Brewers Journal Canada - ISSUE 30 | 2023

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CANADIAN BREWING INDUSTRY

BREWERS J O U R N A L

C A N A D A

ISSUE 30 | 2023 ISSN 2398-6948

CAMP BEER CO

Stepping into the great outdoors in Langley, British Columbia

26 | BEER COMPETITIONS: THE INSIDE TRACK

30 | ATEEPIC: CRAFT AND THE CLUBHOUSE

44 | LA CERVECERIA: CULINARY CREATIONS IN BC

ON TO THE NEXT ONE

LEADER

CELEBRATING CANADIAN BREWING EXCELLENCE!

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W

ell it has been a year, hasn’t it? In the Canadian brewing sector, like many of its industry peers across the globe, there have been challenges and hurdles to overcome.

As the market for quality, independent beer matures, like many similar industries, growth will often slow and we will also sadly see some closures, too.

And as the brewing landscape continues to transform and evolve, we need to be both proactive and reactive when it comes to business. A cursory glance at figures from Statista released in 2023 showed, perhaps, what we already know. Sales have declined as consumers gravitate towards other alcoholic beverages and also educe their overall alcohol consumption.

According to the latest figures available on the online data platform, Ontario was the province with the largest amount of breweries, 269 in 2022. But despite having the most breweries, Statista said Ontario was not the leading province in terms of beer consumption. In fact, they report, Ontario was second to last, with only Nunavut having lower consumption.

To develop that future, despite recording the lowest consumption, dollar sales of beer actually increased in Nunavut in

2022. Yukon had a per capita sales volume of 94.7 liters in 2021, well over the national average of 68 liters. And in terms of weekly beer consumption, Statista said this translated to 5.6 standard drinks for Yukon, compared to the national average of 3.7.

But while we wait on newer figures, especially in this dynamic period of change, it’s important to recognise and remember what makes this industry great. And that’s the brilliant breweries and the equally brilliant people behind them.

With that in mind, we want you to join us on a delightful evening this January.

Why? The Canadian Brewers Choice Awards Presentation Dinner, of course!

On Wednesday January 31st, we will celebrate excellence in Canadian breweries of all shapes and sizes. Some are new and some are older, but we aim to keep building a bright future for the brewing industry by empowering brewers who proudly stand behind their creations, and to highlight their achievements.

We are thrilled to unveil that we have partnered with the MBAA Ontario Chapter and will be hosting the Official 2023 CBCAs Presentation Dinner during the annual MBAA District Ontario Technical Conference on January 31st, 2023 at the Pillar & Post Inn & Spa set amidst the enchanting backdrop of Niagara-On-TheLake. You won’t want to miss this grand celebration of Canadian brewing excellence! Produced by the team from Brewers Journal Canada.

We hope to see you then, and best of luck to all those up for awards!

Tim Sheahan Editor

ISSUE 30 | 2023

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ISSUE 30 | 2023

CONTENTS

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Comment | Red & Amber Beer Styles

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Why marketing is the key to success when it comes to your red and amber brews Focus | Craft Beer Industry Quality control and how you can navigate the shifting tides of the craft beer sector Comment | Your Guide To Entering Brewing Competitions

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A winning brew: how you can succeed in the complex landscape of national beer competitions Advertorial | Optimizing Brewery Hygiene

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Why ACO Group’s stainless steel drains offer long-term durability and efficiency Meet The Brewer | La Cerveceria

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How La Cerveceria of British Columbia is crafting culture through culinary creations Comment | Latvia Beer in the Baltics

Meet The Brewer | Camp Beer Co. The Cabin And The Craft How the owners of Camp Beer Co in Langley, BC have brought the beauty of the great outdoors inhouse

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Insight | Hard Tea First Key Consulting on why hard tea remains a diversification opportunity for brewers

CONTACTS Tim Sheahan Editor tim@brewersjournal.ca +44 (0)1442 780 592 Jakub Mulik Staff photographer Johnny Leung Canada Partnerships johnny@brewersjournal.ca Richard Piotrowski Publisher Richard@brewersjournal.ca

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Meet The Brewer | Ateepic Microbrasserie Appeals To Everyone, Golfers Too

Magdalena Lesiuk Graphic Design GraphMad@gmail.com

At Ateepic in beautiful Edmunston, New Brunswick, the worlds of golf and craft beer collide

Nicholas Hendrickson Contributor Jason Murray Contributor CFJ Media 2275 Upper Middle Rd E #101, Oakville, ON L6H 0C3

SUBSCRIPTIONS The Brewers Journal Canada is a quarterly magazine mailed every Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Subscriptions can be purchased for four or eight issues. Prices for single issue subscriptions or back issues can be obtained by emailing: johnny@brewersjournal.ca

38 Innovation and community Macaloney’s Island Distillery & TWA Dogs Brewery

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be: reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The Brewers Journal Canada ISSN 2398-6948 is part of Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 1PA. It is published quarterly in Canada by CFJ Media, 2275 Upper Middle Rd E #101, Oakville, ON L6H 0C3, Canada. Subscription records are maintained at CFJ Media, 2275 Upper Middle Rd E #101, Oakville, ON L6H 0C3, Canada. The Brewers Journal accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or opinion given within the Journal that is not the expressly designated opinion of the Journal or its publishers. Those opinions expressed in areas other than editorial comment may not be taken as being the opinion of the Journal or its staff, and the aforementioned accept no responsibility or liability for actions that arise therefrom.

COMMENT

RED & AMBER BEER STYLES A RECONSIDERATION OF RED & AMBERS

IN THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF CRAFT BREWING, THE TRADITION OF CATEGORIZING BEERS

BY COLOR PERSISTS AS A POWERFUL MARKETING TOOL. JOURNEYING THROUGH EASTERN CANADA, STEFAN GAGLIARDI FROM BREW CULTURE DISCOVERED THAT THE SUCCESS OF RED AND AMBER BEERS OFTEN HINGES ON STRATEGIC NAMING AND MARKETING RATHER THAN FLAVOR COMPLEXITY.

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n the simpler times of brewing, preand-early North American craft beer boom, referring to a beer by its colour was standard practice. A practice that continues to this day that I want to dig into and highlight as a tool to make beers that will satisfy the brewers soul while having the potential of being a high volume brand.

of flavours they can expect, and I think it’s time we revisit the concept of what a Red and Amber can taste like. They can be brewed-to-style, or a loose interpretation of a style only limited by a brewer’s creativity. With the right marketing energy behind a Red or an Amber, a brewery can create a successful flagship brand that is both delicious and cost efficient.

As I travel Eastern Canada chatting with brewers, I’ve had the luxury of tasting an array of delicious red and amber beers.

For some brewers they sell well and for others they don’t.

Those that have found more success are dropping the traditional beer style names in favour of using two simple words: Red or Amber.

What I’ve come to realize is the Describing beers by colour has led to discriminating a wide spectrum of beer styles represented by common worlds like Red and factor is often Amber and has created geographical expectations that depend on the most not flavour or popular beers of a particular region. In the early days of craft beer in Canada, quality but the big breweries did a wonderful job capitalizing on very quaffable red and rather the amber beers. The merits of these liquids can be debated and is likely to start a bar naming and fight amongst beer geeks due to their simplicity but in retrospect, I believe that marketing simplicity allowed for drinkability and was a necessity to achieve mass com- of the beer.” mercial appeal.

Stefan Gagliardi, In today’s market, beer consumers have a better understanding of the spectrum Brew Culture BREWERS JOURNAL CANADA

The beers I want to focus on within this colour profile are the easy drinking, quaffable, pintable, approachable, introduction-to-craft-beer-styles. They can be lagers or ales, have moderate alcohol levels but most importantly are balanced and modest in flavour intensity. A quick skim through the BJCP styles yields an extensive list of classics: International Amber Lager, Czech Amber Lager, Oktoberfest (pre-70s), Marzen, Vienna Lager, Altbier, Ordinary Bitter, Best Bitter, Strong Bitter, Scottish Light, Scottish Heavy, Scottish Export, Irish Red, Dark Mild, American Amber Ale, California Common, and Kentucky Common.

Malt is one of the dominant flavours in this beer style. The first big question is what base malt to use. For economic reasons it makes sense to try and use the house base malt complemented by other base malts and specialty malts. Vienna malt, Munich malt, Maris Otter, or Northern Spring; exploring malts from different geographical regions and using specific barley varieties can be a great way to make a Red or Amber stand out from the crowd. Barley variety is something we don’t talk enough about but it has the same capacity to create unique flavours that a hop variety does.

I will reiterate my statement that less is more and recommend keeping the grain One can choose to go 100% with any of the bill to no more base malts listed above to create a new This exhaustive list allows for a lot of free- flavour within their offerings while reduc- than 4 or 5 grains. dom recipe-wise, but these names often ing the amount of specialty malts in the aren’t contributors to commercial success recipe to achieve a similar flavour differ- This allows outside of the well-timed seasonal taproom entiation. Careful consideration of malt in offering despite often being the beer brew- inventory while designing new recipes can a brewer to ers are most excited about. By highlighting help reduce overall malt inventory while the key ingredients that dominate the fla- simplifying the ordering and inventory showcase the vour spectrum in these beer styles, I hope management processes. ingredients to demonstrate that a brewery doesn’t need to compromise when brewing a Red The base malt can be the highlight or the chosen and leaves or Amber and can in fact gain efficiencies supporting flavour, but it will need help and reduce costs across the brewing oper- from specialty malts to get the colour room for the other ation through careful recipe development and flavour profile right. Finding the right balance of low to moderate levels of spe- ingredients and proper house yeast strain selection. to balance out the act,” Stefan Gagliardi, Brew Culture

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cialty malt flavours is key. Balance, drinkability, and colour are the goals and less is more when it comes to creating that magic in this beer category.

An often-forgotten category of malts that can provide unique flavours is melanoidin malt; longer kilned malts that result in darker colours and more Maillard flavours.

These malts can range from 15˚ L to 115˚ L in colour with the darker version often being a highlight of a maltsters catalogue.

Think of this category of malt as a boosted version of Munich malt.

Since they get their colours over long periods of time at lower temperatures in the kiln, the toasted character is richer and less harsh than similar coloured malts that go through the roasting process. When working with caramel and crystal malts, I lean towards choosing one or two at most, having too many types of caramel malts in a recipe can often create a muted flavour profile and be cloying.

The other type of malts that can play an interesting role in these beers are amber

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and brown malts. Both these go through a light roasting process and can provide depth to the cereal flavour profile without the sweetness associated with caramel and crystal malts. Not to be overlooked, the darkest of dark malts can make an appearance in these styles as well.

Chocolate malt, black malt and roasted barley can be added in small quantities to adjust the colour of the beer without impacting flavour. Consider this, you can brew a true-to-style Irish Red Ale using only base malt and roasted barley. Dark malts can impart overwhelming flavours sometimes, one method to control this and reduce the extraction of harsh flavours is to add them after mash conversion, a process employed by many European dark lager brewers.

These darker malts will also have an impact on pH and mouthfeel. A great way to adjust mouthfeel is by adding malted or flaked adjuncts such as oats, wheat, barley, etc. As you can see, there are lots of options to create a diverse malt flavour profile within this colour range.

When designing the grain bill, consider what flavours you want to achieve, which style you want to draw inspiration from and design the recipe to achieve that flavour goal.

The last note on malt and colour is the highly debated question of how to get a red beer as opposed to a copper or brown beer. For this, there’s plenty of brewery folklore and anecdotes as well as malts that are marketed with the word red in them. The only published evidence I have found that provides any insight on this is a very quick line in MALT A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse by John Mallett where he states that red hues can be associated with higher protein levels in green malt.

Hops take a supporting role in this category and the goal is to use restraint to achieve balance or style guidelines.

Unless you are going for a more hop forward style like a Bitter or an American Amber Ale classic hops like Magnum and Fuggle will suffice; however, my personal preferences lean towards

BREWERS JOURNAL CANADA

using hops that have pine, cedar, earthy and wood flavour as these provide complimentary flavours to the those of the malt. To achieve balance, the bitterness level needs to be in line with the final gravity. This category can handle between 20 and 30 BU, anything outside this range could impact drinkability and balance.

The main reason this beer category is exciting to me is because it provides an opportunity to create a liquid that can produce enough house yeast to brew an entire catalogue of beer should a brewery choose to go down this route. Yeast can be leveraged to create a house character that makes a brewery’s beer stand out from the crowd. House character is not limited to aroma and flavour but also includes mouthfeel components such as roundness and dryness.

For former and the later are both affected by the chemical compounds a yeast releases during fermentation as well as its attenuation range.

If a house yeast is managed properly,

aroma, flavour and mouthfeel parameters can be adapted to each recipe to produce a unique profile while providing significant cost savings through a yeast management program.

Without going through the exhaustive list I pulled from White Labs and Lallemand, I counted over 20 strains that could be suitable for both this category of beers and as house yeast strains.

The top sellers like WLP001 California Ale Yeast® and LalBrew Nottingham™ provide proven consistent results but for brewers that want to develop a yeast program around a unique yeast strain, here are three selections from the White Labs catalogue that can set your brewery apart: The final piece of the puzzle is the water profile for these beer styles. This is going to be unique to each specific style, recipe, and brewery water source. This is an article in itself! The best advice I can offer here is to read the books, apply the basics and perform recipe adjustments to water parameters based on sensory analysis.

The Yeast Frontier: Exploring Flavour Horizons WLP013 London Ale Yeast

A workhorse yeast that provides consistent results. With an attenuation range from 68% to 75% and medium flocculation, this yeast produces dry beers while adding malt complexity and a unique oak-ester profile. This yeast would be great for a true to style or hybrid Bitter.

WLP860 Munich Lager Yeast

A clean fermenter, with moderate attenuation. This traditional lager strain allows brewers to produce some of the most drinkable Reds and Ambers on the market with malty balanced profiles. With the right characteristics to brew smooth, clean lagers your local town red lager will be hard to turn down.

WLP090 San Diego Super Ale Yeast

Can I just say: “I love efficiency.” This yeast might be a bit less unique in flavour profile than the other two picks but makes up for it in efficiency. A neutral and quick fermenter, this yeast is better suited for the hop-forward brewery that likes dry beer thanks to the higher attenuation that ranges from 76% to 83%. This yeast is a perfect fit for American Amber Ale, California Common and Irish Red Ale all while being able to keep an IPA and strong beer program on course.

This article scratches the surface of the Red and Amber beer category re-imagined as a flagship beer for today’s market. The hope is that this inspires brewers to ask questions and find ingredients that can help them produce beers that can be economical, exciting to brew and popular with consumers.

Check out the Culture section on BREWCULTURE.COM for detailed sample recipes that put into application some of the ingredients and style profiles discussed in this article.

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INDUSTRY

NAVIGATING THE SHIFTING TIDES IN THE CRAFT BEER INDUSTRY

FOCUS

IN THE MIDST OF THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF THE CRAFT BEER INDUSTRY, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO DISSECT THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE RESHAPING THE PLAYING FIELD. AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF ANTON PAAR, LARS KURANDTJAEGER OFFERS AN HONEST PERSPECTIVE, SHAPED BY EXTENSIVE ENGAGEMENTS ACROSS THE BREWING AND BEVERAGE SPECTRUM.

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efore I dive into the topic, I would like to provide insight into my background. I work for Anton Paar. Therefore, I am biased, but I am honest about it.

My opinion is based on the information gathered through countless meetings with business partners or other players within the brewing and beverage industry; from coast to coast, whether small or big, that either myself or my team has conducted.

Said meetings involve beverage producers themselves, canning line suppliers, researchers, brew house suppliers and so on.

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NOW, LET’S GET TO IT: It seems like the party is over. Over years we saw a tremendous growth in the craft beer industry. New breweries popping up frequently like mushrooms, while other breweries have been expanding – getting their own canning lines, adding tanks, beefing up quality control. Many brewery owners started brewing in their basement for themselves and friends. The hobby became a passion, which became a business.

That is the story of hundreds of craft breweries in Canada.

Those days are behind us for now. To add some beef to it: In Ontario, mobile canning dropped to less than 50% of capacity in 2023, Vessel just stopped mobile canning all together. Our business with the craft breweries is taking a deep dive.

Other players that are based in Canada and support the craft industry switched their focus completely to our southern neighbor. Taking a look at used brewery equipment, one can get used tanks, brew houses, canning lines for excellent prices as producers are closing their doors.

The general trends are (fall 2023) that the Atlantic region seems to do better on average than all other provinces (which is surprising to me). When it comes to correlating business problems with brewery size, it can be simplified with: the smaller the brewery the bigger the financial issues.

Why is the industry not doing well? Where is that divide in size coming from? Let me provide my assessment and my opinion of what the future holds.

HOME-GROWN AND EXTERNAL CHALLENGES While some challenges stem from external circumstances, others are homemade. I will start with the ones that are out of the control of the breweries.

Cost - One major challenge is the increasing cost of beer production, from start to finish: malt, CO2, labor, tax basically everything.

Taxes – certainly a potato. In times where sales are down, increasing tax is hurting the industry a lot, in particular as this is something the government controls and therefore could simply be stopped, different than many of the other cost increases.

Having that said, at least small breweries pay less tax than big players, see (1). Also, on some level, government officials are weighing in.

Raw materials - Prices for malt has increased more than 35% in the last 20 months. There was a massive shortage of CO2 in between in certain areas, but even after that issue was resolved, cost of CO2 has also massively increased.

Labour: The industry faces at least two challenges: cost for labour went up significantly over the last years, following infla-

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tion to a certain degree. But even if breweries are willing to pay, they often struggle to find skilled staff at all. Frankly speaking, many people are leaving the breweries and going to other industries that pay more or the jobs are more attractive. We had conversations with clients about automation that were purely driven by shortage of skilled labor.

The only thing that did not follow the increase in cost to make beer in the last years is the price of beer for the consumer. Since beginning of Covid, inflation averaged in the area of 5% (and spiked over 8% in between), while prices for food went up even more, see malt. While the majority of Canadians did see wage increases, for many of them it did not keep up with price increases of essential goods, such as housing, energy and food.

While increase in cost to make beer since 2020 might justify a price increase of beer of more than 40%, breweries are stuck between a rock and a hard place: increase price to compensate for increased cost - which will decrease sales volume massively – or keep prices (al-

It might be a coincidence (and I do not know all of the breweries in Canada) but the ones that I am aware of that are in trouble have limited quality control, and the ones that are doing well have a quality program in place,” Lars Kurandt-Jaeger, Anton Paar brewersjournal.ca

which enables consumer retention.

One may or may not like Budweiser or Molson. However, no matter where one buys their products, they always taste the same, whether in Toronto, Paris or Tokyo. As a consumer, I will accept a way-too-hoppy lager only so often before I move on to another brand.

most) flat with the effect to produce with little to no profit, in many cases it would be below cost.

Let’s move on to home-grown road blocks.

The quality and consistency of the product is a major issue for small producer. It is no secret that the quality control equipment of big brewing companies, such as Labatt, Molson or Sleeman, costs more than a complete small craft brewery including brewhouse, fermenters, BBT, chiller and canning line.

I cannot sugar-coat it, a lab with staff does not come cheap. As small craft breweries are often operated out of passion, the head brewer (often owner), puts all his love in the product when making it; whilst the big guys are razor-sharp focused on one thing only: profit. If that is the case, why do they put so much money into the QC department that does not make any money? Superior quality control saves a ton of money on the following:

Avoiding call-backs. While many small breweries might have never experienced this, a call-back is a very pricey issue which involves: getting the product off the shelf, collecting, dumping it, pay a fine, suffer revenue and reputation losses. Callbacks could come from exploding/ buckled cans, spoiled product, product out of specification that is regulated (ABV).

Avoiding shipping a bad product. Depending on the analysis, bad products can be caught before they are shipped, saving a loss or reputation, fine, collecting it throughout the province. I have seen questionable products still being sold after lab tests have shown it has major issues (too high CO2, ABV out of spec, way too much DO, etc.).

More efficient use of raw materials.

Malt and yeast are natural raw materials which underly fluctuations in their properties. Therefore, when following the same recipe – amount of malt, yeast, aeration, water, temperature – each brew will vary. If the big guys make a beverage, most if not all products are blended to target. Products made from small batch craft breweries can easily deviate 0.3% in ABV and often beyond that.

If a product comes in higher in ABV than advertised, the producer is giving away product for free.

Avoid losing customers. I know lots of beer-drinkers that became disappointed by certain breweries too often and now do not buy their products anymore. This is a very important aspect. Quality control enables producing a consistent product

I admit that having a million dollar lab makes no sense for a brewery with 1K hectoliter a year. Having that said – one can start small - pH, microscope, digital density meter, CO2, DO,…step by step. Below a certain size, using an external lab is a good idea.

Another challenge that can be managed by the beverage producer is the type of product being produced. Many younger Canadians do not drink beer as much as older generations – I guess I need to count me in here - but rather prefer to consume RTDs, mocktails or non-alcoholic beer instead. If this market is not served by breweries, they will miss out.

Quite a few breweries have started making RTDs and some also mocktails. There is certainly a lot of room for many other to tap into this market. In particular when it comes to new products, craft brewers have a huge strength: agility. New products can be developed quickly whereas in huge companies this takes more time – getting marketing, sales, every player on the same page and executing accordingly is usually not done in a week. For the small producers, a new product can sometimes be on the market in just 3 weeks.

A WAY OUT? If one follows my line of argumentation above, the way out is clear.

Establishing quality control to ensure a consistent product. If the freshly brewed pilsener tastes like an IPA, it can not be sold. Clients will reward producers that provide consistent products.

To get a handle on the labor issue, automation is key. Getting a de-palletizer and reduce labor requirement during packaging. Use faster canning lines.

Automation in the making of a beverage before packaging has multiple appeals:

It reduces labor.

It provides quality monitoring.

It increases other efficiencies.

Let me provide some examples, 2 that are very budget friendly and one that involves a bigger investment.

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Other smaller breweries will expand, invest in operation technologies, quality control, marketing and

sales. This will allow them to produce at lower cost and give them wiggle room when it comes to pricing • their product.

Also entering new markets (mocktails, RTD, non-alcoholic beer) will help • them build their brand outside of their traditional market. If they play their cards well, • they will do well,”

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Brewhouse automation. How is one deciding when to stop lautering? By experience (I hear that a lot from small producers)? Sightglass? By volume? The perfect way would be to automatically stop transferring once wort basically becomes water – the sugar concentration drops below a certain level. Depending on the current SOP, one can save up to 5% in yield. While the increase in yield – more wort for the same amount of malt – might not be dramatic, this capex is small.

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Interface detection. When packaging, what is the current process when switching product? A sight glass might be a very poor indicator if one pushes one blonde beer with another.

By dumping a certain amount without measuring, it is possible that either one dumps too much product or packages product that is not in specification. A sensor, as close to the filler as possible, can minimize the amount that needs to be dumped. Depending on the line/hose size and pump speed, savings greater than 50l are possible for each interface: beer/beer or beer/water. Also, the sensor acts as additional quality control, it can be monitored (and documented) exactly what is pumped to the filler.

Inline blending and carbonation.

Let’s start with carbonation. Every beer needs to be carbonated. The cheapest option in terms of capital investment is doing it in a bright tank. A carbonation stone and maybe a controller for CO2 flow is all it takes. Therefore, why switch to inline carbonation?

Time savings. Carbonation in tanks takes time, many hours. Carbonation in the line is instant – beer going into the skid with 1% CO2, coming out on the other end with 2.6%. Zero waiting time. It enables carbonating more beer in the same amount of time which means the same number of tanks can produce more beer.

Labour savings. The higher quality carbonation units are automated.

One simply needs to input the target carbonation level - that is all.

A CO2 sensor will verify that the required amount of CO2 is injected and the built-in PLC will adjust it on the fly. No manual testing and adjusting is required.

Quality control. The sensor measures the CO2 and some skids have the capability to save it. The QC team can evaluate the data later on or on-the-fly during packaging, no manual interaction required.

Massive CO2 savings. Using inline carbonation, one can skip using a bright tank. The setup can be: fermenter – (optional centrifuge/filtration) - inline carbonation – small buffer tank – packaging. A brewery uses 30-50% (depending on tank size) of the CO2 that is being used for bright tank purging. If the bright tank can be bypassed, it does not need to get purged.

Space savings. As bright tanks are not required anymore, that space becomes available for e.g. more fermenters.

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No out-of-spec packaging for CO2 concentration. As it is carbonated on the fly and measured, no stratification can happen and out-of-spec packaging is history.

Those skids can come with an option for inline blending, too. How does that help? When brewing beer, one aims to get a certain ABV at the end. As described above, the results will fluctuate.

Inline blending can automatically blend the product to target if it is above target.

In fact, many bigger breweries intentionally target a higher ABV in their fermenters which gives them the capability to prevent undershoot; they always blend to target. That ends up in a higher yield of the finished product and depending on the variation before, a 5% increase is possible.

The (only?) option for the beverage producer to make all of this happen is to grow. At a certain size, many technologies that are available for everyone, will pay for themselves quickly, just some more examples outside of the ones mentioned above: Dealcoholization skid. As the market for non-alcoholic products grows, missing out on this market means the competition will grab it. For producing non-alcoholic products, other things come into play, too, that require fundamental investments: quality control in the lab, pasteurizer for shelf stability, water deaeration system. To make this worthwhile, producing 5K hectoliters a year is not sufficient.

Faster, more automated canning lines.

Filling 20 cans a minute with 3 operators is a lot of cost. Instead, having a faster line with 40-cans-or-more-a-minute with a de-palletizer and only one operator saves a lot of labor.

THE FOLLOWING YEARS I forecast this scenario for the craft beer industry in the next number of years: Some small, local breweries will or remain alive only because of their very local loyal customers and tap room. As they are small, investments in extended on-site quality control, automation is not paying back in a reasonable amount of time.

Those will have a very hard time.

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https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/edbn32/adjusted-rates-excise-duty-beer.html https://metchem.com/mash-filterpress-brewing/

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HARD TEA BREWING AN OPPORTUNITY

INSIGHT

JOSHUA BERNSTEIN FROM FIRST KEY CONSULTING EXPLAINS WHY HARD TEA HAS BECOME A SWEET OPPORTUNITY FOR BREWERIES AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES.

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f you grew up in Pennsylvania, you probably drank sweet tea from a dairy farm. For decades, Turner, Guers, Zimmerman’s and other dairies sold sugary iced teas by the carton and plastic jug, a “a tradition that’s ingrained in people’s memories and childhood experiences,” says Paul Schneider, the head brewer and a partner of Cinderlands Beer Company in Pittsburgh. “Every dairy within a couple hundred miles of here has a version.”

Cinderlands opened in 2017, and now operates three locations in and around Pittsburgh that serve its lagers and IPAs along-

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side cocktails, wines, and nonalcoholic drinks. The brewery considered branching into “beyond beer” with ready-to-drink cocktails or a CBD beverage, before taking a hard turn into tea.

This spring, the company released Cindi’s Hard Mountain Tea, a tannic black tea balanced by sugar and brightened with lemon. The retro-illustrated label and pleasantly familiar flavor have helped Cinderlands land placements at PNC Park, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, plus new accounts in college bars and other outlets that might not typically stock Cinderlands beer.

“It’s been a wedge to move our beer into new channels,” Schneider says.

No good idea goes unnoticed in the beverage industry. Hard seltzers and hazy IPAs quickly went from brainstorms to behemoths, bandwagons sagging with brands capitalizing on the latest buzz.

Hard tea is the story of a slowly growing giant that totaled more than $1.1 billion in sales in the 52 weeks ending April 1, according to NielsenIQ, an increase of more than 39 percent.

The category leader—and creator—is Boston Beer Company’s easy-drinking Twisted Tea, which debuted in 2001 and has steadily grown sales each year.

Twisted Tea controls

more than 90 percent of the category, and the brand family’s sales are up more than 30 percent in that same period, dominating shelf placements.

“When you go into a store, there’s a shelf of Twisted Tea, or two shelves; in some cases, in real core markets, even a door of it,” Boston Beer chairman Jim Koch said in an April earnings call.

Competitors aren’t conceding. In recent years, scores of companies have started making hard tea, from national brewers like Lagunitas (Disorderly TeaHouse) to regional plays like WeldWerks Brewing’s Colorado-only Giddy Up. Cideries have also turned to tea, including 2 Towns Ciderhouse (imperial-strength TeaREX Killer Tea) and Stormalong Cider (nitrogenated Vital Sign), not to mention a growing range of NA-to-boozy crossovers. Care for a koozie with your cans of Lipton Hard Iced Tea? LOWERING SUGAR CONTENT MIGHT NOT INCREASE SALES Americans like to think they’re virtuous by drinking diet sodas, light lagers, and 100-calorie hard seltzers. The reality is calories don’t matter in the pursuit of pleasure.

Double IPAs easily crest 200 calories per 12-ounce serving, and hard tea is a sugar-delivery vehicle. Twisted Tea contains 23 grams of sugar per 12-ounce serving, a sizable dose of sucrose. (For comparison, a Coke contains 39 grams of sugar.)

“When the Twisted Tea drinker opts for a Twisted Tea, they’re doing it because they want something that is delicious, full-flavored, and they’re not really that con-

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cerned about the calories and even the sugar,” Koch said in the earnings call.

A suspension of dietary disbelief helps explains hard tea’s appeal. Del’s Rhode Island Hard Tea, from Narragansett Brewing in Rhode Island, is laced with lemon and… how many grams of sugar? “If you’re asking, then you shouldn’t be drinking it,” Narragansett president Mark Hellendrung told me several years ago.

Narragansett’s hard tea doesn’t taste quite so cloying, and that’s due to a gentle fizz.

Carbonation lessens the human perception of sweetness. “It was a little bit of a risk,” Hellendrung said, but swimming from the mainstream is important for market differentiation.

To distinguish hard teas, the lowest hanging fruit looks to be sugar. But that lower-calorie pathway is already crowded with competition like zero-sugar Loverboy, a sparkling 90-calorie hard tea sweetened with monkfruit. Owl’s Brew makes the 100-calorie Boozy Tea and Tea Cocktails that contains vodka or tequila top out at 110 calories per 12-ounce serving. Twisted Tea even has a light version too.

Reducing sugar content could also reduce the potential audience for hard tea.

“If you make something that’s not sweet, what you’re guaranteed to do is make the strongest allies you’ve ever made in the 1 percent and lose the 99 percent,” says Jeremy Marshall, the brewmaster at Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, California. “The consumer preference in America overwhelmingly leans sweet.”

Marshall sees promise in the synchronicity between beer and tea: both are brewed and encompass vast catalogs of ingredients. More than 3,000 varieties of tea exist.

Only using black tea would be like brewing every IPA with Citra hops. For his Disorderly teas, Marshall steeps sacks of grassy, gently sweet guayusa leaves, a favorite variety in South America, to make “a 1,000-liter cup of tea,” he says, that’s blended with fruits like yuzu or peach and alcohol fermented from cane sugar. “Brewing equipment turns out to be very well suited for making giant batches of tea.”

HIGH ALCOHOL HITS HARD TEA Cranking up the ABV of IPAs and ciders has led to booming sales for brands like New Belgium and Schilling Hard Cider.

Elevating the ABV of hard teas is also smart business.

Last year, Flying Dog created the 8 percent ABV Killer Hard Tea brand, and Boston Beer Company is testing out the

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similarly strong Twisted Tea Extreme in Lemon and Blue Razz. Jiant jacked up the ABV of its hard teas to 7 percent for a variety pack that delivers added “value to consumers –– more ‘buzz for your buck’ so to speak,” cofounder Larry Haertel Jr. said in a press release.

Wild Ohio Brewing in Columbus once touted the vegan, gluten-free metrics of its Wild T hard teas, brewed with beet sugar and green and black tea. Now the company is finding that the stronger selling point is the increased alcohol of varieties like strawberry pineapple and black cherry bourbon barrel, both 9 percent ABV. “It’s flavor and alcohol, flavor and alcohol,” says president Joe Noll, noting that the brand reported 100 percent year-overyear sales growth through June and is sold in six states and counting.

There’s much mystery surrounding the drinking habits, or lack thereof, of Generation Z. Hard tea can serve as a bridge into a brand experience for of-age drinkers. Last year, Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, released the uncarbonated and lightly sweetened Geist Tea that’s 5 percent ABV. (The brewery also offers lemonade-infused Geist Tea Half & Half.)

“If Rhinegeist main craft beer portfolio isn’t for you, then [hard tea] is a way to experience the Rhinegeist brand,” says chief commercial officer Adam Banokvich. Hard tea can also be a taproom asset. “The name of the game right now is making sure that you’ve got different beverages for different drinking occasions.”

Hard tea is proving to be a good accompaniment for sports, in particular golf. The association in part stems from the Arnold Palmer, a blend of iced tea and lemonade named after the legendary golfer who reportedly loved the combination. (Molson Coors Beverage Company partners with AriZona Beverages on the Arnold Palmer Spiked hard teas.)

Combining tee times with hard tea is the winning proposition of Longball from ReBru Spirits in San Diego. Longball is sold as a bottled cocktail for serving over ice or in ready-to-drink cans (starting at 5 percent ABV) suited for crushing while golfing for hours. “You could start drinking it on the first hole and continue drinking the entire day,” says Daniel O’Connor, the vice president of sales.

Since launching early this year, the company has secured placements at more than 40 Southern California golf courses, ideally selling two to three cases per week, and is eyeing expansion into states

like Florida. “We’re trying to target states with the most golf courses per capita,” O’Connor says.

WELL-KNOWN TEA BRANDS CREATE INSTANT BRAND AFFINITY Ready-to-drink tea brands have been a staple of convenience and grocery stores for decades. Making them alcoholic has historically been an aftermarket addition, but now companies are trading on brand awareness and creating alcoholic versions of their popular teas.

Coca-Cola and Molson Coors collaborated on Peace Hard Tea, which debuted in September, and Molson Coors also partnered with AriZona Beverages on a line of hard teas that arrived in the U.S. this summer. (They’ve been sold in Canada since 2020.)

This year’s splashiest crossover might be the Dunkin’ Spiked iced coffees and iced teas that are produced in conjunction with Mass. Bay Brewing, the makers of Harpoon. Since 2018, Mass. Bay has teamed up with Dunkin’ on beers ranging from a coffee porter to the Boston Kreme Stout. “They were huge fan favorites that punched way above their weight in terms of consumer engagement,” says Nathaniel Davis, Mass. Bay’s president and chief growth and ventures officer.

The Spiked line include the classic sweetened black tea, plus riffs on Dunkin’s green tea Refreshers flavored with exotic fruit combinations like strawberry and dragon fruit. “That’s our license to play,” Davis says. The hope is that the Spiked line helps Dunkin’ extend the clock for consumer engagement, the afternoon pick-me-up becoming an evening treat for adults—and not just drinkers who love hazy IPAs. “We’re not recruiting them into the craft category,” Davis says. “We’re delivering what they want with flavors and brands that they know and love.”

We live in complicated and confusing times. That often includes beer. There’s a laundry list of hops to decode, yeast strains to deduce. Gambling on flavor profiles can seem needlessly risky when there’s the guaranteed alchemic pleasure of sugar, tea, and alcohol.

Hard tea is easy to understand. Cinderlands sees its Cindi’s Hard Tea as an important tool to broaden the company’s appeal, not just for beer drinkers but everyone. “We want to be a beverage and hospitality company for all of Pittsburgh,” Schneider says.

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CAMP BEER CO.

THE CABIN AND THE CRAFT

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STEP INTO CAMP BEER COMPANY IN LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND YOU’LL FIND MORE THAN JUST A TASTING ROOM; IT’S A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE PROVINCE’S WILDERNESS. OWNERS KEVIN LARSEN, DAVE HENRY, AND JAMIE SCHREDER INFUSE THEIR LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS INTO EVERY ASPECT, FROM THE COZY CABIN AMBIANCE TO THE CARTOON LABELS DEPICTING THEIR OUTDOOR ESCAPADES.

Submitted by

Nicholas Hendrickson

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hen you walk into the tasting room at Camp Beer Company in Langley, British Columbia, you would not be remiss to think you have walked into a cabin somewhere in Northern British Columbia.

There are light wood features everywhere, accompanied by the occasional plaid blanket, a cozy fireplace in a nook and an extra area with a centre feature that resembles the plentiful trees you would be walking amongst in beautiful British Columbia.

This warmth and dedication to the branding isn’t just performative, but a part of what owners Kevin Larsen, Dave Henry, and Jamie Schreder truly love in life. Before their days in perfecting the pints pouring from their taps, Kevin and Dave respectively spent time loving the outdoors in their own ways.

Kevin recalls fondly summers spending time with his family, both growing up and with his own kids, experiencing the great outdoors in the most authentic way possible. As for Dave, his avid outdoorsmanship has been unaffected by the rigours of being the head brewer at Camp. Dave spends whatever free time he has fly fishing, something he has been doing for twoplus decades and continues to this day.

We are an open book and we want to help anyone we can.”

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This love of the outdoors and personal connection truly bleeds into their tasting room, and even more so into their branding. All of the beers that Camp produces have cartoon-esque labels of people enjoying the outdoors of B.C., and if you know the people behind Camp, you can recognize these cartoons as caricatures of the ownership, employees, and the canine companions they all love so much.

It is because of this commitment to their passion for beer and the outdoors that the masses flock to Camp when they release a new beer or have one of their many innovative events they host – from a Mario Kart competition night to a friendly competition for the best West Coast IPA in British Columbia.

When asked about how Kevin, Jamie, and Dave met and how this adventurous endeavour came about, Dave and Kevin recall their days of starting Full Barrel Homebrew club, a club that continues to host events in their tasting room showcasing some enterprising brews that Dave happily gives feedback on to help the next generation of homebrewers.

The pair forged a friendship that saw them traveling from tasting room to tasting room trying anything they could get their hands on to concoct a new creation. It was in these adventures that Jamie encountered the two of them and felt their infectious love and excitement around the craft beer industry, and he made it his mission to create something special with the two of them.

While it wasn’t as short of a venture as it seems from above, Dave and Kevin both agree that where they went from meeting Jamie at a brewery in Maple Ridge and getting his business card to opening a highly successful brewery during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was as rewarding as it could possibly be.

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Kevin recalls the day they met Jamie, “we were doing some brewery hopping in Maple Ridge, talking to all of the employees, seeing the equipment and talking about beer styles. Jamie approached us and asked if we were in the industry, because he was interested in doing something of his own.”

They chalked it up to just another conversation throughout their day and moved on to the next brewery, where they once again ran into Jamie. “He approached us again and made it clear how serious he was and that he could see our passion for it and wanted to get in touch”, Kevin recalls. They hardly knew what adventures lie ahead for them when they finally met up with their soon-to-be business partner.

Kevin and Dave had already been working on a business plan in their free time, chasing the dream of owning their own place like most homebrewing folks do. This plan was brought to Jamie, and things got rolling quicker than expected, becoming a reality in mere months. And while this would seemingly be a premonition of a perfect existence, Camp Beer Company opened up just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in British Columbia, creating an instantaneous summit for them to climb.

Tasked with the arduous trial of trekking through an unknown path, they made the changes they needed to in order for the business to stay healthy and successful.

“We went from planning on just having a few cans here and there, to having our tasting room filled with pallets”, Dave recalls. His title might have been head brewer, but as he says, “I was doing a bit of everything from brewing, to cellar work, to packaging, deliveries, and anything else that needed to be done.”

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They have showcased flexibility with their changes in their business plan, where they originally planned to be an entirely on-site sales model with a hand seamer for just a few cans here and there, to having to pivot to a wholesale program shortly after opening to stay afloat during the lockdown.

But much like anyone in this industry, they had help from some friends, one in specific that they credit heavily for helping them realize this dream is Tony DeWald.

“We got a lot of help in our early goings from people in the industry, especially Tony DeWald, who got us into the cask nights at Trading Post Brewing and then inviting us out to events to meet people like James Walton of Storm Brewing and Gary Lohin of Central City”, people who they credit with helping them understand the industry and avoid the pitfalls of

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brewery ownership. And they are looking to pay it forward.

And through all of this, Camp Beer Company, with Dave, Jamie, and Kevin leading the summit seeking group behind them, has continued to push forth to higher peaks. They have embraced the highs, answered to the ebbs of the industry and brewery ownership with success, and continue to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed about their prospects, which Kevin says he thinks are so bright they are “giving out sunglasses”. These new trails they are traveling has them seeing opportunities outside of Langley, among plenty of exciting and intrepid new beers coming to their portfolio. Camp Beer plans to continue as they have went, embracing the fact that adventure is always out there, especially when looking for the perfect pint.

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COMMENT

YOUR GUIDE TO ENTERING BREWING COMPETITIONS CRAFTING A WINNING BREW: NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX LANDSCAPE OF NATIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS Submitted by

Jordan St. John

I

n a world saturated with “award-winning” breweries, the journey to securing a coveted medal at national beer competitions demands more than just brewing expertise. The path to victory involves strategic considerations—from deciphering competition rules and wisely selecting categories to understanding the nuances of labeling and product freshness. Jordan St. John invites you on a journey through the intricacies of brewery competitions, where a thoughtful approach could make the difference between standing out and blending into the crowded aisles of the beer market.

We used to joke as beer writers that every brewery seems to be an award winning brewery and that if you hadn’t won an award five years into your brewery’s existence, you should probably give up. Just

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because you won gold at the local Kiwanis Ribfest for People’s Choice doesn’t disqualify you from saying it’s award winning beer. The ability to say you’ve won an award on your packaging is the kind of detail that might sway the consumer as they stand in the aisle at the store.

That said, Competition has grown in leaps and bounds over the course of the last decade and in addition to individual Provincial competitions, Canada now has two separate national competitions for beer: The Canadian Brewing Awards and the Canada Beer Cup. Between those two, there are probably somewhere between 2500 and 3000 entries from across the country in dozens of different categories.

If you’re the kind of brewery that’s confident enough in your product to view the entry fee as a wager on a potential marketing angle, you want the best possible chance of winning. Sure, you might get reasonable feedback from qualified judges, but you can’t put that on your cans. You want a medal.

Not only are you paying something like a hundred dollars an entry, there’s also the cost of the beer, the shipping, the packaging, and the time spent in deliberation at your brewery amongst your staff about what to enter. While it might not be a massive expenditure, entering half a dozen beers might be equal to the amount you’d spend on a week’s wages for a single member of staff at your brewery.

I’ve judged a lot of competitions over the years, nationally and internationally, and as a result of this, I speak BJCP. Perhaps more importantly, I’ve actually had to wrangle a cellar full of bottles for a large competition.

There’s nothing sadder than marking down a really good beer because it has been entered in the wrong category. Let me give you some tips that will set you on your path to victory.

NOT ALL COMPETITIONS ARE CREATED EQUAL. READ THE RULES CAREFULLY. When you enter a competition, one of the things you should understand is that you’re not always going to be playing by the same set of rules. You might reasonably assume that competitions would likely use the most recent set of BJCP judging guidelines. In practice, that proves quite difficult in terms of judge comprehension.

The most recent set of guidelines is from 2021 and it is striving with all of its might to keep up with current market trends. It contains 122 substyles not counting regional sub variants. There are 9 different kinds of IPA. Both Canadian competitions have decided to condense that somewhat for simplicity’s sake. The Canadian Brewing Awards have 59 categories, and while some of them encompass subcategories, it’s the exception rather than the norm. The Canada Beer Cup decided on 67 styles in 11 broad categories. What this means is that the categories probably don’t overlap, so you will want to read the criteria for each competition prior to entering.

Let’s say you make a Czech style Svetly Lezak. It’s beautifully authentic right down to the diacetyl. In the CBA’s you’re probably going to want to enter that in category 1: European Style Pilsner. It’s immediately disqualified for containing diacetyl if the judges do their job. You just threw about 150 bucks away. If you enter in the CBC, there’s a category specific to the style. You might be a contender.

STEP BACK AND REFLECT ON YOUR PRODUCT You’re an expert on the beer you make.

What this probably means is that you view it a certain way. You’re extremely invested emotionally and financially in your IPA being really good. You’ve got it the way you like it, and you’re going to enter it in the IPA category.

Alright, but which one? Remember, the way that you have labeled your beer is for the benefit of the consumer. It might not reflect

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Aged beer, there’s nothing in the rules that says it has to be this year’s model. If you think the 2021 is tasting better than the 2022, go ahead and send it. It might just be taking up space in your warehouse until the seasonal release anyway. Why not take it out for a spin?

GET CREATIVE Some categories are undersubscribed.

How many Dunkelweizens do you think are out there in the wild? You see a lot of Irish Red Ales in 2023? Witbier? Hefeweizen?

English Brown Ales? 80 Shilling? Altbier?

the beer in the bottle. The CBA’s have six relevant categories an “IPA” might conceivably be entered in. The CBC’s have eight.

Let’s say you’ve got a 6.2% West Coast American Pale Ale with Chinook, Citra, and Cascade because you liked Lagunitas growing up. The cutoff point in terms of alcohol for the categories in each competition are different.

competition if you’re really minded to.

I know of breweries that have definitely won by doing exactly that. You’d advise your customers to drink your IPA within a month, so don’t cheap out on it now that you’ve spent the money to enter. Your IPA might be a world beater in the taproom, but shipping is probably unrefrigerated.

Also, if you’re entering something like a Barley Wine, Imperial Stout, or Wood

These competitions have hundreds of IPAs and Pale Ales entered annually, and that’s reflective of the larger market. You might look really good winning the IPA categories, but you’d need to have a truly excellent product. If you had a very good Dunkelweizen, you might be able to own that category indefinitely.

Take these ideas to heart and hopefully you’ll be on your way to victory at a national brewing competition. Or, you know, skip the long difficult task of reflection and hire me as a consultant.

The CBA’s have an inexplicable gap of 0.8% alcohol between American Pale Ale (up to 5.5%) and American IPA (starts at 6.3%). Do you want to enter it in American Pale Ale where it’ll be the biggest, most flavourful option even if it’s a little out of style, or American IPA where it’ll immediately get blown out of the water?

With the CBC’s it’s a little more straightforward. It’d be in IPA of 6.1% to 8% ABV (Traditional). It would still suffer from most of the competitors being higher in alcohol and bigger in flavour.

You need to step back and think about how your beer reads. Forget what the label says for a moment and think about whether you actually have a chance to win the category based on the field that’s likely to exist. Maybe enlist taproom regulars you trust for this task or listen to your sales team about how it competes with similar products locally.

You might not like the answer, but you’ll save some money in consolation.

FRESHNESS (OR THE LACK THEREOF) ISN’T CHEATING Let’s say you’re entering a style that depends on volatile aromas for its party trick.

Kolsch, Hazy IPA, anything with significant esters or cold side hop additions. Why would you send a six month old product to die in ignominy on the judging table?

You can brew batches specially for the

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ATEEPIC MICROBRASSERIE

APPEALS TO

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EVERYONE, GOLFERS TOO Submitted by

Jason Murray

MICROBRASSERIE ATEEPIC SITS AMONG THE TREES AND GREENS OF THE FRASER EDMUNSTON GOLF CLUB IN BEAUTIFUL EDMUNSTON, NEW BRUNSWICK. THREE FRIENDS DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR INTEREST IN HOME BREWING TO THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION WITH AN OPEN TAP ROOM ON THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE 18 HOLE CLUBHOUSE. brewersjournal.ca

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nown in the maritimes as an outdoor playground, Edmunston enjoys all four seasons distinctly with golf, skiing, mountain biking and hiking through the northeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. You’ll find warm sun in the summer and crisp cold days in the winter, reason enough to make the trip to Atteepic for a pint and some of their famous bbq.

The clubhouse is located on the 9th hole, halfway through the round, a perfect stop for a beer and lunch break. During the winter, snowshoers, skiers and those looking for a nice, cozy place to sit and chat, can drive in to the golf course, where they’ll find a well lit and always lively taproom.

With amazing views of the course and rolling hills, you’ll look forward to the fat bike and hiking trails surrounding this beer infused oasis.

Before the first batch of beer was tapped and the first pints flowed, the three friends had begun their journey, pre-pandemic. Trying to find suppliers, ordering equipment and simply finding the right real estate to house it all, as well as space to sell, was hard. It didn’t get any easier during Covid and they spent the next couple of years holding on to their plan until they found the perfect spot.

Hubert Daigle is the brewmaster and resident bbq king, serving up a small menu of pulled pork, nachos and sandwiches worth the trip any time of year. He’s also serving up some of the best artisanal beers anywhere in New Brunswick. From a white stout to a fruit and sour these beers are as unique as their geography.

Daigle started the business with the idea of creating a true local brewery in his hometown. He recruited Denis Lebel and Luc Bourdages, all amateur home brewers and beer enthusiasts. They started their first official batch in January 2022 and partnered with the City of Emunston and the golf course to find a space where they could reach locals, tourists and everyone in between.

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Privatization should be something we seriously consider in this province,” Luc Bourdages.

Jamie Savoie of Grand Falls Brewing in Grand Falls, New Brunswick is a friend of Hubert’s and helped him figure out some early logistical problems and get Atteepic off the ground. Now, they both share ideas, help each other connect to new markets and navigate the tough regulations and politics behind selling beer in provincially run liquor outlets in the province.

This is something all of them have said is a major roadblock in getting their brews

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to the public, outside their taprooms. Increased competition over the past few years has made shelf space valuable in non-privatized retail stores. Not to mention, one of the country’s largest and most successful breweries located in Saint John.

Denis Lebel is one of the co-founders of Ateepic and deals with distribution and sales. He thinks the province should embrace the competition and give more space to local, provincial brewers and help embrace the “support local” movement. The red tape keeps original brewed beer from reaching others across the province and the country.

Despite the challenges, things are moving ahead. Hubert continues to innovate with new offerings. Ateepic Microbrasserie boasts over 20 beers on tap. Seasonal brews, IPAs, Wheat Beer and an assortment of ales makes for a new pour for every visit. If the smell of meat being smoked out back doesn’t entice you to stay for drink, you can always snatch some fresh cans or fill a growler. Ateepic fills a much needed gap in Edmunston with its innovative approach to beer, food and entertainment.

Luc Bourdages is the third partner in the brewery. He’s been taking baby steps since they officially opened in May 2022.

He navigated their pre-Covid plans to get set up and now wants to make sure they learn all the small things as they grown and expand. He’s now concerned with inflation and the higher costs of doing business. He’s seen the cost of everything go up in the last couple of years and he wants to make sure they’re ready.

Bourdages sees strength in the New Brunswick breweries working together. He wants to see more access to all the beers being brewed in the province and not let regulations and politics stand in the way of getting beers to consumers.

The idea of microbrewing was suppose to expand the market and make it easier to get local, original, home brews, in bigger batches. This doit-yourself approach challenges the major breweries of the country and takes away space from them in province wide beer stores. The demand has been proven with more and more people buying fresher, locally produced products, who employ people in their area.

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This new movement has people thinking more about where and how they spend their money. Major companies are now trying to cash in on the success of small, well managed, local businesses and what they do to help their region. This has Hubert and his team excited about the future.

Hubert wants to be known for more than a golf course brewery. They’re working on new beers all the time, looking to improve and grow the menu and reach people

from every area of northern New Brunswick and beyond. They’re now hosting more events, like live entertainment, crib nights and holiday parties all year round. https://www.ateepic.ca/ “We want everyone to come see what we’re up to at Ateepic.”

Emunston is only a few hours drive from anywhere in the Maritimes, boasting some of the best skiing at Mont Farlagne and

some of the best golf at Fraser Edmunston Golf Club. A true four season city, it now includes a world class microbrewery. New Brunswick has a wide range of microbreweries from Moncton, to Saint John to Fredericton and all towns and cities in between.

Worth the drive to follow the Brew and Eats trail all over the province taking advantage of seafood, local meats, cheeses and the bounty of home grown treats, from blueberries to dulse and everything in between. New Brunswick is quickly becoming known for great food, beer and hospitality to spare. https://tourismnewbrunswick.ca/breweries.

Ateepic is open everyday with lunch and dinner served from their inhouse taps and Daigle’s smoking and bbq wizardry. Drop in for a sandwich and a new white stout beer or book your holiday parties now. https://www.golfedmundston.com/about/ To see where Ateepic got their inspiration, check out Grand Falls Brewing Co. (https:// www.facebook.com/grandfallsbrewingco/) for more amazing New Brunswick beer and start planning your East Coast adventures with a weekend road trip to visit the more than 40 breweries in NB and over 100 in the Atlantic provinces.

Jason Murray is a freelance writer, author, teacher and terrible drummer from Grand Barachois. You can reach him at jason.michael. murray@gmail.com for writing jobs of any kind.

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ADVERTORIAL

OPTIMIZING BREWERY HYGIENE: ACO GROUP’S STAINLESS STEEL DRAINS FOR LONG-TERM DURABILITY AND EFFICIENCY THE ACO GROUP IS A GLOBAL MANUFACTURING FAMILY BUSINESS THAT IS ONE OF THE WORLD MARKET LEADERS IN THE DRAINAGE AND WATER MANAGEMENT SEGMENT. FOUNDED IN GERMANY IN 1946, IT OPERATES AS A TRANSNATIONAL NETWORK IN OVER 50 COUNTRIES. WORLDWIDE, ACO IS CHARACTERISED

BY A HIGH LEVEL OF DECENTRALISED OWNERSHIP, AND EXPLICIT REGIONAL MARKET PROXIMITY.

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B

uilding on our global drainage expertise that protects people from water, we increasingly see our mission as also protecting water from people. At ACO, we understand how challenging it is for you to manage 6 litres of wastewater for every litre of beer produced. Only durable stainless steel drains will properly support the brewing process long term, while dealing with hot and chemically contaminated wastewater. Moreover, every room in the brewery requires different drainage solutions.

By taking a holistic approach to the drainage systems, we may help you with the following:

ensure perfect hygienic conditions that protect both the beer and employees reduce time needed with cleaning ensure watertight drainage system that lasts for decades.

Our technical design team provides specification advice to ensure your drainage system meet current and future re-

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quirements. Choosing the right solution right from the start is ideal as investing in a new drainage system can be extremely disruptive and costly. We’re committed to ensuring your system is right for your business and you only have to make this investment once.

It is imperative to invest in long term, durable solutions, and stainless steel drainage is the best choice. Plastic systems will not withstand high temperatures since they start deforming at 60°C. Cast iron on the other hand is not chemically resistant and will start corroding, leading to un-hygienic drainage conditions. While choosing the right material is very important, the design and manufacturing technology is equally important. It is proven fact that ACO hygienically designed drains are 100% cleanable and hence do not compromise hygiene.

ACO incorporates food contact equipment features in its drainage design to minimize bacterial growth risk and maximize cleanability. Furthermore, all ACO stainless steel drains are pickled and passivated after manufacturing, a process that removes surface impurities and restores the material properties to its original state, a technology that is net superior to sandblasting which, in fact, has an adverse effect on hygienic properties.

ACO provides its customers with a range of design and installation services to help beverage manufacturers benefit from effective and durable drainage systems. We evaluate current drainage performance as well as helping you with the specification of drainage and accessories in new or existing facilities. We ensure drainage systems comply with current or planned equipment and traffic within the operation and assess any other possible risks. In a single report we can supply risk assessments, corrective measures, and an action plan for your consideration.

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MACALONEY’S ISLAND DISTILLERY & TWA DOGS BREWERY

A TALE OF INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY CAPITAL 38

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IN THE HEART OF VANCOUVER ISLAND, WHERE THE LEGACY OF SCOTTISH WHISKY MEETS CANADIAN INNOVATION, GRAEME MACALONEY’S JOURNEY UNFOLDS. FROM AN AUDACIOUS DREAM TO THE GLOBAL STAGE, MACALONEY’S ISLAND DISTILLERY & TWA DOGS BREWERY STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE FUSION OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH MODERN COMMUNITY CAPITAL. BRET CONKIN, DIRECTOR OF GROWTH AT CROWDFUNDSUITE, EXPLAINS HOW MACALONEY’S ISLAND DISTILLERY & TWA DOGS BREWERY EXEMPLIFIES THE POWER OF COMMUNITY CAPITAL, TRANSFORMING DREAMS INTO AN ENDURING LEGACY ENJOYED BY ENTHUSIASTS WORLDWIDE.

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n the world of whisky, Scotland’s rich heritage of crafting the world’s most revered spirits stands alone. Graeme Macaloney, a visionary who hails from the land of scotch and centuries-old whisky distilleries, brought with him more than just a passion for distilling when he ventured to Canada. He brought a dream.

A dream that would eventually become a reality thanks to some innovative ideas and the help of hundreds of enthusiasts through crowdfunding.

After moving to Canada and being blown away by British Columbia’s craft beer industry, he decided to combine his love of whisky and beer by opening Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery in Saanich on Vancouver Island. Today, its concoctions have found global acclaim, winning multiple awards, including World’s Best Pot Still at the 2023 World Whiskies.

Macaloney’s story is not just about creating award-winning spirits but also about how community capital through Brewfundr transformed his vision into a global success. Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery stands as a beacon of how traditional craftsmanship can merge with modern crowdfunding to create something truly exceptional.

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In the competitive and dynamic world of craft brewing and distilling, standing out requires more than just creating excellent products; it demands ingenuity in business and innovative marketing strategies.

regular founder-owners program and today, the distillery and brewery has 700 common-shared investors as its co-owners.

CULTURE OF INNOVATION

Before crowdfunding Graeme Macaloney faced a common dilemma in the industry: high start-up costs was a thing and the need for a distinctive approach to attract customers and investors. Forin Canada, I had tunately, he had a background in venture capital (VC), having built an angel investor come into this network in Alberta as well as raising capital and setting up some venture capital funds Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs from a background Brewery introduces the Whisky for Life proin biotechnology. gram, offering a unique investment oppor- where I’d helped Without any real platform or followers early tunity. Investors can buy preferred shares, on, Graeme did his own version of crowd- earning an annual dividend that can be build an angel funding, travelling coast to coast pour- converted into store credit with a 15% boing whisky from a nonexistent distillery at nus, used to purchase whiskies or beers. investor network,” whisky clubs, selling them on his dream. This program fosters a strong communiHe said: “I told them, ‘how would you like to ty, as investors gain access to the Whisky Graeme be a part of this rollercoaster ride?’” Those Academy, free tours, and unlimited tastinitial investors are still part of Macaloney’s ings, blending investment with indulgence. Macaloney shares “And so with that experience, both sides of the VC creation, and having worked with Angel investors, I felt the perfect way to finance this apart from mortgaging my house (which is nowhere near enough money to pay for all of this) was to really develop the concept of a distillery and brewery built by Canadians for Canadians.”

THE CHALLENGE

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As his business started to grow, Graeme wanted to create more than spirits and beers. He wanted to create experiences, a sense of ownership. With the help of some innovative crowdfunding initiatives, he has been able to realise his dream while taking his most loyal customers along for the ride.

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The distillery also offers the Cask Program, where enthusiasts can design their own whiskey and choose from various cask types, creating a personal legacy. This allows them to participate in the bottling process and even design their own labels, offering a tangible connection to their passion.

Additionally, the Whiskey Academy provides a comprehensive two-day distilling experience.

Macaloney speaks of the immense networking benefits from their investor network, leading to international distribution opportunities and unique sourcing solutions like local peat. These initiatives highlight the distillery’s dedication to community involvement and innovative approaches in the craft distilling industry.

For those interested in supporting Macaloney Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery crowdfunding efforts or purchasing their medal award-winning whiskies with complimentary shipping across Canada, visit MacaloneyDistillers.com GOING GLOBAL The global footprint of Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery is expanding, with their whiskies making a mark in the European market and beyond. Graeme proudly outlines the distillery’s international reach, “Now we’re in Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, etcetera,” showcasing their growing presence in some of Europe’s most discerning markets.

International expansion is high on Graeme’s agenda, “Right now we’re in 10 countries,” he says. “I want to be in 30 or 40 in very short order.” For owner-investors it is hard not to get excited about a Canadian creation you helped bring to life being enjoyed by enthusiasts in far off lands.

What started as a dream on an island on Canada’s west coast can unite people across oceans. Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery demonstrates that combining quality craftsmanship with innovative community-focused strategies can lead to significant success. Their journey serves as an example of how aspiring producers can harvest the potential of community capital to turn their customers into long-term partners.

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LA CERVECERIA

CRAFTING CULTURE THROUGH CULINARY CREATIONS

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BRITISH COLUMBIA IS FILLED WITH A DIVERSE CULTURE OF BREWERIES AND FOOD, BUT IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT OFTEN COMES UP SHORT, IT IS MEXICAN CUISINE AND ANY SORT OF BEVERAGES INSPIRED BY IT. THAT IS WHERE LA CERVECERIA ASTILLEROS COMES IN. IN A WORLD WHERE FINDING YOUR NICHE AND KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK IS THE NAME OF THE GAME, LA CERVECERIA IS COMMITTING TO THAT WITH BOTH THEIR FOOD PROGRAM AND THEIR CULINARYINSPIRED BEERS.

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a Cerveceria was founded with the intent of bringing Mexican flavour to The Great White North, something that has yet to see common use in the British Columbia beer industry. Bring in the likes of general manager Cecilia Osorio, head brewer Dave Van Allen, and assistant brewer Noah Doyle, and you have a recipe for success.

Mexico about four-and-a-half years ago to go school, and when I finished it was when the pandemic hit, so you just find a job you can get. Shortly after I got promoted to manager and over three years later I’m still here and I just love it.”

Prior to coming to La Cerveceria, she got her first taste of the industry as the jack of all trades, helping clean kegs, serving, packaging, and anything else at Faculty Brewing of Vancouver. And when she got the opportunity to be full-time at La Cerveceria, she jumped at the opportunity, “I started here before we even opened, so I was able to kind of start from scratch”.

La Cerveceria took the challenge of going all-in on the brand of being authentically Mexican and having a food menu that commits to that. “We have a pretty small kitchen, so we only keep a few different ingredients. Different meats, but with different types of presentations”, which is a unique and smart way to make use of an otherwise smaller space. “Aside from the preparation of the meats, which we get from a commissary kitchen, we do everything in-house and we try to keep it as simple, as easy to prepare, and as authentic as possible.”

there learning from the likes of legendary Tony DeWald. From there, Dave had stints at Steamworks, Granville Island, and was head brewer of Russell Brewing. With well over a decade of proven experience, he thought it was time to take his expertise back to a creatively-focused, non-production focused brewery and get back to the artistic side of things.

“Honestly, coming into it we all have a preconceived notion of Mexican beer in light lagers that often get a bad rap, but they don’t deserve it,” says Dave. “It was difficult and challenging at first, because at other jobs you get used to brewing Hazy IPAs, sours and the usual grind. But coming here and embracing the challenge of looking at Mexican-style flavours and being surrounded by the culture and people from that area, you pull from their inspiration and it makes brewing a little more fun and it’s almost like starting brewing all over again”, and you can hear the excitement in his voice.

The inspiration of being authentic to the brand’s Mexican style doesn’t stop in the white-tiled tasting room, but is even further enhanced by a beer program that is inspired by the drinks and foods of Mexican culture. That’s where Dave Van Allen, head brewer at La Cerveceria, and Noah Doyle, his assistant brewer come in. These two talented brewers bring an interesting combination of creativity and a microbiological background that screams success, which is apparent by the multiple awards they have won in the past few years.

Dave first cut his teeth at Dead Frog Brewing as far back as when they were still located in Aldergrove. He spent his time

When you first step through the doors of the small, but comfortable, tasting room of La Cerveceria, you smell something delicious in the air. A combination of tacos and other delectable culinary creations. Cecilia is the one in charge here, and she ensures that La Cerveceria puts out food of intent and quality.

Cecilia first entered the beer industry through happenstance, having just finished her schooling and finding a job as a server at La Cerveceria from day one, and then moving her way up the chain of command to manager. “I came here from

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When talking about embracing the challenge with this, Dave says “it’s fun finding a way to take a style that you have brewed hundreds of times and adding a new spin on it. It’s definitely a challenge, but it is fun.”

Another challenge that Dave and Noah have tackled at La Cerveceria is keeping everything sessionable and balanced, so as not to combat the culinary program, but rather to compliment it. “We try to keep everything light, around 4-4.5%, but that can be a bit of a challenge sometimes when people are looking for more of a bang for their buck, but being unique and having options that are full in flavour and going handin-hand with our tacos is what we aim for.”

As for the other side of the brewing team, Noah Doyle has the scientific background for the brewery, having gotten a degree in microbiology from The University of Victoria. You can see, smell, and even taste the quality that the combination of art and science can create in a beer program.

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This balance has helped them to take an authentic and balanced approach at brewing beers that people want to drink, and their El Valle Salado Salted Lime Lager is no exception to this. The proof is in the pudding for this beer, as it took home a gold medal at the 2023 Canadian Brewing Awards, and according to Dave it unsurprisingly makes up a fair chunk of their production schedule.

a regular basis to take a break from brewing the fine pints to pair with the culinary program. So if you’re looking for a unique experience, award-winning beers, fantastic tacos, and the brewers doing a DJ set, then head to North Vancouver and stop in at La Cerveceria Astilleros.

And even though the salted lime lager makes up a big portion of their sales and production, this doesn’t stop them from creating other great culinarily-inspired beers. This includes things like their Paloma Grapefruit Lager, which recently took home bronze in the 2023 B.C. Beer Awards, and other winter seasonals like their Mexican chocolate oatmeal stout, a cold brew coffee lager, and a horchata milk stout.

The unique characteristics of La Cerveceria don’t end with their food program or Mexican-inspired beers. They try to host events and shake things up, which includes Dave and Noah doing a DJ set on

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LATVIA

BEER IN THE BALTICS

THERE MAY BE NEARLY 6,000KM SEPARATING HALIFAX IN NOVA SCOTIA TO RIGA IN LATVIA, MORE IF YOU’RE HAILING FROM THE WEST COAST OF CANADA. BUT MAKE THAT JOURNEY AND YOU’LL FIND A WEALTH OF BRILLIANT BREWERIES IN THE BALTIC STATES AND IN THE COUNTRY OF LATVIA, LOVERS OF BEAUTIFUL BEER HAVE MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM. TRADITION MARRIED WITH INNOVATION MEANS YOU ARE AS LIKELY TO DISCOVER AND ENJOY A RUSTIC LAGER OR HERBAL IPA AS YOU ARE A BEER FEATURING LOCALLY COLLECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HONEY. AND THANKFULLY, THE PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES BEHIND THESE BEERS ARE JUST AS FASCINATING, TOO.

“

I suppose you could argue that Latvian beer is defined by the creativity of the brewers who make it. Because you can see every type of style here!” explains Rihards Okmanis, the head brewer at Duna Brewery.

And while you can now try locally-produced Sours, IPAs, Lagers and Herbal Ales, to name but a few, beer has been synonymous with Latvia for centuries.

And as a result, to define the country’s beer identity under any umbrella term is a foolish task.

Over time there have been countless dainas and folk songs written about beer. Brewing has long been celebrated in song, which is no surprise with small-scale brewing an intrinsic part of the Latvian nation since the middle ages.

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Latvian farmers using their own ingredients marks the real beginning of “craft brewing” in the country, while the industrial revolution brought large-scale breweries to Latvia.

However this was not to last as the onset of the First World War and then following that the Soviet Regime would greatly impact the state of play in brewing.

85 million litres of beer in 2022, a marked increase on the 75 million litres produced in both 2021 and also the year prior.

And according to figures from Statista, revenue in the Beer market amounts to US$237.1m in 2023, with the market is expected to grow annually by 1.39%.

One of the key trends in the Latvian Beer market, Statista notes is the increasing demand for craft beer. Craft breweries have been gaining popularity in recent years, offering consumers a unique and diverse range of flavours and styles.

But this is where the beauty of Latvian beer lies. Be it a beer rooted in tradition or a trailblazing brew from a new business, there are options for all.

Rihards Okmanis joined Duna Brewery as a brewer in June 2021 before swiftly being promoted to the role of head

This however would result in a return to small-scale production, which effectively means Latvia has been far ahead of most of the world in the more recent growth of craft breweries.

But across the spectrum of beer and brewing, this beverage is well-and-truly booming in the country of Latvia.

According to figures realised by Eurostat earlier this year, Latvian breweries produced

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brewer the following April. The brewery is known for its regarded Lagers and Pale Ales, as well as other styles such as Rauchbier, Sours and the excellent, perfectly-balanced Heather and Peppermint Herbal IPA. Duna is based in Kuldiga which is a town in the Courland region of Latvia, in the western part of the country, and around two hours from Riga.

The town, often known as the Nordic Venice, is the centre of the Kuldiga Municipality with a population of approximately 13,500.

In his experience working in the Latvian brewing industry, Okmanis has seen the sector migrate away from solely making light and dark beers to one that produces beers from IPAs and DIPAs, to Sour Smoothie-style beers and also Barrel-Aged numbers.

“You also still have Herbal ales, which remain popular because of breweries such as Labietis doing a really good job at creating such special beers,” he explains.

“However in my experience, the most popular style in Latvia now is probably IPA, which is hardly much of a surprise. But coming from a perspective here in Kuldiga, seeing people try - and enjoy - Sours is really rewarding.

“When we started at Duna, most people couldn’t fathom what a Sour beer was, or how it could taste. But that has changed, and it has changed for the better.”

That desire for innovation and experimentation can be observed and enjoyed at Alus Rūme Trofeja. Located in the Latgale Suburb of Riga, they like to describe themselves as a homebrewing setup that got out of hand.

Brewing into 10 200l tanks, they one of the smallest breweries in the country. The brewery’s small size, however, does not in any way affect the range of outstanding beers it produces.

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These include Farmhouse Ales, Herbal Ales, Single Hop APAs as well as diversifying into Mead, too.

While there are fridges showcasing beers from other European breweries, there are nine taps of the their own produce.

The batch size means if a new beer is released during a busy period, it could have sold out two days later. While the business creates a number of beers, one common theme is approachable ABV, the strongest being 6.6%.

“Our idea is if you come to a pub to drink beer, you probably want more than one glass, right? And if you have a 12% stout straightaway, then your evening is probably likely to get cut short quite quickly,” they explain.

Alus Rūme Trofeja celebrated its third birthday in the summer of 2023. Like many businesses of this age, opening before COVID restrictions took hold and adjusting to the landscape that followed has been a challenge, but one they’ve embraced.

“Every month is getting better and better,” they tell us.

The team at Alus Rūme Trofeja are proud to call Riga home. “Historically, Riga has been a beer city. Before the First World War there were three massive breweries, they were huge.

“But the war saw much of our infrastructure destroyed and the brewing equipment melted down for tanks and guns. The big outfits never really recovered, which presented an opportunity for others.”

They add: “We have a love for creating drinks that stems from our history. That desire has never been lost. So even during the time of the Soviet regime, when everything was nationalised, you ended up with lots of smaller breweries.

“Every village would have one or two small brewing outfits. Occasionally they would come together to make a slightly bigger one but even then they were relatively small.

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“And I’d argue that at the start of the craft beer movement some 10-15 years ago, many businesses starting out would rely on the knowledge and recipes of those older brewers.

“And I’d say approximately nine of every 10 craft breweries out there were also all members of great home brewing communities. These brought people together and helped create great breweries.”

“Not only do we have great breweries but we also really value the community, too,” he says. “There is a very strong bond between these businesses, because they started out in similar ways. They still exchange recipes and help each other out.

“There is no competition, just massive amounts of respect. I don’t think there are many industries where if you come to

me and enjoy your time, I encourage you to visit our so-called competitors when you leave.”

Minutes from Alus Rūme Trofeja is Nurme, a small, modern brewery in the heart of Riga, which has been one of the most exciting breweries in the Baltics since opening in 2016.

Like many of its peers across the globe, Nurme is located in a historically industrial quarter of the capital. In this instance at Vagonu Street 21.

This location, which was once a bit worn out by the ravages of time, is now reborn as a new cultural and recreational stop.

The power of beer as a positive force.

They explain: “Our beers are hand-crafted using the highest quality ingredients and,

where possible, preferring local northern natural goodness.

“Although we have thoroughly familiarised ourselves with the history and traditions of beer, we also draw inspiration from modern eclecticism. We use our skills and passion for experiments to create ever new, surprising combinations and reveal the true diversity of beer to everyone - from classically refreshing pilsners to juicy fruity Pale Ales and IPA, from refreshing Sours to creamy chocolatey Porters and Stouts.

Their Pinefruit IPA, which is brewed pine buds, gathered in Latvian forests, and refreshingly bitter hints from a grapefruit peel, while Mosaic and Simcoe hops is a real hit.

Elsewhere in Riga is Labietis. It’s impossible to discuss modern Latvian beer without mentioning one of the pioneers of the country’s craft beer movement. From the beginning in 2013, the flavours that can be found in their “Pagan brews” have been characterized by the extensive use of Latvian natural products in the brewery’s fermentations.

Inspired by the cultural history of the Baltic region - from chronicles and archeological discoveries to Latvian folk songs and Scandinavian myths - they make unusual, but balanced and interesting beers, meads and braggots for the modern language.

In addition to using imported hops in their fermentations, they also use more than 20 different locally collected medicinal plants and honey, more than 10 types of berries and fruits collected in Latvia, as well as barley, wheat and rye malts mostly grown in Latvia.

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They explain: “We don’t know what beer tasted like 200 years ago, let alone earlier. However, one thing is certain that beer as well as other fermented beverages have always been mostly made from local ingredients.

“Like brewers since time immemorial, we also use local ingredients as much as possible in our beers, braggots and meads, because their taste is closer to our souls and therefore a better medium for you to taste a piece of our cultural history. Accordingly - if an ingredient is commercially available in Latvia, then we will use it.”

Looking at the history of about 10,000 ancient fermented beverages, including beer, the belief that beer needs only three ingredients - barley, hops and water - is a novelty. And what is beer anyway? We believe that any fermented grain and herb drink can be called a beer.

“Hop is just one of the herbs that can enrich the taste of beer. Similarly, barley is only one of the sources of sugar - with us, beer can also be made from wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, as well as enriched with honey or a variety of berries and fruits from the forest and garden. Beer is no place for prejudice!”

If you head about an hour east out of Riga to Upespils in the Suntaži Parish you will find IndieJānis. A homebrewer since 2008 before going commercial in 2017, Jānis Rudzītis’ love of modern beer started when he tried Snake Dog IPA from Maryland, USA-based Flying Dog. “At the time this was very surprising to me. It was very bitter, grassy and resinous. I wasn’t aware beer could be like this and it inspired me to try and make my own,” he recalls.

Before beer, Rudzītis worked in the construction industry in Norway. “I was there a long time and after a while I was bored.

I was ready for a change and ready to return to Latvia.”

While there are a wealth of breweries producing modern, hazy beers in Latvia, Rudzītis’ passion lies in bitterness. “I don’t make New England-style IPAs. I consider myself more in the old school, with beers in the West Coast style that was very popular 10-15 years ago,” he says. “But thankfully the people that come here like those beers, too.”

Be it for a beer, a pizza or a live concert in the spacious beer garden, IndieJānis is a unique brewery run by a passionate owner making excellent beers.

Travelling some 50 miles North East of IndieJānis to Rauna will take you to Malduguns. Malduguns is one of the first craft breweries in Latvia.

Their philosophy of craft beer is based on small-scale, high-quality beer that uses high-quality ingredients that large producers rarely use due to costs.

Andris Liepiņš is the co-founder of Malduguns. Starting out in 2013 the brewery, which he started with Krišjānis Zeļģis and Valdis Jansons is a product of Latvia’s vibrant homebrewing community.

“As homebrewers we would all meet once in a while to exchange beers and ideas. We realised we all wanted to open a brewery and decided to combine our efforts to help make that happen,” says Liepiņš.

Initially located in the village of Roze, in the former premises of the Rauna bakery, and producing 4000 lines a month the brewery would then relocate to larger premises in Rauna. A facility that continues to grow and expand.

“When we started we were one of the first smaller breweries. With beers like Lagers were still incredibly popular, we knew we had to make our beers approachable and accessible. Key to this was balance and

His construction background enabled Rudzītis to put together his own canning machine, which enables IndieJānis beers to reach customers outside of the brewery.

Although the popularity of his delicious pizzas, and beers that can only be enjoyed on-site means the IndieJānis is a hit with visitors.

The excellent Suntažieks is a rustic, country-style lager that can only be drunk at the brewery, or bought to take away on draught. The name of this special beer stems from the nearest town Suntaži, with Suntažieks being the name of people that hail from that very spot.

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drinkability,” he recalls. “If you shocked your potential customer base with crazy flavours we would probably not have sold any beer!”

Beers like Sanslide are a malty and full-bodied IPA with a rich hop aroma tropical fruits, melons, cherries - made with Summit, Simco, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo hops. Mainstay beer Cilpa is a light and pale ale with an emphasis on American hops, which gently dominates floral and tropical fruit aromas.

Elsewhere there is Svika, described as lightest beer Malduguns in history.

A lager to which dry hopping gives additional freshness and on the other end of the spectrum is Tumsa Puse. Saturated, with a dense body of roasted malts, which hides a complex taste adventure in every sip. In the taste you will find dried fruits, tobacco, leather notes. Maldugun’s strongest beer, whose power is dressed in malt. “A slow-paced adventure,” says Liepiņš.

“We try to make different styles that we feel comfortable with producing and also feel that maybe are lacking in the Latvian beer scene. From sours to dark beers and Brett mixed fermentation releases, we love experimentation and to keep the consumer interested,” he adds.

30 minutes north of Malduguns is a completely different type of brewery in Valmiermuiža Brewery. Established in 1764,

Valmiermuiža is one of Latvia’s oldest breweries. The name of Valmiermuiža has been etched into the annals of history since the turn of the 14th century, due to the existence of an impressive tavern that belonged to Valmiera Castle, where patrons could buy beer brewed by the Lord of the Manor. Originally, Valmiera Manor was located near Valmiera Castle, but around the year 1624 it was moved to the location where Valmiermuiža Brewery is currently based.

In addition to a number of other drinks types are it Distilled Baltic Amber Lager.

In three hours, from 150 litres of beer, they obtain just seven litres of distilled larger with a strength of ABV 80%.

Later on, they mix this with water from Valmiermuiža’s artesian well so that the strength “drops” to 42%. Before it is poured into a bottle, distilled lager is frozen to a temperature of —4°C.

An incredibly popular spot with visitors and tourists from across the globe descend to enjoy its beer and food produced on-site as well as a comprehensive visitor experience.

Alternatively there is Malt Liqueur. The basis for the liqueur is Valmiermuiža Distilled Amber Lager to which they add a judiciously proportioned measure of Valmiermuiža malt sauce (150ml malt sauce is added to 100ml distilled lager).

On the beer front, Valmiermuiža Amber Lager is different from ale due to a touch of light caramel malt, which in tandem with classic Pilsner and Munich forms a rich amber coloured beer with white foam head and sweet bread aroma.

This sweet delicacy is then poured into a barrel and left to mature for 10 days. When the taste master deems that the flavour has matured to his satisfaction, the malt liqueur is carefully poured into bottles.

The crisp sweetness of the first sip is offset by the vibrant bitterness of hops with notes of blooming meadows at the height of summer and a tinge of honey.

Commenting on their impressive brewery establishment, they explain: “We in Valmiermuiž keep in mind that we draw strength from the land called Latvia.

While Valmiermuiža Dark Lager is brewed with dark caramel, Munich and Pilsner malts, which give the beer its sweet richness, while Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Nugget, which also comes from Hallertauer, hops generate the aroma bouquet and bitter notes of flavour.

From the Latvian language, customs and culture. That is why we also consider it a matter of honour to support largescale Latvian cultural events that keep our traditions and language alive, as well as promote Latvia’s name in the world through culture - theater, music, cinema, poetry, fashion, photography, fine arts and architecture.

“Just as honing the flavors of Valmiermuiža beer is long and thorough, we believe that the most successful cooperation is based on long-term, trusting relationships, which are united by common goals and confidence.”

So if you’re looking for breweries that are the definition of small-batch production, trailblazing new brews, or traditional businesses producing classic styles, Latvia has fans of excellent beer well and truly covered.

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