The Old Toronto Beer Tour
I think anyone who knows me or has read my blog knows that I am a huge beer lover. I love learning about what makes eac
h brewing process unique and what it takes to make
different tasting beers. I always look for something new to try when I hit the LCBO and have had quite the obsession with Ontario Craft beer for a fe
w years now. So when I was given the opportunity to be a part of
the Old Toronto Beer tour last weekend, I jumped at the chance. I knew I would be able to learn a few things, meet some new people who were also into beer and catch a buzz along the way.
We all met at Steam Whistle Brewery at 11am sharp Saturday morning to start a full day through the history of beer in Toronto. I was feeling a little rough from the night before and wasn’t too sure wha
t to expect. Good thing for me
as
soon as we met our tour guide -
the beer expert himself, Oliver Dawson, I forgot about how I was feeling and the night out I had. He was so engaging and as soon as he started to talk, you wanted to listen. I found myself hanging off every single word and drinking it up like a great IPA. He shared with us his experiences working for Upper Canada and the many beer tours he had led all over Europe while we all sipped on our first beer of the day. We stayed at Steam Whistle for little while where we went on the walking tour of the brewery, chatted about their old school brewing process and of course their historical railway “Roundhouse” location. After the tour we enjoyed a great smorgasbord lunch of sandwiches, meats, cheeses and of course beer.
After a m uch needed pee break we were on our way to the next location, Fort York. We all boarded the big yellow school bus and headed towards where modern Toronto and the history of beer all began. It began here because soldiers in the British Army were allowed ‘six pints a day’ as part of their daily ration. So basi cally a few breweries were built and maintained close to this area specifically to pay the soldiers. I loved walking around Fort York, seeing the history of our great city and learning how beer played a major role in its development.
An hour later or so, we were back on the yellow bus and off to Amsterdam Brewery. I had never been to this famous Toronto brewery before and was really looking forward to it. It was a very casual experience, nothing like the super organized tour at Steam Whistle. At Amsterdam it is
definitely
all about the beer tasting experience and the social aspect of trying all their
beers
in a tutored tasting. This was my fav
e
stop of the
day;
we all stood around their large bar where all the beer taps are set up and watched as Oliver began to pour pitchers
. We tried about 7 beers which included the
Ams
terdam Blonde,
416
wheat beer,
Big Wheel
Amber Ale
, Nut Browne Ale
and a newer one I had my eye on
as soon as we
got there called the Boneshaker which is a hoppy IPA at 7.1% – me likey!
We also tried the Raspberry Wheat and Cream Ale
from KLB (Kawartha Lakes
Brewery). Did you know that in order to brew a cream ale style beer you must use hard water? This is want gives it its chalky creamy mouth feel that cream ale drinkers know so well.
We re-board ed our bus pretty tipsy after the fantastic and informative beer tasting at Amsterdam Brewe ry for a short driving t our of the old city of Toronto. As we drive Oliver tells us interesting tid bits and stories about some of Toronto’s ‘lost breweries’ . Then we were taken on a brief walking-tour through the heart of “Corktown” where we walked through 19th century old little streets and tiny twisting alleyways that led us to the restored legendary Dominion Brewery .
Our last stop was to
Mill Street Brewery
which is housed in an old Tankhouse within the 19th century Gooderham & Worts
Historic Distillery District
.
The Mill Street Brewery is East Toronto’s first commercial brewery to open in over 100 years, producing handcrafted organic beers and ales in a
neighborhood
once renowned for its beer.
W
e were taken on a short tour of the brewery
and their brewing process
–
it was packed! We then made it to the tasting room and tried 4 of their beers that they had on tap. We started with the Organic, then the Stock Ale, Tankhouse and Coffee Porter. I have been a Mill St Beer fan for a long time now and coming to the brewery for the first time made me fall
in love with it all over again.
Tour members may choose to stay and explore the Distillery District,
head safely home or join Oliver
for a fabulous optional beer dinner at the Granite Brewery.
We ended up staying and walked the cobblestone streets and explored the
eclectic a
ssortment of galleries and shops.
I had an incredible day on this tour! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and beer or just wants to know more about both – you really learn so much. Oliver is one of the best tour guides I have ever had, he really is an expert and made everything so fun and come together so seamlessly along the way.
Related Posts
One Comment
Leave a Reply
-
Hazelton Lanes Shopping Centre: The Heart of Bloor-Yorkville
Hazelton Lanes Shopping Centre, situated in Canada’s most affluent...
- June 22, 2011
Pingback: Erin Loves Food » The Old Toronto Beer Tour