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 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!

Cheshire Valley, Huzzah!!

Kicking off the long weekend at Volo I opted for the Cheshire Valley ESB. Earlier this week Paul Dicky has announced that Cheshire Valley is now operating full time. Being Brewed at the facilities of Black Oak the ESB is now available at select pubs across the city including Volo, Bryden’s, c’est what, Beerbistro and others.

On tap for the future is the release of a new brew every couple of months including a mild, a porter, a dry stout and an IPA. Hopefully this is the same English style IPA that made its appearance at the 2010 cask IPA challenge here at Volo earlier this year.

Here’s to the success of Cheshire Valley!! Cheers!!

The Garden Party – Pale Ales

Lagers and Fruit beers are done…

Pale ale is not too descriptive as a beer style. On its own I do not think it is a beer style (at least not as recognized by the BJCP). It is usually accompanied by a regional name (English, India, American, etc) which is then subdivided into further categories. Two of the beers sampled in this category are American Pale Ales and one is an English Pale Ale (best bitter). All three sampled were fresh from the breweries.

Pale Ales

1. Black Oak Pale Ale – Toronto, ON – 5% abv – bottle

Whenever I see this on draft I gravitate towards it, though I do not often buy it in bottles. Visiting the brewery to buy enough for my party (plus a bit for me) I was informed that it was available at my local east-end LCBO but made it clear it was my task and duty to get it direct from the brewery for my party-goers. This straw coloured pale ale is sessionable time after time. Piney, grassy hops combined with light, caramel/toffee malts provides an excellent balance. Moderate in both bitterness and sweetness this is a great all-around beer that can stand up on its own or be paired with a wide array of food items.
*BREWERY FRESH!

2. Granite Brewery Best Bitter Special – Toronto, ON – 4.5% abv – growler (CASK!)

This sampling combined three of my favourite things about the Granite Brewery. Growlers, cask beer and best bitter special (hand drawn into the growler on request). This copper coloured brew is deliciously dry-hopped which dominates the flavour. There is a high malt component which balances out the high hops. There is bitter finish on this beer and possibly notes of black tea. This growler was purchased late in the evening before the tasting party and received the usual caution to consume this beer within 24 hours. Though refrigerated until the time of sampling this beer did not fare well and many proclaimed it had gone off. I did not feel it was undrinkable but it certainly was not up to its usual high standards.
*BREWERY FRESH!

3. Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale – Toronto, ON – 5.2% abv – bottle

Initially introduced at the time of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games this beer quickly became a favourite of mine. It was an easy beer to share with friends because it was very well balanced and not TOO anything (hoppy, yeasty, etc) except it being TOO delicious. At a housewarming during the later winter months I was astonished and pleasantly surprised to see approximately 10 bottles of this beer in the fridge brought by a number of people, myself included. This current incarnation (released for Canada Day) has solved some of the diacetyl issues experienced during the first batch and continues the dry-hopped goodness. Nice dry hopped flavour (cascade?) with some piney hops and bready malts. Though not a low abv I find it quite sessionable.
*BREWERY FRESH!

Food pairing: Pad Thai
This category was up in the air for food pairing until I picked up the beers. When I went to Black Oak and Great Lakes I was able to speak to the brewers to weigh in on their opinions of what to pair with the beers (Ron Keefe was no in when I went). Both Adrian (BO) and Peter (GL) suggested I pair their respective beers with something spicy, like Indian or Thai because generally spicy foods have complex flavours that will hold up to the hop bitterness of the beers. Though the pad thai was not spciy (someone forgot the sriracha – me) the busy-ness of the pad thai (spices, veg, meat, seafood, etc) provided the desired contrast. This pad thai is famous in my circle of friends and guests started gobbling it up before the beers were even served!

My winner: All three are top contenders and I would gladly accept a pint (or growler) of any at any given time. As noted above the Granite BBS was below par, which narrows it to two. I have to give my vote to my perennial favourite: Black Oak Pale Ale. It is consistently a delicious beer.
Tasters poll winner: Again we had a landslide victory in this category. Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale got top marks from tasters with double the votes of the other two combined. If the pad thai got a vote in this category it may have won.

Next up: Wheat beers…