Earlier this year in March I put out a survey through Reddit and our mailing list asking people their opinion on if and how they'd like us to build out a ski and brewery tour shuttle. The results were very positive and the tour products are now listed on our website. We sent out the following message to our mailing list and thought I would leave it here as well for everyone.

Hope to see some of you on the ski shuttles as I'll be driving them myself.

This trip was really just away from me to guarantee six more ski days in the Ottawa area.

XXXX

In 2020, I took up downhill skiing to get my blood pumping and to get out of the house. It was immediately a place where I felt in my element. The only thing that was missing was a beverage. That is where the Après Ski came in.

This year, we have brought together two things that Ottawa is passionate about: Ski Hills and Craft Beers.

Our Ski with the Brewers Tour series will help you get those runs in and hit those bucket list breweries. Focusing on Quebec's hill and beverage makers this year, the trips are customizable to your needs.

We have 3 options: Bus Only, Bus and Lift Ticket as well as Bus, Lift Ticket and Rentals

If you already have your gear and a lift ticket, you only need to buy a Bus Only pass. All levels include round-trip transportation, a light lunch, a brewery visit après ski, and on-bus entertainment.

For those looking to organize a group or take multiple trips, we even have a discounted 6-pack of tickets, saving you up to $30 a ticket.

Tours start January 5th, 2025.

Full list of trips with skiing - https://www.brewdonkey.ca/collections/ski-with-the-brewers-tours/?view=full

Six pack of ticket listing - https://www.brewdonkey.ca/products/ski-with-the-brewers-6-pack

XXXX

There’s no shortage of hops and sours in Ottawa, and while the LCBO does have Chimay and others I haven’t seen any Ottawa Brewery with a nice Abbey style ale as one of their defaults. My father can’t stand overly hoppy beers and also loves that belgiany taste so I’m trying to find a local and reliable source. Does anyone have any recommendations ? Many thanks .

Just saw them send this update on Facebook.

Hey Reddit,

Just letting you know that we are running a contest for 2 sets of tickets to the June 17th (Fathers Day weekend) tour we are running to the RedBlacks game and Kichesippi Beer Co.

The tour details are all listed here - https://www.brewdonkey.ca/products/who-likes-sport-sports-cfl-june-17th-2022

The contest is on our FB and INSTA socials today
I am here to answer any questions.

ALSO, remember that we have a Redditor discount - RedditDrankit2022 for $10 of any ticket

My team and I are hoping to learn how beer drinkers feel about hard kombucha. If you've got a few minutes free today, help a fellow beer lover out. I need at least 100 responses to the survey below to pass the course 🤲

https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wKSS5hMgXKEDSS

I'm stocking up for a Christmas gift and would like to get a selection of coffee beers. Only wrinkle is the person I'm getting them for isn't a huge fan of stouts - so lighter beers would be better. Would love any local brewery recommendations but also anything I can get at LCBO's here would work.

Thanks in advance!

I’m planning to build myself and a couple of friends a 12 days of Christmas advent calendar. What’re your favourite Ottawa beers? Ideally I’ll have only one beer per brewery.

Cheers!

Important info:
Registration is open NOW.  Limit 100 entries (up from 50 last year!).

Entry form:
https://forms.gle/BwixnEKqeXUGdrjH8

Competition Logo:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pJt78CvJ68GeMyX49

Sponsors:
The competition is jointly sponsored by Beau's All Natural Brewery, Brewers
Supply Group (BSG) and the Members of Barleyment.

All proceeds this year will be donated directly to Hidden Harvest Ottawa
https://ottawa.hiddenharvest.ca/

Competition Format & Rules:
This competition is in an "Iron Brewer" format, similar to TV shows like
Iron Chef or Chopped. Use only what's in your provided kit (with a few
exceptions -- see below).

Ingredients will be supplied and muling/pickups coordinated as last year
(i.e., distribution through neighbourhood hubs). Kits will include base
malt, specialty grain, hops, yeast and some other surprises. Every
participant will get identical ingredients. There is only one size kit this
year. The included malt should be plenty for all batch sizes up to 10
gallons, but will result in a pretty low gravity 10 gallon batch if you
choose to go that route.

None of the grain will be milled. If you do not have a mill, please
coordinate with someone that has a mill.

Items should be used as provided. No ingredient modification such as
roasting or smoking malt.

There will be a lot of flexibility possible. Not all ingredients or
quantities need to be used. Some or none of each ingredient can go into
your beer. Leftover ingredients are yours to keep.  Your batch size is
completely up to you. You can brew as many iterations of the recipe or a
variety of recipes with your ingredients so long as you aren't adding
anything that wasn't included in the box that isn't salts or fining
agents.  If you choose to brew ten 1 gallon batches, do it. If you do a
single 10 gallon batch and it's terrible, enter it anyway.

Water adjustment salts and fining agents are permitted.

Beer can be naturally or force carbonated, however, it is the brewer's
responsibility to ensure carbonation is appropriate on exchange day.

Brewing period will be approximately 6 weeks. All dates are still TBD.

6 bottles or cans (virtually any size or format), labelled appropriately
with provided codes and style (no names) must be submitted and will be
sorted similar to a holiday beer exchange. Participants will receive other
brewers' beers in exchange for their entries.

Judging will be performed by the participants and scoring will be submitted
via online form. Style should be declared, but beers will be judged against
each other as there will be no categories. Scoring will be shared with
participants following the closing of the event. Think of this as "Brewers
Choice" vs the usual "People's Choice" we do at Oktoberfest. The beers
should be judged against each other, and so, ideally at a single sitting.
Judging in groups with non participants is encouraged (partners, family,
fully vaccinated friends). It is not mandatory to consume the full volume
of beer - simply enough for a simple ranking.

Anticipated Timeline:
- Boxes supplied ASAP (pending some shipping and logistics)
- Bottle swap 6-8 weeks later.
- Judging complete 3-4 weeks later.

The mystery kit costs $35. Please send payment immediately following
registration to: mob.comp.results@gmail.com.

There will be no shipping of either ingredient boxes, or bottles, or
prizes. Muling is encouraged. The sorting will likely happen somewhere
central in a masked and physically distanced manner as required by local
health regulations.

Open to anyone capable of dropping off and picking up items in the Ottawa
area.

Grand prize:
TBD Important info:
Registration is open NOW.  Limit 100 entries (up from 50 last year!).

Entry form:
https://forms.gle/BwixnEKqeXUGdrjH8

Competition Logo:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pJt78CvJ68GeMyX49

Sponsors:
The competition is jointly sponsored by Beau's All Natural Brewery, Brewers
Supply Group (BSG) and the Members of Barleyment.

All proceeds this year will be donated directly to Hidden Harvest Ottawa
https://ottawa.hiddenharvest.ca/

Competition Format & Rules:
This competition is in an "Iron Brewer" format, similar to TV shows like
Iron Chef or Chopped. Use only what's in your provided kit (with a few
exceptions -- see below).

Ingredients will be supplied and muling/pickups coordinated as last year
(i.e., distribution through neighbourhood hubs). Kits will include base
malt, specialty grain, hops, yeast and some other surprises. Every
participant will get identical ingredients. There is only one size kit this
year. The included malt should be plenty for all batch sizes up to 10
gallons, but will result in a pretty low gravity 10 gallon batch if you
choose to go that route.

None of the grain will be milled. If you do not have a mill, please
coordinate with someone that has a mill.

Items should be used as provided. No ingredient modification such as
roasting or smoking malt.

There will be a lot of flexibility possible. Not all ingredients or
quantities need to be used. Some or none of each ingredient can go into
your beer. Leftover ingredients are yours to keep.  Your batch size is
completely up to you. You can brew as many iterations of the recipe or a
variety of recipes with your ingredients so long as you aren't adding
anything that wasn't included in the box that isn't salts or fining
agents.  If you choose to brew ten 1 gallon batches, do it. If you do a
single 10 gallon batch and it's terrible, enter it anyway.

Water adjustment salts and fining agents are permitted.

Beer can be naturally or force carbonated, however, it is the brewer's
responsibility to ensure carbonation is appropriate on exchange day.

Brewing period will be approximately 6 weeks. All dates are still TBD.

6 bottles or cans (virtually any size or format), labelled appropriately
with provided codes and style (no names) must be submitted and will be
sorted similar to a holiday beer exchange. Participants will receive other
brewers' beers in exchange for their entries.

Judging will be performed by the participants and scoring will be submitted
via online form. Style should be declared, but beers will be judged against
each other as there will be no categories. Scoring will be shared with
participants following the closing of the event. Think of this as "Brewers
Choice" vs the usual "People's Choice" we do at Oktoberfest. The beers
should be judged against each other, and so, ideally at a single sitting.
Judging in groups with non participants is encouraged (partners, family,
fully vaccinated friends). It is not mandatory to consume the full volume
of beer - simply enough for a simple ranking.

Anticipated Timeline:
- Boxes supplied ASAP (pending some shipping and logistics)
- Bottle swap 6-8 weeks later.
- Judging complete 3-4 weeks later.

The mystery kit costs $35. Please send payment immediately following
registration to: mob.comp.results@gmail.com.

There will be no shipping of either ingredient boxes, or bottles, or
prizes. Muling is encouraged. The sorting will likely happen somewhere
central in a masked and physically distanced manner as required by local
health regulations.

Open to anyone capable of dropping off and picking up items in the Ottawa
area.

Grand prize:
TBD

Anyone got any lowdown on this year's roster of wet-hop ales from local breweries? It's gotta be that time of year!

EDIT: found a Broadhead release so far: https://www.canadianbeernews.com/2021/09/16/broadhead-brewery-174-taproom-series-continues-with-wet-hop-harvest-ale-2-0/

Who all is producing one of these styles this fall?

Ones I have seen

Tooth and Nail - Victory Parade

Kichesippi Festbier

Braumeister Brewing Co.

I've stopping homebrewing due to space constraints, before I brave the wilds of Kijiji I thought I'd offer it up here to see if there was anyone looking. I can grab pics of any of this if you'd like. I've got the following available:

• $60 ea. or $100 for both - 5 gal corny kegs (x2) - One's only a couple of years old and in great shape, the other is older and has some dings but holds pressure and works just fine.
• 7 gal Fermonster - Includes both the original lid and the pressure transfer lid/kit from Brewhardware.com.
• $40 - Cooler mash tun and brew bag - I believe it's a 12 gal cooler, it's more than big enough to mash for 5 gal recipes. Stainless ball valve for transfers. Brew bag is custom made to fit.
• $50 - OBK 8 gal kettle with weldless thermometer and 3-piece ball valve.
• $30 - DIY'd copper immersion chiller for the kettle
• $100 - Barley Crusher grain mill
• $150 - Tilt hydrometer
• A whole bunch of various accessories (mash paddles, tubing, strainers, funnels, etc. - if you had something you were looking for let me know)

~ OFFER - $20 in savings ~ Our first tour can't come soon enough. For the first time ever we find ourselves longing for September. The summer is whipping by but our Adult Field Trips will be back this fall. We are opening for every one of you and to us, you are all VIPs. For that reason we have decided to offer VIP pack's free of charge with any ticket purchased in the next week. That's right, add VIP for all guests and they are all free. That's $20 in savings.

VIP packs include a Brew Donkey Glass, Growler Magazine, Brew Donkey Tote, stickers and swag and a drink token for a 12oz beer on tour.

*Offer valid for tickets purchased with this link until July 31st. *Must be 19 or older. **Must be chill and respectful.

discount link

HEY HEY HEY. It is that time!

All tours in September and October are NOW on sale for $30 off a ticket for a limited time. These tickets include all ample samples, education, entertainment and a hell of a good time.Don't miss out on these tickets as we are only releasing a limited number of tickets at the Early Ass pricing. Once those tickets sell out, pricing goes back up to the regular priceThis crazy sale ends on July 18th at 9 pm.I am looking forward to seeing you on a bus very, very soon

Tickets here - https://www.brewdonkey.ca/pages/browse-tours

What have we been missing out on? Any new releases or old classics to look out for? Does Bas-Canada still sell out in minutes? Has the landscape changed at all? Any new (or old) breweries, tap houses, or deps worth checking out?

Has anyone bought a ball lock corny keg from any local ottawa brewery? I just got a new keezer system setup the few regulars I go to either don't offer or offer Bubba kegs. Thanks !

Seems like something people would be interested in but yeah title says it all: https://www.facebook.com/WallerStBrewing

Hey everyone! Yesterday Bicycle Craft announced they're doing a curated box of local products (including their beer). I know a few other breweries in town have done similar things. Has anyone tried them before? Are they worth it? An interesting gimmick?

This past year I've been ordering all styles of beer from local craft breweries which offer delivery, but I have not found any porters. A few list a porter as an occasional style, but even that is rare, and none have had any available when I was looking. So, I'm asking my fellow porter fans, where are you getting your fix (besides the LCBO - which is hit or miss)? I would love to find a reliable local porter, but at this point I'll accept any that are worth shipping to Ottawa.

Looking for a local IPA similar to Velocipede by Bicycle (my personal favourite). A well-balanced, medium-bodied west coast style IPA. Don't like anything too strong (>6%). Any suggestions?

Does anyone know where I can find Strongbow Dark Fruit in Ottawa or Gatineau? Any help is appreciated!