This is an episode we'd been trying to make happen for well over a year, but the timing ended up being perfect. Anyone paying attention to the global craft beer industry over the past few years will have noticed breweries either closing or merging/being bought up. Long-time friends of the show Sam Corbeil of Sawdust City and Aaron Spinney of MERIT joined Cee to talk about the recent merger of both of their breweries with Lake of Bays, how it all came about and how they felt about such a large change, the challenges they're both experiencing with regards to integrating all of the companies, how it works, what changes and what stays the same, how the beer will be treated, and their optimism for the future of their breweries. Their honesty and openness in this conversation were extremely appreciated, and shed a lot of light on the reality of being at the forefront of a brewery merger. They got into a bunch of killer Sawdust and MERIT beers: Sawdust City Fire Glow Czech-Style Dark Lager, MERIT Strange Animal Juicy IPA, Sawdust City Rudeneja Autumn IPA, MERIT 107 Dortmunder Export Lager, Sawdust City The Blood of Cthulhu Imperial Pastry Stout (2025), and MERIT Lost Time Märzen Lager. This was incredibly educational - cheers! BAOS Podcast

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Nothing beats a contract-to-brick-and-mortar success story, and Lovebird is the latest brewery to do just that. Their beautiful location in Meaford, ON is in partnership with Chef Ryan Praskey of Belle Marche, and boasts a full kitchen, eclectic bar, cozy patio and a vibe that feels more like Montreal than Meaford. Co-Founders Alex and Emily joined Cee to chat about their long and unique journey through the beer industry, how their first business (a beer and wine bar called Lovebird Snack Club) kicked off their journey in Collingwood, ON, Emily's approach to the design of the space and their labels, how they curate their cocktail and wine list, their partnerships to grow the brand, their cuisine, why they still contract brew their larger brands, and where they plan to take the brewery in future. They got into seven Lovebird bangers, brewed both in-house and off-site: Birdweiser Light Lager, Goodness Gracious Raspberry Blonde Ale collab with Savvy Co., Crema Cold Brew Cream Ale collab with Good Grief, Good Things Dry-Hopped Rice Lager, Quiet Season Canadian Wheat Ale, Rosette Field Hand Saison, and Sunny Pale Ale. This was an awesome chat - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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One of the most impressive breweries you'll find in the glorious province of Ontario is Beamsville's Bench Brewing. Nestled right along King St. on the famous Niagara wine route, their imposing campus is a beacon of beer in a land of grapes. Founder Matt Giffen joined Cee to chat about his origins in the beer business, his time overseas and the impact on his beer journey, why he chose the Niagara wine region for his brewery, their dedication to sustainability with their impressive (and complex) waste reduction and energy capturing systems, their expansion into cider, wine, non-alcoholic and Ready-To-Drink products, their purchase of Ace Hill and Liberty Village Beverage Co., their rebranding and refocus on their clean beers, and what happened to the funk side. They got into six killer Bench brews: Ball's Falls Session IPA, Short Hills Hazy IPA, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Lager, Van Life Mexican Lager, Ripple Effect Pale Ale, and Berry Fields Fruit Sour. This was super enlightening - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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Sitting just outside of Montréal in Pointe-Claire, QC, one of the newest breweries in Québec is Folklore, which took over the space from the recently shuttered Labrosse. Co-Founder Alex Arsenault joined Cee to chat about how it all came together (and how fast it happened), how they got their brand identity, labels and beer recipes ready to go, the support from the community, how Untappd affects breweries and some best practices, the inspiration for their beers, why they've ventured out to meet other brewers and creators (like to the Get It In Ya® SpecTAPular), their connection to the UK and New Zealand, the folklore concept behind the brand, they direction they plan to take the brewery, and how to communicate their story. They got into seven Folklore bangers - Alkonost Czech Lager, King Arthur Amber Ale, Glück Festbier, Caddy West Coast IPA x InnoMalt, The Dep Run Pale Ale, Bigfoot NEIPA, and Fable #1 NEIPA. This was super fun - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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It's always a thrill to discover a brewery that's new to you that blows your mind, especially when you weren't expecting it - and that's exactly what happened when Cee first sipped some Cold Bear beers. Founder Hugh and Brewer Nate joined Cee on the pod to chat about the origins of Cold Bear and their dedication to their Arnprior community, why they don't do much distro and focus on their taproom, their love of lager, how they scored Peacharine as a new brewery, why they don't decoct their lagers and their acquisition of horizontal tanks, how they selected their flagship Pilsner, their future plans for the growth of the brewery, and their motto of "if you're not messing around, what are you doing". They got into six killer Cold Bear brews - Madawaska Pilsner, Leicht German-style Leichtbier, Festbier, K7S West Coast Pilsner, Westküste West Coast IPA, and Pop On Hops New England IPA. This was a gem - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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British Columbia's Four Winds is the brewery on the West Coast of Canada that made the biggest impact on Cee's perception of craft beer, so it was an honour to have the boys back on the pod. Brothers Adam and Brent Mills joined Cee for the first time since 2021 to talk about their impeccable new Beach House location, all of the challenges that went into the build, Brent's Czech Republic journey in 2024 that led to his obsession with Czech beer serving culture (including their awesome LUKR tower), their Ontario Craft Brewers Conference trip in 2023, their new Pilsner collab pack, a deep-dive into marketing their new low ABV IPA, the perception of what they do, the growth and challenges of going from one to two breweries, and they even gave the video viewers a nice brewhouse tour. They got into five incredible Four Winds beers - Archetype 11° Czech Pale Lager, 1YR IPA collab with Yakima Chief Hops (celebrating the first anniversary of the Beach House brewery), Ultralite Low ABV IPA, Tumbo Hazy Pale Ale, and Antithesis 13° Czech Dark Lager. This was a phenomenal chat - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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Use code BAOS50 to get 50% off your Sourpalooza tickets: https://exchangebrewery.com/product-category/all/sourpalooza/

Niagara-On-The-Lake is world-renowned for being one of the most prominent wine-making regions in Canada, but one thing it doesn't get enough props for is its impeccable craft beer. The Exchange Brewery, nestled on the corner of historic Queen Street on one of the most gorgeous main thoroughfares in the region, has been serving up its impeccable brews with a sour focus for the best part of a decade. Marketing & PR Coordinator Sara Divinski and Assistant Brewer Hunter Ross joined Cee to chat about their history in craft beer, how their clean beers differ from their renowned sours, team off-flavour training, how they leverage locally-grown fruit and wineries, their approach to their barrel-aged beer and blending process, their Sourpalooza festival that's going down October 10th and 11th, 2025 and what thirsty drinkers can expect. They got into five killer Exchange brews - Extension: Coffee Porter, Niagara Fruit Stand India Pale Ale, Spontaneous Ale: Chenin Blanc with Big Head Wines, Peach Spontaneous Ale (brewed for Sourpalooza 2025) and Flanders Red Reserve (also brewed for Sourpalooza 2025). This was a beaut - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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Upstate New York is arguably one of the most exciting craft beer scenes in the US, with tons of breweries across the state pumping out brews that attract thirsty drinkers in droves. One such brewery is Meier's Creek, with a gorgeous farmhouse brewery in Cazenovia, NY and a fun city location at Inner Harbor in Syracuse, NY. Director of Brewing Operations & Sales Jordan Pollock and Head Brewer Jimmy Hildreth joined Cee to chat about their storied craft beer histories, how the brewery started its life as Empire Brewing and the subsequent purchase that transformed it into Meier's Creek, their dedication to their flagships and how they get to know their beers, all things Oktoberfest, Jimmy's excitement around their haze program and where they plan to take it, the state of the industry in New York, how their environment plays into their products, and their upcoming brewery in Lake Placid, NY. They got into six Meier's Creek bangers - Floatin' On By Pilsner, Oktoberfest Festbier, Peakfinder NEIPA, Way Over Yonder West Coast IPA, Velvet Fog Hazy IPA, and Berry Man Fruited Sour. This was super fun - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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Back on Episode #11 of the Business of Beer series, the team broke down all the elements of our Get It In Ya® SpecTAPular beer festival in detail. We wanted to go deeper into the world of craft beer festivals, so we connected with Kevin Hurtubise of the Orléans Craft Beer Festival (along with the Kanata Craft Beer Festival and the Orléans Cork & Fork Festival) and Jamie White of Broadhead Brewery for a much more in-depth conversation. Cee and the boys got into the history of both the festival and the brewery, the different festival models for both vendors and consumers, why breweries should work with festivals and take it seriously, why craft beer drinkers should attend and support festivals, how festivals support the goals of the industry, how COVID affected in-person events, the #WishYouWereBeer moment, the home brew competition and the Bond Brewery success story. They got into six fantastic beers from Broadhead - Blueberry Blonde Ale, Ottawa Wheat 26 Raspberry Wheat Ale collaboration with Emily Clark, NEIPA New England IPA, Amber Ale, 174 Taproom Series No. 123: India Pale Lager, and 174 Taproom Series No. 124: Dry Hopped Italian Pilsner. This was super fun - cheers! BAOS Podcast

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Barrel-focused breweries seem to be fewer and further between these days, so when the opportunity arose to chat with an Ontario barrel master, we were pretty stoked. Owen Roth of Passage Brewery sat down with Cee to talk about his illustrious brewing career from Granite to Side Launch to Bellwoods, starting his highly-lauded brewery Still Fields and the story of bringing it to a close, his approach to beer with his backyard brewery Passage, how he works with local suppliers, his love for all things farmhouse, how his beers reflect the seasons, the future of barrel-focused breweries, his awesome (and limited) Bespoke Barrel Society program and how folks can access two exclusive beers every month, and truly what makes Passage unique. They got into six of Passage's impeccable brews - Shifting Winds Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Lager, Export Gold Export Ale collab with Heart's Tavern, Slow Bloom Barrel-Fermented Grisette, Whispering Dawn Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Ale, Endless February Barrel-Aged Stout, and Midnight Musings Barrel-Fermented Dark Farmhouse Lager. This was such a great chat - cheers!

BAOS Podcast

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