Article content

Flora Hall is a cheeky little brewery in a wonderfully restored industrial building, with big, shiny eyes on Flora Street on the edge of Centretown.

Many days they make ale. One day next week, they’ll make mischief — by running circles around the Canadian Constitution and the Supreme Court of Canada.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Egan: Microbreweries crack case of provincial beer barriers Back to video

Founder Dave Longbottom, 54, wants to draw attention to the bizarre rules that govern the making, selling and transporting of beer between provinces in Canada — in theory, at least, a free market.

“To me, it’s about the principle.”

So, let’s crack the case open. Ideally, as a small businessman, he’d like the option of selling some of Flora Hall’s four core beers — and seasonal specialties — to bars or restaurants in Gatineau. But there’s no easy way for a craft brewer to move suds over the Ottawa River.

Longbottom, who spent 30-plus years in high-tech, would first have to involve the SAQ, Quebec’s version of the LCBO, which would take a slice of the action on pricing — plus add paperwork — and make small-volume sales unattractive. (The much bigger Beau’s, for instance, spent months and tens of thousands on consultants and warehousing to get its product into La Belle Province.)