Indie brewers taking over Toronto say craft beer 'a force to be reckoned with'

Cream ale. Sour IPA. Raspberry radler.These are just some of the unusual beverages on offerfrom Ontario's craft brewers, who launched Ontario Craft Beer Week on Saturday at Yonge and DundasSquare.

Across the province, craft breweriesranging from "nano" brewpubswith just a handful of fermenting tanks,to larger vendors employing multiplebrewerswill host pub crawls, patio parties and brewing lessons to promote their craft.

Kristin MacDonaldof MuskokaBrewery, who chairs the eventnow in its eighth yearsays thisweek means a lot to indiebrewers.

"It's a big celebration for us," she said. "We're growing rapidly."

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Ontariomicrobrewerieshave grown from around 30 in 2010to almost 200 today, according to the trade associationOntario Craft Brewers.

MacDonaldsays another 100 of these independent breweriesare slated to open in the next two years.

Craft brewers compete for market share

Craft brewers still only claim a pint-sized portion of the Ontario market despite their rapid growth. So exposure"is always appreciated," Macdonald said.

"There's always more to be done," said Macdonald. "We're sitting at six per cent market share, which means 94 per cent is going to the big breweries."

Corporate beermongers like the Molson-CoorsBrewing Company and Anheuser-Busch InBevwho own familiar brands such as MolsonCanadianand Budweiserslurped up94 percent of beer sales across the province in 2015.

Craft brewers sold$240 million oftheir artisanal suds to Ontariansthat year.

'People are seeking out craft beer'

MacDonaldhas seen a big change in Ontario's beer landscape since she entered the industry in 2010.

"When I first started it was like trying to convince people, to explain what craft beer was, what the value of it was," she said. "Now people are seeking it out. They're interested in their local breweries."

At least 20 per centof the shelves in these grocery stores and the Beer Store are now reserved for small brewery products.

"A few years ago, when you walked into the LCBO, it was hard to find some of the craft beers on the shelf," MacDonaldsaid. Now, it's a dizzying array of saisons, citrus pale ales and coffee porters.

Not everyone is so optimistic.

"Without legislative changes, I think you're going to start to see some of these local craft brewers close their doors,"said Ben Johnson, a bloggerwho specializes in beer. "There's only so much self space to go around."

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Ontarioonly permits sales out of a venue that's physically attached to the brewery itself. Without a designated spot in The Beer Store or LCBO, breweriesface a limited customer base, he says.

"I would love to see Ontario craft brewers open their own stores,"MacDonaldsaid.

But even without the extra help from legislators, MacDonaldthinks craft beer has a future in the province.

"I've never seen an industry with so much camaraderiebetween breweries. We all just want to grow together," MacDonaldsaid.

It's because of that attitude, she says, that craft brewersare finding success in an industry dominated by giants like Molson and Labatt.

"We're stronger together. Wehad to band together," she said."Craft beer is a force to be reckoned with."

Here are some of the week's events:

• Session Craft Beer Festival(Yonge/Dundas Square,June 10)
• Carnival Challenge (Round the Horn, June 10)
• Cask Festival and Pig Roast (Crafty Coyote, June 11)
• RunTOBeer2017 (High Park, June 13)
• Craft Beer Passport Launch Party (Studio Bar, June 15)