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Goose Island Brewhouse - Opening July 17

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Cass
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Goose Island Brewhouse - Opening July 17

Post by Cass »

Looks like the old Bier Market Esplanade is re-opening/re-branding as this. The head brewer is formerly of 3 Brewers.
GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY TEAMS UP WITH BIER MARKT TO OPEN CANADA’S FIRST GOOSE ISLAND BREWHOUSE

Chicago-based craft brewery comes to Toronto to serve up Goose Island favourites and locally- inspired innovations

Toronto (June 6, 2017) – Chicago’s most renowned and respected craft beer company, Goose Island, is making its way North of the border and joining forces with specialty restaurateur, Bier Markt, to build Canada’s first Goose Island Brewhouse. Located in downtown Toronto at 58 The Esplanade the Brewhouse will open its doors on July 17, 2017.

The Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse will be a new destination for fans of Toronto’s thriving craft beer scene and the Canadian home for Goose Island’s premium quality beers. Through this partnership, the Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse will join the Bier Markt Esplanade, famous for its unrivalled selection of world-class beers, made-from-scratch menu and live music. The Brewhouse will also include a retail store selling growlers to fill with beer brewed on-site, Toronto-inspired variants and Goose Island merchandise.

The Brewhouse’s seasonal menu will be designed to pair with Goose Island’s local and established brews. It will represent a collaborative effort between Head Brewer Bernard Priest, Assistant Brewer Marc Mammoliti and Bier Markt Esplanade Chefs Kevin Maniaci and Shawn Jackson. The Goose Island Toronto Brewers will be working very closely with the Chicago Brewmasters to ensure the same quality beers fans know and love follow the same standards in the Toronto market.

“We’re thrilled to bring Toronto beer lovers the Goose Island favourites that they already know and love, along with outstanding new locally made brews,” said Bernard Priest, Head Brewer, Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse. “Since coming to Canada in 2013, Goose Island has been warmly welcomed by Canadians. We’re very enthusiastic about the experience we will deliver in partnership with the Bier Markt Esplanade, re-establishing its roots and being a part of the community.”

This collaboration will allow guests to savour Goose Island’s brews within an unparalleled restaurant experience, including:

Beer Choice: The Toronto Brewhouse will serve Goose Island’s Classic brews alongside new and innovative styles developed by the local brewers. The bar will feature 12 draught taps, many of which will constantly rotate. In addition, rare variants from Chicago will be featured for special occasions.

 Seasonal Menus: Developed in collaboration with Executive Chef Kevin Maniaci and Chef de Cuisine Shawn Jackson, the Brewhouse will offer seasonal menus featuring fresh and local ingredients, designed to pair with locally made brews and Goose Island’s established line of quality beers.

 State-of-the-art Brewing System: The top-of-the-line BrauKon brewing system was designed and built by Goose Island’s Brewing team, to ensure the same brewing standards as the Fulton Street Brewery in Chicago. The system includes seven stainless steel fermentation tanks, allowing the team to brew up to seven variants at a time.

 Outdoor Dining: The Brewhouse will feature a front patio space overlooking The Esplanade and an 60-person Biergarten on the north side of the building, perfect for enjoying Toronto summers.

 Retail Store: Growlers of Toronto-inspired Goose Island brews, apparel and goods will be available for purchase at the onsite retail store.
“The Bier Markt Esplanade looks forward to joining forces with Goose Island in Toronto, bringing our combined excellence to Toronto’s beer and hospitality scene. We are thrilled to return to The Esplanade to unveil our next brand evolution,” said Robert Medal, Senior Director, Bier Markt. “The Esplanade has always been a flagship location for us, and the Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse will be a perfect fit to elevate the guest experience.”

The nearly 18,000 square foot space has a history dating back to 1882. Originally owned by the company Wm. & J.G. Greey of Toronto, the Mill Furnishing Works factory was used to manufacture a wide range of steel milling products, employing blacksmiths, tinsmiths and various other tradespeople. Its design ties back to the development of Toronto’s rail lines and the industrialization of this part of the city in the late 19th century. This building was officially designated for its cultural heritage value by the City of Toronto in 2007, and Goose Island has incorporated a part of this history with the Brewhouse design.

Starting July 17, the Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse will commence its regular operating hours, Sunday to Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Thursday to Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 2 a.m. Guests can follow @goosetoronto on Instagram for ongoing information about upcoming events.

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Post by El Pinguino »

I got into craft beer....well I should say good beer....because of Bier Market Esplanade. Haven't been to that location in years though.

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Post by northyorksammy »

El Pinguino wrote:I got into craft beer....well I should say good beer....because of Bier Market Esplanade. Haven't been to that location in years though.
More than a decade for me
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Post by El Pinguino »

northyorksammy wrote:
El Pinguino wrote:I got into craft beer....well I should say good beer....because of Bier Market Esplanade. Haven't been to that location in years though.
More than a decade for me
I used to work directly above Bier Markt there. Was good times...we'd get free beer and dinner if we worked past 6pm. Was going there before Beer Bistro opened. Was before I discovered Smokeless Joes on John St. Was before I knew about Bar Volo. We'd go to Cest What sometimes too.

Back then, craft beer in Toronto was simple and limited. As much as I'll miss Bier Markt, it's nice to have so much choice now.

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Post by JeffPorter »

God. I haven't thought about Smokeless Joes in forever. I remember on Sundays they'd have their gravity cask. First time I tried the original Nickelbrook Headstock when it was kidnof a red IPA.
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Post by Cass »

Bier Markt was one of the original adopters of a good beer approach, that's for sure.

I remember being at the Toronto Beer Fest one year and being handed a card saying a new place was soft-opening that night and if we wanted to stop by for some free food. In the pre-social media days, knowing about openings was often just word of mouth. That place was the Bier Markt of course.

There were some good beer dinners & events there, but I never could get into its loud & cavernous vibe and sometimes club-like policies with doormen & that kind of thing.

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Post by screw2000 »

So walked down the Esplanade last night:

- fencing in front of the space still has Bier Markt logos everywhere -- something like 'under renos -- reopening Spring 2017'
- no Goose Island signage anywhere
- the space at the corner of Esplanade & Church (was this the old Fionn MacCool's?) is full of brewing equipment and tanks
- from current appearance -- I have a hard time believing the renos will be done in time for July 17th

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Post by Cass »

screw2000 wrote: - from current appearance -- I have a hard time believing the renos will be done in time for July 17th
You are correct - confirmed with their PR agency that the Brewhouse will not open on the 17th as previously announced. No new date for opening.

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Post by portwood »

Cass wrote:
screw2000 wrote: - from current appearance -- I have a hard time believing the renos will be done in time for July 17th
You are correct - confirmed with their PR agency that the Brewhouse will not open on the 17th as previously announced. No new date for opening.
May...
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Isn't Winter the best time to open a patio in Toronto? :D
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Post by Cass »

According to an email from their PR shop, it's now open.

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Post by cratez »

I'm a bit perplexed by the roll-out of this place. No website, no Facebook page, Esplanade section of the Bier Markt site is down, no press release or media coverage on opening day. How do they expect people to know or care that they're open? What incentive do I have to go down there if I can't see which beers are on offer? Surprised at how sloppily this has been done, especially given that Labatt - with its limitless cash and PR resources - is involved.
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Post by Quotashun »

cratez wrote:I'm a bit perplexed by the roll-out of this place. No website, no Facebook page, Esplanade section of the Bier Markt site is down, no press release or media coverage on opening day. How do they expect people to know or care that they're open? What incentive do I have to go down there if I can't see which beers are on offer? Surprised at how sloppily this has been done, especially given that Labatt - with its limitless cash and PR resources - is involved.
http://www.gooseisland.com/toronto-brewhouse/

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Post by Cass »

It is a bit odd considering they actually have a PR agency, and they're not providing much info through that channel, and the only dedicated social channel that I can see for Toronto is Instagram.

However, I can report that it is open and they have 9 beers on tap made in-house, plus three of Goose's mainlines (Goose IPA, Four Star and Honkers).

The Goose space adjoins the old Esplanade Bier Market space, with an opening between the two and doors from Esplanade leading into either side.

The Goose side has a long bar with fermentation tanks behind the bar, and the brew system against the window on the sidewalk side. There's a growler fill and merch area right as you walk in, along with a bunch of small and large high-top tables. As far as I can tell, the beer can flow to/from either the Goose or EBM sides of the restaurant. The actual Goose space isn't tremendously large, but they did put a brewery in there.

The initial beers on tap are:

- Coffee Porter
- Saison
- Dry Hopped Kellerbier
- Munich Dunkel
- Double IPA
- Marzen
- American Brown Ale
- Raspberry Table Beer
- English Bitter (cask)

14oz are $7.08 (10/$5.97 for saison & raspberry), 18oz are $8.19 and flights of 4x7oz are $12.

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Post by cratez »

Awesome, thanks. The SM pages are just the Goose Island Canada accounts, and my comments regarding the lack of press/media coverage still stand, but it's nice to be able to see the food menu and what's on tap. Maybe they're just doing a soft opening right now.
Cass wrote:It is a bit odd considering they actually have a PR agency, and they're not providing much info through that channel, and the only dedicated social channel that I can see for Toronto is Instagram.

However, I can report that it is open and they have 9 beers on tap made in-house, plus three of Goose's mainlines (Goose IPA, Four Star and Honkers).

The Goose space adjoins the old Esplanade Bier Market space, with an opening between the two and doors from Esplanade leading into either side.

The Goose side has a long bar with fermentation tanks behind the bar, and the brew system against the window on the sidewalk side. There's a growler fill and merch area right as you walk in, along with a bunch of small and large high-top tables. As far as I can tell, the beer can flow to/from either the Goose or EBM sides of the restaurant. The actual Goose space isn't tremendously large, but they did put a brewery in there.

The initial beers on tap are:

- Coffee Porter
- Saison
- Dry Hopped Kellerbier
- Munich Dunkel
- Double IPA
- Marzen
- American Brown Ale
- Raspberry Table Beer
- English Bitter (cask)

14oz are $7.08 (10/$5.97 for saison & raspberry), 18oz are $8.19 and flights of 4x7oz are $12.
Sounds promising. I have many thoughts regarding the A-B InBev backing and the Head Brewer being from 3 Brewers, but will reserve judgement until actually visiting the space and trying the beer.
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Post by screw2000 »

Swung by last night. A few thoughts:

- Place was quite busy when I showed up around 7:00 (mostly the post-Jays game rush).

- Service was solid and managed to keep up with the crowd.

- They had run out of the Four Star, the cask bitter and the Marzen (the Marzen came back later in the evening).

- Tried most of their in-house beers -- you can blame me for adding them in Untappd. :-)

- Liked the coffee porter and Marzen the most. The DIPA and Dunkel didn't really stand out in any way. Saison was very mild (to the point where I thought it tasted closer to a wit)

- Food menu is pretty small. Tried the Reuben and the tuna burger -- both were good.

- Opening between the BM and the Goose sides is quite large -- only the drastic change in decor deliniates the two spaces. Washrooms are on the BM side, and they appear to share the POS system).

All things considered, exceeded my expectations. Will be interesting to see what they do down the road (especially w.r.t. BCBS).

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