May 24, 2012

T.O. ENTREPRENEUR PROVES BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN

Toronto’s Jeff Carefoote spent 18 years knee-deep in someone else’s hops and barley before deciding it was time to strike out on his own. So he gave Molson the old “See ya” and snapped up a tiny brew pub on John Street. Today, Amsterdam Breweries, at 21 Bathurst St., is one of the city’s top suppliers of homegrown suds, and there are plans to break into the U.S. Just how did he turn a pintsized pub into a hopping success?

WAS IT TOUGH IN THE BEGINNING, GOING UP AGAINST MOLSON AND LABATT? Yeah, it still is. I say to the guys here: we kind of live in the cracks. They have huge marketing muscle.… If there’s something they want, there’s nothing to stop them from taking it.

WHEN YOU GO TO A PARTY, DOES EVERYONE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE BRINGING? Generally, yeah, though I always try to bring something interesting, like the seasonals, maybe the pomegranate wheat. For the average beer guy to step up to pomegranate wheat, that’s a pretty big step.

WHICH IS YOUR MOST POPULAR BEER? The blonde.

THE CRAZIEST? One called the Avalanche. It’s 8.5 per cent alcohol. Very smooth, but like a velvet hammer. We make it only on occasion.

WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT BEER? I think a balance between taste and drinkability. With our beer, we try to get one that goes down pretty smooth and has some taste but doesn’t fill you up after one. We try to make our beers a little different. For example, we don’t pasteurize and we use all-natural ingredients.

HOW’S THE COMPANY DOING FINANCIALLY? Well, every year has been better than the year before. Our case sales have increased 70 per cent over our six years in business. Most of the success has been in our blonde lager. That’s the one that’s pulling the train.

If you know of a business opening or closing in your neighbourhood, please call the business editor at 416-250-7979, ext. 278.

This article appears in the June 2009 issue of Post City Magazines