National Capital Region Beer News

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

How does this affect The Commons on Sparks Street?

The only thing that will change at The Commons, is there will soon be less Kichesippi products on the shelves and on the taps at this location. This location will continue to provide our customers with a selection of locally roasted coffee, Ontario Craft Beer and our curated wine selection.

https://www.kbeer.ca/pages/thank-you-and-sorry

Surprising that they opened the Sparks location if they had financial issues. And "less Kichesippi products" is strange if they are shutting down the brewery operations. I would expect "less until supplies last" or something.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Surprising that they opened the Sparks location if they had financial issues. And "less Kichesippi products" is strange if they are shutting down the brewery operations. I would expect "less until supplies last" or something.

Maybe a last-ditch effort to turn things around? I did notice that the hours of their pop up were really sporadic at first, and it was closed at times you would have thought would be prime for attracting people. That said, since they re-did it and made it into the Commons, it has been open and noticeably busy whenever I go by. It's a pretty nice spot.

[J.OT13]

Good thing our Premier is working on what's important for Ontarians!

Ontario and Nova Scotia Sign Historic Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Agreement
Deal will remove barriers to free trade between provinces, supporting consumer choice and economic growth

March 02, 2026

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/10071...ric-direct-to-consumer-alcohol-agreement

[rocketphish]

After a decade in business, Orléans brewery shuts down
Owners of the Orléans Brewing Co. bid farewell in a social media post on Aug. 5.

By Abyssinia Abebe, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 08, 2026 | Last updated 17 hours ago

After a decade in operation, a beloved brewery in Orléans has bid farewell to its customers.

Owners of the Orléans Brewing Co. announced on social media Wednesday that they had made the “difficult decision” to close their doors that same day, Aug. 5.

“This wasn’t something we wanted — but rising costs, increased rent, mounting pressures and circumstances beyond our control have left us with no other path forward,” the OBC owners wrote.

Even though goodbye “hurts,” since the brewery opened in 2016 owners said they’d watched “first dates turn into marriages, kids grow up at these tables, milestones toasted over pints.”

There was an outpouring support for the family on social media.

“The brewing tanks may fall silent, but the friendships, the laughter, the music, the conversations and the memories you’ve given your community will continue to echo for years to come,” commenter Dennis Lapin wrote under the owners’ Facebook post.

Others shared memories they had made at the brewery.

“Very sad to hear of this and thank you for the great beer. Our Wednesday group rides will not be the same without leaning our bikes outside OBC and taking over part of your patio for juicy Mchazys, Apple juice for some, wings and so many jugs of water. Best wishes for a resilient future, it must be so hard for you and you will be missed,” Cindy Strugnell wrote.

OBC owners said their customers made the brewery a “second living room,” which they described as being warm, familiar “and full of stories we’ll carry with us forever.”

This was the second Ottawa brewery to close this year. Kichesippi Beer Co. shut down in March.

The OBC owners did not respond to requests for further comment.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/orleans-brewery-shuts-down

[Richard Eade]

I’m certainly not surprised that there are small ‘Craft’ breweries closing up.

They can’t compete on price. They simply do not have the economy of scale and automation that the big companies have. That means that their price needs to be higher, often significantly higher, than big commercial breweries.

But, in order to justify such a high price, they need to provide a truly premium product. I’m not an expert by any stretch of imagination, but most of the craft beer that I have had did not live up to its price. Not that they were ‘Colt 45’ bad, but not worth the premium price in my opinion.

There also seemed to be a problem with consistency with some brews. But I expect that comes from the beers being ‘hand-crafted’ in small, individual batches.

(As I say, though, I’m not an expert. I drank Molson STOCK ALE – the Original Blue – until it became too hard to find; so I switched to Molson GOLDEN. When it disappeared, I switched to wine and Scotch. I still like occasional beers, however, and prefer to try out local craft offerings.)

[FrostyMug]

Further to this, I'd add that the Ford governments decision to put beer in grocery and then to every corner store makes getting product out into the market and in front of consumers an almost impossible task. When they could access the Beer Store's system their beers could be placed along side all the other craft brewers and consumers had a chance to browse what products were out there. Since beer was only available at the LCBO, the Beer Store and a few limited locations outside or urban areas craft brewers had a real chance to get products in front of customers. Now, they can't get a foot print in a grocery/convenience store unless they sell significant volume which isn't going to happen. I predict more are going to fall.

[stolenottawa]

Originally Posted by FrostyMug

Further to this, I'd add that the Ford governments decision to put beer in grocery and then to every corner store makes getting product out into the market and in front of consumers an almost impossible task. When they could access the Beer Store's system their beers could be placed along side all the other craft brewers and consumers had a chance to browse what products were out there. Since beer was only available at the LCBO, the Beer Store and a few limited locations outside or urban areas craft brewers had a real chance to get products in front of customers. Now, they can't get a foot print in a grocery/convenience store unless they sell significant volume which isn't going to happen. I predict more are going to fall.

You are giving the Beer Store credit it does not deserve in any way.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

You are giving the Beer Store credit it does not deserve in any way.

Yep, more prominent selection of craft beer at college square loblaws vs anything the the beer store did at college square.

I think it has more to do with craft beer not being a big thing anymore, outside of hipsters.

Personally, i just buy Moosehead, one of the last fully Canadian owned large brewers.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

You are giving the Beer Store credit it does not deserve in any way.

They were mandated by the province to give 20% of their shelf space to local and craft brewers, which did lead to more selection and the ability for small brewers to get their beers to a wider audience. But you are right, that wasn't out of generosity, it was something that was imposed on their owners - Molson-Coors, Inbev and Sapporo, who were not inclined to share market otherwise.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

Yep, more prominent selection of craft beer at college square loblaws vs anything the the beer store did at college square.

I think it has more to do with craft beer not being a big thing anymore, outside of hipsters.

Personally, i just buy Moosehead, one of the last fully Canadian owned large brewers.

Hmm.. My curiosity got the best of me based on your comment and Sapporo bought Sleemans in 2006.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Hmm.. My curiosity got the best of me based on your comment and Sapporo bought Sleemans in 2006.

Yep, the only other large-ish brewer I know that's still fully Canadian is steamwhistle/Beau's (they merged a couple of years back)