BlogTO and beer

I came across a couple of good stories this past week from BlogTO that are recommended reading for beer enthusiasts in the Toronto area, says moi.

The first will appeal not just to beer lovers, but also lovers of business history. The Rise of Large-Scale Beer Brewing in Toronto is about the rise of mega-brewers like Molson and Labatt and EP Taylor’s Canadian Breweries. EP Taylor had a nasty habit of buying up breweries, firing their employees and consolidating the breweries. The big brewers of the day gave the post-war drinker something mild and simple, which the consumers wanted. Beer was moved out of craft brewing and into mass production in Canada.

The other article is The Best Places to Drink a Pitcher of Beer in Toronto. This list is very impressive and of places in Toronto that are usually inexpensive and offer a good selection of beer, rather than places you go to look cool or look like a hipster douchebag (No, Now Magazine. Ronnie’s isn’t the best patio downtown. That being said, I like their selection of beer).

Now Magazine’s Ultimate Beer Guide

As a pull-out bonus section, NOW Magazine included the Ultimate Beer Guide in this week’s edition.

I’m not a big fan of NOW and am often critical of its smart-ass hipster writing. I was ready to tell you all the things I hate about this guide here, but I cannot. I sat down and looked through the guide and was impressed.  Their list of bars to go beer tasting was impressive. There are a couple of places that could have been added, but there’s only so much space. There are no glaring omissions. The bars on the list really are places to go drink beer and not places to look like the coolest hipster douchebag. A few places I have not tried and will after reading this.

Also included is an interesting list of take-out and beer pairings, a list of beer gear (innovative holders, coolers, etc.) and a small list of beer festivals.

Toward the back there is a Canada vs. the World showdown where Canadian-made beers are compared to their international counterpart. The Canadian beers didn’t fare so well in head-to-head battles. Some decisions I agreed with, some I did not, but we could debate these things forever. The one decision I felt was a serious snub was the category of lager and Lowenbrau defeating Cameron’s. But I’m sure everyone who has passion for beer may very well feel there was a serious snub somewhere else. Passion will always lead to heated debate.

But this little guide (20 pages) was an interesting read for a beer lover. Well done, NOW. I won’t have anything bad to say about you until next Thursday.