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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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It’s been a little while since our last post at Free Our Beer, but it isn’t due to lack of things happening. There’s lots going on and some interesting news will be announced soon.  But I thought I’d post up some quick tidbits of things on the radar in the Free Our Beer world across […]

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As reported on The Bar Towel, Garrison Imperial I.P.A. has at long last hit the shelves!  After a slight snag with getting it released due to a pricing discrepancy with the LCBO, things were worked out and the bottles have been shipped to the participating stores.  At the link above you can find some kind […]

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The LCBO seasonal product call process has been documented numerous times at Free Our Beer – we have been successful with Garrison’s submission into the Autumn 2010 release but unsuccessful with the Winter Warmers release. The basic process was pretty straightforward.  An agent or brewery would submit to the LCBO beers for consideration along with […]

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Yesterday at the Session beer festival, for the first time at a festival in Ontario we poured Garrison, both the IIPA and Hop Yard Pale Ale.  For many of the patrons there, Garrison was an unfamiliar brewery, and we described the beers to interested drinkers who seemed to quite enjoy both beers. And often we […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Nova Scotia has a provincial liquor commission that operates retail stores similar to Ontario, called the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, or NSLC.  Their stores do a fine job of providing a range of wine, spirits and beer to consumers.  For a province of about 1 million, there isn’t a huge market for specialty products, or […]

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