Between Two Fermenters

In 1933, the Sleeman name vanished from Canadian brewing. Fifty-one years later, an aunt John hadn't spoken to in 15 years showed up with a recipe book, an old bottle, and one demand: bring it back.Troy sits down with John Sleeman, the Founder and Chairman of Sleeman Breweries, founder of Spring Mill Distillery, and 2022 appointee to the Order of Canada. But this isn't the story you've heard. Before the brewery, John was a 16-year-old runaway who tried to buy an English pub with no money, built one in Oakville with a skill saw and a $50K loan, then talked the LCBO into letting him import draft Guinness when none of it was legal. Only then did he learn his family were privateers, brewers and Prohibition-era smugglers. In 1988 he revived Sleeman in Guelph - and within a decade it was Canada's third-largest brewer. This is PART ONE of his story - legacy.What's in this episode:The pre-brewery years: a pub, a rugby club, and cold-calling UK breweries to become their Canadian agentHauling Guinness, nitro cylinders and kegs down pub basement stairs at 3 a.m.Pirates, live chickens and Al Capone: the family history John didn't know until 1984Why cream ale, why a clear bottle, and why the recipe on page 64 wonStroh's, Okanagan Spring, Unibroue, Pabst - and the Upper Canada deal he admits he got wrongThe $400M Sapporo sale, and why protecting his people came firstThank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo goodHosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery where craft beer and conversation collide - straight from the tanks to your ears.

Everyone else is dry-hopping the heck out of everything. Brandon Judd is still asking whether it's drinkable.Troy sits down with Brandon Judd, Brewmaster at Avling Brewery - Toronto's brewery, restaurant, and rooftop farm all under one roof in Leslieville. Brandon's path to beer ran through freelance journalism, restaurant bartending, and Toronto's early craft scene at Indie AleHouse before a personal-challenge move to VLB Berlin, one of the world's most respected brewing institutions. From there it was off to Godspeed Brewery for their startup before finally landing at a new brewery, Avling, in 2018. He's spent seven years at Avling, building traditional lagers, barrel-aged mixed fermentation beers, and rooftop-grown ingredients like marigolds and pineapple sage into beers designed to work as hard at the dinner table as they do on their own.German techniques, North American beers - and a brewer still chasing the beer he hasn't made yet.What's in this episode:The road from freelance journalism and Indie AleHouse to VLB Berlin, and why “tradition is a good guide, but it shouldn't be a religion”What German brewing school really changed: less an engineering degree, more a new way of solving problemsAssisting in Godspeed's beer program from poured concrete up, and the brew day that convinced he could go out on his ownAvling's rooftop farm: brewing with marigolds and pineapple sage, and the limits of “100% Ontario”A year into new ownership at Avling, and a deep dive on his beersRapid Fire: the business decision he'd redo, his favourite beer he's ever brewed, and what he's still trying to prove to himself after all these yearsThank you for tuning into the #BetweenTwoFermenters podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on whichever platform you get your podcasts at and be sure to follow GreatLakesBeer on all social channels. greatlakesbeer.com. Supporting local never tasted soooo good!Hosted by Troy Burtch, Between Two Fermenters, a podcast brought to you by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery where craft beer and conversation collide straight from the tanks to your ears.

From the Between Two Fermenters Archives, one of our favourites....Peter Bulut first appeared on Episode 1, helping set the tone for this show dedicated to preserving the stories, voices, struggles, and triumphs of the Canadian craft beer industry. Now he’s back for a deep, unscripted conversation about nearly four decades in beer, leadership, family legacy, hard lessons, and the relentless spirit that built GLB into Ontario’s fiercely independent local brewery. 

From the Between Two Fermenters Archives, one of our favourites....In this episode of Between Two Fermenters, host Troy Burtch is joined by the dynamic Catherine Oppedisano, VP of Marketing at Steam Whistle Brewing. From a memorable one-night shift with Great Lakes Brewery in 2012 to spearheading major brand revivals across Ontario’s craft beer landscape, Catherine shares her inspiring journey through the industry.Catherine reflects on her early beer days, her pivotal introductory role in beer at Flying Monkeys, educational years at Mill Street, the huge growth experienced at Collective Arts, and now the fun she’s having at Steam Whistle. She dives into lessons learned while navigating takeovers, driving innovation, creating memorable campaigns, and leading one of the country’s most recognizable beer brands back to its roots.Get ready for a fun, fast-paced conversation full of branding gold, beer nostalgia, and candid insights from one of Ontario’s most respected marketing minds. 

From the Between Two Fermenters Archives, one of our favourites....On this episode of Between Two Fermenters, Troy Burtch is joined by someone who’s had a profound impact on his life – a mentor, pioneer, and dear friend: Ron Keefe, founder of Toronto’s family-owned Granite Brewery. If you heard Episode 15 with his daughter Mary-Beth, you’ll know how much the Keefe family means to Troy. Ron welcomed him into the world of Ontario craft beer back in 2007, answering every question with patience and generousity, and later entrusted me with his Beer Appreciation course at George Brown College. His quiet leadership, deep knowledge, and genuine kindness have shaped not just Troy’s beer journey, but the paths of countless others in the industry.In this wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation, we explore Ron’s life before the Granite, the origins of the brewery in Halifax (opened by his late brother, Kevin Keefe), and how it became a midtown Toronto institution. We talked about the joys and challenges of running a family business, what it means to build a legacy, and Ron’s role in pushing for licensing reforms that opened doors for so many Ontario brewers. We also discussed his battle with ALS and the powerful story behind Ron’s Lager. Ron may be modest, but his influence is undeniable – this is a conversation with one of Ontario’s true craft beer trailblazers.