You can’t swing a pint glass these days without hitting a new brewery or brewpub. They’re popping up so rapidly, it’s hard to keep track of what’s out there, let alone what’s good.

While I do my best to steer readers in the right direction, Ontario beer drinkers owe a debt of gratitude to Jordan St. John and Robin LeBlanc, authors of the recently published Ontario Craft Beer Guide (Dundurn, $16.99).

St. John and LeBlanc scoured the province looking for new (and old) breweries, sipping some excellent pints, and some terrible ones. After they recovered, they agreed to an interview.

How long had you guys been considering doing this book?

LeBlanc: Well, originally we had this idea for Canadian Cider Guide, because we really wanted to celebrate that industry, which is growing at an alarming rate. We pitched it to Dundurn and their initial reaction was: “That sounds amazing, but you’re both very well-respected beer writers, why don’t you write a guide on Ontario breweries?” And we both looked at each other and went, “Why didn’t we think of that?”

Given how rapidly breweries seem to be coming and going, why even bother trying to keep track? Isn’t it a futile effort?

St. John: Well, yes and no. The last book of this kind for Ontario that was really comprehensive was written by Jamie MacKinnon in 1993 (called the Ontario Beer Guide). It’s great. It’s a snapshot of attitudes and of the market at a particular point in time … I figure that breweries are going to come and go, but maybe driving business to the better breweries gives them an advantage … Plus, it gives beer drinkers an advantage in a province with 200 breweries — some pints aren’t worth the $7.50 you’re paying.

How many “breweries” are there in Ontario right now? How many actually have their own brewhouses?

St. John: In the book, about 180. The book goes up to Nov. 15, 2015. Since the book there are more. I’d say that maybe 75 per cent of them have brewhouses. Contract brewing is a tough gig … They’re renting tank space and the margin is getting squeezed.

How has the Ontario beer scene has changed over the last five.

St. John: I started writing about beer in 2010 and at the time there were something like 40 breweries across the province. We’ve basically added 100 in 2014-2015 and there are a lot more coming. We’re seeing contract players and a lot of small-town breweries that just wouldn’t have made it five years ago … If you talk to the beer nerds, they’ll tell you we’re way behind America, but we’re just not. Our best stuff is damn near as good as their best stuff … We’re very good and getting better. Three or four years from now Americans will be flocking here.

Is there an Ontario beer style?

St. John: There’s the Ontario Pale Ale, but I don’t think it’s internationally recognized. A sort of malt forward hybrid English-American Pale Ale. Examples would be Duggan’s No. 9 IPA or Mill Street Tankhouse.

Do you have a favourite Ontario beer?

St. John: I’m not sure you ever have a de facto favourite … I have been drinking a lot of Side Launch Mountain Lager, though.

LeBlanc: That question is honestly like asking what my favourite film is. It always changes and it’s never just one. That said, if pressed for one, Folly Brewpub’s Flemish Cap and Sawdust City’s Blood of Cthulhu will always be two personal favourites.

Looking into your beer-filled crystal ball, what changes do you see for the Ontario beer scene over the next few years?

St. John: A number of contract players are going to fall out of the market and the remaining brewers are going to focus more on grocery store sales as that program ramps up to 450 stores. I don’t think it will take them 10 years to reach that number. More importantly, I think that the overall beer market has been shrinking for the last six years or so. 2016 is going to be the year that small brewer market share increases enough to actually grow the overall pie.

Authors’ picks

Here, Robin LeBlanc explains three of the duo’s top picks for Ontario craft brews to be sipping this summer.

Amsterdam Starke Pilsner (LCBO: $2.95 per can)

“In the brutally hot summer months, one should always have a pilsner handy and you’d do well to keep this hoppy variation of the style in your fridge. Lemon, pepper, and grain notes make this one a beauty.”

Sawdust City Golden Beach Pale Ale (LCBO: $3.25 per can)

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“A wonderful combination of citrus and tropical fruit notes combined with a slight grassy note in a light body makes this one an excellent porch sipper.”

Side Launch Wheat (LCBO: $2.80 per can)

“A great example of a Bavarian hefeweizen and a natural go-to in the summer months, working well as a delicious and substantial refresher.”