Here’s some insight into the beer world of our northern Ontario brethren! Could the death of the Twinkie be signaling a switch from all thing mass produced? Some people sure think so!

“I think it’s an evolution in our culinary tendencies,” says Sleeping Giant owner, Matt Pearson. “People have demanded more choices. They seek out the local restaurant. They seek out that local product. This whole farm-to-table mentality we’ve adopted in the last 15 years goes beyond food.”

 

BrewHa! co-host Jon Hendel points out all the money spent at this weekend’s festival stays in Northern Ontario. The draw to locally-brewed beer is tapping into a new consumer ethic.

 

“I think everyone’s starting to question where things come from and how they’re made. Look at the Farmer’s Market. It’s packed. It hasn’t been packed like that, previously. Now you’re seeing people asking those questions.”

 

Sudbury’s Stack Brewing sourced beans from their local coffee shop and ran them through a blonde ale, aged on chipotle peppers. “Grano-piquante” was brewed to be released on Cinquo De Mayo.

 

Industry-wide, microbreweries are growing 15 per cent each year but Thunder Bay’s Sleeping Giant Brewing Company has experienced 100 per cent growth, year-over-year since the company was launched in 2011. Although it has yet to post a profit, it’s grossing $1 million this year.