August 20th, 2010
ROCHESTER, NY – North American Breweries (NAB), the company that owns the rights to distribute Labatt products in the U.S., has announced that they will soon be contracting Labatt’s main competitor, Molson Coors, to brew such iconic brands as Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light for the American market.
This strange arrangement stems from the 2008 merger of American brewing giant Anheuser-Busch with Labatt’s parent company InBev. As one of the terms of the merger being approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, the company was forced to sell off Labatt USA. NAB purchased the subsidiary in 2009, with the further stipulation that they would move brewing from Labatt to another Canadian brewery within three years.
In a statement, NAB president Rich Lozyniak says that they “analyzed our options, which included buying or building a brewery, and contract brewing. There is a lot of brewing capacity in Canada so we chose to pursue a partnership, which frees up capital that we can invest in our brands.”
Further analysis of the unique situation, including comments from representatives of Labatt and Molson, is provided by Josh Rubin in today’s Toronto Star.
Categories:Brewery News· National
August 6th, 2010
CALGARY, AB – Big Rock Brewery and WestJet Airlines have announced that Big Rock Grasshöpper wheat ale is now available on all WestJet flights that offer bar service.
WestJet has supported local food businesses for some time, offering sandwiches and wraps from popular local delis and restaurants across the country as part of their buy on board menu. This partnership marks the first time that a regional brewery is represented in their beverage selection.
Grasshöpper is available for $6 a can on all WestJet flights of 2 hours or greater, with Molson Canadian and Coors Light being the other two beer options.
Categories:Alberta· Brewery News· National
July 27th, 2010
DUNCAN, BC – The Cowichan Valley Citizen reports that the Craig Street Brew Pub in Duncan, BC has been given approval to expand operations into a nearby building and develop it into a bottling microbrewery, bakery and catering operation.
Owner Lance Steward tells the paper that he “hopes to break ground on the operation by fall, and be selling beer in about four months.”
Steward initially plans to bottle and sell the four regular beers from the brewpub line-up – Arbutus Pale Ale, Cowichan Bay Lager, Mt. Prevost Porter and Shawnigan Irish Ale – and may add others to the line-up later.
In terms of jobs, the report notes that “Steward expects to put three new employees in the brewery, another in the bakery, and as many as six or seven new employees in the catering business, depending on how rapidly it grows.”
Categories:Brewery News· Brewpub News· British Columbia
July 23rd, 2010
VERNON, BC – The Globe & Mail, CTV News and the Vernon Morning Star have reported that a fermentation tank exploded yesterday afternoon at the Okanagan Spring Brewery in Vernon.
It’s speculated that a small crack in the tank combined with a build up of carbon dioxide may have caused the accident, which saw over 32 thousand litres of beer lost. The force of the explosion blew through an aluminum loading door, and much of the beer escaped into the adjoining parking lot and road where a rainstorm washed most of it into the sewers.
Aside from one minor hand injury, no one was seriously injured in the incident, which also shattered several hundred bottles inside the plant.
While the articles don’t mention the brand of beer being brewed at the time, it’s noted as being “cream beer”, so it was likely a batch of Sleeman Cream Ale which is brewed at the Okanagan Spring facility for distribution in western Canada.
Categories:Beer in the Media· Brewery News· British Columbia
June 22nd, 2010
SURREY, BC – As first reported in February, Bear Republic Brewery of Healdsburg, California filed a lawsuit against Central City Brewing alleging that Central City’s Red Racer brand constituted trademark infringement on their Racer 5 IPA and Red Rocket Ale brands.
The original complaint was lodged in January, followed by a series of responses and motions between the two breweries in the following months. The case was reviewed by Robert B. Collings, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court in Massachusetts, and earlier this month Judge Collings issued a ruling denying Bear Republic’s motion for an injunction against Central City.
The full ruling can be read a leagle.com, but it is summed up neatly in Judge Collings’ conclusion:
After carefully weighing the relevant factors, the Court concludes that Bear Republic has failed to show a likelihood of success in establishing that Central City’s RED RACER mark infringes the RACER 5 or RED ROCKET marks. At best, Bear Republic has presented evidence that would permit a finding of a similarity of goods, trade and advertising channels, prospective customers, as well as a finding that RACER 5 is a strong mark. The remaining factors, in particular the similarity of the marks analysis, persuade the Court that Bear Republic would not be likely to succeed on the merits of the claim. Consideration of the marks in their entirety and the way in which a typical consumer would encounter the products in the marketplace does not support a finding of likelihood of confusion.
Categories:Brewery News· British Columbia
June 7th, 2010
VANKLEEK HILL, ON – Beau’s All Natural Brewing, a family-run brewery founded by father-and-son team Tim and Steve Beauchesne, has been awarded the 2010 Canadian Family Enterprise Of The Year Award by the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFE).
Beau’s first became aware of CAFE last fall when they were invited to speak at the Ottawa chapter about their experience as a successful family-run business. They subsequently won the Ottawa chapter’s annual award in February, which in turn led to their nomination and win for the national award, which was announced and handed out an a ceremony in Regina on May 28th.
For more information, see Steve’s blog post and an article covering the event in the Regina Leader-Post.
Categories:Brewery News· Ontario
June 5th, 2010
ST. JOHN, NB - The New Brunswick Business Journal reports that Moosehead Breweries are developing a new flavoured light beer to complement their popular Moosehead Light Lime, although it has yet to be announced what the flavour will be.
According to the article, the beer and all related packaging and branding is being developed on a shorter than usual timeline:
Moosehead typically spends six months to a year developing a new product, but this summer it’s hoping five to six weeks will be enough.
The company is planning to launch a flavoured light beer by the end of June, which means a compressed timeline for everything from discussions with the liquor corporation to marketing, packaging and design decisions. Not to mention the small matter of choosing a flavour and brewing the actual beer.
An announcement regarding the flavour of the beer and other details is expected later this month.
Categories:Brewery News· New Brunswick
June 4th, 2010
SURREY, BC – Business in Vancouver reports that Surrey’s Central City Brewing has found a unique way to keep their brewing equipment and canning line in use while waiting for batches of beer to ferement: They’re starting to produce botanical teas.
Owner Darryll Frost told Business in Vancouver late Wednesday that his company plans to launch a line of botanical teas that will keep both his canning line and his workers busy while they wait for beer to ferment.
“The tea will be produced in the same vessels as our beer. We’ll do a 40 hectolitre batch of each of the three teas,” Frost said.
No word on when the first batch of Central City teas – to be sold under the Veritéa brand – will be available, or how and where they will be distributed.
Categories:Brewery News· British Columbia
June 1st, 2010
BAYSVILLE, ON – As first reported last September, Lake of Bays Brewing opened in Muskoka on Victoria Day weekend, and launched their inaugural beer, Lake of Bays Pale Ale.
The brewery describes the beer as follows:
Our Pale Ale is light in colour, but don’t let that fool you — this beer has flavour enough to satisfy even the most demanding connoisseur (known in the industry as a “beer geek”). A beautiful, slightly sweet malt flavour, with just a hint of roasted grains, is balanced by medium hop bitterness and fresh citrus notes from our premium imported hops. An amber-coloured ale for beer drinkers of all stripes.
Lake of Bays Pale Ale is currently available in bottles and kegs at the brewery, as well as at select bars and restaurants, and will soon be available at LCBO outlets throughout the Muskoka region.
Categories:Beer Releases· Brewery News· Ontario
May 22nd, 2010
EDMONTON, AB – Edmonton’s newest microbrewery, Yellowhead Brewing, was officially opened this past Wednesday May 19th, and in honour of an ancient brewing tradition, Reverend Neil Gordon of All Saints Cathedral was brought in to bless the brewery in exchange for the traditional payment of four pints.
Owned by Leon Hunter and located in the space that once held the now defunct Maverick Brewing, Yellowhead shares the name of Edmonton’s first brewery which was founded in 1894 and named for the Yellowhead Pass, a mountain pass used by early settlers to travel from Alberta to the BC interior.
The first Yellowhead brew is Yellowhead Premium Lager, a Helles-style beer inspired by the training taken by brewmaster Scott Harris at Doemens Technicum in Munich, Germany. The beer is currently available exclusively on draught, but should be available in bottles later in the summer.
Categories:Alberta· Beer Releases· Brewery News
