There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise
READERS, I’M NOT GOING TO LIE; I’M AFRAID I MUST, AS THE KIDS SAY, “GET REAL” WITH YOU. IF YOU’VE EVEN TAKEN A PASSING GLANCE AT THE ONTARIO BEER SCENE SINCE NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO TALK ABOUT.
It’s getting scary out there.
Now, I don’t mean “scary” as in “fruited sours with gummi worms in them.” Honestly, with the way some trends go, that’s not too far o from ction. But rather “scary” as in there is a massive shifting of the landscape as breweries are bought, merged with others, or outright closed on what has felt like, as of time of writing, a weekly basis. Little Beasts in Oshawa announced that their owner, Erin Brandson, is stepping away with the fate of the brewery uncertain; Toronto’s People’s Pint has closed as has Kitchener’s Descendants Brewing, to name a few. Meanwhile, Danish brewer and beverage maker Royal Unibrew, makers of Faxe, purchased Amsterdam Brewery for $44 million, and Waterloo Brewing, who make Laker Ice, signed a deal to be bought by the Carlsberg Group for $144 million.
This isn’t even all the changes that have occurred in the last four months, and many more are expected and rumoured to be on the way. On one side, many breweries will get bigger; on another, much sadder side, many brewers and brewery sta will have lost their livelihoods. But why is this happening? And why now? Well, there are a few reasons. First is the somewhat obvious one: The pandemic did a number on sales as many people just weren’t going to bars. Pair that with an economic crisis just as people began to go outdoors again and you have the makings of mass closures in many businesses. If you’ve been to a grocery store in the past year, you’ll know that everything is more expensive. For breweries, that means more expensive grains, hops, and even aluminium cans all while rent is continuing to go up.
Combine all that with a craft beer market where, for the province of Ontario at any rate, oversaturation has been a long-standing issue. Breweries that were just barely staying aoat are being forced to close or sell, and breweries that have reached a large level of growth can’t do so without the assistance oered by merging. However, the breweries that have been steadily growing and gaining social cachet with their ne beers have been sticking around and, hopefully, will continue to do so.
Now, all of that does sound scary, and it is. (I did warn you, didn’t I?) But honestly, if you’ve ever wanted to head over to your local brewery, hang out at their taproom, and buy a few cans to take home, now is the time. Support is always good, and in these times, it’s very much appreciated.
It should be said though that none of this has stopped new breweries from opening. Barrel Heart Brewing and Blending, Peace River Brewing, and Dandy Brewing all opened recently, and there’s only more coming. So, while the market may be in decline, we are seeing something of an odd rebirth.
But one wonders what form the craft beer market in this country will take next. We’ve seen a lot of positive shifts in legislation in recent years, and Canada has already earned an international reputation as makers of excellent beer. Breweries who start with that context could go on to do some very interesting things.
And that’s something to, I hesitate to say, “get excited about.”
Robin LeBlanc is an award-winning beer columnist, author, and podcaster with over a decade of experience in writing about the ins and outs of the beer world. In 2011 she started her blog The Thirsty Wench, which went on to win multiple awards including the Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Award in the beer category. She has been a contributor, columnist, and co-author of both editions of the Ontario Cra© Beer Guide. In addition to her regular contributions in multiple publications, she is the co-host of the Ontario Cra© Beer Guide The Podcast. Robin lives in Toronto.