Windsor gets a taste of craft beer

By Sean Previl

Craft beer is gaining popularity in Windsor and two local people are working to increase the awareness of the brew.

Adriano Ciotoli and his sister Pina held Windsor’s first Craft Beer Festival Oct. 18-19 bringing 3,000 people together over the course of two days. Ciotoli said he and his sister held the festival because it was a way to embrace the growing trend of craft beers.

“It really fell in line with the kind of boom in the craft beer market, not just in the province but across North America,” said Ciotoli.

Chris Ryan, operations manager for Walkerville Brewery, said he believes the festival gives people a chance to experiment with new tastes.

“We’d encourage (those attending) to go around to all these other brewers that they don’t get the opportunity to try sometime and obviously support them and taste the beers cause they’re great,” said Ryan.

As of 2012, craft beer sales were leading all product segments of alcohol sales with a growth of approximately 45 per cent, according to an annual report by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. In the same report sales of craft beer were shown to have risen by 400 per cent since 2006-07 and net dollar sales grew by 29.4 per cent.

Craft beer, according to Ontario Craft Brewers, are “brews made in small batches with lots of care and attention to detail.” According to Ryan, one of the philosophies of the OCB is to use full-grain products such as rye and hops and try to stay away from adjuncts, which are unmalted grains such as corn and rice used to lighten the taste of the beer.

Ryan said he hopes people will use their senses when trying the beer.

“Don’t drink with your eyes, drink with your palate,” said Ryan. “If you do look at a dark brew you may say ‘I don’t like dark beers’ but again if you give it the opportunity, dark beers have changed, they’re not all like the dark beers used to be.“

Moya Cornwall said she came to the festival because it gives her a change of pace when it comes to beer.

“I’m always going to the LCBO and trying to find something interesting and fun and different to try, so hopefully I’ll find a new beer here and start buying that on a regular basis,” said Cornwall.

Cornwall’s friend Nick Lambier, who was visiting from Toronto, said with craft beer he looks for something unique.

“I’m hoping to find something people don’t know about, to find a hidden gem,” said Lambier.

Ciotoli said he wants people to use the festival to see what craft beer can really offer.

“We’re wanting to show (people) that a beer, especially through craft beer, is there’s a lot more flavour to be had from the beer, as opposed to the big corporate ones that are being brewed,” said Ciotoli. “A lot of the small batches that we have here from across the province really pack a punch.”