Thank God I can vote for beers that don’t suck – in stark contrast to the swill-fest that was the LCBO Cup.
I agree! Cannot believe that Straford Common or Pilsner didnt make the list
The IPA category was very difficult to vote on!
Mad Tom, Smash Bomb and Spearhead are all amazing brews!
Wow, tough crowd in the IPA selection – Depending on the day I could have voted either Mad Tom or Flying Monkeys, but I think I chose the right one.
Thankfully, no crap on tap here! Although I think Creemore’s participation is a bit unfair as they’re owned by either Labatt’s or Molson.
I don’t see your logic. Bascially nothing at the small town brewery has changed since the purchase.
Thanks Ben
We also don’t believe ownership defines who you are. We are the same folks, making the same beer and we hope people will judge us on the merits of the beer we produce and the brewery we continue to be.
Just to be clear, that’s a different Ben. I’d never openly support or slander one of the choices in this competition. The officiants shall remain bipartisan and won’t comment on or endorse their own particular draft picks for the sake of bragging rights. I happen to enjoy all the entries in the Lager category.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to this cool refreshing Steam Whistle.
Not to be cheeky Ben, but really a beer at 9:48 a.m., at least you are enjoying a delicious Steam Whistle
It’s too bad I wasn’t able to abstain from any question, as I’m not familiar enough with the given selections of “dark beer” (there must be enough stouts and brown ales in Ontario to warrant separating these distinct styles) or wheat beer to be able to give an informed opinion. So I gave you an uninformed one, hope you don’t mind. I guess poor survey design results in poor survey results.
With the rules as they stand, it becomes more difficult than you might think. We will certainly revisit them next year, which may result in an expansion of the field.
Plus, now you are informed! You’ve got a list of four great Ontario dark beers that were hand-picked by beer writers–seems like a good place to start if you want to learn more about dark beer.
We know we reside in the prairies and write mostly about prairie beer, but we are also well informed about ON beer. I lived there for a stint, we did a major craft beer tour of the province ( and beyond) and have tried all the beers in the voting list. This is a great idea!
Cheers
We’re glad you like the idea. We had fun putting it together. In fairness, I feel like I should point out that this is the internet so you don’t even need credentials to vote, but we’re glad the beers are memorable.
If we see a Prairie Brewmasters Cup spring up, we’ll come looking for royalties, by the way.
Yeeesh… that IPA short-list is waaay too short. A lot of really good Ontario IPA’s didn’t make the cut.
Tough choices….I feel bad for Magnotta, only being available at their store makes it tougher for them to win…also I would have liked to have seen the addition of a House Ales beer
Magnotta’s brew, True North, is available for purchase at the beer store. However, it may not be available at all locations.
Can we just have a “Yes” selection for some of those categories?
It would have been a solid choice for the IPA/Pale Ale category, but it didn’t make it this year. Possibly it will next year.
Where the heck are all the Great Lakes beers? Crazy Canuck is the best Pale Ale.
We all love Great Lakes, but a majority of their awesome beers are seasonal, making them ineligible for our competition. The one category that Great Lakes would realistically have been a contender, IPAs and Pale Ales, was just too deep. There really are a lot of great Ontario beers that would fit that category, and Crazy Canuck is one of them.
I really missed King Brewery in the Lager category.
I agree that King makes some really excellent beers. I was certainly torn between the King Vienna Lager and the Galt Knife.
I think Mad Tom will be coming out for another round!!
CS: I WANT to buy ON craft, but at the LCBO, imported is ca. $200/500 ml, so I go for that , OR the keg, by–sho else–the Dutchman’s choice Heinicanz–reduced to $25+ it’s a ‘sweet deal for savers’–okay beer swillers, all good except for teh HUGE head, each glassful! I’m waiting to ‘harvest’ teh Muskoka Harvest Ale–no-no, NOT just ’cause of teh 7% solution–well, not a bad idea.
Love this beer!
This ballot really shows how much of the quality brewing in Ontario is concentrated in IPAs. Something from Bellwoods, Grantie, and Houseales would be a nice addition, but I guess this was just open to LBCO available product. Also shuts out showcasing the genius of Mike Lackey.
The “Dark Beer” category is a little unfair. You’re pitting 2 very different styles of beer in there. It really should be split into a “Dark Beer” category for brown ales and dark lagers and a “Stout/Porter” category
I don’t disagree with you. Probably we will go that way next year, when the field is larger. We’re always glad to have constructive criticism.
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Pingback: Cast Your Vote in the 2012 Ontario Brewmasters Cup | Mom & Hops
Thank God I can vote for beers that don’t suck – in stark contrast to the swill-fest that was the LCBO Cup.
I agree! Cannot believe that Straford Common or Pilsner didnt make the list
The IPA category was very difficult to vote on!
Mad Tom, Smash Bomb and Spearhead are all amazing brews!
Wow, tough crowd in the IPA selection – Depending on the day I could have voted either Mad Tom or Flying Monkeys, but I think I chose the right one.
Thankfully, no crap on tap here! Although I think Creemore’s participation is a bit unfair as they’re owned by either Labatt’s or Molson.
I don’t see your logic. Bascially nothing at the small town brewery has changed since the purchase.
Thanks Ben
We also don’t believe ownership defines who you are. We are the same folks, making the same beer and we hope people will judge us on the merits of the beer we produce and the brewery we continue to be.
Just to be clear, that’s a different Ben. I’d never openly support or slander one of the choices in this competition. The officiants shall remain bipartisan and won’t comment on or endorse their own particular draft picks for the sake of bragging rights. I happen to enjoy all the entries in the Lager category.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to this cool refreshing Steam Whistle.
Not to be cheeky Ben, but really a beer at 9:48 a.m., at least you are enjoying a delicious Steam Whistle
It’s too bad I wasn’t able to abstain from any question, as I’m not familiar enough with the given selections of “dark beer” (there must be enough stouts and brown ales in Ontario to warrant separating these distinct styles) or wheat beer to be able to give an informed opinion. So I gave you an uninformed one, hope you don’t mind. I guess poor survey design results in poor survey results.
With the rules as they stand, it becomes more difficult than you might think. We will certainly revisit them next year, which may result in an expansion of the field.
Plus, now you are informed! You’ve got a list of four great Ontario dark beers that were hand-picked by beer writers–seems like a good place to start if you want to learn more about dark beer.
We know we reside in the prairies and write mostly about prairie beer, but we are also well informed about ON beer. I lived there for a stint, we did a major craft beer tour of the province ( and beyond) and have tried all the beers in the voting list. This is a great idea!
Cheers
We’re glad you like the idea. We had fun putting it together. In fairness, I feel like I should point out that this is the internet so you don’t even need credentials to vote, but we’re glad the beers are memorable.
If we see a Prairie Brewmasters Cup spring up, we’ll come looking for royalties, by the way.
Pingback: The Draft, Round 1 | Ontario Brewmasters CupOntario Brewmasters Cup
Yeeesh… that IPA short-list is waaay too short. A lot of really good Ontario IPA’s didn’t make the cut.
Tough choices….I feel bad for Magnotta, only being available at their store makes it tougher for them to win…also I would have liked to have seen the addition of a House Ales beer
Magnotta’s brew, True North, is available for purchase at the beer store. However, it may not be available at all locations.
Can we just have a “Yes” selection for some of those categories?
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WHAT NO DEAD ELEPHANT ALE!!!!!
It would have been a solid choice for the IPA/Pale Ale category, but it didn’t make it this year. Possibly it will next year.
Where the heck are all the Great Lakes beers? Crazy Canuck is the best Pale Ale.
We all love Great Lakes, but a majority of their awesome beers are seasonal, making them ineligible for our competition. The one category that Great Lakes would realistically have been a contender, IPAs and Pale Ales, was just too deep. There really are a lot of great Ontario beers that would fit that category, and Crazy Canuck is one of them.
I really missed King Brewery in the Lager category.
I agree that King makes some really excellent beers. I was certainly torn between the King Vienna Lager and the Galt Knife.
Pingback: Cast Your Vote in the 2012 Ontario Brewmasters Cup | Mom & Hops
I think Mad Tom will be coming out for another round!!
CS: I WANT to buy ON craft, but at the LCBO, imported is ca. $200/500 ml, so I go for that , OR the keg, by–sho else–the Dutchman’s choice Heinicanz–reduced to $25+ it’s a ‘sweet deal for savers’–okay beer swillers, all good except for teh HUGE head, each glassful! I’m waiting to ‘harvest’ teh Muskoka Harvest Ale–no-no, NOT just ’cause of teh 7% solution–well, not a bad idea.
Love this beer!
This ballot really shows how much of the quality brewing in Ontario is concentrated in IPAs. Something from Bellwoods, Grantie, and Houseales would be a nice addition, but I guess this was just open to LBCO available product. Also shuts out showcasing the genius of Mike Lackey.
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IM GONNA TOOT MY WHITSLE AND SAY STEAM WHISTLE ROCKS!!!
Pingback: Voting Open for Final Round of Ontario Brewmasters Cup | Canadian Beer News
The “Dark Beer” category is a little unfair. You’re pitting 2 very different styles of beer in there. It really should be split into a “Dark Beer” category for brown ales and dark lagers and a “Stout/Porter” category
I don’t disagree with you. Probably we will go that way next year, when the field is larger. We’re always glad to have constructive criticism.