THUNDER BAY – Five years ago it wasn’t easy to find craft beer in Ontario.
Now it has quickly become one of the largest growing sectors of the alcoholic beverage industry.
That’s especially true in Thunder Bay, which has seen exponential growth in local and regional craft breweries.
Michael Ukrainec, 24, found the retail market didn’t have what he was looking for when he first reached the legal drinking age. Ukrainec, who prefers stout beers, said he has little selection with mainstream brewing companies.
That’s one key area where craft breweries, which make up only about six per cent of the marketplace, are able to set themselves apart from the competition.
“Not a lot of the breweries have stouts but I find a lot of the microbreweries and craft brewers have stouts and porters and they like to experiment,” he said on Saturday, which marked the beginning of Craft Beer Week in Ontario.
“A lot of the things they have are coffee and espresso stouts and porters and they’ve been selling a lot of really good ones.”
A number of breweries, including ones in Sudbury as well as Minnesota, have landed on his radar as some of his favourites as the availability and selection has dramatically increased.
The rise in craft beer in Ontario has caught the attention of the provincial government, with Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals proposing legislative changes that make it easier for independent breweries to sell their product in the Beer Store and LCBO retail outlets.
It has led to smaller breweries from across the province being must-haves for local beer enthusiasts.
Jamie Cunningham, who describes herself as a frequent beer drinker, said she prefers craft beer and lists Toronto’s Steam Whistle and the Muskoka Brewing Company as two of her favourites.
“I like craft beer because it’s a little bit different,” she said. “You go to the LCBO or any of these smaller breweries and you can find just about anything.”
The Sleeping Giant Brewing Company, which is based in Thunder Bay, is celebrating its third anniversary with a Beer Fest celebration on Saturday.
Owner Matt Person said there is a growing culture around craft breweries, which has benefitted brewers all over Ontario.
“Three years ago it was tough to find craft breweries in the LCBO and Brewers’ Retail. Restaurants were not as accustomed to it, customers weren’t asking for it as much,” Pearson said.
“Not only has that opened things up for our business but it has opened things up for a lot of other craft breweries to come up to Thunder Bay and have some events, do some things and have some fun.”
The creativity and experimental nature of craft breweries has also expanded to include non-traditional beer drinkers.
“We just think people should know what else is out there and have those options and choices when they go to order a beer. They’ve all been drinking the same beer for the last 40 years. Things are different, things are changing and it’s exciting,” Pearson said.
“Beer was a male dominated segment but craft beer isn’t. Craft beer has a much more equitable male to female ratio, which is what everyone wants. We’re getting a lot of people from wine because wine drinkers understand flavour and a lot of our more adventurous beers are enjoyed by wine drinkers.”
