Sleeman, the last of Canada's brewing giants has been sold!

[cattersley]

Sleeman. who was and will had been owned by John Sleeman is being sold the Sapporo of Japan. This is a dark day in Canada brewing history. Sleeman is the last of the Canadian owned brewing giants.

Here is the link to story on ctv's website.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060811/sapporo_sleeman_060811/20060811?hub=Canada

So people, what do all of you think of this? Good or bad for beer in Canada?

- cattersley.

[stronk]

Good, surely. If there are no Canadian-owned giants left, the local smaller breweries will have an easier time because they know the market better. Sapporo have more sense than to mess with Sleeman's products and they can't really ruin the line with some of their tasteless beer, because Sleeman already brew some tasteless beer (as well as some quite good beer).

[markaberrant]

Sleemans is your typical "pseudo-premium" brewer. I believe they do make a couple products that border on quality (the John Sleemans Presents series), but they are not available nationwide, thus I've never had a chance to try them.

Their standard product line is garbage. I like that Sleemans serves as a gateway to good beer, but it annoys me to no end that it is marketed and priced as good beer. Like one of the other posters said, I'd be much happier if some quality micros were able to establish themselves nationally in Canada (like Sierra Nevada in the States for instance).

That being said, Sleemans does own Unibroue. There is always the unknown of what the new owners may do with it, but the consensus is that Sapporo is the lesser of the evils when you consider the front runner to buy Sleemans was Molson-Coors. You would think (and hope) that they will recognize the importance of not tinkering with an elite, world-class product (which is one thing Sleemans managed to do right).

[thekulman]

I'm going to say it's a bad thing.

Upper Canada used to make fine beer before Sleemans bought it and moved production to Guelph. Connors used to make good beer before Brick bought it.

Creemore still makes one of the best beers around, but was recently bought by Molson's - now owed by Coors.

Labatt's bought Alexander's in Nova Scotia and are in turn owned by whatever Interbrew is calling themselves these days.

Didn't know that Sleeman also owns Unibroue - they make some truly distinct, yet exotic beer.

One last factoid - Moosehead now has the rights to brew Carlsberg in Canada.

Here's my point, breweries buy others to gain marketshare, but in doing so have to homogenate the beers so that they appeal to the largest numbers ... those are the same people that drink Export or Canadian or Blue and think they are good, not guys and gals who like micros or brew their own. Size can be a bad thing in brewing.

I think Sleeman's products will eventually become blander and blander due to this. Although some more micro's might come out as a result of this to fill the void, without the market share they have trouble getting their beers into the Beer Store (which is owned by all the breweries in accordance to the percentage they sell - so the big guys, who have more shares in the Beer Store, don't want to or let the little guys gain a foothold - this is the way beer is sold in Ontario at least).

Too many of the small emerging breweries like King, which is new, or Amsterdam, older but really good, are run by guys who think that a beer has to be priced at a premium for people to believe it's a premium product or have the illusion of exclusivity.

Make good beer and sell it at a fair price and let the people decide if it's premium or not, don't tell us what to think. The days of the brewpub are dead in Toronto, I know of 2 or 3 now, 10 years ago I knew of at least 12 of them .... I long for those days when you could go to the Rotterdam and have a good meal and a few fresh, truly good beers.

Now the only way to have a good beer is to brew it yourself.

[markaberrant]

I'll just say that I find the state of beer in Ontario to be atrocious (ie; the Beer Store and the failure/decline of most TO brewpubs); and with being the largest province, this heavily contributes to holding back the progression of beer for all of Canada.

I just had a lenghty discussion on another message board about the sorry state of beer in Saskatchewan. And while on one hand, the commercial liquor stores (government run) suck here in terms of price and selection, on the other hand, we have what is possibly the best brew pub in Canada (Bushwakker in Regina) and an amazing microbrewery/homebrew supplier (Paddockwood in Saskatoon). We've even got Great Western brewery, an empoyee-owned Saskatoon company that makes better lagers than Molson/Labatt. It was kinda cool how through the discussion we came to the realization that Saskatchewan actually has a damn good beer culture for a socialist-run hillbilly province.

[thekulman]

How are the beers at Paddockwood? I've always wanted to try one (p.s. - my sister lives in Regina)
I understand their Brewmistress is a young woman. Is she trained as a brewmaster or did she come about it though working there? It just seemed so odd on their website to see someone so young as the brewmaster

[cattersley]

I have checked out the Great Western Brewery website. I am really qurious to try some of there beers, and did email them asking if any were comming to Ontario. On the comment on the Beer Store, I think it is a regression monopoly that is only hurting Ontario beer. The government in Ontario though has long adopted this idea that alcohol has to be over taxed and regulated through them (Basically the government acting like parents you can never get ride of or overrule.). So in closing, down with the Beer Store, yah for deregulation, a change to modest tax system, and complete free passage for great beers from province to province.

- cattersley.

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by thekulman
How are the beers at Paddockwood? I've always wanted to try one (p.s. - my sister lives in Regina)
I understand their Brewmistress is a young woman. Is she trained as a brewmaster or did she come about it though working there? It just seemed so odd on their website to see someone so young as the brewmaster

Really weird, but I just went to the website, and her picture is no long there, plus she wasn't there last week when I stopped by. Hmmm... regardless, she did graduate from the Seibel Institute and was very knowledgable whenever I talked to her.

Anyways, they make fabulous beers. I've tried about 20 of them; I only disliked the Rasberry Lager, and found the Saison kind of dull, but everything else has been top shelf. They do brew a couple tame beers (brown lager, irish cream ale) to cater to those just entering the world of craft beer. The website does not list all of the beers they carry, there is many more at the brewery. At the moment, you can only buy their Bock and Rye IPA at Sask Liquour Outlets, with Black Cat Lager soon on the way.

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by cattersley
I have checked out the Great Western Brewery website. I am really qurious to try some of there beers, and did email them asking if any were comming to Ontario. On the comment on the Beer Store, I think it is a regression monopoly that is only hurting Ontario beer. The government in Ontario though has long adopted this idea that alcohol has to be over taxed and regulated through them (Basically the government acting like parents you can never get ride of or overrule.). So in closing, down with the Beer Store, yah for deregulation, a change to modest tax system, and complete free passage for great beers from province to province.

Great Western makes a couple above average lagers, the Premium Lager and Premium Pilsner. I'm not going say they are the greatest beers I've ever drank, but they are a heck of a lot better than the typical offerings, and I sure don't hesitate to order one if it's the best thing on the menu.

Government control of liquor stores is one thing (ie Saskatchewan), but allowing big brewers to run them on behalf of the government is so unbelievably out of line.

What upsets me most about Saskatchewan Liquour stores is that you can't most of the great beer made right in Canada. I would love to support the many great micros across the land, but my government doesn't allow me to.

[hexalite]

Originally posted by markaberrant
[B]Really weird, but I just went to the website, and her picture is no long there, plus she wasn't there last week when I stopped by. Hmmm... regardless, she did graduate from the Seibel Institute and was very knowledgable whenever I talked to her.


I asked Brandi, their receptionist, about this on the phone. Apparently, she got tired of brewing and decided to go back to college. I asked about her attendance at the Seibel Institute, because I am interested in attending one day, and I was told that she did the online courses, which probably helped her get into the institute, since I hear they are pretty tough on who gets into the school. Nevertheless, I've only heard good things about the beers brewered there. And considering she was a female brewmaster, something I've never seen, that's pretty awesome! I'd love to see more women getting interested in the beer industry. I think Lakeport in Hamilton, Ontario is actually run by a woman.

Paddock has now hired a male brewer from America who has been to Germany and I believe he has brewed there as well.

[thekulman]

Originally posted by hexalite
I asked Brandi, their receptionist, about this on the phone. Apparently, she got tired of brewing and decided to go back to college.

I hate to say this, so don't jump on me for being a guy ... but she was hot too. There was something about a young, pretty woman who brews beer for a living ... wake up Kulman, wake up! Sorry, I drifted there.

[cattersley]

Lakeport in Hamilton is run and own by Teresa Casciloi, who took them over on brink of folding, to now having a beer in Ontario's top 10. She is also hot... lol. Cheers.

- cattersley.

www.lakeportbeverage.ca