The last couple of years have brought a dramatic uptick in Québec breweries with a specific focus on contemporary styles, with the addition of breweries like Brasserie du Bas-Canada in Gatineau, Messorem Bracitorium in Montreal, and Brasserie Sir John in Lachute, among others. In the same vein, at this point I think Aylmer’s 2020 newcomers Cinquième Baron Microbrasserie would have to be in the conversation for Québec’s best new brewery.
Read MoreWhile interviewing breweries, learning about their stories and trying their range of beers is our fave thing to do, sometimes it's nice to just hang out with an old friend and shoot the breeze. Noah Forrest runs Beerism, Quebec's premier Anglophone craft beer blog. He's been on the podcast a handful of times as both a guest and a co-host, so since the scheduled podcast was postponed, we figured we may as well drink some fire and hang out.
Read MoreHenderson Brewing Company has been on the Toronto craft beer scene for 5 years now. In that time they’ve grown to have a broad lineup of styles ranging from the traditional to the experimental. They’re always looking to give their brewers the chance to stretch their creative muscles and collaborate with local businesses, homebrewers, and local talents of all kinds, all while celebrating their city and the people in it.
Read MoreWe don't often get to be part of craft beer history, and this episode was one of those occasions. Theodore Mack Sr. purchased the Peoples Brewery in 1970, making him the first African American craft brewery owner - ever. They were well known for their Peoples Beer Lager, which got some serious traction in its day. Now, more than 50 years later, with the help of the team at Oak Park Brewing in Sacramento, the beer is back and better than ever.
Read MoreOver the years, we've rarely diverted from covering craft beer in our content. One time we did a great podcast with an amazing ciderie in Vermont, and another time we hung out at our favourite winery in Niagara, so we felt like it was time to venture off the beaten path and discover something new.
Read MoreThe fine folks of Montreal’s Echo Session Ales are back with their latest release, a 3.8% Session NEIPA heavily hopped with Calypso, Ella and Azacca, fermented with Kveik yeast, and a subtle hit of lactose. This is the second time Echo have deliberately labeled their cans upside down, with the intention that drinkers would turn the can upright before pouring to agitate any hop sediment inside.
Read MoreIf you've been around for a while, you'll be familiar with our relationship with Shehan De Silva of Lost Craft. We somewhat controversially came up together, making a dual splash on the Ontario craft beer scene back in 2015/2016, and Shehan has always been a great friend of the show. We haven't had him on since episode #41, so we had a lot to catch you guys up on.
Read MoreFor all our long-time BAOS YouTube viewers, you may have seen one of our half a dozen or so blind craft beer taste test challenges that we've done over the years. Now that Dahn (Tiff's cousin from England) is around, we've been schooling him on craft beer and we figured it'd be fun to put his new knowledge to the test in his first ever blind craft beer taste challenge.
Read MoreOne store that has been making some serious noise in the last year is Cheers Boutique. They were the first location in Quebec to set up an online store for local ordering, they keep their inventory to around 150 products to ensure freshness and no stale shelfies, and they've formed genuine relationships with a lot of breweries across the province. Cee hung out with Co-Founder Catherine Roux to get the details while sipping some fire from La Knowlton, Messorem Bracitorium, 4 Origines and Ras L'Bock. Cheers!
Read MoreThe Quebec City portion of the trip was in collaboration with the Quebec City tourism office, so for this episode they ran through their entire journey, their feelings about our province's capital city, the beer scene out there and more (plus a little about Gaspesie), while drinking brews they picked up in the city including gems from La Barberie, Emporium, Brasserie Générale and Noctem. Salud!
Read MoreThe third and final episode in our trio of Aussie bangers wrapped up with the legend Dereck Hales of Bad Shepherd Brewing in Melbourne. Originally from Northern Ontario, Dereck and Cee basically did the opposite move so they have a lot in common. You may have caught Dereck in the last Australian vlog from April 2019, but this was the first full-length chat they've had.
Read MoreFlora Hall Brewing in Centretown Ottawa is a frequent local haunt for me. Previously a derelict mechanic shop, it underwent a long renovation from 2016 until the brewhouse and kitchen opened its doors in October 2017. In my opinion, they filled a gap in Centretown.
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