Craft beer hits Ontario grocery store shelves

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Earlier this morning, Premier Kathleen Wynne held a press conference at the Leslie Street Loblaws to kick-off beer sales in Ontario grocers. The launch, which will see 60 grocery stores across the province commence beer sales in the lead-up to Christmas, is part of a program initially outlined in the Beer Framework Agreement (450 grocery stores in Ontario will be selling beer by 2018).

While the new agreement stipulated that at least 20 per cent of beer shelf space in grocery stores must be reserved for small brewers, Loblaws says they will commit a full 50 per cent to supporting Ontario craft beer. They will also provide additional opportunities for regional favourites on a store-by-store basis. The rest of the shelf space is, of course, being reserved for larger brands like Molson and Labatt.

The craft beer that’s now available at 19 Loblaws stores (and 12 other grocery chains) in the province includes:

Amsterdam Brewing Co.’s Boneshaker IPA Beau’s All-Natural Brewing Co.’s Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale, the Tom Green Beer Milk Stout and Lugtread Lagered Ale Brick Brewery’s Waterloo Dark Collective Arts Brewery’s Rhyme and Reason Pale Ale Double Trouble Brewing Co.’s Hops and Robbers IPA Flying Monkey’s Hoptical Illusion Great Lakes Brewery’s Canuck Pale Ale and Pompous Ass Pale Ale Junction Craft Brewing’s Conductor’s Craft Ale Lake of Bays’ Spark House Red Ale Muskoka Brewery’s Detour Session IPA and Mad Tom IPA Nickel Brook’s Headstock IPA Side Launch Brewing’s Side Launch Wheat Steam Whistle’s Premium Pilsner

As of today, it’s now possible to pick up a six-pack at these Toronto-area supermarkets:

Coppa’s Fresh Market, 4750 Dufferin St. Galleria Supermarket, 865 York Mills Rd. Loblaws, 380 The East Mall Loblaws, 50 Musgrave St. Loblaws, 17 Leslie St. Real Canadian Superstore, 2549 Weston Rd. Real Canadian Superstore, 51 Gerry Fitzgerald Dr.