In this episode, Troy sits down with Mike Laba and Chris Goddard - co-founders of Craft Brand Co., and the new owners of Blackburn Beer Company in Niagara Falls. Two of Ontario craft beer's most restless minds, Mike and Chris have spent the better part of two decades putting together two of the more interesting careers in the Canadian beer industry.  They get into their origin stories on opposite ends of the Ontario craft scene, the back-of-napkin business plan that became Craft Brand Co., the legendary Michigan road trip that made it real, and the Brunswick Bierworks chapter that helped reshape what co-production could look like in this province. And they talk about what's next - Blackburn Beer Company in Niagara Falls, and a vision that goes well beyond just making great beer.  What's in this episode: 

• Mike and Chris's origin stories - from the taproom at Brick Brewery (Mike) and the Prince of Wales Theatre (Chris) to the forefront of Ontario craft 
• How Craft Brand Co. was born, and the Michigan road trip that made it real 
• The brands that worked, the ones that didn't, and what they learned from both 
• Brunswick Bierworks - how it grew and why they moved on 
• The leap to Blackburn Beer Company and the vision behind it 
• What nearly 20 years of partnership actually looks like in practice 

In this episode, Troy sits down with Chris Conway, General Manager of Old Credit Brewing Co. in Port Credit, a guy who traded in a PhD for a one-barrel brew system in a gastropub kitchen and never looked back. With stints co-founding Folly Brewpub in Toronto and building Landwash Brewery into one of Newfoundland’s fastest growing craft breweries, Chris is a builder and an operator. Someone who understands the romanticism of craft beer but also the hard math of making it work. And he's landed at exactly the kind of place where that blend of skills is needed most. 

They get into Chris's unconventional path from St. John's to U of T to the tap handles of Port Credit, what it actually looked like to build a brewery from scratch in Newfoundland before the craft wave hit, and what drew him to a 32-year-old brewery that was quietly doing the craft thing before craft was cool.  

What's in this episode: 

• Chris's origin story - from St. John's homebrew obsession to Toronto's emerging craft scene 
• The Folly Brewpub chapter and everything farmhouse-style 
• Why he left Toronto to co-found Landwash Brewery in Newfoundland - and how he saw the craft explosion coming 
• Building Landwash into one of Atlantic Canada's most respected independent operations 
• What he walked into at Old Credit, and the philosophy behind "thoughtful modernization" 
• The history of Old Credit — 30+ years, one family, and a lot of beer 

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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

In this episode, Troy sits down with Dan Johnston, VP of Sales at Equals and the man driving the bus at Collingwood's Side Launch Brewing Co. Known for his infectious energy, deep community roots, and a career that has taken him from the bars of Melbourne to the boardrooms of cannabis and back again to craft beer, Dan is one of Ontario's most recognizable faces in the industry - and one of its most enthusiastic advocates.  

They get into Dan's winding road through hospitality in Australia, his formative years at Collective Arts, the highs and hard lessons of scaling a brand from 2,000 to 45,000 hectoliters, and what drew him north to Collingwood and Side Launch. It's a conversation about community, relationships, the grind of beer sales, and what it really means to wear a brand on your sleeve. 

What's in this episode: 

• Dan's origin story - from Georgetown to Melbourne to craft beer sales 
• His years at Collective Arts and what he took away from that chapter 
• The cannabis detour, and why beer always called him back 
• The history of Side Launch Brewing from founding to Equals ownership 
• The "Built to Launch" rebrand and what it means for the brand's future 
• What the day-to-day of leading beer sales actually looks like 
• Industry headwinds, cautious optimism, and advice for anyone looking to break in 

 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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

In this episode, Troy sits down with Alex Diamandas, Regional Sales Manager at Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), to explore the world behind one of beer’s most important ingredients: hops. From collaborations like Continental Rift and Karma Cryo IPA to experimental Flight Series releases, GLB has worked closely with YCH over the years and this conversation pulls back the curtain on how those hops go from field to glass.   

Alex shares his journey from microbiology labs and homebrewing to the brewhouse and eventually into the global hop supply chain. They talk about what YCH actually does, how the hop industry operates at scale, and why hops have become such a defining force in modern craft beer. Along the way, they get into hop varieties, Cryo and extract products, and how brewers today approach building hop-forward beers with more intention than ever before.   

What’s in this episode: 

• The role Yakima Chief Hops plays in the global beer industry 
• How hops are grown, processed, and turned into pellets, Cryo, and extracts 
• Alex’s path from science and homebrewing into brewing and hop sales 
• A breakdown of popular hop varieties like Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe 
• What hop selection in Yakima looks like and why brewers travel there every year 
• Insights into new hop development and the future of hop innovation 

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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

In this episode of Between Two Fermenters, Troy sits down with a true pioneer of Ontario craft beer: Jim Brickman, founder of Brick Brewing. Long before hazy IPAs, tall cans, and hundreds of Ontario breweries, Jim took a risk on a simple idea - that Canadians might want something different from the handful of macro lagers dominating the market. In 1984, he opened Ontario’s first modern post-Prohibition craft brewery, helping spark the movement that would eventually reshape Canadian beer.  

Jim shares the story behind Brick Brewing’s early days, from traveling the world researching breweries to convincing skeptical bankers that a small independent brewery could survive in a market ruled by giants. We talk about building a brewery from scratch, the realities of launching a new beer category, how those early bets helped create the craft scene we know today, and what his chapter will read in the history books.  

What’s in this episode: 

• The start of the craft beer movement 
• How European beer culture inspired Jim to start a brewery in Canada 
• Convincing banks to fund a brewery competing against the “Big Three” 
• Opening Brick Brewing in 1984 and selling out the first batch 
• Early Brick beers like Brick Premium Lager, Red Baron, and Amber 
• Taking Brick Brewing public and raising money to grow 
• Behind-the-scenes stories from the early days of Canadian craft brewing 

 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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

In this episode, Troy sits down with Mandie Murphy, the marketing mind, industry advocate, and co-founder of Toronto’s Left Field Brewery. Widely respected for her leadership and voice in Ontario craft beer, Mandie shares her journey from corporate marketing to building a purpose-driven brewery rooted in community, independence, a love of baseball, and doing so alongside her partner in business and in life.   

They get into the baseball-inspired brand, the now-infamous noise complaint that went all the way to city hall, leadership lessons learned the hard way, and Mandie’s perspective on growing craft beer beyond its 11% market share in Ontario. An honest conversation about risk, resilience, and creating joy through beer... and renting U-Hauls on the weekend.   

What’s in this episode: 

• The Left Field origin story – from reading a blog to Niagara College to contract brewing 
• Building a baseball-driven brand  
• Becoming the first brewery in Toronto’s East End 
• Scaling up: opening Leslieville and launching Liberty Village 
• Navigating controversy, community, and city hall 
• Leadership, burnout, and industry advocacy 
• What’s next for Ontario craft beer 

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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

In this episode of Between Two Fermenters, Troy Burtch sits down with Cam Fryer, co-founder of Royal City Brewing, a passionate beer industry veteran whose story has seldom been told. From early days hauling kegs at Great Lakes Brewery to studying German history and falling head-over-heels for classic European beer culture, Cam’s path into brewing feels both intentional and serendipitous. 

The conversation traces Cam’s journey through Germany and the UK, the formative beers that changed how he thought about brewing, and the vision behind building Royal City as “Guelph’s brewery”. Along the way, Cam reflects on partnerships, their place in the industry, the Guelph community, and what it really takes to open, and sustain, an independent brewery in today’s beer landscape.  In this episode: 

• Cam’s early beer industry roots at Great Lakes Brewery 
• The serendipitous moments that shaped his brewing philosophy 
• How the German beer culture influenced Royal City Brewery 
• Building a brewery grounded in place, partnership, and community 
• Lessons learned and advice for aspiring brewery founders 

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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

This week on Between Two Fermenters, we’re joined by two longtime friends, collaborators, and absolute heavyweights of Ontario craft beer: Steve “Bebo” Pilotto and Chris Steininger from Third Moon Brewing.  

Before Third Moon became one of the most talked-about breweries in the province, Bebo was a homebrewer turning heads with hazy IPAs, and Chris was a GLB superfan lining up for releases, hauling cases home, and chasing the beers he loved. Their shared obsession eventually turned into a partnership, and in May 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic, Third Moon Brewing was born.  

In this episode, Bebo and Chris get candid about the road that led them here, the pressure of turning passion into a livelihood, and what it really takes to build something meaningful in craft beer. 

We dig into: 

• How two beer nerds met, bonded, and realized they were “the maniacs” in the room 
• Bebo’s homebrewing roots and the Unfazed by Haze collab that helped shape GLB’s hazy IPAs 
• Opening a brewery during COVID and why those early, chaotic days were both terrifying and magical 
• Friendship vs. Partnership – how that changes when beer stops being a hobby and becomes your life 
• Building Third Moon’s culture, team, and ethos (and why “everyone pushing the car” matters) 
• Why they brew the beers they want to drink, trends be damned 

 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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

On this episode of Between Two Fermenters, we welcome a strong voice in global beer education - Mirella Amato. 

Mirella is a trailblazing beer educator, sensory expert, author, and judge who has shaped beer appreciation worldwide, making history as the first and only Canadian to hold both the Master Cicerone and Grand Master BJCP Judge titles.  

Reconnecting after nearly a decade, Troy and Mirella trace her journey from the early days of Canadian craft beer media and podcasting, to founding her own company (Beerology), covering and showcasing the early days of Quebec craft beer, helping co-found CASK! Toronto and the Toronto chapters of Barley’s Angels and Pink Boots Society, to shaping beer qualifications at WSET, and mentoring many devoted beer drinkers across the country. 

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 where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears. 

2025 was a year of sharp turns and constant adjustment in the beer industry and early signs suggest 2026 isn’t here to slow things down.

In this short kickoff episode, we reflect on the past year, the uncertainty ahead, and what it means to keep showing up in an industry that never stops changing. No buzzwords, no hype, just an honest check-in on beer, brewing, and the people behind it.

Whether this year brings growth, rebuilding, or simply holding steady, we’re here for the conversation.