The Bar Towel

viggo · Joined: 08 Oct 2004 Posts: 533 Location: Toronto, ON

So the con here for toweringpine is that he came late and couldn't get in? That doesn't count.

SteelbackGuy · Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 4598 Location: Hamilton, ON

viggo · Joined: 08 Oct 2004 Posts: 533 Location: Toronto, ON

Excuse me? I'm not sure whats apathetic about it. Please enlighten me. Most normal people don't show up halfway through something and complain about how they couldn't get into the event. That has fuck all to do with the organizers, that is just laziness/stupidity.

velovampire · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 971 Location: Parkdale

So, how were the beers? Favourites? Dislikes? Any hint of some of the new beers for the fest becoming semi-regular at cask friendly pubs around town? The Co. Durham Red Dragon and the Neustadt 180 sound intriguing...

Torontoblue · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:47 am Post subject:

SteelbackGuy · Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 4598 Location: Hamilton, ON

Out of all the beer listed for this event, the Red Dragon is probably the one I wanted to try the most. Hopefully it will make its way around.
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toweringpine · Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 236 Location: Etobicoke

Viggo: My apologies. I had no right to make a comment like that. I would edit the post but since it is quoted up and down this thread I don't think there is much point. I am sorry and someday I hope we both make it to one of the fine beer events around here and I can tell you personally.

The only person I am holding accountable for my experience yesterday is myself. I don't live downtown, I had to work yesterday morning had other chores to do after that and had to ensure my daughter was looked after while I was out. It isn't always easy for me to get to events downtown. In the future I will have to make sure I will get able to get in before I make the journey.

I am not trying to throw a downer on the Victory or the Cask Fest. I had a great time there in the summer. By the obvious success of that one and yesterday's I hope the lesson learned is that we need more frequent cask fests!

I ended up having a lovely afternoon anyways and visited the Beerbistron and C'est What.

Again sorry for my rudeness Viggo and sorry to bring down the tone of this entire forum.

Tom

JerCraigs · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 2680 Location: North York

(Insert massive eye roll over the preceding)

All the beers I sampled were pretty decent, though none blew me away. Black Oak Double Chocolate was nice, I think I prefer it sans cherry. The Red Dragon was probably the beer of the day that most made me contemplate more of it - hints at being a solid session brew. Contrary to the theme of the day , I think I might have preferred both brews on tap.

The 180 was an interesting quaff, but I agree with the comment that it had less weight to it than the rest, and I'm glad I started with it.

The crowd was a bit nuts/unexpected, we got there at 1215-1230 and took some of the last seats at the bar. Its pretty awesome that they got so many people though. They obviously drew in a lot of their regulars beyond the usual beer crowd, which is fantastic imho even if it means banging elbows occasionally.

Had a good time, left on the early side (300ish) having sampled a bunch and in need of a nap! I thought we were just getting a personal farewell from Mr. Pashley, and clued in that he was counting numbers when I saw the line outside!

icemachine · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 2131 Location: Aurora, ON

I had been planning on sampling the Cuvee last, unfortunately by the time I got to it, it was sold out. Other than that I sampled everything I wanted to, the standout for me being the Jubilation from Grand River. We got there about 1:15, left about 4:30, and people were waiting to get in.

Great event, and can't wait for the summer fest. Perhaps the format will have to change, but I still congratulate the team at Victory and CASK! for running the event.
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Cass · Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 2500

I arrived around 3pm (I was a bit slow starting yesterday) and there was a line when I got there. But it was moving as people were leaving, so after little while in the line I got in.

The event itself was a ton of fun - lots of familiar and new faces and everyone was in good spirits. The beer was great - quite enjoyed the Cuvee and the Jubilation.

Alas the beer did run out around 5pm, but it was a great couple of hours while it lasted!

Congrats to the Victory for a great event. Hopefully another one will be just around the corner!

Beermat · Joined: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 109 Location: Toronto

As I was helping out, I didn't actually get to all the beers, but I liked everything I had. It was a great festival, and over 200 people got in, though many had to wait in the cold. No one could have expected the turnout. One common theme in conversations was the demographics of the event. It wasn't just old bearded farts like me, though certainly there were some of us. But there were a lot of young people, especially young women, and a number of Asian people -- unusual in my observation. Neil and I agreed that the young people were our salvation, kind of our beer pension, guaranteeing we'll have something good to drink when we're past it (which in some of our cases could be any day now). The beer was all pouring well (and quickly), so hats off to the brewers, to everyone at the Victory, and to all who turned up in such huge numbers and drank the place dry. As I was on door duty for some time, I was painfully aware of the people lining up, but they all seemed in good spirits and made up for their discomfort once they got inside. An outstanding event.

Ale Belly · Joined: 12 Nov 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Highland Creek

I got there early enough (around 12:30) and stayed until about 4:00. I sampled seven of the beers of which Red Dragon and the Empire Compass Ale stood out. First time I have had the Empire Compass. Very simple yet very delicious. Could definitely see working it in as one of my regular beers if it was more readily available. Hats off to the organizers- excellent fun!

Bobsy · Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 2075 Location: Toronto

jmcnally · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 113 Location: Y+E, Toronto

I arrived at 1:30 and it was still possible to get in. The beers were fantastic, though I could only stay a little while and only tried three. The food was also excellent and the vibe was friendly. A great event and I'm looking forward to coming back for the summer version.

The three I tried were the Cuvee, the Old Town Brown, and the Hopping Mad. All delicious and all quite different. Hope to try some of these again soon.