Toronto Beer Week – Great Lakes Harvest Fest – Saturday

Attending a work party on Friday night and drinking G&Ts as an out for a lackluster beer selection, Saturday was a day I was looking forward to. Planning to attend 3 Toronto Beer Week events this day I was excited to say the least. But not just any three events! Three events all with cask beer. Delicious.

First up was the Harvest Festival at the Great Lakes brewery. A number of Project X events this past summer were held in the Great Lakes front yard and this one might have been the last outside one of the year. Slightly overcast and a touch breezy, the weather did not ruin the festival of harvest! By the time I arrived at 230pm there were about 60 adults sampling beer, enjoying the food and keeping an eye on the ~15 kids tearing around the lot. The small things often make a difference and the bales of hay and pumpkins were a nice touch along with the booths of local purveyors of fine cheeses, coffee, meats and soap (they had even made a pumpkin ale soap including ‘head’ – very original!). Live country music also filled the air and greatly added to the atmosphere.

We managed to get the last of the cask pumpkin ale on our way in. I have had a few bottles of this year’s pumpkin ale from the LCBO and the pumpkin ale on cask was considerably hoppier than it’s bottled counterpart. Since it was the end of the cask I got a bit of pumpkin particulate in my glass. It added to the authenticity of it being a pumpkin ale, as well, who doesn’t love floaties in their cask? Now armed with some cask it was time to eat!

There were a small number of food choices but boy were they excellent! Jalapeño sausages (brats?) were just massive and incredibly delicious. For $2 this was the deal of the day! I was told they were from a place called European Quality Meats & Sausages in Kensington – definitely worth checking out.

We heard word that Sweet Pete’s Peach Wheat was running out so we hurried over to try this one. It was a very smooth wheat beer – I’m going to guess it was a North American wheat based on it’s smooth, mellow profile. I didn’t taste too much peach, which is OK by me – I’m not a big peach fan, but I did taste some cloves. This one was certainly not dry hopped.

Time to eat again – we grabbed the last couple slices of pumpkin pie and a pumpkin ale on tap. The pumpkin ale was not dry hopped and had that glorious clove, nutmeg, cinnamon profile you expect in a pumpkin ale. The pie was very delicious and dominated by cinnamon. After a bite of pie the pumpkin ale tasted just plain ‘beer-y’, but the beer long outlasted the powerful pie and once again returned to its pumpkin-y glory.

We headed off in search of more casks at Bryden’s for the Cask! social but everyone else was still having a great time. It seemed a fun environment for beer lovers and families alike. Would definitely go to this event again next year!

Toronto Beer Week – Black Oak – Thursday

After seeing Volo as rammed as I have ever seen it on Monday of the Toronto Beer Week I did not expect to see another full house at Volo on Thursday. I was wrong. Black Oak was featured for the evening and all beers available that evening were from the hard working brewery from Etobicoke. On tap were some fantastic choices: Pale Ale, Nut Brown, Summer Saison, Oaktoberfest Lager, Nutcracker Porter, Double Chocolate Stout and 10 Bitter Years. Cask offerings were Hop Bomb and Nutcracker Porter. 10 Bitter Years, Nutcracker Porter and the Summer Saison were all available in bottle. The Oaktoberfest and both casks were long drained by the time I arrived but diving into a Saison and 10 Bitter Years was something I had no qualms about.

The Black Oak VIPs, Ken and Adrian, had been making the rounds and happily chatting with the full house of thirsty patrons. Ken told me of the VERY successful evening of cask beer at Kilgours where the beer vanished before one could say “reinheitsgebot”, and an enjoyable evening of Black Oak tastings at the Only Cafe.

While I was sitting at the bar drinking my saison and  catching up on my Toronto Beer Week news some university aged kids came in and were bemused by the Black Oak only menu. It became apparent that they came specifically for the event and didn’t know where to start – but were also keen and unintimidated. I overheard one say to another “have you heard of this beer called ‘Creemore’? It’s great – it’s way better than the stuff we usually drink! But I don’t see any of that here.” From there they each selected a different beer and I lost track of where they went. It was a great conversation to overhear! How it reminded me of a younger version of myself where the wonderful world of beer is just beginning to appear on the horizon. Creemore was definitely a great choice over Rickard’s, Keith’s or anything else they might serve at a sports bar back then. They were so excited at the prospect of trying new beers, and they had obviously chosen a good spot to make that leap. People trying great craft beer for the first, second… or Nth time. That’s what Toronto Beer Week was all about, and that was the most powerful moment of the week for me.

Toronto Beer Week – And They’re Off!! – Monday

Excitement was in the air as I approached Volo, the humble craft beer mecca, on the first day of Toronto Beer Week. At only 6pm the patio was rammed and the inside near capacity. Three hours later even more bodies somehow fit themselves into the small establishment and a note on the door indicated the bar was at capacity and no more were permitted in. To officially launch beer week the draft line up was to be 10 of Ontario’s best beers as well as two casks: the finalists in the 2010 Cask Challenge.  As it turned out there were 12 Ontario taps and you would be tough pressed to find argument in the excellence of the choices:

Denison Weissbier, Denison Dunkel, Black Oak 10 Bitter Years DIPA, Scotch Irish John By Imperial Stout, Wellington Imperial Stout, Flying Monkey Smash Bomb IPA,Black Oak Nutcracker Porter, Mill St Tankhouse Ale, Durham Hop Addict IPA, Creemore Kellerbier and Mill Street Coffee Porter.

Most of these choices did not last the night as the exuberant the thirsty patrons guzzled them down. At with beer week in the air and at $4/pint it’s no wonder! The casks were also reduced to empty barrels. Flying Monkey’s Smashbomb IPA and Great Lakes My Bitter Wife had at it and voters eagerly cast their ballots for the 2010 IPA Cask Challenge finalists. In the company of these two casks was a third cask (though not in the finals) the top choice Durham Hop Head on cask.

I spoke to a few others who had attended beer week events in other parts of the city including Mill Street, Granite, Starfish (for Malt and Molluscs Monday) and the early consensus was a “great success.” Hopefully everywhere else this week will be a booming as last night was. And that was just the beginning. Happy beer week everyone!

Toronto Beer Week – In The News

Toronto Beer Week has been getting some mainstream exposure! Check out the links below.

Josh Rubin @ The Toronto Star (scroll to bottom for TBW notes)

Pints of Fancy @ The Toronto Sun

Suck Back Those Suds During Toronto Beer Week with Now Magazine

Toronto Beer Week @ BlogTO

Toronto Beer Week Is Upon Us!

Well, officially Toronto Beer Week will be upon us in two days but a number of beer related events have already been occurring across the city for those eager go-getters. Unfortunately there are so many things going on that it is not possible to engage in all of the events or even all of the days.  I’ll do a quick day by day of what I think sounds hot as well as what I’ll be attending.

This weekend: HMH Negotiants has been presenting a Dieu Du Ciel feature at Bar Volo from this past Thursday through this Sunday.  This evening is a big event there from 7pm-2am. After popping up to Granite Brewery this afternoon for a pint of cask and hopefully a Toronto Beer Week t-shirt I will be attending the early media portion of the DDC feature. Sadly I won’t be able to stay for the evening as I have to leave to go see Mastodon, Deftones and Alice in Chains down at the Amphitheatre – a cross I am willing to bear. Tomorrow I am hoping to accomplish a large number of chores around the house in preparation for shirking many responsibilities and having a singular focus of Toronto Beer Week from start to finish.

Monday: It’s hard to say no to $5 pints at Volo on Monday evenings. This beer week edition of pint night will feature $4 pints of the top ten rated Ontario beers. I’m not sure of whose rating this is but I am certain the selection will be top-notch. If that wasn’t enough they are kicking off the finals of the 2010 IPA Cask Challenge. The contenders are Great Lakes My Bitter Wife vs. Flying Monkeys Smashbomb IPA. May the best cask win!

Tuesday: Unfortunately scheduling does not permit me to attend any events on Tuesday. If I COULD go to an event it would certainly be the Brew Dog Dinner @ Beerbistro. A six course dinner is being prepared by Brian and crew of beerbistro and paired with beers from one of the most avant-garde breweries in the world. $90 a head is not a cheap price tag but this is one of those rare opportunities not to be ignored. My prediction is this is one of the events that will still have the biggest buzz once beer week is over.

Wednesday: Sadly another day I will have to miss. Stephen Beaumont will be hosting a session called ‘Malt Magic’ at The Monk’s Table. This event is described as “Premium beer and spirit pairings with decadent chocolates and gourmet cheeses.” This one will appeal to beer and food lovers alike! I will be doing my own beer tasting at home which I’ll post when complete.

Thursday: I’m heading back down to Volo on Thursday for the Black Oak feature. “ALL” Black Oak beers will be available, which includes year round favourites as well as seasonals. In addition to this they will be bringing in 2 casks. The Black Oak crew will be on hand to mingle.

Friday: Kicking off this day is the 22nd annual Festival of Craft Breweries at the C’est What. This event, along with it’s spring counterpart have grown in popularity over the years that for this incarnation they have decided to spread the festival over two days, and now includes the Saturday. A different lineup is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Admission is free and most samples go for a buck.

Saturday: This will be a busy day! I’m planning to make the below day’s events into my own mini cask trail/crawl. Great Lakes Brewery has modified their September Project X and turned it into the Great Lakes Harvest Festival (review). They will be offering bratwurst and pumpkin and peach pie as well as two special casks: Sweet Pete’s Peach Wheat and their Pumpkin Ale. This runs from noon through 4 at the brewery. Next up is the CASK! September social at Bryden’s (review).Four casks will be available: (Beau’s Matt’s Gose, Granite Best Bitter Special, Great Lakes Miami Dunkelweiss, Muskoka Dark Chocolate Ale) as well as some nibbles and prizes (runs 3 through 6). Wrapping up the mini crawl I’ll be heading back to the C’est What for the Saturday session of the Festival of Craft Breweries.

Sunday: Deciding it sounded like a fun idea I signed up for Toronto Beer Quest. “An urban adventure featuring Toronto Beer History.” Registration is online for teams of 2 and it’s a photo scavenger hunt. I am not entirely sure what I’m in for but it sounds like a fun idea. $40 per team is the registration cost and I believe it winds up at a pub at the end for some (hopefully) celebratory beers!

I’m hoping this week will be as great as it sounds. A few days off will need to be taken the following week I’m sure, but I’ll be right back at it on the Thursday for the Canadian German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s German Bierfest. More on that later.

Happy beer week all! Cheers!

A Little Place Called The Lakes of Muskoka Cottage Brewery

Saturday morning we packed the car and headed to Bracebridge, Ontario. Unfortunately we were not heading to the Muskoka Beer Festival. A good buddy of mine was getting married and the service started at 4pm and I felt it prudent to NOT show up in an I-was-just-at-a-beer-festival state. Now that the beer festival was off the table what were our other options? Two instantly popped to mind. The first was, of course, the Muskoka Brewery (or technically the Lakes of Muskoka Cottage Brewery). Google Maps suggested this was only a 4 minute walk away from the B&B we were staying in. Very doable. The second was the Griffin Gastropub – the renowned establishment, which happened to be the ones at the helm of the beer festival. Google Maps says 1 minute walk. This should be easy!

The B&B we were staying at was the Spiritbear B&B. Located on a side street just off of the main street of Bracebridge, I chatted with the landlady explaining the purpose of our visit as well as our ancillary objectives. She noted that she and her husband are regular patrons of the Griffin, citing good food, a patio, live music and though “not a beer” drinker she has found a few beers to enjoy. It was mentioned she has spoken with the proprietors of the Griffin and they are trying to come up with a B&B with dinner package. If this comes to fruition it will be an amazing weekend away.

We met up with a few friends, donned our wedding best and headed down the road insearch of the Griffin’s patio. We found the place easily and were quickly drawn to the chalkboard outside” “Closed today for the Muskoka Beer Festival.” Sonofa. “Not a problem, guys, we’ll just go to the brewery!” Three minutes down the road we found the Muskoka Brewery. Though in the middle of town, this little shop definitely had that rustic, cottage vibe. Wood everything everywhere. And beer. Muskoka had made it known the 2010 batch of the Harvest Ale would be available at the beer festival and fortunately it was available at the brewery too! Tasting very fresh out the tap I was disappointed to learn it was not yet for sale. (Patience and beer geek-dom do not always see eye to eye.) We also sampled the Light Pilsner, Hefeweissbier and Cream Ale. The store clerk noted that everyone else from the brewery had gone to the festival for the day and she was left back all by her lonesome. Due to this we weren’t able to take a look at the brewing side of things despite an offer from one of us to mind the retail store for her. Maybe it was the wink or the sly smile that put her on to our true intentions.

What a pleasant experience this trip to the brewery was. Great beer and a company that cares about what their customers think. Hops growing outside in a window box, biodegradable sample cups and the promise of a double chocolate cranberry stout around Christmas time – these guys seem to have it all figured out. It’s no secret that I am a Muskoka Brewery fan and it’s no wonder Muskoka is gaining massive popularity in Ontario! I can’t wait for the Harvest Ale to hit full swing!

One final note: the wedding went very well and the bridge and groom and guests danced well into the night. The venue of the wedding was Inn at the Falls. An in-town resort with a number of amenities. I have to note I was amazed by the draught selection in the bar: 4 Muskoka beers, Lake of Bays Pale Ale, Mill Street (Wit?) and Guinness. It is awesome to see the local business supporting Ontario craft beer, and in particular the two breweries closest to it!

2010 Golden Tap Awards

The Golden Tap Awards (GTAs) showcase excellence in the Ontario craft beercommunity. The categories such as best craft brewery, best bar for bottle selection, best bar for tap selection, etc, are democratically voted by the public. Organized by Cass Enright and the good folks at Bar Towel this set of awards have quickly risen to be one of the more prominent awards given out in Ontario.

During OCB week at Cass’ & Troy’s First Annual OCB Pub Crawl Cass made several exclusive announcements to the crawlers. The first one was with regard to the GTAs. The 2010 Golden Tap Awards will be held over 2 days this year! Saturday August 21 will be the usual due at beerbistro (which I block off in my calendar months in advance) however they have added a second night of GTA festivities. Friday August 20 will be the date for an all Ontario beer dinner at beerbistro, which to my recollection beerbistro have never done before. Beau’s, Black Oak, Denison’s, Grand River, Granite, Great Lakes and Mill Street will all be present and one of each of their beers will be paired with a course prepared by Chef Brian Morin and team.

I started attending the GTAs in 2008 and it quickly became a staple on my beer calendar, right up there with the c’est what spring and fall craft beer festivals and cask days at volo. beerbistro usually clears all ~20 of their taps and puts on Ontario beers for the occasion. A handful of casks are also available on offer as well as a dozen or so bottled options. Remember, these are all Ontario beers! The beer list usually gets released a week or two before the event.

It would not be a trip to beerbistro without having something to eat! On offer for these events is typically pulled pork sandwiches (cut directly from the roast pig), mini-burgers, frites (of course!) and other sumptuous choices. As noted above this year will include a beer dinner on the Friday. I have been to a few beer dinners at beerbistro before and to say they do a good job is an understatement. Everything is meticulously planned and is nothing short of perfection.

List of previous awards winners.

Take a few minutes to explore the GTA site and cast your vote for the beers, breweries, and bars that help make the Ontario craft beer community the special thing it is. Vote now!

Cheers!

OCB Week Day 1

No formal event attendance today but did stop in at the Rebel House for a quick aperitif to acknowledge the kick off of OCB craft beer week. Beau’s Lug-Tread and Black Oak’s Pale Ale were the perfect compliments to the hot weather and relaxed patio vibe.

After the Rebel we went to a restaurant for dinner in the Rosedale area. On tap they had Steamwhistle Pilsner and "Granite". Granite what? "Granite – we only have one kind." I never did get a formal confirmation of which one, but a round of "Granites" were ordered. It didn’t take us long to deduce it was the Ringwood Ale. Delicious.

Very much looking forward to the rest of the week. This is gonna be good!!

OCB Ontario Craft Beer Week

Almost every craft beer event in Toronto piques my interest. When it works out that I can attend an event I get jazzed, to say the least. When it happens that multiple beer events take place within a short time span the excitement is exponential. This time I’m in overload!

Starting this Sunday, June 20 (fathers day) the Ontario Craft Brewers have put together the 7 day Ontario Craft Beer Week. A week long celebration of craft beer in Ontario looks to and to reach an audience who may not have experienced many of the local beers available. Supporting local breweries is like being a beer locavore; benefiting small businesses, the environment, and your taste buds.

The grand finale of the week is Session: A Craft Beer Festival down at Sunnyside Pavillion on Lake Ontario. An all day beer festival with a focus on local beer, local food and the communities that support them. $35 gets you in the door and samples are $1/ea. With more than 20 brewers having their products on offer the beer menu should be incredible! If this is all it’s hyped up to be, this will be what the Toronto Festival of Beer is not.

Check the Events page to find what’s going on near you.

Due to a wedding on June 26 I won’t be able to attend Session, however I am hoping to make up for that by attending a number of other events throughout the week including the Great Lakes Project XXXX, Night of Flying Monkeys and Barvolo Belgontario Beer Feature.

Please head out during Ontario Craft Beer Week and support your local breweries and pubs and enjoy a few glasses of good beer!

Cheers

C’est What Spring Festival of Craft Breweries

Last weekend was one of shirking responsibilities and complete beer indulgence. Friday night (May 28) was the 6th annual C’est What Spring Festival of Craft Breweries. Twelve casks and thirty taps were available for the sampling. I was secretly hoping the hot weather would cause everyone to seek out a nice spot on a patio however the turnout was formidable. With queues out the door of up to 30 people this tasting was certainly a success. At a buck a sample I can understand why. Compared to the 2009 fall festival this spring edition had a better overall selection on offer. The trending seemed to be heavy on the IPAs as well as a number of wheat beers and fruit beers, as the season demands.

The best beer I had not previously tried was the Flying Monkey Smash Bomb IPA cask. A whole lot of hops caused a whole lot of happy. A close second was the Hockley Valley Black and Tan. On draught it had a wonderful chocolate and toffee flavour that is completely different from the Hockley Valley Stout, which was incredibly drinkable (possibly due to having it late in the evening?). The Great Lakes Imperial Hefeweisen made quite an impression on me and overshadowed their own (Great Lakes) hopped up Miami Weiss.

The best old favourites I tried were the Black Oak 10 Bitters Years and the Wellington Russian Imperial Stout – both of which are big beers and always treats. A nightcap at beerbistro may have been unnecessary but was the perfect way to wind down the evening.

What did I learn?: I tried the Great Lakes Do These Pants Make Me Look Really HEFE Imperial Hefe, which is my first time for an imperial wheat beer. So what is that? A hefeweisen is a wheat (weisen) beer with yeast (hefe). That is straight forward.  So what makes it imperial? The first ‘imperial’ beer was the Russian Imperial Stout made in England in the 18th century to be exported to Czarist Russian. These are far from ordinary. Weighing in a 8%+ for ABV these super malty, intensely roasted malt tasting beers are ones that can store well, and thus travel from England to Russian without spoiling (and I’m sure the style was something to impress the Czar!). The imperial label is modernly applied to styles of beer where they are stronger than the traditional style. For example Imperial IPA, Imperial Pilsner, Imperial Porter.