Its a New Year

It’s a new year, and it is a new set or rules, and things to learn here with ABI. Although I was happy to go home and see my family, I am also happy to be back in the loop and doing what I love. As we speak right now, I am sitting in the St. Louis Brewery and Zone Head Quarters. This Brewery is the IT of brewing.

All innovation, pilot projects, and prospectus for the next year filter through the walls. Now why am I here? As a company looking to integrate itself and act as one, all employees, including those from Canada, must be well versed and knowledgeable about the American Strategy and Plans for the upcoming year.

It also comes with a few nice perks. As I am sure many of you are all aware of, the American beer portfolio is quite different from that of Canada. They also have the Superbowl… and Superbowl commercial programming. As such, it is quite the treat to taste and see what is in store for the year.
There are some exciting things in the pipeline, so get on a train or a plane and check them out within the next year. Next week the two girls and I are traveling to Toronto for a similar conference, so it will be a great comparison to see what we have in store for Canada. We will also be heading out to our new project locations.

I am headed to the balmy Vancouver, which will be fantastic. As you remember last time I was in Vancouver I got to try a few very exciting things. On the docket this time around will be whale watching and deep sea fishing. Ill let you know how that goes.
As it pertains to my project, I will be more focused in sales while I am here, with particular emphasis on the micro breweries.

Ill let you know how it goes!

12 Fun Facts about Montreal



1) Montreal is at the same latitude as Venice and Geneva

2) Montreal is famous for Poutine… Obviously

3) Cora’s breakfast chain originated in the Montreal District of St. Laurent

4) Montreal’s Sister City is considered to be Hiroshima, Japan

5) Montreal’s underground is one of the largest in the world. There are 20 miles of pedestrian walkways, accessible from 178 entries.

6) William Shatner is a Montreal Native

7) An Entrée here is actually called an appetizer- do not confuse the two

8) Montreal ranks second to Halifax for all the Titanic victims buried in its’ cemeteries

9) Montréal natives do not find eye contact with strangers to be odd or awkward

10) Montreal is the original city that started “fur-trade”

11) 6 inches of snow is referred to as “a dusting”

12) Do not admit to being a Bsoton Bruins fan… I made to mistake… it was not taken well!

How Time Can Fly

          So the end of our rotations has nearly arrived. Currently I am back in the beautiful metropolis of Montreal. Christmas is fast arriving and alas still no snow. On the business front it is busier than ever with year end just around the corner.  (Side note- the Montreal office is decorated so well and is quite Christmas like and cozy)

All of us are definitely brushing up on our French, and have had the opportunity to go out and about with the sales reps for the past few weeks.  It is no understatement when people say Quebec is a world of its’ own. Everything here as it regards to sale is much different than the rest of Canada, this includes the sales for labor stipulations, governmental regulation, and the path of beer distribution. I am happy to report that beer consumption is on the rise however! And as such I still have a job!

We also just wrote out International Brewing and Distilling exam… I am not going to lie and say it was a cake walk, it was certainly difficult. Both Prerna and myself ate far too much junk food in the studying process, and I think my jeans agree with me! However I now have my cupboards stocked with goodies from rice cakes, to French toast crunch cereal, to candy canes. Saddest part is that I baked brownies a week or so ago… and we still have Crisco lard in the fridge… it is one of the only things in the fridge. When I say we were binge study eating I mean it!

On a personal note, I am quite excited to head home for the holidays, and set up a Christmas tree- my family is waiting for me to come home to go and cut one down. Hopefully there are some respectable looking ones left in the bush by the time I arrive home, or we may be using a lot of tinsel cover up. It will also be nice to change up my clothing… I may or may not still have shorts and flip flops in my luggage.

We will soon be finding out where the project we will be working on for the spring are… and I am very very excited to see where I will be. I am still doing quite a bit of self reflection when it comes to where I want to be located and what exact role I would like to set my sights on. With this program we have had the opportunity to see so much through the rotations, and there are so many areas I hope to explore in the company. The wonderful thing about Labatt, is that I may have the chance to see them all. With so much movement but laterally and vertically cross functional movement is common. I guess I will just have to wait and see where the path takes me.

To all those who keep track of where we are and what we are doing, have a very merry Christmas and thank you to all the Labatt employees who have made this year such a success for me!

A Vancouver Rhyme

Today I'd like to start with a bit of an update
A lot has changed and much has come up as of late

To keep it fun I'll try to write it all in a rhyme
Please read on if you can find the time

It will be informative and not at all silly
I swear, I promise, really?... really

There is so much to tell, I do not know where to start
Lots since the last post... but that is a fault on my part

I am no longer in Edmonton, and the brewery is long gone
I have moved on to sales like a little travelling pawn

So the following is a bit since we last had a talk

Ottawa, Vancouver, a trip to Tofino… 6 hours sitting at the dock

I’ll cover them all in short and provide a little info

Give me a little leeway with the rhyme… it has to flow

So Ottawa was to meet the AmBev board of directors

It was a privilege to meet such drivers of our industry sector

They had so much insight to give, and such stories to tell

I was so proud to be part of the company and the products we sell

It was amazing to see such a large company take the time to meet us

Its what I love of the culture, why I’m here, why I fuss

It was only a day long and then back to our Edmonton home

Then to Vancouver we went to hit the market and rome

We have come to take a look at what is up with micro beers

How we can improve and serve our customers better in every tier

Prerna and I are living in Yaletown, right beside BC place

Not only the stadium but right on the water happens to be the case

We are meeting new customers and talking to consumers

Finding misconceptions of the business and looking into rumours

The market here is all about sustainable and local

So we talk to small businesses and hope they will be vocal

We have found out some great information on how to improve

It will give us some food for thought before we are back on the move

Its not all in market and at the office, we have also explored

We learned to surf in Tofino, I even got up on the board.

It was Remembrance Day weekend, hence the long wait at the dock

Turns out the stat holiday here, causes all the residents to flock

Vancouver Island was beautiful, but trust me the water was cold

I had to wear a full body suit with a hood or I would freeze so I was told

Good advice in the end, we both came out safe and alive

Turns out no sharks, which was a concern at first dive

The Lions have now won, and the Grey Cup is quite soon

We sponsor both teams, it should be quite the blast, so stay tuned

Aside from all the rain, Vancouver is wonderful and fun

Only downside, is in the winter you tend to miss the sun

This weekend is our last, and we are headed to Whistler to go ride

I can’t wait to snowboard and hit some powder I must confide

I have gotten a chance to see some friends here from school

They know the area, and have kept us from looking like lost fools

It will be sad to leave them, but exciting to go to our next spot

Crazy to know what its will be like for the next GMT lot

I hear interviews are now over, and the new recruits are in

I can`t wait to meet them, hear their stories, and give them our spin

Until then this rhyme will have to do, but don’t fret I’ll write more

Maybe less flowery and story like, so it doesn’t sound like folklore

Take care until then, I hope your lives are treating you well

I know the GMT program is going great… and Sales is just swell

There be Gold in Them There Mountains- Yosemite Sam

As we approach the end of our brewery journeys, the looming threat of all parting our own ways was enough motivation to plan a family outing to Jasper. Probably one of the best collective ideas we have had for quite some time. As our deadlines are starting to close, and tensions are high, a little wilderness adventure was required to jumpstart our energizer batteries.

Getting down to the good stuff. So after a long 4 hour drive to Jasper we arrived... and lucky for us it was a beautiful day! The drive down really sparked our need for some physical activity as we started with healthy snacks such as grapes and at the first gas station got cookies, popcorn, candy, and pizza.... We put on our runners as soon as we got in.

So Jasper is pretty unreal. With the four of us coming from the East the fact there was mountains, trees, water, and sun was like a dream come true. I think our picture taking might have even become quite tedious, with side of the road pit stops on the frequent.

Rolling into Sawridge (an awesome inn by the way that we stayed in) we were directed to the best hiking location. Mount Edith Cavell- a glacial mountain. As seen in many of my photos and the ones below I became one with the Ice... What these pictures do not show is me climbing up the glacier in this cave- not my smartest move, but I did it and I came out alive.

I need to note the non GMT love on this one... while climbing up very slippery glacial avalanche rocks, I turned around about 70ft up and to my surprise there were no more GMTS to be seen... GUYS SERIOUS!!  What if I fell... what a sad GMT trip that would be.

Moving on- what I did not see before my solo expedition was this lovely sign, specifically telling me not to enter the cave and glaciers, but as seen in the next picture... That did not happen. Big Cave though right? In this picture it is that little black hole, but that little black hole is really freakin big.

You can just see the start of the ascent behind me in the photograph. At the very top was sheer rock and a small stream, but unfortunately no way around but how I came. I think climbing down took me double the time of climbing up... Mom and dad thanks for all the climbing lessons (it paid off)

So fun prank idea- tell us what you think
We thought it would be great if we took a whole bunch of photos in the glaciers, where there is always snow, and send the photos to the American GMTS who always inquire about the weather here up in Canada. Personally I think one of us throwing snowballs on the frozen glacier lake would be best!

Random thought, but some how I feel it was fitting in this Blog. Anywho Back to Work!
To those of you who are currently at ABI Day today in Toronto- GOOD LUCK and make sure you are yourself... or you may get stuck with a bunch of crazies like ourselves!

Toodles!

You Say Goodbye and I say Hello

Goodbye Montreal, and Hello Edmonton.

So as you may have guessed from the title of this post, the GMT class of 2011 is up and traveling again. From the East Coast to the West Coast, we have made our way to good ol’ Alberta. So what does the general person think when Edmonton comes to mind? Cold right? That is exactly what I though too, I even went out in Montreal before we left and bought a far too expensive parka jacket to buddle up in. Funny thing is, when we pulled in to YEG (yes that is the airport code… you know you have travelled too much when…) and stepped out of the plane it was a balmy 29 (29 and I have a parka.)  Good thing for me it has cooled down a little since… but alas still no need for the parka. I must say, I’m sure the airlines are loving the added luggage weight.

Side note: please be advised that now if you are over weight on your travel luggage, it is not a charge by the amount over, but a flat rate of $75. So as the airline has told me if you are going to be over the 55 lb limit you might as well be at the 71 lb max. Just some food for though.

Now, many people might have told you that Edmonton is a horrible place to be. This I feel I need to address. 1) Those individuals are probably from Calgary.  2) It is actually quite beautiful, we are right on Victoria park along the river and the view is absolutely breath taking. 3) Being the country music lover I am, the radio stations kick some serious ass – Am I allowed to swear on this? 4) Humidity is at a Zero. 5) PARKING IS FREE. This is amazing considering Montreal ate my money is parking fees. 6) liquor is unregulated… the store by us closed at 2am! ANNNNNNND 7) There is a shooting range in the Mall- and as you know from my last posts... I do love these!


Now there are some downsides 1) it does get darker sooner 2) there are far too many one way streets (First day of work it too us 52 minutes to go 16 minutes because iphone google maps does not count one way streets-  I say iphone because I have a blackberry and am quite loyal to it, so I will knock iphone every chance I get) and lastly, 3) most flights out require a connection.

Although I was sad to leave Montreal, The fact I am now located in a place with real trees and fields, makes me feel much more at home. The Brewery and everyone we have met so far are also fabulous. I understand I did not really wrap up Montreal for you so this time round I will try to give you a few more updates on my Brewery life in Edmonton. Right now I am working on 2 projects, one deal with our budgeting and finances for variable costs, and the other inventory control, staging, and downtime. Sorry I cannot go too much more in detail, I will let you know more when I can. A few key experiences I want to highlight include a flavour sensory test and UofA recruiting.

Working in a brewery, it is essential that you can identify off flavours and components in your beer. These include things like fatty acid, sulphides, DMS (dimethyl-sulphide), and a whole many more. Each come with a unique taste. Tastes range from “baby sick” to “onion” to “paper” to “buttery popcorn”, and are not what we want in our beer. Take a look online sometime and check them out, its crazy how much can go wrong. Light struck for instance is when a clear bottle is penetrated too much with UV rays, and as a result the beer turns and becomes “light struck” This produces a skunky taste. For all of you who enjoy imported Corona or Heiniken, the skunky taste they are famous for, is really just the beer starting to turn. Sorry that was a rant, but its also 100% true.

Back to the sensory test. So in order to keep tasters on their toes, sensory tests are preformed, where undesired traits are added to the beers and tasters are required to identify what components are present. This allows you to see what chemical compounds you can sense and what ones you need to work on. I personally cannot taste “baby sick” I’m not complaining on that one, I’m glad I can’t. I will tell you though, that I am extremely sensitive to musty flavours which are comparable to that damp cellar or wet soil smell/taste.

I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT FOR THE GMT CLASS I HAD THE HIGHEST SENSORY SCORE- yes I am bragging, but its only because I thought I would bomb, and I still did, but I didn’t do half bad in the scheme of things.

Now I also mentioned recruiting at UofA. This was a very unique and fun experience, and let me tell you a lot less stressful than last year when I was recruiting. To all of the individuals and potential GMT’s I spoke to good luck, you all impressed me so much. I hope many of you reading this have taken the opportunity to go to one so far. Good Luck to You all!

Don’t want to ramble too much, I’ll leave that for another post!

Cheers!

Jnes