As stated in a prior Blog I am a fan of “Craft Beer”, small batch brews with attention to taste and quality. We are relatively late to the party with our Craft Beer breweries, the american’s developed an appreciation for their local brews many, many years ago.
When in the US I drink Craft Beer almost exclusively, some of my favorites are from New Belgium Brewery in CO, they include Fat Tire, 1554 and Abby. Another favorite is Dogfish Head and their 120 Minute IPA and Seasonal Punkin Ale. I’m also getting a taste for Flying Bison brewed in Buffalo NY. Check out Premier Gourmet in Amherst for a good selection of US Craft Beers.
The reason I’m starting off with US favorites is pretty simple; you can get a great six-pack of Craft Beer for anywhere between $6.95 – $9.95. I think that we (Canadians) make some damn good Craft Beers. To wit many recent articles in the newspapers and magazines on the industry. My issue? Surprise! The cost of these brews in Ontario. This weekend the Toronto Star did a write up on Muskoka Brewery “Harvest Ale”. Now I’m sure that this is a pretty good beer, albeit one that I’m not going to try anytime soon at $14.95 a six-pack. That’s $2.49 a bottle or $59.79 a 24!
Why can’t our governments, Federal and Provincial, quit gouging and taxing the buying public, to the point that small businesses, like Craft Brewers, can offer Canadians a decent, home grown product at a reasonable price. If I were a betting man I would bet that Muskoka Brewery doesn’t see much more than $0.50/bottle from this!
End of rant!
