By now you have certainly seen Ontario media abuzz with the news that the Ontario government is “updating” our liquor laws and “removing restrictions on Ontarians”.  The restrictions that are being considered for elimination – note they have not been removed yet – include dropping the need for beer tents and allowing freer movement with […]

[Read more →]

There is a story in the National Post that Tim Hudak, leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party, was discussing how pricey beer was, referring to the minimum retail price that the LCBO sets for beer in the province. What isn’t discussed in the article, however, is that the LCBO has in fact released in the […]

[Read more →]

As we reach the end of 2010 I’d like to discuss what I called the best event I attended this year – the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Chicago, Illinois. In April I went for the first time to the CBC, the annual conference of the Brewers Association (BA), a U.S. organization comprised of over […]

[Read more →]

What’s interesting now that Free Our Beer has been going for a couple of years (god, time has flown by) is to see how things have changed (or haven’t) over time. For instance, we’ve tracked the process to get Garrison’s Imperial I.P.A. onto LCBO store shelves as part of its Autumn Ales release.  This has been a […]

[Read more →]

We often bemoan the state of drinking in Ontario – the selection, the policies, etc.  In fact, this site is dedicated to presenting arguments why the retail system does not suit the beer connoisseur.  However, I recently came across a fascinating web site that shows that things in Ontario were much stranger for drinkers. The […]

[Read more →]

Hugh MacIntyre has an editorial today in National Post where he questions some of the liquor laws in Ontario after a recent trip to California and Oregon.  In the editorial he touches upon beer availability, retail sales and direct shipping, all things that are challenging if not illegal in Ontario.  I feel your pain Hugh, thinking […]

[Read more →]

Free Our Beer and The Bar Towel are hitting the road tomorrow evening to travel down to the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago.  The conference, organized by the US-based Brewers Association, is one of the largest of its kind, attracting over 2,600 industry professionals according to the web site.  It has been sold out for […]

[Read more →]

Oftentimes it’s easy to believe that if something is a certain way here, it must be that way everywhere else.  But we all know this is certainly not the case with local customs and cultures.  However, sometimes we fall into this trap when it comes to alcohol in Ontario.  Today I’m writing a new article […]

[Read more →]

Stephen Beaumont tipped me to the fact that Lew Bryson, the accomplished beer writer from Philadelphia, also has an online call to arms addressing the shortcomings of his state liquor system.  Entitled Why The PLCB Should Be Abolished, Lew discusses the issues with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, such as the fact that beer, wine and […]

[Read more →]

Troy Burtch, an all-around nice guy and author of the excellent beer blog Great Canadian Pubs and Beer, has posted an extensive perspective on the beer retailing system in Ontario in light of all the recent happenings in this area.  Be sure to give it a read.

[Read more →]