TORONTO, ON – The Winter 2011-12 issue of TAPS, Canada’s only national beer publication, was released in late December and has been shipped to subscribers and newsstands across North America.

Contents of this issue include:

• Profiles of several Canadian and international breweries including Les Brasseurs du Nord, Brasserie d’Orval & Amber’s Brewing.
• A feature interview with Andrew Oland, President of Moosehead Breweries.
• The first in a multi-part series on the history of brewing in London, Ontario.
• Beer-pairing dishes by chefs Donna Dooher and Michael Olson.
• …and much more

For more details on this issue, or to subscribe to the magazine, visit the TAPS website.

La route des grands crus de la bière by Martin Thibault and David Lévesque Gendron was awarded Gold in the “Special Interest Category, French-Language”. The book covers many aspects of beer and brewing, with a special focus on the breweries of Quebec and New England, and content including brewery profiles, tasting notes, and suggested travel routes to visit many of the featured breweries.

In addition to the book, Martin and David are authors of Les Coureurs des Boires, a French-language blog on beer travel.

TORONTO, ON

Contents of this issue include:

• A feature interview with Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery by Troy Burtch
• A 15th anniversary profile of Muskoka Brewery by Greg Clow
• A look at recently opened Nova Scotia brewery Hell Bay Brewing by Craig Pinhey
• A Chilean beer travelogue by John Holl
• Beer-pairing dishes by celebrity chefs Mark McEwan and Michael Smith
• …and much more

For more details on this issue, or to subscribe to the magazine, visit the TAPS website.

Edited and curated by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and leading beer expert Garrett Oliver, the 900+ page tome is the most ambitious and comprehensive reference book on the topic of beer and brewing ever published.

Primary Canadian content is provided by Toronto Star beer critic Josh Rubin, who contributes a four page entry on beer in Canada, and a shorter entry on Labatt Brewing. Other Canadian contributors include: Mirella Amato of Beerology; Jonathan Downing of Downing Beer Consulting; Michael J. Edney of Winnipeg’s Grain Research Laboratory; Brian Harvey of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan; Bev Robertson of the Department of Physics, University of Regina; and Igne Russell, editor of The Journal of the Institute of Brewing.

The Oxford Companion to Beer is available now at online and traditional booksellers for a suggested retail price of $65.00. More information can be found on the Oxford University Press website.

TORONTO, ON

Contents of this issue include:

• An interview with actor George Wendt – aka Norm Peterson of Cheers – by Rob Engman
• A feature on the increasing number of craft brewers that are starting to use cans by Craig Pinhey
• A look at the rapidly expanding brewing scene in China by Bill White
• A chat with veteran brewmaster Michael Hancock by Troy Burtch
• Chefs Collin Stone & Aaron Lawrence offer dishes paired with local Canadian beer
• …and much more

For more details on this issue, or to subscribe to the magazine, visit the TAPS website.

VICTORIA, BC

The following description of the book has been provided by the publisher:

Alberta and British Columbia are host to over seventy microbreweries, and that number is increasing every year. In this comprehensive field guide, each brewery is fully described, complete with location, the story of the brewery, profiles of the faces behind the brew and of course, their core list of beers. Terminology is explained, and author Jon Stott discusses the grain-to-glass process and the many different beer styles produced in the western provinces. Whether you favour an IPA, a lager, a porter or stout, you’ll find your pint between the pages of Beer Quest West.

A release party for Beer Quest West will take place on April 14th at Alley Kat Brewing in Edmonton, with Stott in attendance to chat with attendees and sign copies. The book can also be purchased directly from the publisher, and via booksellers including Amazon and Chapters/Indigo.

TORONTO, ON

Contents of this issue include:

• Interview with James Watt of Brewdog Brewery by Troy Burtch
• Feature on wet-hop beers by Craig Pinhey and Christine Beevis
• A look at how some Canadian breweries are using social media by Greg Clow
• Chefs Michael Olson and Marc Thuet offer dishes paired with local Canadian beer
• …and much more

For more details on this issue, or to subscribe to the magazine, visit the TAPS website.

The following description of the book has been provided by the publisher:

Brew North tells the delightful story of our national beverage, from New France and the British conquest, through Prohibition and the beer parlour era, and right up to the rise of the microbreweries. Lively and informative, Brew North puts beer lovers front and centre. Whether they are cowboys quaffing India pale ale in a western saloon, flannel-shirted working stiffs swilling Cinquante from brown “stubbies” in Montreal taverns, or modern-day beer snobs sipping pints of caskbrewed bitter and commenting on its “chocolate and cigar box bass notes,” this is the story of the men—and women—who brewed, served, and drank our national beverage.

Brew North doesn’t just tell this story, it shows it. Early illustrations of rustic taverns and Victorian photographs of opulent saloons are combined with fantastic advertisements, giveaways, and gewgaws brewers have long used to market their product. It’s all here, from fussy Victoriana to fifties kitsch to today’s sophisticated ad campaigns.

Beer built Canada. Now the classic era of Canadian beer is ending; brewery giants Molson, Labatt, and Sleeman are in foreign hands. At the same time, more small brewers are producing more interesting beers. A new golden age? Brew North arrives at a key moment to chronicle where beer has been and point to where it is going.

Brew North is available now in book stores and online retailers for a suggested retail price of $24.95.

TORONTO, ON

This issue includes contributions by more than a dozen beer writers from across the country, covering brewery news and profiles, event re-caps, beer and food pairings, and many other topics of interest to beer drinkers in Canada and beyond.

This edition of TAPS also sees two big changes for the magazine: it’s moved from saddle-stitch to perfect bound format, giving it a more professional appearance; and the subtitle has been changed from “Canada’s Beer Magazine” to “The Beer Magazine”. As editor Karla Dudley notes in her opening editorial, this latter change was triggered by an expansion of distribution into the US as well as world-wide digital availability, but the content of the magazine will still retain “a truly Canadian perspective”.

Subscriptions to both the paper and digital versions of TAPS are available via the magazine’s website.

The following description of the book has been provided by Sandhill:

British Columbians like tastier beer, which is why about 25 years ago, a small revolution took place on the West Coast that resulted in the way we now drink beer. This guide explores the trend that triggered an explosion in start-ups of small, micro breweries and brewpubs all over the province. While the phenomenon is now prevalent across Canada, it all started in BC, where we’ve always been ahead of testing the boundaries of beer lovers’ taste-buds. Initially it was the brewpub that delivered on the demand for tastier beer by their patrons. This was soon followed by microbreweries making a product that differed from the standard brew made by the large breweries. There are now over 300 different beers brewed in BC.

Beers of British Columbia is a handy, full-colour guide that puts all those beers under the loupe, evaluates them and makes recommendations for the novice as well the experienced beer consumer. It comes with a glossary of beer terms and information on how to perform a proper tasting. Each beer is describe according to its content and taste experience accompanied by a full colour picture of the label. The book includes the history and description of about 55 breweries and brewpubs in three regions of BC: the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the south Central Interior. A cross-referenced index makes it easy to find a particular beer or brewery of which you will find a short history and great ideas on food-pairing with some of the specific beer types.

Beers of British Columbia will be available soon via online booksellers and at select book stores.