Great Lakes Brewery (Toronto)

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Toronto, Canada
Coordinates	43°37′23″N 79°30′18″W / 43.6231°N 79.5050°W
Area served	Ontario, Canada
Key people	Peter Bulut Jr (President & Chief Brewing Officer), Mike Lackey (Brewer)
Products	#FreshGLB Craft Beer
Services	Beer Fun Tourism
Website	www.greatlakesbeer.com

Great Lakes Brewery is a brewery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Great Lakes Brewery^[1] has a long and storied past that is as unique at the craft beers they produce. Started in 1987 in an industrial unit in Brampton by Bruce Cornish and four other silent partners, the group produced two beers, an ale and a lager, using malt extract, a far cry from all grain used by craft breweries throughout North America. The beer was packaged in 1Litre plastic homebrew bottles with a focus on the home retailer.

After four years of production, Cornish and the silent partners had run out of capital to keep the brewery functioning. Fortunately for Great Lakes supporters, a construction magnate in Etobicoke by the name Peter Bulut Sr. had been introduced to Cornish through respective business deals and plans were underway to sell the brewery to him. Bulut Sr. purchased the business in 1990, made the change from malt extract brewing to all grain and in the early months of 1991 moved the brewery to its current home at 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd just off the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) where Cornish continued on as head brewer for a short time.

In 2009, with the health of Peter Bulut Sr. in decline, his children, Peter Bulut Jr. and his sister Anetta Jewell, took on more responsibility of the day-to-day operations. They, along with the brewing team, took great steps to introduce new and exciting brands and marketing initiatives that led to increased sales through the LCBO, bars and restaurants, and have solidified Great Lakes reputation as a leader in beer innovation throughout the Canadian craft brewing industry. They’ve allowed the brewing team to experiment with flavours, to have fun with weird and wacky names, and to showcase their creations with monthly Project X nights (no longer taking place).

Peter Bulut Sr., the man who saved the original Great Lakes brewery and who turned it around to what it is today, died in 2010, but not before ensuring that the brewery would remain in the family. Peter Bulut Jr. now runs the brewery, operating at the President and Chief Brewing Officer.^[1]

In 2013 and 2014, Great Lakes won the top honour in Canadian brewing as they were named the Canadian Brewery of the Year in back to back years.

The brewery currently employs approximately 30 people.^[2]

Great Lakes Timeline

Highlights	Year
Opened a malt extract brewery in Brampton. Two beers – Great Lakes Lager and Unicorn Ale	1987
Peter Bulut Sr. purchases the brewery and plans are underway to move production to Etobicoke	1990
Etobicoke brewery opens. All malt brewing commences. One beer is the focus – Great Lakes Lager	1991
Great Lakes Lager only available in draught format to bars & restaurants	1991-2000
Retail store opens to the public. Bottles of Golden Horseshoe Lager, Red Leaf Lager and Black Jack Lager are all available in standard 341ml bottle six-packs	2000
Devil’s Pale Ale 666 is created on June 6, 2006 for the Toronto Festival of Beer. Becomes so popular that brewery introduces it in 473ml cans to the LCBO	2006
Winter Ale, Pumpkin Ale and Orange Peel Ale all make appearances at the LCBO and brewery retail store for the first time in 750ml and 650ml painted bottles respectively Great Lakes is awarded a Golden Tap Editor’s Circle Award for leading the push for seasonal products in the Ontario craft brewing scene	2007
Project X launched at brewery. A monthly event where brand new beers were created on the pilot system and offered to Project X members. Many of the Tank Ten series of beers were first born at these events. Project X events officially ended in 2012, yet beers are still created under the Project X brand for the GLB retail store	2009
Introduces Canuck Pale Ale in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 650ml painted bottles at the LCBO. Name later changes to Crazy Canuck	2010
The popular one-off, Canuck Pale Ale, becomes Crazy Canuck Pale Ale and launches in the LCBO full time in 473ml cans. Wins its 2nd consecutive Gold Medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards	2011
Celebrated 25th Anniversary with the launch of 5 brand new beers in 750ml bottles. Robust Porter, Vanilla Bean Imperial Espresso Stout, Belgian Saison, Imperial Black IPA and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Named Best Brewery for Cask-Conditioned Ale in Ontario at the 10th annual Golden Tap Awards	2012
Named the Canadian Brewery of the Year at the 11th annual Canadian Brewing Awards Named Best Brewery for Cask-Conditioned Ale in Ontario at the 11th annual Golden Tap Awards Introduced the Tank Ten series of beers to the Great Lakes family of beers	2013
Named the Canadian Brewery of the Year at the 12th annual Canadian Brewing Awards Awarded the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the NA India Pale Ale category at the Canadian Brewing Awards for THRUST! an IPA, Karma Citra IPA, My Bitter Wife IPA Named the Best MicroBrewery in Ontario at the 12th annual Golden Tap Awards Named Best Brewery for Cask-Conditioned Ale in Ontario at the 12th annual Golden Tap Awards	2014
Canuck Pale Ale - Gold Medal at Ontario Brewing Awards RoboHop Imperial IPA - Gold Medal at Canadian Brewing Awards THRUST! an IPA - Silver Medal at Canadian Brewing Awards Named the Best Brewery in Ontario at the 13th annual Golden Tap Awards THRUST! an IPA - Best Seasonal/One-Off in Ontario at the 13th annual Golden Tap Awards Open outdoor patio to consumers at brewery	2015

List of Great Lakes beers

Brand	Style	Year of Debut	Availability	LCBO/Brewery/Beer Store
Canuck Pale Ale	West Coast Style Pale Ale	2010–present	Year-Round	LCBO/Brewery/Beer Store
Pompous Ass	English Ale	2014–present	Year-Round	LCBO/Brewery
Devil's Pale Ale 666*	American Pale Ale	2006 - 2015	(Discontinued)	(Discontinued)
Red Leaf Lager	Amber Lager	1996–present	Year-Round	Brewery
Blonde Lager (Formerly Great Lakes Lager, Golden Horseshoe Lager)	North American Lager	1987–present	Year-Round	Brewery
Pumpkin Ale	Pumpkin beer	2007–present	Seasonal: Fall	LCBO/Brewery
Winter Ale	Spiced Winter Warmer	2007–present	Seasonal: Winter	LCBO/Brewery
Saison Dupump	Belgian Pumpkin Saison	2013–present	Seasonal: Fall	LCBO/Brewery
RoboHop	Imperial India Pale Ale	2013–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Octopus Wants to Fight	India Pale Ale
My Bitter Wife	India Pale Ale
THRUST! an IPA	India Pale Ale
Karma Citra	India Pale Ale
No Chance with Miranda	Saison
Maniacal Hopshop	India Pale Ale	2015–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Lake Effect	India Pale Ale	2013–present	Tank Ten Series	LCBO/Brewery
Harry Porter	American Porter	2012–present	Tank Ten Series
Audrey Hopburn	Belgian India Pale Ale	2013–present	Tank Ten Series	LCBO/Brewery
Chill Winston	Belgian Grisette	2013–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Limp Puppet	Session India Pale Ale	2013–present	Tank Ten Series	LCBO/Brewery
Johnny Simcoe	American Pale Ale	2012–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Citraddiction	XPA
Miami Weiss	American Wheat Ale	2012–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Etobichoker	Double Belgian IPA		Tank Ten Series
Long Dong Pilsner	Pilsner	2012–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery
Apocalypse Later	Imperial Black IPA	2012–present	Tank Ten Series	Brewery

Awards

Awards	Competition	Year
Ontario Brewery of the Year	Golden Tap Awards	2015
Best Seasonal/Specialty Beer in Ontario - THRUST! an IPA	Golden Tap Awards	2015
Gold Medal - Canuck Pale Ale	Ontario Brewing Awards	2015
Canadian Brewery of the Year	Canadian Brewing Awards	2014
Swept American Style IPA category	Canadian Brewing Awards	2014
Ontario Brewery of the Year	Golden Tap Awards	2014
Best Brewery for Cask Conditioned Ale in Ontario	Golden Tap Awards	2014
Canadian Brewery of the Year	Canadian Brewing Awards	2013
Best Brewery for Cask Conditioned Ale in Ontario	Golden Tap Awards	2013
Gold Medal - Canuck Pale Ale	Canadian Brewing Awards	2011
Gold Medal - Canuck Pale Ale	Canadian Brewing Awards	2010

See also

• Beer in Canada
• greatlakesbeer.com

References

1. "Great Lakes Brewery - Throwback Thursday - GLB History (Canadian Brewerianist Article 2012)". Great Lakes Brewery. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
2. Er-Chua, Gloria (11 May 2012). "No succession plan? Look out!". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 28 December 2013.

External links

• www.greatlakesbeer.com
• twitter.com/GreatLakesBeer/