The Place to Be for Beer
Pedal to the metal, I’m on the road to Steel town. Home of the big Mac, the Ti-Cats and both Eugene Levy’s eyebrows. Hamilton, the city not the play, and here’s a toast to the host city with the most.
A funny thing about Hamilton is Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Martin Short are all from there. It is also home to McMaster University and the Hamilton Tigercats are their CFL team. They also have a number of craft brewers including Aquanova, Barrel Heart, Cliffords, Collective Arts, Fairweather, Grain & Grit, Merit, and Shawn & Ed to name a few.
What did they host you may be wondering. Well, it was a gathering of unconventional conventioneers the likes of which have not been seen since Brad and Janet attended the Transylvanian Convention of 75.*
*Editor’s Comment: For those under the age of 65 our reviewer is referring to the 1975 movie adapted from the play of the same name, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Yes it’s the Ontario Craft Brewers Association annual convention, where convention is thrown by the wayside for unique, crafty and creative brews and the interesting and fun people that brew them. It’s the best excuse for day drinking since they invented brunch. And if you aren’t careful, you may learn a thing or two while you’re there.
They really raised the bar for this event, and quite the bar it was. None of the usual suspects (you know who we mean), but lots of great Ontario Canada craft beers. What we at COMDB refer to as “the journey”.
OCBA President Scott Simmons kicked things off with a state of the union address. The theme of the conference was “Stronger Together” which reminded me of a recent Blood Brothers, Bellwoods collab Double IPA sampling. Over 100 breweries were represented at the conference and 600 brewery staff among the over 1.000 people in attendance, in what was the largest craft beer conference in Canada.
And the OCBA has been busy for their members. One big win was the 50% reduction in the basic beer tax to make beer more A-Ford-able.
Editor’s Comment: Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario is seen here doing a tap dance, and about to blow off some froth.
Last Call Analytics was the big sponsor, and they were there in numbers. Back in my day last call analytics was trying to figure out if we had enough cash left for a tray of draft at the Royal, and most times we were there to answer the call. These days it involves some high falutin’ mathematics (not arithmetic) with some AI (not A1) that will give you a brain cramp faster than three big scoops of Baskin Robbins.
Keynotes Unlock the Secrets to Success
The Keynote Speakers were top notch, A1 (not AI) and well chosen.
Kate Bernot from to Feel Goods Insights came all the way from Missoula Montana to join us. A fellow member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers, * she gave us an update and the lowdown as to what’s top of mind when it comes to the bottom line. As in what adult beverage buyers are buying. I only buy craft beer myself but it turns out I’m in the minority, because when it comes to your beverage of choice apparently for most consumers anything goes.
*Editor’s Comment: Yes there is such a Guild and yes, at Kate’s suggestion, our reviewer is now a member. This only confirms that they accept all kinds of beer writers, the very best like Kate and the rest, like our reviewer.
Kate Bernot is lead analyst at Feel Goods Insights where she uses her reporting background to develop content for Sightlines subscribers and leads panel discussions and industry roundtables about the future of beer and other alcohol categories. With more than 10 years of work across mass media, trade, and insights services, she’s routinely cited as the beer and beverage alcohol industry’s most prolific and impactful analyst. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Craft Beer & Brewing, and more.
The Steam Whistle team shared some stories about the brewer’s origins, successes and challenges, all valuable lessons learned the hard way. What we at COMDB call expensive education. But when all was said and done the brewer has come out on top, definitely a local success story.
Day 2 and right out of the gate, Jake Karls’ high energy, authentic and inspiring story telling was just what was needed for the morning after the evening before. After a sociable or two or more the evening before some of the crowd were singing The Orange Juice Blues * but he roused the rabble with a raucous keynote. Jake’s talk about Mid-Day Squares had me energized for a mid-day brewski, and that energy culminated in a visit to the bar.
*Editor’s Comment: “I had a hard time waking this morning….” For those of you under the age of 65 Richard Manuel of The Band wrote the song The Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast) and Dylan and The Band recorded it on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes.
Jake Karls is Co-founder and Chief Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares, the better-for-you chocolate snacking brand that turned a kitchen-table dream into a North American household name. Mid-Day Squares is leading the disruption of the chocolate industry.
Jake is recognized as a rising star in the business world. He’s currently a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year awards, lead the category for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for (Food and Beverage), and is featured as a regular contributor to media outlets across North America.
Raising The Bar(s)
Speaking of the bar, there were no coffee stout breaks but the bars (plural) opened at 10am, about the time I’m usually having my second cup of coffee, and Farmer Steve is having his second pot. You would have to cross the Atlantic to find that special 5 o’clock somewhere spot at 10AM our time, so I waited until noon to start my sampling. Plenty of intriguing crafts at the bar(s) and none of the boring big brewer brews. Made me feel at home, it reminded me of my beer fridge.
And behind the bars were students and faculty from Niagara College Teaching Brewing. Future brewers who served up lots of brews over the two days and I suspect sampled a few themselves (I know I would).
So many beers, so little time. The whole bar scene was a bit overwhelming for a one and done guy, so a few exceptions had to be made. From lite to dark, from chill to roused, some sampling was bound to occur and occur it did. The results are in and the reviews are posted. Second Wedge’s Rain Maker Porter was a dark desire of mine. Royal City’s Lite was alright. Stonehooker’s Chill Pils was ship shape, and we didn’t have to fight Tooth and Nail to sample their tasty Rabble Rouser.
Ale Sessions (not Session Ales)
The thirst for beer at the conference was accompanied by a thirst for knowledge. Sessions such as “Is the Beer Festival Dead”, “Pints to Politics” and “Tapped In” were just a few of the many information sessions going on during the conference. I skipped the cider talks, how do you like them apples!
A proud moment for us Cranky Old Men, once again topping the list of the top alcohol buyers in Ontario. Well done gentlemen.
On the Floor
The tradeshow floor had 114 exhibitionists hanging out at their booths. That didn’t sound quite right, did it?
From Abell to Zytho, suppliers of services and support to the industry were out in full force. Brew it, can it, keg it, label it, market it, insure it, finance it, analyze it, ship it, stock it, and something to pour it in. Just like a grand slam at bat, they had all the bases covered.
Sociables
Although the convention was a social event on its own, they did have some great evening events planned as a break from the conference floor consumption. However, being a flight risk, I am not allowed out at a bar after 8pm without adult supervision so I wasn’t able to attend.
I heard one of the big events was a Tattoo party. I thought that a Fantasy Island theme would make for a nice tropical setting, where’s the plane boss and all that.
Editor’s Comment: For those of you under the age of 65 what our reviewer is referring to is the 1978 TV Show Fantasy Island in which the characters Mr. Roarke and Tattoo welcome new visitors to the island each week.
But I came to learn it was for real tattoos, The kind of ink that could really get under your skin. That’s some hardcore partying in my books. I’ll pass on that action, no gramp stamps for me. Too many wrinkles, there’s a reason why no masterpieces have ever been painted on crepe paper. The only way I’m going to get inked is by a squid or a faulty Bic. Come to think of it, Squid would be a great nickname for a tattoo artist. I digress, often.
Brewing for a Cause
One thing I’ve seen in the craft beer industry, even though money is tight, the brewers always seem to step up for good causes. Case in point, ALES for ALS was front and center at the conference. The group brings awareness of ALS and supports research into the disease.
Editor’s Comment: Since 2013, ALES for ALS has been raising funds and awareness for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The international fund has raised over $10 Million to date for research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute.
Done and Dusted
A great conference, kudos to the organizers and to OCBA for the important work they do in a very tough industry, competing with the big guys. It’s almost like David versus Goliath and we all know how that turned out.
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