've yet to try Morality but I'm really looking forward to that when it hits bottles soon. Dunham Double Dose is good on tap, Boreale IPA isn't so great but for $8 a 6pk you can't go wrong. Perhaps not plentiful, but of very high quality. I'm sure there's more I've yet to try, someone else could cover that.

atomeyes, I'll gladly send you a nice box of Quebec IPA's once Morality releases for some Bellwoods.

 

My brewery is better than your brewery

 

It is funny how you accuse me of "turning a blind eye" to something and then your rebuttal is completely without any semblance of fact.

Also, if you would re-read my post, you'll note that I never said anything about Amsterdam not getting any intersting beers to the LCBO. I did, however, specifically say that their barrel program is much too small and is brewery only and I don't believe they ever have sold a barrel aged beer at the LCBO, unless I completely missed something.

 

I've wondered that for a while. I think there has been a very recent trend towards brewing some great west-coast style IPAs in Quebec, but we're talking in the past 3-6 months.

If we are debating IPAs only, Quebec would have a fight to be 3rd in Canada.

 

1. Quebec some very good brewers, and many mediocre brews.
1b. Ontario lots of consistent brews coming from Bellwoods, Amsterdam,GLB, Indie, et al. Many upcoming brewers, such as the 5 paddles and Get Well. Solid King, Durham, Black Oak.
3. BC inconsistent, occasion good brews from the main brewers. Many so-so.

 

Ontario would be ranked a little higher if it wasn't for the sheer number of terrible breweries we have here I mean for every Bellwoods and Great Lakes there are 10 Trafalgars and Railway City's and garbage of the like....way too many breweries out here bullshiting up the beer scene for the guys that matter, IMO.

 

no it's not

 

I don't care which province would win this, but within a 10 minute walk there are four breweries, three of which I can get growler fills at. Within a 10 minute bike ride there are three more I can get growlers at. All of them are quality stuff. Life is good.

 

Also Jukebox Distorsion, Hopfenstark End of the Trail, Benelux Sabotage, and DDC Fortunella are all good.