BAOS: Beer & Other Shhh Podcast

Quebec has been brewing some of the best beer in Canada for a hot minute, and one of the stars of the province is Sir John. Located around 45 minutes north of Montreal in Lachute, Sir John is renowned for their juicy, hazy IPAs and bold, pastry stouts, so we were stoked to finally get the fellas on the podcast. Joel and Simon joined Cee and Nate to chat about their humble homebrewing beginnings, the beer history in Lachute, how they've become friends with the breweries they looked up to, the ups, downs and inconsistencies that come along with craft brewing, how they've adjusted their processes over time, and reminisced on the good old days when Galaxy was good. They got into five Sir John gems - Petite Bulles [Jaune] American Light Lager, Bonheur En Canna 4 NEIPA, Un Gars En Jeans Pis Des Animaux NEIPA, Tie Wrap Double IPA, and Perdition Pastry Stout. This was a banger - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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This might be a podcast-first: seven custom-designed and printed glasses just for this episode. Glassware is arguably the most important element of craft beer as it's the actual vessel through which we get to experience it, yet it rarely obtains the shine it so glaringly deserves. Tonight, we fix that. Dan of Zenan, the largest glassware company in Canada, and Adin of Henderson Brewing, join Cee and Nate to chat about the importance of glassware across the board, Zenan's decorating capabilities, how they work closely with the craft brewing industry to get them what they need (even in a tight turnaround), the importance of relationships with breweries and suppliers, the different types of printing on glassware, why different glasses work with specific beer styles, festival glassware, the upcoming Henderson "Toronto In 100 Beers" book, and why there aren't as many "flagship" glasses these days. They get into some gems from Henderson, in the custom-made BAOS glassware (thanks to Dan!): Rush Canadian Light Lager, The Amazing Randi Hazy Pale Ale (Ides 99), Radicle Hopfenweisse, Rube Goldbeer Belgian Tripel, Stock Ale (Ides 100), X-1 (Rush Xanabrew II) Belgian-Style Black Ale, and Best Amber Ale. This was spectacular - cheers!  

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

Independent bottle shops were one of the biggest wins from the pandemic for Ontario craft beer drinkers, and in this latest episode of The Business of Beer, we catch up with two bottle shops x contract breweries that approached it completely differently. Michael of Gather Brewery & Glassworks and Alexander of Lovebird Snack Club joined Cee and Nate to chat about the logistics and challenges of opening a bottle shop in Ontario, why it's so difficult to maneuver around the laws, the benefits and downsides of both approaches (starting a contract brewery then a bottleshop vs starting a bottleshop then a contract brewery), the limitations of contract brewing, working with the LCBO, the bureaucracy of alcohol sales in Ontario, how it works with licensees, and their future plans for their beers. The fellas delivered a killer lineup of crispies for the pod: Lovebird Good Things Rice Lager, Gather Dam Good Lager American Lager, Lovebird x Emmer's Proof Sourdough Helles Lager, and Gather Big Pants Pilsner Czech-style Pilsner. This was fascinating - cheers!  

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

The American three-tier distribution system can be a bit of a confusing beast to comprehend, with different rules in each state and more variances than any individual human could ever remember. Good friend of the show Kevin Abbott of Barrel of Monks in Boca Raton, FL joined Cee for a deep dive into the three-tier system and how it works, why they decided to close Odd Breed Wild Ales, why so many breweries are closing in Florida, why it's so tough to make money in the beer industry, how distributors split up territories and why their contracts are for life in Florida, how to select the best retailers and licensees for your brand, and why making great beer just isn't enough. They got into two boozy gems from Barrel of Monks - Trip Sitter Barrel-Aged Barleywine (from their 7th anniversary) and Parade of Souls Imperial Stout. This was packed with jewels - enjoy!

 

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

One of our most watched videos on YouTube is about the life of a craft beer sales rep, and strangely it's something we've never explored at length on the podcast before. Micah Overton of Lilypad, a "CRM crafted for beverage suppliers and distributors to stay organized and sell more liquid", joins Cee to talk about a day in the life of a beer sales rep, the difference between self-distributing and having distributor partners, how a sales rep decides where to go every day, how to approach current or potential clients, his experience with wholesalers, the pros and cons of the 3-tier system, some fun stories from his days as a sales rep, and why and how technology can help beer sales teams do their job. Micah provided some killer Florida brews for the session - BarrieHaus Beer Co. Bublina Czech-style Pilsner, Angry Chair Vodnik Czech-inspired Pilsner, Coppertail Hop Quest Cold IPA, and Hidden Springs Ale Works A Hot Dog Is Most Definitely A Sandwich. This was fascinating - cheers!

 

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

Ayr, Ontario is an unlikely town to find some of the best beer and spirits in the province, but the lords at Willibald have been taking care of the community for years now. Cam and Gordo joined Cee and Nate to catch up on what's been happening with them for the last two years, why they chose their Hell Lager as their flagship and the thinking behind the move into 12-packs, the importance of travel for inspiration, the LCBO strike and their thoughts on it, the optimal time frame to drink their IPAs, the popularity of their seltzers, why Copenhagen is one of the best cities in the world for beer and coffee, and their love for barleywines. The fellas got into some killer brews: Hell Helles Lager, Lazer Land Pale Ale, City Slicker IPA, Ill Gotten Gains Double IPA, and Vesterboro Barleywine with Prolog Coffee. This was a gem - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

One of the most important aspects of marketing in craft beer in recent years is Social Media. We've spoken about it at length via the original The Business of Marketing Craft Beer three-part podcast series, but we figured it was time to really dive deep into all things social. Tiffany Alexis, Co-Founder of both BAOS and High Season Co., joins Cee to get into the origins of the Business of Beer season, how they've created relationships with beer brands and businesses via social, examples of breweries and businesses both doing social really well (and some doing it kinda terribly), best practices for Social Media (content pillars, hashtags, Reels, metrics, Stories, algorithms), AI tools, and Influencer Marketing. They both got into some great bevos - Perennial Artisan Ales Pils, Willibald Fruit Punch Seltzer, Kahnawake x BAOS Podcast x Nathan Does Beer x Beerism x Vox & Hops Fake NewZ, and Willibald Strawberry Seltzer. As mentioned in the episode, here are all the helpful links:   Social Strategy Video + Downloadble Template: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-nDgTm82As ManyChat (automation software): https://manychat.com/product/instagram?utm_campaign=HIGHSEASON and use code HIGHSEASON at checkout for a free month of their Pro plan How To Sell On Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y91bT520Xt4 SubMagic (caption software): https://submagic.co?via=highseason and use code HIGHSEASON at checkout for 10% discount Canva (design software): https://partner.canva.com/highseason High Season YouTube Membership: https://bit.ly/HSInsidersYT

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

At thirty-seven years in the game - that's right, 37 years - Etobicoke's Great Lakes Brewing are certified OGs and are essentially unstoppable. Face of the brand (among other more important things) Troy Burtch joined Cee and Nate to chat about their approach to craft beer over the decades, how craft beer in Ontario has changed, the impact of Gen-Z drinking less alcohol, the importance of the LCBO to their strategy, the future of craft beer in Ontario with grocery and convenience, why American and WCIPAs are underrated, how creating experiences is the secret sauce and why they listen to the customer. They got into a gang of killer GLB brews - Premium Lager, Over My Dad Body Pilsner, Canuck Pale Ale, Octopus Wants To Fight IPA, Karmadelic IPA, VAVROOOM! New England IPA, and Haze Mama. Phenomenal convo - cheers! 

BAOS Podcast

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Prince Edward County is one of Ontario's most exciting craft beer scenes, and the jewel of PEC is Slake Brewing - both for its view and quality brews. Co-Founder and Brewer Nick joined Cee and Nate to chat about beers that you don't have to think about (ie No Thinkies), their barrel program and why they dialled it back, their approach to beer, hop contracts, how they've diversified their taproom offerings, the connection between Ontario craft brewers, their incredible view, why their canned beers last so long, and why they're so popular with Quebec drinkers. They got into a bunch of killer brews - Yellow Flowers Table Beer, Whisper Grapefruit Gose, Mosey Pilsner, Hatch Pale Ale, Slow Slow IPA, and Darren The One-Eyed Cat Barrel-aged Sour. This was amazing - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads

Ottawa's Tooth & Nail is both one of Ontario's most heralded and more underrated breweries at the same time. They've made our Top 10 Breweries in Ontario list every year due to their incredibly well-crafted beers, and it's a crime that we waited three years to catch up with Matty. Cee and Nate chatted with Matt about how they got their initial traction via Vim & Vigor, why he doesn't dry hop Pilsners, why foam is essential in beer, when beer stopped being a hobby, how they came up with their Extra Pale Ale, Matt's desert island beers, his love for Belgian beers and his collab project with Bim of Godspeed, why Centennial might be the GOAT of hops, and the importance of educating the consumer. They got into Grace & Gratitude Whole Cone Saaz Hop Lager, Vim & Vigor Pilsner, Exile Extra Pale Ale, Valor Classic Saison, Rabble Rouser India Pale Ale, and Fortitude Stout. This was impeccable - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube | Website | Theme tune: Cee - BrewHeads