alcohol content, sales floor and employees or
owners. The Brewers Association of America
defines craft brewers as “small, independent, and
traditional.” This means their annual production
must be less than 6 million barrels, and their
company must be 75 per cent owned by a craft
brewer, not a corporation. Craft beer is generally
made with traditional ingredients like malted
barley; interesting and sometimes non-traditional
ingredients are often added for distinctiveness.
Goure doesn’t think the quantity is as
important a factor when it comes to determining
what is craft and what isn’t.
“I think the most important thing is the
product itself, how its made, marketed and
enjoyed by consumers,” he said. “Anyone that is
willing to put forth their time and passion into
creating a unique product they can share with
others is a craft brewer as far as I am concerned.”
Local breweries often offer themselves as
event venues, or are happy to give unique tours to
show consumers the behind the scenes action of
brewing. At the Walkerville Brewery, events have
ranged from business meetings to open town halls
during election season and theatre shows.
Walkerville also offers 45 minute tours for $7.00
per person, and gives you the historical
background of the brewery.Tour-takers can taste a
number of samples and enjoy a full glass of one of
the Walkerville Brewery’s offerings.
Lajoie uses the brewery tours as one way to
get to know a new city.
“One of my favourite things to do when I'm
visiting a new place is to check out the local
breweries,” said Lajoie. She’s lived in Windsor,
Ottawa, Kitchener and London in the last few
years, and has scoped out the craft brew scene
Ontario-wide.
“Whenever I’m in Windsor I go to Rock
Bottom for their beer - they have a huge selection
of Ontario brews.”
The first craft brewery in Canada was
founded in Vancouver in 1982. Ontario was not far
behind, with the Brick Brewery in Waterloo
Brewing up a batch at
Craftheads Brewing Company in
Windsor