Calgarian launches brewery boycott twitter campaign
Evan Polowick launched the twitter hashtag campaign #boycottminhas
CBC News
Posted: Aug 27, 2012 1:53 PM MT
Last Updated: Aug 27, 2012 11:45 AM MT
Minhas Micro Brewery only started doing public tours of its northeast Calgary brewery a few weeks ago, but it's already getting some negative reviews on social media.
Calgary's Evan Polowick launched the twitter hashtag campaign #boycottminhas.
He created it after reading an article published months ago in the Huffington Post that says Minhas brews in the United States, but enjoys a tax break under Alberta's small brewer progam.
Co-owner Ravinder Minhas says he does brew beer in Wisconsin, but it's made with malt from the Canadian Prairies and sold here.
Polowick feels it is unfair.
"Don't drink it unless he's going to act by the rules, unless he's going to abide by the rules," he said. "He's the 14th largest brewery in the U.S. — the U.S. not Canada — and this is a tax subsidy he's getting from Alberta. So I want eyes to open up in the Alberta government."
Minhas said it's not a subsidy, but a tax break for an Alberta brewery to help them compete against powerhouses like Coors and Labatt — which own a large share of the international beer market.
When he started the Calgary-based company with his sister Manjit Minhas in 2002, Ravinder said they couldn't afford to build a brewery in Alberta, and couldn't find anyone in the province to make beer for them.
"Our goal is to always brew in Alberta," he said. "But when Manjit and I started, we started at the age of 18 and 19 years old, so we couldn't buy a brewery — I mean it was just unrealistic."
The duo contracted a U.S. brewery in Wisconsin to do it and eventually bought that brewery in 2006.
Minhas still produces beer there, but also began brewing at its northeast Calgary location in June — which offers tours that includes beer-themed food and tables made from kegs.
The facility hopes to produce 40,000 hectolitres this year, which keeps the company under the 400,000 hectolitre cap of the small brewer tax program.
Michelle Hynes-Dawson of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission says Minhas isn't breaking any rules. She said any small brewery that wants to sell its product in Alberta can apply, even if the company is owned and operated out of a different country.
She said the goal of the program is to bring in a large variety of beer at a lower cost for Albertans to enjoy.
Share Tools
Latest Calgary News Headlines
- Evanston victims died by stabbing, police say
- A man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after the bodies of a woman and young boy were found in Calgary's northwest Thursday. more »
- Power outage cost ENMAX $20M
- Despite a power outage last summer that cost ENMAX Corporation $20-million, the city-owned utility told shareholders today that it is in a strong financial position. more »
- Calgary fire ban lifted
- Calgary's Level 3 fire ban was lifted Friday after several days of wet weather. more »
- Alberta to open 6 new trade offices
- Premier Alison Redford has announced the locations of six new provincial trade offices, including a second one in China. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Senator Pamela Wallin leaves Conservative caucus
- Senator Pamela Wallin says she is recusing herself from the Conservative caucus while her travel expense claims are under scrutiny. Wallin's departure comes one day after Senator Mike Duffy left the Tory caucus amid controversy over his expense claims.
more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies crack cocaine allegations
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says allegations he was caught on tape smoking crack are "ridiculous," following reports that someone had been trying to sell a purported recording of such an event to U.S. and Canadian media outlets. more »
- Sailor fighting cancer says AWOL charges dropped
- All charges against a Nova Scotia woman in the Royal Canadian Navy who is fighting cancer, and who was charged with being absent without leave and facing a court martial have been dropped, the woman and her lawyer say. more »
- Tim Bosma public memorial Wednesday in Hamilton, Ont.
- As plans to honour Tim Bosma take shape for next week in Hamilton, Ont., CBC News has learned the man accused in his slaying purchased a Toronto condo less than 24 hours after Bosma went missing. more »
- Eurovision Song Contest celebrates pop excess
- Techno beats, over-the-top stage antics and pop stars of the past return to the spotlight in Stockholm this weekend as the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest ramps up to its showy finale. more »
- Danielle Smith asks RCMP to investigate Sandhu
- Evanston victims died by stabbing, police say
- Calgary fire ban lifted
- Lock your doors, police warn
- Power outage cost ENMAX $20M
- Family angry after Calgary police chief defends shooting
- Chat replay: Your gardening questions answered
- Family pet mistakenly included in mass cremation
- Deaths of young boy, woman suspicious, say Calgary police

