For those who have been following the Free Our Beer project, you know that Garrison Imperial IPA was accepted into the LCBO’s upcoming Autumn seasonal release program at the beginning of the year.  Well, it’s about to finally hit the shelves! It’s been a long road to get here – from the initial submission, to […]

[Read more →]

Last year we set up a 2nd private order of Garrison beers to follow on the heels of the successful first one.  We would offer basically everything that Garrison had to offer, and it took a while to get all the orders in.  We had about 2 pallets of beer ordered by customers – the […]

[Read more →]

With the great news from the LCBO that IIPA was accepted into the fall release, came the great unknown. What was next?  I assumed paperwork, and I was correct. Shortly after I received acceptance from the LCBO, I was informed of the paperwork that needed to be completed.  There were three primary forms: the “Request for Label […]

[Read more →]

Today Brick Brewing announced that Labatt Brewing has sued them over trademark issues between Brick’s Red Baron brand and Labatt’s Brava brand.  The announcement certainly raises an eyebrow regarding the conflict of interest that our beer retail network is owned by the major breweries (48.5% Labatt, 48.5% Molson) and their products dominate the network at […]

[Read more →]

In today’s Toronto Star, Josh Rubin has written an article about the latest Ontario Craft Brewers’ Discovery Pack.  This pack, the second one to be released, is a special six-pack with different beers from a number of Ontario craft breweries.  Sold exclusively at the LCBO, the first one was a success and it’s hoped that […]

[Read more →]

As we originally discussed in July, Beau’s was having serious challenges with The Beer Store and Beau’s unique swing-top bottles.  Since Beau’s does not sell their beer in The Beer Store, they were refusing to give them back to Beau’s when customers return them.   Good news for Beau’s however.  As Beau’s reported, as did […]

[Read more →]

It’s been a little while since my last post, so it’s good to be back.  This one is about a little place you might have heard of called California. California is the most populous state in the U.S. and home to much glamourous American culture – Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco, Napa Valley, etc.  I […]

[Read more →]

One of the often overlooked problems with our beer system in Ontario is how the rest of our great country is generally omitted. To a casual beer drinker in Ontario, the craft beer selection consists of beers from Ontario and the rest of the world. Not, however, from the rest of Canada. Canada has thriving […]

[Read more →]

I was tipped off to a story from Ottawa about Steve Beauchesne from Beau’s on the CBC this week (MP3 file) discussing their challenges with The Beer Store and bottle deposit returns. Beau’s recently began offering their Lug Tread Ale in 750mL ceramic swing-top bottles at the LCBO.  This bottle is certainly a premium bottle and costs […]

[Read more →]

This will be a new feature at FreeOurBeer.org: Unavailable Beer of the Month.  This column will feature different beers from around the world that are unavailable for sale in Ontario, but might possibly be available under a private retail system if we had one. Today I’m tasting a beer from one of the most famous […]

[Read more →]