22nd Annual Festival Of Craft Breweries

In honour of Toronto's first Beer Week we held our annual fall Festival Of Craft Breweries over two evenings on Friday September 24 and Saturday September 25, 2010. Somewhere between 750 and 800 people participated purchasing 9651 samples of beer at the event.

We were featuring 71 brews from 37 producers including 18 cask beers and one cider.

Five finished on top with median scores of eight: St. Ambroise Great Pumpkin, Black Oak's Ten Bitter Years, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Wellington Russian Imperial Stout, and Unibroue Trois Pistoles. In a show of Canadian unity, three of the top finishers were produced in Quebec. In all 32 beers were deemed purchase worthy by the majority with median scores of seven or more.

Flying Monkeys Smashjezebelhoneybomb was the most tasted. C'est What Steve's Chocolate Orange, Nickel Brook Sour Cherry, C'est What Mother Pucker's Ginger Wheat, and F&M Chachi Pilsner were also sought after samples. The most controversial brew was the Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortal. The high-test coffee stout generated the biggest high/low mark split.

It seems the growing lack of a middle ground in all things is being reflected in the world of beer. Of the scores (votes) tabulated it became apparent that (political) taste is not governed with dispassion (logic) and is the ultimate exercise in subjectivity (ideology). How else can we explain that 23 of the beers (1/3) received scores of both zero and the maximum of ten? At least we have a place where beer drinkers of all types (and political leanings) can enjoy each others company. "There will be no revolution today, at least not until we finish this pint. Cheers!"

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Scores for products rated by 30 or more people, maximum score is ten

Samples

Std Dev

Median

71

1.8

8

Black Oak Ten Bitter Years

59

1.9

8

54

1.8

8

35

2.0

8

30

1.6

8

168

2.4

7

129

2.2

7

89

2.0

7

70

2.2

7

61

1.8

7

55

3.4

7

52

1.9

7

52

2.4

7

2.1

7

1.8

7

2.0

7

1.8

7

2.0

7

2.1

7

1.8

7

2.2

7

2.0

7

1.7

7

1.7

7

2.5

7

2.0

7

2.3

7

1.3

7

2.2

7

2.1

7

2.0

7

1.9

7

2.0

6

2.3

6

1.6

6

2.7

6

2.1

6

2.6

6

1.9

6

1.7

6

2.3

6

2.9

6

2.2

6

1.9

6

2.1

6

1.6

6

2.2

6

2.2

6

2.7

6

1.8

6

1.9

6

1.8

6

2.1

6

2.0

6

2.3

6

2.1

6

2.0

6

2.5

6

2.5

5

2.0

5

2.9

4

3.0

4

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