Canadians love their beer. In 2014, they consumed over 22 million hectoliters of beer, 84% of which was Canadian. It’s also worth a mention that 56% of beer-drinking Canadians prefer lagers and 34% prefer ales. Here are some other facts that distinguish the brewing industry in Canada.
High-Quality Barley Is Canadian Breweries’ Competitive Edge.
Barley is an important ingredient in beer-making. Fortunately for Canadian brewers, barley is one of Canada’s most important grain crops.
Since 1948, the “Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute” has supported the development and evaluation of new malting barley varieties. The country has, as a result, maintained a leadership role in barley research and production over the years.
Breweries in other countries appreciate Canadian barley’s level of quality and availability. Consequently, Canada-based breweries have been able to obtain licensing agreements with leading U.S. and offshore breweries to manufacture the foreign companies’ brands in the country.
Canada Is a Country of a Few Brewing Giants and Hundreds of Microbrewers.
In 2014, 520 licensed breweries were operating in the country. Interestingly, over half of these breweries operate in Ontario and Québec.
Two of all the breweries, Labatt Breweries of Canada and Molson Breweries, target the whole country. Then there are six regional breweries located in different territories and hundreds of microbreweries targeting local markets.
The Canadian Brewery Industry Is Highly Innovative.
The Canadian brewing industry is vibrant and advanced. Significant developments from Canada have included new yeast strains that are more alcohol-tolerant and others that produce low-calorie beer. New products have included seasonal beers, low-carbohydrate beers, and low-alcohol beer.
Canadian companies also pioneered the brilliant brewing techniques of continuous malting and continuous brewing. There also have been trials on new package formats and efforts to enhance the preservation properties of plastic to match those of glass bottles. Other notable contributions are the innovations around temperature-sensitive thermochromatic ink and high-tech insulator to help monitor beer temperatures.
The Canadian Brewing Industry Is a Pioneer Advocate for Responsible Consumption of Alcohol.
Canadian breweries were among the first brewers to address the issue of responsible drinking. The companies initiated and continued to fund programs that fight misuse.
The Canadian Beer Industry Holds an Impressive Environmental Record.
Canadian brewers have over the years utilized environmental-friendly policies in their brewing plant operations and control of packaging. Amazingly, an average 99% of Canadian beer bottles are returned. Other breweries such as Steam Whistle Brewing Company have very elaborate green initiatives.
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