Craft Beer Industry Missing Out on Law Reforms

Recently my sister-in-law and her husband from Mexico visited my family and as a gift they brought us a few bottles of ice wine from the Niagara Region of Ontario, where they stopped over for a few days to see the sights.
You should have seen the look on their faces when I told them they had just violated a federal law by importing alcohol from one province to another within Canada. In one fell swoop, I was aiding and abetting criminals and was in possession of contraband alcohol.

Yes, in case you did not know, thanks to the Importing of Intoxicating Liquor Act (IILA) of 1928, it is indeed illegal to transport alcohol from one province to the next as all alcohols must be purchased through the provincial liquor boards, which have absolute power to do what they please. It is a law that has long since outgrown its purposefulness, originally enacted after prohibition to give provincial governments a monopoly on importing, exporting, distribution and sales of all alcohols in order to keep things under control and in check in the post-prohibition era.
Many of us have unwittingly broken this federal law by purchasing liquor in other provinces while on vacation in other parts of this great country of ours and bringing it back home. I once brought back a whole box of Sortilege, a delectable blend of distilled maple syrup and rye whiskey from Montreal and labelled the box "fragile, bottles of alcohol" on the box, literally announcing my criminal activity to all!

Today, the LDB continues to maintain a complete monopoly on the alcohol trade here in BC and answers to no one. Even the private retail liquor stores (LRS) must buy their alcohol through the LDB, who mark up the price, creating an uneven playing field, cost-wise, with the LDB government liquor stores having the unfair advantage. The LDB also has the ability to restrict consumer choice by simply not purchasing products they don't want to distribute, whether there is a consumer demand for those products or not.

But there is a movement afoot to change some of these restrictions in regards to the IILA and free trade between provinces, but unfortunately it seems that the laws that will be changed to allow limited amounts of wine only to be transported over provincial borders without having to go through the provincial liquor boards concerned.
Dan Albas, Conservative MP for Okanagan/Coquilhalla, recently introduced a private members bill , Bill C-311, in the House of Commons that is attempting to amend the IILA to allow for limited amounts of wine, for personal use, to be brought/shipped directly by/to the consumer across provincial borders. Bill C-311, is currently undergoing its second reading before the House of Commons and if it passes, will be sent to a committee to be examined before going before a third and final reading in the house. If passed in the third reading the bill will be enacted into law and the proposed changes will be made to the archaic IILA.

Bill C-311, if successful, will allow for,

"the importation of wine from a province by an individual, if the individual brings the wine or causes it to be brought into another province, in quantities and as permitted by the laws of the latter province, for his or her personal consumption, and not for resale or other commercial use."

My question is why does the wording of Bill C-311 include wine only and not include beer? Have the BC Craft Brewers Guild (BCCBG) missed the political boat being steered by the BC wine lobby?
According to the BC Craft Brewers Guild Chairman, Tod Melnyk, the BCCBG are aware of Bill C-311, but don't consider it pertinent to the BC craft beer industry.
"We have not lobbied to have beer included in Bill C-311 as it has not been as issue in our segment," stated Melnyk in an via email.

For me, as a consumer, this is the exact kind of political lobbying and advocacy that the BC craft beer industry is in need of and the powers that be associated with the BC Craft Brewer's Guild seem to have been asleep at the switch. How can opening up inter-provincial transportation of your products, even just a little, not be an advantage to your business and the industry as a whole?  If you go by the coverage Bill C-311 is getting on wine blogs and wine-related websites, there is quite a buzz of excitement about these proposed changes the the IILA. It is just a toe in the door, in regards to opening up free movement of alcohols between provinces, but a toe in the door is better than a door slammed shut in your face and once pried open a little, there is room to push that door open further.

If Bill C-311 passes and get enacted into law, the craft beer industry have a legitimate grounds to claim the wine industry have an unfair advantage and that beer and other alcohols should be included in the amendment to the IILA. We, as consumers should insist on these changes to be made. It might not be important to the BCCBG, but to me, as a consumer and lover of craft beer, it is important to me to have as much access to great craft beers no matter where they are brewed. Why shouldn't I be able to order a case of craft beer from Ontario, or Quebec if I am willing to pay the price? It may seem far-fetched, but trust me, there would be people interested. In the past, I have paid to fly briskets of Schwartz's Montreal smoked meat out to Vancouver for special occasions so why not fly out a few cases of Dieu du Ciel beers to accompany the meal if I so desire.

I truly hope that the BCCBG's apathy towards this law changes and that they do lobby in the future to amend further these archaic liquor laws that restrict them as an industry and restrict us as consumers.

In the meantime, I am going set about the task of getting rid of the contraband ice wine in my possession. Come to think of it, I had better "dispose" of that Sortilege as well.

BC as a Beer Tourist Destination is a Win-Win-Win Situation

VCBW along with The Great Canadian Beer Festival show
BC has the right stuff to become a major
destination for beer tourists.

Well done Vancouver Craft Beer Week organizers, host establishments and to all those who bought tickets and made the week-long celebration of craft beer a success!!

The main thing I took away from the VCBW, not counting the IPA-induced hangover I had the day after the Brothers in Hops event, is that British Columbia has a huge potential to become a craft beer destination and not for just one week of the year and not just centered in Vancouver. Victoria's Great Canadian Beer Festival, which has been highlighting BC craft beers and drawing beer tourists to their event since 1993, is another example of how a local event has the ability to draw beer enthusiasts from beyond their local scene. The Okanagan Fest of Ales is another prime example of how an event can draw both local and out-of-town beer enthusiasts to a craft-beer focused event. At the Brothers in Hops event I met several people who had come to Vancouver from out-of-town, some from quite a distance, for the VCBW and I am sure this was the case for the majority, if not all the events held during the week.

But I am wondering to myself why those involved in the craft beer industry wait for a major event such as the VCBW to lure out-of-towners to their communities to explore and taste the amazing craft beers available in this province. British Columbia is thought of as one of the most beautiful places in the world, hence Beautiful BC on our license plates. This province has something to offer almost everyone including the discerning craft beer lover. Tourism is a major industry here and we have a burgeoning and booming craft beer industry so it makes sense to me to marry the two. I know that I have seen advertising and package tours produced by the wine industry trying to lure tourists to the Okanagan, so why would it not work for craft beer? Our province is carved up into distinct and diverse regions, each with their own unique characteristics, including, for the most part, great craft breweries. It seems only natural that an industry such as the craft beer industry, take advantage of these natural assets to help draw people to their areas to tour their breweries and drink their beers.

The Ontario Craft Brewers Opportunity
Fund  encourages craft beer manufacturers
to expanded activities to grow their
business and be more competitive

The Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB) successfully lobbied the Ontario Provincial Government for grant money to help their industry thrive and grow by working the angle they could help increase and enhance tourism in the province. The government developed the Ontario Microbrewery Strategy (OMS)and provided the OCB with significant grant money, $5 million over five years, "for marketing, training and other promotion activities for Ontario's small brewers". With that money, the association has been able to join together to market craft beer and promote themselves, benefiting both the industry as a whole and the breweries individually. In addition to the OMS, the Ontario government, once it realized how viable the craft beer industry was and how much of an economical upside there was to supporting it, went a step further and put $8 million into the Ontario Craft Brewers Opportunity Fund, which helps support the development and expansion of smaller craft breweries (those that produce 300,000 hectolitres or less).

According to Steve Eaton of the BrandFire Marketing Group, who have worked with the OCB for the past four years to develop their marketing campaign, the province's craft beer industry saw significant growth after being able to secure their substantial government grants which allowed them to develop such great promotional tools as their Discovery Pack, iPhone app, podcasts and very interactive and informative website. By getting the politicians on board, using tourism as their proverbial foot in the door, the OCB have put themselves on the Ontario political map. 

By actively trying to lobby the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Training and its minister Pat Bell, the BC Craft Brewers Guild may be able to tap into funding they can use to help their industry grow in strength and numbers so they can better take on the mega macrobreweries in the market place. When I recently spoke to the BC Craft Brewers Guild (BCCBG) Co-chair, Tod Melnyk, for a recent post entitled "No More Excuses", Melynk's Number One reason why the BCCBG are not more active and high-profile is the guild's lack of financial resources. He stated this was the OCB's government support was a major factor in their ability to be so advanced, organized and successful and he is not wrong. But the OCB did not just sit on their butts and wait for the government to dump money on their front door. No, they actively formulated a plan and went after the money. If I were the BCCBG, I would be sitting up and taking notice of my Ontario brethren and contacting them for some advice on how to successfully lobby a government for funds. Those are some substantial dollars being funneled the way of the Ontario craft beer industry. I know the political climate may be different out east, but we have both provincial and municipal elections looming, which is usually a good time to go looking for money from the powers that be who are trying to befriend as many voters as possible.

A quick glance at the BC Tourism Partners BC Tourism Associations list shows that both the their are 38 groups working with Tourism BC, three related to the wine industry, but none related directly to the craft beer. This may be a good place to start. Lobbying the government to recognize and support the craft beer industry may take substantial time and effort, but if the payoff is grant money and support like the OCB currently have, it would be well worth the effort. Our provincial government seems to always want to follow in the footsteps of Ontario (hello HST) so the BC brewers can use the example set by Ontario to help further their lobby. It seems to be a win-win-win situation in Ontario, with the OCB getting substantial funding to help their industry grow and market itself while the Province of Ontario is gaining jobs and positive economic spin-offs from the contributions the craft breweries to the economy and the consumers are getting more and more great craft to choose from.

The Ontario Craft Brewers successfully lobbied
the Provincial Government for millions of dollars...maybe our BC craft brewers
should take some lessons.

If it is too daunting a task for the BCCBG to organize craft breweries from the entire province to lobby, I don't see why smaller regional craft brewers associations can't be formed which can then work in smaller groups to promote their regions and go after municipal and provincial government support. Why not a Vancouver Island Craft Brewers Association, Lower Mainland Craft Brewer's Association or an Okanagan Craft Brewers Association? Maybe if the brewers get organized and in sync on a local level, they can then move to join forces province-wide later on down the road. Smaller regional brewers associations may also be able to link up with local wine and vintners associations to promote tours and tourism through advertising, festivals etc.

I think it is about time that those breweries employing our talented brewers get more politically motivated and up their game. If we want our craft beer scene to continue to mature, grow and become more vibrant, then those involved need to start supporting and promoting their own industry as a whole. If we want to strive to be an Oregon/Portland-like mecca for craft beer and destination for craft beer lovers from all over N America, our local craft breweries have to develop the political will to do what they can to better their industry here. By luring tourists to our great province to drink craft beer, the industry can widen its market and local consumers will undoubtedly benefit from a stronger local scene which will be able to support more craft breweries, producing more great craft beers and craft-beer friendly establishments for them to frequent.

Beautiful BC is the perfect
setting to turn into a craft-beer
mecca

The government should be able to see the logic in supporting a growing industry. Supportive grant money could mean more craft breweries which means more jobs in BC and increased tax dollars taken in from the businesses themselves and from the sale of the beer to licensed establishments and to consumers.  Creating a beer tourist friendly atmosphere could bring new travellers to BC who will be also spending money on hotels, meals, entertainment etc which benefits all in the communities they are visiting.

Let's face it, this shouldn't be hard of a sell.

Supernatural BC, great craft beer....sounds like a great place for a vacation.

No More Excuses - Time For the BC Craft Brewers Guild to Organize, Collaborate and Cooperate

Like many other Vancouverites a few Sundays ago, I set out into the sunshine with hopes of achieving a personal best, but my dreams of glory had nothing to do with sweating it out with 50,000 others, adorned in spandex, participating in the Vancouver Sun Run hour and everything to do with throwing on comfortable clothes, ambling down to Legacy Liquor Store and stocking up on craft beer. Normally when I enter liquor stores like Legacy, Firefly, etc, I literally spin in circles, losing all sense of time, while trying to decide what beers to place in my basket. I must look like an adult afflicted with ADHD, who has stopped taking my Ritalin, as I flit from one side of the craft beer section to the other, distracted by the brilliant selection of craft beers and all their shiny labels, but on this particular Sunday I was in and out of the shop with a personal-best, sub-15- minute time. I do have to admit my awesome display of efficiency that particular Sunday had more to do with my nine-month-old daughter deciding to test out the acoustics of the cavernous space that Legacy occupies than my own personal focus and commitment to time management, but it was a feat to brag about all-the-same. My wife didn't share my enthusiasm though, especially after finding the receipt for the beers which were threatening to collapse my daughter's stroller.


OCB Discovery Pack Spring 2011
a multi-brewery collaboration
promoting Ontario craft beers

 While scanning the Legacy beer shelves to see what was new and exciting, store GM, Darryl Lamb, wandered over and handed me a six-pack labelled "Discovery Pack Spring 2011", which consisted of  beers from six different Ontario craft breweries, packaged and put together by the Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB). Darryl explained that he had stumbled across the product and contacted the OCB to have some of the Discovery Packs shipped out for his store. This current version of the Discovery Pack is the 8th version, first having been released in 2007 and are curerntly being released at the beginning of every new season.

I thought this was a very clever method of marketing and a sign of the commitment of the craft brewers in Ontario, who compete in the same market for the same dollars, to work together to collectively further their cause in general. These seemed like artisans and business people who got the Big Picture.



Hoptical Illusion,from
Flying Monkey, one of the
six beers offered in the
Discovery Pack

 Having grown up on the Westcoast, having spent much of my life avoiding Ontario and having the inter-provincial roadblocks in place that make it difficult to export beers from province to province, I know little about the craft beer scene there. I did notice that the six-pack included something from Black Oak Brewery which made me take notice as last summer I had the chance to sample a a very tasty IPA from Black Oak, which had been illegally snuck into our great province by someone who dared cross our provincial borders with alcohol without going through the BC LDB (a rant for another time), so I thought I'd give the Discovery Pack a go based on my enjoyment of that bootlegged brew.

Once I got home I felt celebration was in order, seeing as I had just posted a personal best time, so I cracked open the six pack and began to see what Ontario had to offer. Although the six-pack is described on the OCB website as "a hand selected combination of great brews,"  I found the beers to be solidly crafted but not "great. This might be due to the fact that I have grown accustomed to the huge beers being produced out here on the West Coast which has resulted in me developing a taste for hops to the extreme. I would describe the Discovery Pack beers as "starter" craft beers for those just making the leap from the world of marcobrews to craft beer and not for those looking to have their taste buds assaulted by big hops and high alcohol.
Despite the relatively tame nature of the beers (in my opinion), my curiosity was peaked by the concept of competing breweries cooperating to package together and promote their products to further the cause of Ontario craft breweries. I have seen many "mixed packs" here in BC, but to my recollection they were always from one particular brewery and marketed by that brewery. I have never seen a collaboration between breweries here in BC in regards to packaging their products together for the betterment of the BC craft beer industry as a whole.  I wanted to find out more about the OCB and immediately wondered why we haven't seen similar collaborative marketing here in our province.

Inside the six-pack box I found a few other interesting items, namely two pieces of literature, produced by the OCB, directed at promoting Ontario craft beers. The first insert I read turned out to be the OCB's "Craft Beer Style Guide" which listed all the OCB member breweries along with a list of all their 150+ beers, arranged by style and with brief tasting notes typical of that style. It was in a checklist form so that you could mark off which beers you have tried, much like the old checklists you would get in your hockey card packs back when hockey cards smelled of cheap gum and often ended up in the spokes of your bicycle and not in albums and plastic protectors. The other item inside was an advertisement for the Ontario Craft Beer Week, which takes place in June and is organized by the OCB to help promote their products and beer tourism in Ontario. This, I found interesting as well as almost all the beer festivals that take place here in the Lower Mainland, especially since the demise of DIX, may she Rest in Peace, are not organized by the brewers, but by groups like CAMRA and the Vancouver Craft Beer Week who advertise and promote the events.  

I went to the OCB website and found out it to be a wealth of information. It appears that the OCB are a highly organized and professionally-run group, doing their best to work together and promote Ontario craft beer and craft beer in general. On their website they state,

"We're the Ontario Craft Brewers, 25 brewers dedicated to making great tasting beer, right here in Ontario. The reason we got together is to promote our fresh, natural, quality beer and agree on a commitment to excellence that everyone has to live up to.
We chose "Ontario Craft Brewers" as our name, because it speaks to the tradition of care and craftsmanship that we insist upon when brewing our beer. It's taste that we're obsessed with, and taste that distinguishes us from other beers, so naturally our slogan is "Taste. The difference."

The OCB have even taken their collective commitment further, developing an OCB Brewer's Philosophy, signed by participating brewers and brewery owners, which sets out clearly the Ontario's brewers' dedication to art of brewing craft beer and supplying the consumers with craft beer of the highest quality, while supporting each other as Brothers in Arms, to further the cause of craft beer in Ontario. The OCB makes it clear on their website that they want to be apart of their communities and contribute positively towards the quality of life in those communities. They have successfully managed to lobby the Ontario goverment who have developed a $5 million, five year, Ontario MicroBrewery Strategy, that provides funding to the OCB "for marketing, training and other promotion activities" for the province's craft breweries. The Onatario government has also developed the $8 million, Ontario Craft Brewers Opportunity Fund (OCBOF) to help support and develop small to medium craft breweries in the province to compliment their Ontario Microbrewery Straregy..

The OCB have utilized this funding, along with the fees/dues they charge their members, to develop many advanced and diverse methods of promoting their beers. They have had a free iPhone app developed, that helps consumers track down craft beer in Ontario and have podcasts, entitled "Ontario Brewer". They also organize brewery tours for member breweries, run radio spots, produce videos relating to craft beer, organize the Ontario Craft Beer Week...the list goes on and on. Their website is full of educational information about Ontario craft breweries, craft beer, beer styles, cask beer, interactive tasting guides, maps to liquor stores/retail outlets, local pubs and restaurants that offer craft beer, a "Discovering Our Beer Guide" and  recipes using Ontario craft beer. They even have an on-line (printable) press kit full of background information, facts and statistics relating the the Ontario craft beer industry. I highly recommend it to any beer geek heading out to Ontario and, for that matter, anyone who is interested in craft beer in general, as there are many educational tools and links to beer resources and interactive tools on the site. I literally could have spent hours on there poking around, following the links and reading about Ontario craft beer and craft beer in general.



OCB Craft Beer Style Guide (1st 2 pages) included in the
Discovery Pack Spring 2011



If the information and the energy put forward by the OCB, via their website and their Discovery Pack packaging is any indication, it appears the craft beer scene in Ontario is alive, vibrant and very well supported by the brewers/brewery owners themselves who are spearheading their pubic persona, as one, through the OCB and who have sucessfully garnered the support of their provincial governement. They have taken the proverbial bull by the horns and, as stated in the OCB press kit, "banded together under the Ontario Craft Brewers banner to provide collective marketing muscle, promote regional tourism and expose Ontario's beer drinkers to a world of more than 150 handcrafted premium beers brewed in their own home province."

What a concept! Banding together to create one collective voice (sound familiar CAMRA YVR members??). Competing forces pulling together for the betterment of all involved.

Now let's compare that to the BC craft beer scene and how the BC Craft Brewers Guild (BCCBG), formerly known as the Craft Brewers Association of BC, is helping promote the cause of  the craft beer industry here in Beautiful BC.

It is true that here in BC we have an alive and vibrant craft beer scene as well. BC brewers are not only producing good craft beers, but world class craft beers that are pushing boundaries and causing the rest of North America to take notice. And it is not just one brewer, but several that are creating these amazing beers. There are several brewers at the moment that are challenging each other to keep up and push the envelope with their brews. I dare say that soon, if it isn't already happening, local brewers will be creating new craft beer trends and styles that others, from across Canada and N America and around the world, will be trying emulate in order to keep on the cutting edge of craft brewing. And those of us who drink these beers are enjoying the fruits of these creative labours.

But While the craft beer scene has bneen exploding here in BC, it seems this explosion has taken place with little-to-no help from the Craft Brewers Guild who, at least at first glance, seem invisible to the general public. I am not a brewer, but have been involved in the craft beer industry in Vancouver for over 10 years, yet I know little about the BCCBG and what they do.

On first blush, it seems to be that the BCCBG is, in fact dormant, disorganized and in turmoil. The general scuttlebutt around the cask is that the BCCBG are doing nothing to advance the craft brewing industry in this province and are too busy fighting amongst themselves to get anything accomplished. The BCCBG website is basically devoid of content, listing 16 member breweries, with some of the names missing on the members list conspicuous by their absence, and giving one contact name and phone number, that being Tod Melnyk, of Tree Brewing, who is listed as chairman. Comparing the BC website to the OCB website is like comparing a kindergartner's crayon scribble to a Master's thesis. The only bit of info, other than what listed above did give at least some idea of what the Guild was about, stating,

"Welcome to the home of some of the world's best beers. While in BC, enjoy your stay here and feel free to sample the artisinal offerings of our members.  In 1997, a group of BC Craft Brewers got together for the purpose of establishing a non-profit, cooperative trade organization committed to the promotion of the Craft Brewing Industry through legislation, education, public awareness, and the responsible use of our products."

I decided to make a few phone calls to try and find out what is happening with the BCCBG and to see if all the rumours I have heard swirling about have any substance. Depending on who you talk to, you get a very different picture of what the BCCBG is about and how the BC brewers are working together - or not.  Tod Melynk was more than willing to speak to me about the BCCBG and put a very positive spin on things with the guild.
According to Melnyk, the group is currently reorganizing, refocusing and figuring out priorities and "getting everyone on the same page". When asked about the lack of public presence, including the website, Melnyk, who is co-chair of the group, along with Matt Phillips (Phillips Brewery) and Jim Dodds (Vancouver Island Brewery), stated members have been occupied running their respective breweries and unable to contribute significant time or financial resources to the BCCBG. He did state that they have been "working in the background and tackling issues when they arise" such as putting forth a position paper in regards to the proposed changes to the tied house/trade practice laws. I could not really get what the BCCBG's position was in regards to tied houses and trade practices other than Melynk telling me member breweries did get together, via conference calls, to voice their opinions and come to a consensus on a  position.

When queried about the BCCBG's membership and obvious names missing, Melnyk stated he has fielded "several calls recently" from representatives of breweries and brewpubs inquiring about joining the guild and said that there is significant interest amongst the craft brewers in BC to get organized and work together. As an example, Melnyk pointed to the recent collaboration by 28 craft brewers who got together at R&B Brewery to create a Cascadian Dark Ale that will be available during the Vancouver Craft Beer Week. Melnyk did point out that this collaborative brewing session was organized by the VCBW and not the BCCBG, but saw the getting together of all the brewers as a positive sign.
I also queried Melnyk about the rumours about the in-fighting and conflicts that many feel are the main reason why the BCCBG appear to be stagnant and ineffective and Melynk stated that there has been conflict amongst members, "a few years ago," and that at times "small issues pertinent to one brewery have taken over the (BCCBG) agenda" but that those problems are a thing of the past. Melnyk stated that the BCCBG does have plans to put out collaborative products, such as the OCB's Discovery pack, update their website and begin an organized lobby to help "craft brewers get on a better playing field" in regards to competing in the market place and hopes to get the craft brewing industry the same government support the BC wine industry enjoys. Melynk also stated he has a personal vision of creating a special designation for craft beer similar to the wine industry's VQA designation for BC wines that meet certain criteria. 

Rick Dellow, the R of R&B Brewing, who belong to the BCCBG, also stated in an email, that there are plans amongst the guild members to, "put together shared raw material buying and shared marketing," but that due to the guild members need to attend to their own businesses, these plans may not "see the light of day". Dellow also pointed to past BCCBG activities which have been successful, such as when the guild,"worked with a group of small brewers from all over Canada to lobby the government to reduce the level of Federal Excise tax," a lobby that was successful and resulted changes to the tax structure.

Melynk stated that the main reason the BCCBG has not been able to organize and get to the level of their Ontario cousins is simply a result of money and time and has little to do with in-fighting and the BC brewers inability to work collectively. He pointed to the "substantial amount of money" the OCB got from the Ontario Provincial government and the fact that the OCB has a full-time "Executive Director" to help guide the group.
These facts are true, the OCB has a President, John Hay and an administrative assistant and, according to PR contact, Christine Mulkins, who I contacted by email, "employs a variety of consultants on contract to provide support on finance, marketing, PR, branding, website, advertising/media, etc." Mulkins also stated that OCB members "play an active role in the association by participating on a variety of committees such as - technical, marketing, etc," and that they pay dues to be members to help fund the cause.
My question is, if funding and resources are an issue, why can the BCCBG not follow Ontario's lead and go after the same funding from government and the guild members themselves? I know each provincial governement if diffeent and market places unique, but the BCCBG has a great blueprint to follow and could they not try to adapt the path the OCB has taken to suit their needs?

I spoke to a few other brewers, some members of the BCCBG and some not, as well as others who are insiders in the craft beer industry and had a completely different picture of how the guild operates painted. A few brewers were not willing "to go on the record" but were more than willing to talk to me over a few beers to share their thoughts about the BCCBG and how it operates. I heard descriptors such as "disorganized", "dysfunctional", "useless", "not focused" and "splintered" used to describe the BCCBG.

One brewer, Crannog Ales' Brian MacIsaac, who used to belong to the BCCBG but who opted out about four years ago, was more than willing to go on the record and state why he is no longer a member. I personally know MacIsaac and consider him to be a straight shooter, one who does not mince words and one whose business practices are honest and above board. Crannog has been very vocal about the lack of ethics in the craft beer industry and the lack of a "code of conduct" in regards to how craft breweries in this province conduct business. He believes it is paramount that the craft breweries hold themselves up to a higher standard than the macrobreweries do, not only with the beers they produce but with how they conduct themselves. He believes that although they compete in the same marketplace, for the same consumers' craft beer dollars, the craft breweries should be able to work together to advance the industry in BC while letting their beers speak for themselves.

The beer industry is rife with what are illegal practices, such as kickbacks of free beer to pubs/restaurants, to breweries paying cash for the right to sell their beer in a certain establishment or breweries paying for beer lines to be installed for the privilege of selling their beer, but Crannog has refused to be apart of this, even if it meant losing potential business. Crannog's famous t-shirt depicting a hand flipping the bird with, "here is your 1-in-10," referring to the practice of giving one free keg for every 10 bought, sums up his thoughts on the issue. 

MacIsaac says the main reason he is not apart of the BCCBG any more is the "predatory" business practices of some of the member breweries and his distrust of them having access to "sensitive" information about his business. He states some guild members are "not cooperating" with the other members and that the guild is "not functioning as a group of colleagues". He went on to say certain breweries were not interested in making a stand against the kickbacks and the purchasers' demands for free beer or cash and were currently offering the kickbacks and inducements in the same manner as the bigger breweries with the deeper pockets. He states when he tried to get the members to formulate and implement a "code of ethics" or "code of conduct" he was not supported by the some of the guild members who are known to be quite aggressive in the marketplace and willing to go after the tap space held by other guild members in order to increase their own business. 
He also gave, as an example of the group's unwillingness to support each other, that when one member brewery came to the guild for support due to the fact an establishment demanded a payment of $1000 a tap, per year, to do business, that member brewery received no backing or support. In fact they were told by one of the guild members "it was the price of doing business," even though that "price" is currently illegal and something many small craft breweries, with limited resources, having been fighting against. MacIsaac told me he believes that some of the members of the guild are their for their own betterment and are not interested in helping develop the craft beer industry as a whole or work collaboratively in the guild. It comes down to greed and dollars and not the art of making craft beer and developing an ethical and sustainable industry.

"When is it enough?" asked MacIsaac. "It (craft beer industry) should not just be about getting bigger and bigger."

So which version of the BCCBG is the accurate one?

I have had suspicions for years that some of the BC craft breweries who want to grow and play with the big boys in the market place have been predatory and ruthless in taking business away from their craft beer brethren in the name of growth. In fact, I won't buy beers from certain local breweries based on my knowledge of their business practices and have voiced my opinions to most who will listen. This type of behaviour is certainly going to splinter and fracture the craft brewers. The craft brewers are the first to complain about the Molson's of the world flashing their money about, buying taps and giving kickbacks yet some of them are just as bad and some of those protesting loudest are the worst offenders.

Although there are many of the BC craft brewing heavyweights on the member's list, there are many that are not. I don't buy the excuse that there is a lack of resources available to the BCCBG which prohibits them from doing something as simple as put content on their website or update the name on it to reflect their name change. It appears to me there is just not the will amongst the BC craft brewers to band together to work towards common goals. I am quite sure the member breweries could buck up a few thousand dollars a year to hire professionals to help run their guild, such has been done in Ontario. First on the agenda should be to update and professionize their website, go on a massive recruiting drive and develop a collective voice with the focus of getting the governement's attention so that maybe they can secure funding and make themselves known as a group that can contribute positively to the cultural and finacial welfare of BC.

Maybe the BC craft brewers believe it is not necessary to organize and market together as their growth rates are decent and their support from consumers and groups like CAMRA and the Vancouver Craft Beer Week is strong and spreading the word for them. I know that some who have been supplying this support are getting fed up with the lack of action by the BCCBG to help promote the craft beer scene in BC. CAMRA YVR President, Martin Williams, for one, believes it is time for the BC craft brewers to get busy and help themselves.
"BC's brewers need to work together better than they have," says Williams. "There is a vibrant brewing industry in BC. It is small and its growth is well hampered. I doubt the government in Victoria recognizes brewing as a growing industry. This recognition will only come when the BC Craft Brewing Association develops its own personality, its own voice and markets itself as a real and viable industry in BC with an important role to play." 

The BCCBG may point to the substantial OCB funding from the Ontario Provincial Government but I do think there is a direct link to the OCB's commitment to contributing to their local communities by supplying jobs, promoting-developing local small businesses, adding to the local economies and promoting Ontario tourism by highlighting the province as a destination to find great beer. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the OCB lobbied the Ontario government hard to get the support they now enjoy. If their website and the image the OCB is projecting is accurate, the OCB sees the craft beer industry as more than sales for its individual members and sees themselves as playing an important part in their local communities. Yes, it is about selling beers and individual businesses being successful, but there is a bigger picture beyond producing the best IPA and the OCB seems to get that.

I would love to see the BCCBG here commit to cooperating with each other and take steps towards getting to where the OCB are. I would definitely love to see them band together to try to combat inducements and illegal trade practices, although that may be a mute point if the government in this province deregulates and allows inducements to exist in the light of day. Think of the positive economic spin-offs of promoting and increasing beer tourism here in BC. Think of the possibilities, as a consumer, of the breweries and brewpubs banding together to help new breweries start up in this province. The more widespread, organized and vibrant the craft beer industry is, the better it is for all involved. At least this is how I see it.

I would also like to walk down to my local liquor store and buy a mixed pack of BC craft beer...imagine a box containing limited releases from Central City, Driftwood, Phillips, R&B or any of your other favourite local craft breweries.

Now that is something I don't mind promoting.