All or Nothing Brewhouse

Lore & Background

All or Nothing Brewhouse was originally founded as Underdog's Brewhouse but changed its name due to a trademark dispute with another craft beer producer, choosing to avoid a lengthy court battle. The company's first beer to market was the All or Nothing Hopfenweisse, a lightly hopped German Weisse beer. In July 2016, the brewery acquired Trafalgar Ales & Meads, Trafalgar Artisanal Distillery, and Pioneer Black Creek Brewery to gain bricks-and-mortar production capacity; Trafalgar Ales & Meads had been one of the oldest operating breweries in Ontario, founded in 1993.

Building on its founding desire to operate in the Durham Region, the company announced the purchase of a closed Beer Store building at 439 Ritson Rd South in Oshawa on November 9, 2018. The building had operated as a Beer Store since the 1950s. All or Nothing shut down its Oakville operations at the end of November 2018 and formally opened its new Oshawa location on June 1, 2019. During the early COVID era in 2020, the brewery produced hand sanitizer for local establishments. The brewery won a gold medal at the Canadian Craft Beer Cup for its Dare to Compete Dunkel.

Reader's Guide

All or Nothing Brewhouse represents a case study in the growth of a contract brewery into a self-owned production facility through strategic acquisition. Its acquisition of Trafalgar Ales & Meads, one of Ontario's oldest breweries, allowed it to secure physical brewing capacity and expand its product line to include spirits such as Trafalgar Hot Chili Moonshine and Trafalgar Ontario Wild Botanical Honey Gin. The brewery's move to a former Beer Store building in Oshawa, purchased in late 2018 and opened in mid-2019, fulfilled its original goal of operating in the Durham Region. Its production of hand sanitizer during the early COVID-19 pandemic reflects a common pivot among breweries at that time. The gold medal win at the Canadian Craft Beer Cup for Dare to Compete Dunkel added to its credibility. The company remains a member of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association, which represents the majority of breweries in the province. Its product lineup includes a range of beers and meads, such as Hustle Over Hype Pale Wheat, Think Big'Ger Cream Ale, Snooze You Lose Honey Brown, Celebration Lagered Ale, Blood, Sweat & Tears IPA, Skies The Limits Imperial IPA, and Mind Over Matter Mead Braggot.

Did You Know?

• The company's first beer was All or Nothing Hopfenweisse, a lightly hopped German Weisse.
• In July 2016, All or Nothing acquired Trafalgar Ales & Meads, which had been founded in 1993 and was one of Ontario's oldest breweries.
• The brewery produced hand sanitizer for local establishments during the early COVID-19 era in 2020.