There is a concept that beer has “seasonality” and certain brews are more popular at different times of the year than others. Corona, Brahma, Bud Light Lime and many other beers launch into full swing summertime promotional campaign, calling themselves: “the beers of summer”. Yet walking thorough many different bars, none of these beers are available in draught form, and therefore are not necessarily the beers of summer for many people sitting on patios all across this country.  Ordering a nice cold draught really brings in the spirit of summer (while also maintaining a certain environmental responsibility due to the limited use of bottles, instead focusing on glasses, pitchers and kegs that are all re-useable) and enjoying that same draught on a patio is really the Canadian summer experience.

The local breweries from Southern Ontario are beginning to start the distribution of their local pours, which are truly original, and in many instances require a double take as to the ingredients and the name. Prime examples include brews from Hopcity, and Mill St, which are both located in the Greater Toronto Area.

Hopcity originated in 2009, as an independent brewery from Brampton, owned by natives to the region.  They began by brewing Barking Squirrel Dark Lager, characterized by its intense aroma and flavour, smooth finish and resonating noble hop flavour. Hopcity has expanded to four original brews, including their summer entry, “LawnChair”. Described as a classic Bavarian Hefe-Weissen, it is light in colour, unfiltered, and has citrus notes that leave a clean freshness on the palate similar to many other Hefe-Weissen beers.

Meanwhile Mill St. produced a Lemon Tea Beer for the summer 2011 season. This beer really looks and tastes like lemon iced tea, and delivers a refreshing finish to the palate. Smooth and unfiltered, it is easy to drink and does not have a strong bite to it.  This year their Walker's Blueberry Wheat Beer is garnering a lot of attention, with its original flavour and pleasant aroma.  Mill St. has managed to really demonstrate the potential that local breweries have and also the courage to produce original beers to compete with the large breweries out there.

Big Rock Breweries, headquartered in Calgary, focused on creating new beers that demonstrate craft brewery originality while allowing for mainstream thirst quenchers. Big Rock Lime, a light lager with a lime twist, showcases that popularity, but does not sacrifice flavour. This beer was created as an answer to a market demand for lime flavoured lagers and has gained popularity throughout Western Canada since its release.