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 generosity, 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.
Thank 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, is your go-to deep dive for all things craft beer from an insider perspective.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.