Steam Whistle Brewing, at the John St. Roundhouse.

One of Toronto's newest microbreweries, Steam Whistle Brewing, was founded by and follows the same principles of the original owners of Toronto's first micro, Upper Canada. Frank Heaps, founder of the Upper Canada Brewing Company, along with his son Cameron, began Steam Whistle in 1999, and the first bottles of Steam Whistle Pilsner were unveiled in early 2000. Steam Whistle has been brewing for only a short period of time, but it already has quite a history.

The Upper Canada Brewing Company was the first microbrewery in downtown Toronto. From its founding in 1985, Upper Canada produced some of the most well-known and loved beers in Toronto. However, they made some unfortunate business decisions in the 1990s, which led to their buyout by Sleeman Breweries. The fantastic Upper Canada brewery was closed and many of their brands were discontinued. Some of their beers continue to be brewed, in name only however, by Sleeman in Guelph. Please see the Bar Towel's profile of Upper Canada for a more detailed account of the history of this original Toronto microbrewery.

Memories of Brasal - their old kegs, still used...

The Upper Canada brewery was purchased by Sleeman, and Frank Heaps was out of the Toronto brewing scene. But Upper Canada founder Frank Heaps has brewing in his blood. A few years later, along with his son Cameron, they collaborated to found Steam Whistle Brewing. In early 1999, Steam Whistle bought all the brewing equipment and hired the brewmaster from the recently closed Quebec brewery Brasal. They had the means by which to brew, but their new company needed a place to do so.

...and the control panel for the bottling line, with French labels.

The original Upper Canada brewery was housed in a historic warehouse in the trendy King Street West area of Toronto. History and heritage is obviously important to the Heaps family, and this was demonstrated with their selection of the new brewery: they managed to find an even more unique location for Steam Whistle. They expressed an interest in the historic and long vacant John St. Roundhouse, south of the SkyDome in downtown Toronto. The Roundhouse is a horseshoe-shaped building, built in 1929 and was a storage and maintenance facility for Canadian Pacific Railway trains (train tracks run across the waterfront of Toronto, where the Roundhouse is located).

The building had been out of use for years, and prior to Steam Whistle's interest, was a rotting landmark from another time. But Steam Whistle came to the rescue, and with the City of Toronto, brought the building up to code and the brewery moved in. The City now hopes the Roundhouse will become a full-blown tourist destination, with the remainder of the building not being used by Steam Whistle planned to become a railroad museum in the future.

Steam Whistles awaiting the tasty Pilsner on the bottling line.

In late March 2000, Steam Whistle bottled and unveiled its first brew in Beer Stores, a finely crafted Pilsner. It is an extremely flavourful and refreshing beer. Steam Whistle plans to only produce the one beer - it can be done, as Creemore Springs has demonstrated. The Pilsner is a great brew, and its flavour is almost matched by its packaging: it comes packaged in a shapely green bottle, reminiscent of bottles from the mid-20th century. The experience of drinking Steam Whistle is very enjoyable - they have succeeded in both the aesthetics and the flavour of their lone brew.

The brewery itself opened its doors to the public on May 27, 2000, participating in Doors Open Toronto, a city-wide festival celebrating the architecture of Toronto. The front door of the brewery leads into a large space with a long main bar and spacious hospitality area, available to rent for private functions. The brewery itself is in the adjoining rooms, with large glass windows in the bar and hospitality area to investigate the equipment.

The main brewhouse at Steam Whistle.

Taking the tour of Steam Whistle is like stepping back in time to the days of Upper Canada in the early 1990s. All the tour guides at Steam Whistle are enthusiastic, and it is obvious that they love the beer and the brewery. Plenty of samples are provided, and a full tour was given, a wander throughout the brewery to take a look at the process involved in creating their Pilsner. The closing of the Upper Canada brewery was obviously saddening to Toronto beer connoisseurs. However, Steam Whistle successfully creates a brewery tour experience that rivals the enjoyment of visiting the original Upper Canada brewery.

A future restaurant at Steam Whistle.

The Steam Whistle space also features a large, open room facing the SkyDome, with windows overlooking the brewery. This area, partially finished, is reserved for a future restaurant. Since Ontario law prevents breweries from owning pubs or restaurants, Steam Whistle cannot open or operate a restaurant on their own. They are, however, seeking out partners to operate the potential restaurant. Hopefully this will come to fruition by 2001, which will undoubtedly be a great addition to the brewery.

An actual working steam whistle in the brewery.

Steam Whistle quickly gained popularity in Toronto, with its refreshing flavour and distinct image. They bill themselves as the "good beer folks" and the community is beginning to realize this. Their beer can be found in many Beer Stores and LCBOs, and pubs and restaurants in the city. For those who never had a chance to visit and experience the Upper Canada brewery, its spirit has been re-incarnated at Steam Whistle. The brewery is definitely worth a visit, and their beer is definitely worth enjoying.

The on-site brewery store offers various branded merchandise items for sale, including six-packs of the Steam Whistle Pilsner. Call ahead for tour information and times.

Where can I find Steam Whistle Pilsner in Toronto?

Pub Name	Address	Phone (416)	Pub Name	Address	Phone (416)
The 360	326 Queen St. W.	593-0840	Liberty St Café	25 Liberty St.	533-8828
52 inc.	394 College St.	960-0334	Longest Yard	535 Mount Pleasant Rd.	487-6468
Acqua	181 Bay St.	368-7171	Mad Apples Restaurant	2197 Bloor St. W.	761-1971
Adesso Restaurant & Bar	200 Bay St.	367-9722	Madison Ave. Pub	14 Madison Ave.	927-1722
Allen's	143 Danforth Ave.	463-3086	Mavericks	804 Danforth Ave.	462-2605
Arcadian Court Restaurant	176 Yonge St.	861-6611	Mezzrow's	1546 Queen St. W.	535-4906
Aristotle & McGregor's	525 Mount Pleasant Rd.	480-2252	Midtown	552 College St.	920-4533
Auld Spot	347 Danforth Ave.	406-4688	Midtown West	558 College St.	966-6952
Avalon	270 Adelaide St. W.	979-9918	Mumbo Jumbo	527 Bloor St. W.	531-5777
Bar Code	549 College St.	921-4676	Myth	417 Danforth Ave.	461-8383
Bar Italia	582 College St.	535-3621	Ned Hanlan's	173 Eglinton Ave. E.	486-3133
Barberian's	7 Elm St.	597-0335	Oasis Restaurant	294 College St.	975-0845
Barootes Restaurant	220 King St. W.	979-7717	The Only Café	972 Danforth Ave.	463-7843
Bedford Academy	36 Prince Arthur Ave.	921-4600	Orbit Room	580 College St.	535-0613
Bedford Ballroom	232 Bloor St. W.	966-4450	Oyster Boy	872 Queen St.	534-3432
Betty's	240 King St. E.	368-1300	P.J. O'Brien's	39 Colborne St.	815-7562
Bistro 990	990 Bay St.	921-9990	Paddock Tavern	178 Bathurst St.	504-9997
Bottom Line	22 Front St. W.	362-7585	Pappas Grill	440 Danforth Ave.	469-9595
Bovine Sex Club	542 Queen St. W.	504-4239	Pauper's	539 Bloor St. W.	530-1331
Bow & Arrow	1954 Yonge St.	487-2036	Peel Pub	276 King St. W.	977-0003
Cafe La Gaffe	24 Baldwin St.	596-2397	The Pilot	22 Cumberland St.	922-5290
Cafe May Restaurant	396 Roncesvalles	532-9218	Purple Pepper Café	266 Queen's Quay W.	260-2095
Cameron House	408 Queen St. W	703-0811	Queen Mother	206 Queen St. W.	598-4719
Canoe	66 Wellington St. W.	364-0054	Queen's Pasta Café	2263 Bloor St. W.	766-0993
C'est What?	67 Front St. E.	867-9499	Rancho Relaxo	300 College St.	920-0366
Club Lucky	117 John St.	977-8890	Rebel House	1068 Yonge St.	927-0704
Cobalt	426 College St.	923-4456	Redwood Grille	2497 Yonge St.	487-7188
College Street Bar	574 College St.	533-2417	Rex Hotel	194 Queen St. W.	598-2475
Corner Pocket	533 College St.	928-3540	Rhino Bar & Grill	1249 Queen St. W.	535-8089
Diner Station	372 Harbord St.	588-7555	Ritter's Coffee House	1846 Queen St. E.	690-5200
Dirk's Bar & Grill	24 Duncan St.	885-5110	Riverside Cafe Bistro	730 Queen St. E.	406-2943
Done Right Inn	861 Queen St. W.	703-0405	Rivoli	332 Queen St. W.	597-0794
Dora Keough	141 Danforth Ave.	778-1804	Rodney's Oyster House	209 Adelaide St. E.	363-8105
Duffy's Tavern	1238 Bloor St. W.	538-1998	Safari Bar and Grill	1749 Avenue Rd.	787-6584
Elephant & Castle	212 King St. W.	598-4455	Saint & Sinner	1522 Bayview Ave.	932-0301
Esplanade Bier Markt	56 The Esplanade	864-9775	Scallywags	11 St. Clair Ave. W.	922-3737
Five Doors North	2088 Yonge St.	480-6234	Scruffy Murphy's Pub	150 Eglinton Ave. E.	484-6637
Fox and Firkin	51 Eglinton Ave. E.	480-0200	Senator	249 Victoria St.	364-7517
Fressen	478 Queen St. W.	504-5127	Shallow Groove	559 College St.	944-8998
Future Bakery	483 Bloor St. W.	922-5875	Smokeless Joe's	125 John St.	591-2221
Future Bakery	2199 Bloor St. W.	769-5020	Spirits	642 Church St.	967-0001
Gamelle Restaurant	468 College St.	923-6254	Squirley's	807 Queen St. W.	703-0574
Gem Restaurant	1159 Davenport Rd.	654-1182	Sugar	942 Queen St. W.	532-5088
Gio's	2070 Yonge St.	932-2306	Swallow	1544 Queen St. W.	535-1811
Grano	2035 Yonge St.	966-1511	Swan Restaurant	892 Queen St. W.	532-0452
Gypsy Co-op	817 Queen St. W.	703-5069	Ted's Collision & Body Repair	573 College St.	530-7569
Halftime Tap & Grill	302 O'Connor Ave.	467-5486	Tempo	596 College St.	531-2822
Harbour 60	60 Harbour St.	777-2111	The Roost	955 Lake Shore Blvd. W.	314-9900
Hard Rock Café	1 Blue Jays Way	361-4668	Tool Box	508 Eastern Ave.	466-8616
Hargrave Exchange	1106 Danforth Ave.	461-2599	True Grits	603 Markham St.	536-8383
Harry's	124 Danforth Ave.	465-0979	Unicorn	175 Eglinton Ave. E.	482-0115
Horseshoe Tavern	368 Queen St. W.	598-2162	Universal Grill	1071 Shaw St.	588-5928
House of Parliament	458 Parliament St.	925-4074	Up & Down Bar Lounge	270 Adelaide St. W.	977-4038
Hurricane's	963 Bloor St. W.	531-7818	Upfront Bar & Grill	106 Front St. E.	364-6054
Jammz Bar Bistro	44 King St. W.	364-9740	Utopia Cafe & Grill	586 College St.	534-7751
Jawny Bakers	804 O'Connor Dr.	285-1165	Verveine	1097 Queen St. E.	405-9906
Jersey Giant	71 Front St. E.	368-4095	Victory Café	489 Markham St.	531-9523
Joe Badali's Pizza	156 Front St. W.	977-3064	Vox	474 Adelaide St. E.	869-1967
Kalendar Koffee House	546 College St.	923-4138	Wise Guy's	2301 Danforth Ave.	690-8343
La Hacienda	640 Queen St. W.	703-3377	Woody's	467 Church St.	972-0887
Langolino Wine Bar	50C Clinton St.	530-4710	YoYo's Restaurant	1727 Bloor St. W.	767-7899
Lava	507 College St.	966-5282	Zipperz Bar	72 Carlton St.	921-0066
Le Select Bistro	328 Queen St. W.	596-6406

Steam Whistle's website: www.steamwhistle.ca