First released last fall in honour of the firefighters and emergency service workers who helped fight the fierce 2009 Okanagan Valley fires, the beer now pays tribute to those who fight all Canadian wildfires.

Wildfire is a black IPA described as “intensely dark and smooth” with “complex hops that rage through to the finish.” It’s available now in 650 ml bottles at the brewery, and in select liquor stores and bars & restaurants.

What does a hop-happy brewery get themselves for their ninth anniversary? A nine-megaton hop bomb that outdoes last year’s anniversary explosion of hops. Following in the footsteps of Phillips Crazy 8s Annu-ale, we’re happy to announce the coming of the 9 Donkeys of the Hopocalypse. “9 Donkeys?” you say? Well, the number nine refers not only to the different hops used in this perilous 9% brew (Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Hallertauer, Millenium, Palisade and Simcoe), but also to our ninth year of brewing and the Hopocalypse detonation level. The donkey part, well, we’re not sure exactly, but there sure are a few asses around the Phillips epicentre.

9 Donkeys of the Hopocalypse is available in 650ml bottles at at the brewery and select cold beer stores. A small amount has also been set aside for draught accounts, and for growlers at the brewery.

The announcement was made earlier this month during the 31st annual CCBA convention in Kitchener, Ontario. The award has been presented annually since 1983, and recognizes achievement in beer label design.

May Bock was launched by Barley Days Brewery as a seasonal beer in the spring of 2009. The striking label incorporates the detail of an oil painting by renowned artist Manly MacDonald (1889-1971). MacDonald grew up on a farm east of Belleville, Ontario, and gained fame for his many paintings of Prince Edward County scenes.

A high gravity pumpkin ale brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast. It is one of the local seasonal favourites. This beer is produced in very limited quantities each fall as part of the John Mitchell series.

As a malty spiced ale, it goes well with both savoury and sweet items. Try it with cheese, nuts, and of course pumpkin pie!

Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale is an 8% abv beer, and it will be released in 1L swingtop bottles next Wednesday, September 1st.

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

The winners, as selected by online voting by the general beer-drinking public, were as follows:

• Best Microbrewery in Ontario – Beau’s All-Natural Brewing Company, Vankleek Hill
• Best Brewery for Cask-Conditioned Ale in Ontario (presented in partnership with CASK!) – Granite Brewery, Toronto
• Best Bar for Draught Beer Selection in Ontario – C’est What, Toronto
• Best Bar for Bottled Beer Selection in Ontario – Bar Volo, Toronto
• Best Bar for Cask Ale in Ontario (presented in partnership with CASK!) – Bar Volo, Toronto
• Best Brewpub or Tied House in Ontario – Granite Brewery, Toronto
• Best Regularly-Produced Beer in Ontario – Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale, Vankleek Hill
• Best Seasonal or Specialty Beer in Ontario – Black Oak Ten Bitter Years, Toronto
• Best Cask Ale in Ontario (presented in partnership with CASK!) – Granite Hopping Mad, Toronto
• Best Beer of the Festival (based on votes at the event) – Church Key Black IPA, Campbellford

Four Editor’s Circle awards were also handed out, recognizing significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. The Editor’s Circle awards were determined by Enright and a panel of Bar Towel members and associates. They went to:

• Great Lakes Brewery for their Caskapalooza event at Toronto’s Festival of Beer
• Ralph Holm for his Drinkvine website
• Milos Kral for his beer program at Chancey Smith’s in London, ON
• Brian Morin and beerbistro for their many contributions to Toronto’s beer culture

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.

One of the perks of taking the “Best of Show” award at the competition is the chance to have your beer brewed for commercial release at Bushwakker, and this past week, the 2010 winner was tapped for the first time.

The winning beer is a Vanilla Porter created by Josh Hudson, a member of ALES. It will remain on tap at Bushwakker while quantities last.

VICTORIA, BC

Every ingredient used to craft this refreshing beer has travelled 24 miles or less from farm to brew kettle. First, water from the Sooke reservoir is blended with barley, grown and malted locally by Mike Doehnel. Then we added a pile of Cascade hops from Vic Davies Saanich farm and fresh blueberries from Farmer Phil. All this deliciousness was activated by Yeast Wrangler Ben’s unique house-strain of ale yeast and you are off to the flavour races. You might want a bib for this one, as there is a certain shirt-staining potential from all those berries.

In keeping with the local theme, Twenty-Four Mile Blueberry Pail Ale is available only a select beer stores in Victoria, as well as at the brewery.

“The Moose & Mountie SpecTAPular” will feature 19 Quebec beers on tap at both locations, with the support of the Canadian Government allowing them to offer the beers at a reasonable price.

The event kicks off on Sautrday August 14th, and the following beers will be available:

Dieu du Ciel!
Rosée D’hibiscus (Hibiscus flavoured wheat)
Corne du Diable (IPA)
Peche Mortel (Coffee Imperial Stout)
Blanche du Paradis (Wit)
Charbonniere (Smoked Ale)
Dernière volonté (Dry hopped Belgian-style blond)
Aphrodisiaque (Cocoa and Vanilla Stout)

Les Trois Mousquetaires
Weizen Impériale
Doppelbock
Kellerbier

Le Trou du Diable
Morsure (IPA)
La Chose (India Wee-heavy)
Impératrice (Imperial Stout)
Buteuse (Belgian-style Tripel)
Baron Noir (Baltic Porter)

Le Bilboquet
Larchange (Hefeweizen)
Métayer Brune (Brown Ale)
MacKroken Flower (Scotch Ale)
L’Affriolante (Honey and Spice Ale)