Mary-Beth Keefe, the Head Brewer of Toronto’s family-owned Granite Brewery joins the pod for her first time in the hot seat. The Alpha Female Mom and Lifter of heavy things, as she describes herself on her Instagram account, takes us through the history of the Granite, shares how she got her start in brewing and why she chose to pursue a career in the family business. She’ll also discuss what it’s like being one of only a handful of female brewmasters in Ontario and why she loves Ringwood yeast. 

The Granite Brewery, and its Toronto founder, Ron Keefe (MB’s Father), hold a special place in the beer industry here in Ontario. Ron, a friend and mentor to many, has passed down his wisdom to Mary-Beth as she leads the second generation of Keefe’s in the operation of the brewhouse. A long-time friend, Mary-Beth and Troy tell some fun stories never told before.  

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Dan Grant, the co-founder/owner of Toronto’s Bossanova Wine and Beer Shop, joins the pod to discuss the wonderfully curated wine and beer shop, or boutique if you want to get fancy, at 103 Roncesvalles Ave in Toronto.  

But, Dan was in the beer industry long before he opened the doors to Bossanova in 2021, and Troy and Dan cover that in great detail.  From his beer writing days with NOW Magazine, his own blog BrewScout, to the founding of the very popular RUNTOBEER run club, teaching Prud’homme, hosting Toronto Brewery Tours, and more, Dan has been a fixture in the Ontario beer scene since 2012 and it was a pleasure to sit down with him to discuss it all, and more - like the time he attempted to run a marathon dressed as Gordie Levesque (Lumberjack on Canuck Pale Ale can), or when he got his head shaved at GLB for charity, or all the collaboration beers we’ve done together to support local causes. Buckle up for some fun stories. 

Our Cole’s Notes segment has our man in the lab, Cole Raiskums, talk about seltzers and how they are different than beer, which is ironic as we just released a new Seltzer – Electric Spritz with Hibiscus & Lime Seltzer  

Cass Enright, the founder of bartowel.com, amongst many other things, joins the pod to discuss his longtime role as “Ontario’s Craft Beer Promoter”. 

Cass has made a significant impact on the beer scene here in Ontario over two decades, in many many ways. From his “Free Our Beer” campaign to the Golden Tap Awards, importing beer from other Canadian provinces to Toronto Beer Week, Bar Towel Radio, Brewers Backyard events, Ontario Beer Delivery Index, A Quick Beer, and the old Saloon League days, Cass deserves a big slap on the back and some proper acknowledgement for being such a great ambassador for beer here in the province. Cass and Troy get into it all in this jam-packed episode.  

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.    

This is a special one-off conversation with the newest member of the GLB team – Rob Morra.  

Morra, the new On-Premise Sales Manager with GLB, brings a wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the brewery, with more than 15 years of sales success in the beer biz. He joins the podcast to introduce himself to listeners and spills the beans on his first ever experience with a craft beer. We cover his history with GLB, his love of travel, talk about what makes a great beer rep, and drink a couple of Summer Ale beers in the process.  

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.    

Jennifer Tamse, the Director of Beer and Beverage with the Charcoal Group of Restaurants, which includes 10 Beertown locations across Ontario, joins Troy Burtch to discuss a variety of topics that span hospitality, Belgian beer, creating memorable experiences and more.   

During the lively conversation, we find out how Jenn discovered beer at an early age, what it really means to her, and how she became known as “The Beer Czar”. We discuss her leadership role with Beertown, hear about how Beertown plays a vital role in the Ontario craft beer industry, understand her thoughts on Beertown’s vision as “The leaders in the craft beer dining revolution”, and find out what’s it’s like to be “Knighted”.  

Cole Raiskums is back with his Cole’s Notes segment. On this episode, Coles talks about how we taste our beer, and he gives you some tips on how to sound really smart (and potentially pretentious) when telling your friends about your favourite brew. 

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.    

Scott Simmons, the President of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association (OCB), joins Troy Burtch to dissect the recent news about the Ontario government expediting the sale of beer in convenience and big box stores across the province. The Premier of Ontario, alongside the Minister of Finance,

Simmons, who has been steering the ship for Ontario’s small brewers for seven years, covers every aspect of the development(s), sharing ‘behind the scenes’ information and insights, highlighting the pros and cons of the retail system we currently have and where it’s going. He also gets into why joining the OCB is smart for all breweries, clears up some misconceptions about the OCB, and identifies his celebrity doppelganger.  

If you work in the beer industry, and/or want to learn more about beer going to convenience stores, big box stores, and what getting rid of the Master Framework Agreement a year and a half early really means, this episode is for you.  

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.   

Jordan St. John is the guest on the podcast this week, The Percheron of the beer writing industry here in Ontario. Jordan writes about beer on his website (St. John’s Wort), covers the industry in his News and Notes column with The Growler magazine, appears on multiple news outlets to highlight the industry, is a past co-host of a beer podcast, teaches about beer and brewing, leads historic tours, and holds the key to the Ontario brewery directory. He joins Troy to discuss it all. Jordan and Troy also geek out on some beer history, talk about how Jordan now supports the Ontario Craft Brewers, muse about the current lack of “beer writers in the province, and they drink a few beers in the process.  

Cole Raiskums is back with his "Coles Notes" segment. Raiskums, the Quality Assurance Lab Supervisor with GLB, discusses “pectins” and how they affect our beer. He uses a lot of big words that we can’t pronounce... 

Burtch wraps up the episode with the "Around the Industry" segment of the pod, talking about the recent announcement of the Keynote Speakers for the Ontario Craft Brewers Conference (Ted Nolan and Ben Edmunds, Breakside Brewery). Other topics covered include the Steel and Oak tattoo blunder, the news of Brew Culture’s closing, new brewery openings, and job postings at GLB. 

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow ⁠GreatLakesBeer⁠ on all social channels. ⁠greatlakesbeer.com.⁠ Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Hosted by ⁠Troy Burtch⁠, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's ⁠Great Lakes Brewery⁠, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.

Les Murray, the Owner and President of Beerlicious, parent company of the Toronto Festival of Beer (TFOB), is our guest on the podcast this week. Murray spills the beans on the history of TFOB, tells us about all the changes that have taken place over the years, discusses the highs and lows of organizing one of Canada’s largest beer events, shares what’s on the line-up for this year's festival, and how golden horseshoes follow him around. PLUS, win some tickets to TFOB 2024!  

Cole Raiskums is back with his "Coles Notes" segment. Raiskums, the Quality Assurance Lab Supervisor with GLB, talks about how we harness natural processes to make our beer. 

Burtch wraps up the episode with the "Around the Industry" segment of the pod, talking about the annual Ontario Craft Brewers Conference taking place this November in Hamilton. The names of the two keynote speakers are teased and registration info was shared. Burtch also shares information on the recent release of GLB’s OCTO Mix Pack and some Mexican lagers.  

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com.

Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.  

Josh McJannett, the Co-Founder/Owner of Dominion City Brewery is our guest on the podcast this week. Josh walks us through the history of Dominion, sheds some light on his past, discusses how the brewery and the industry has evolved over their 10 years, talks a little about the OCB, and tries to get Troy to pronounce “Gloucester” the proper way. Please note this episode was recorded after a long night of “sampling”. 

Cole Raiskums is back with his "Coles Notes" segment. Raiskums, the Quality Assurance Lab Supervisor with GLB, dives (not literally) into the science behind what the sunny weather does to your beer.  

Burtch wraps up the episode with the "Around the Industry" segment of the pod, talking about the passing of an Ontario beer legend, Brian Morin, co-founder of the famed beerbistro.  

Thank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo good! 

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.  

HOLY MACKINAW! Like a special one-off beer, we’re back today with a bonus episode to tell you all about an exciting project that we’ve been working on. Host Troy Burtch is joined by Sean Bowen, son of Joe Bowen who is famously known as “The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs.” Sean shares the exciting details about HOLY MACKINAW First Line Lager! Yes, we’ve partnered with the Bowen’s on a beer just in time for the NHL Playoffs.  

Bowen, who spins a good yarn, shares information about the beer, provides details about the upcoming launch of said beer, and talks at length about his family’s relationship with Sick Kids Hospital, where $1 from each can sold will be donated to their foundation. You’ll also hear about where the infamous HOLY MACKINAW call originated from, why supporting local is so important to the Bowen’s, and why Sean watched a playoff game from the bathroom. You might even hear from Joe himself. 

Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.