Six Pints Beer Academy

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:39 pm

This place has soft launched. Just the retail store/tasting bar was open today. Fridge full of empty growlers, but I was told they would be on sale as of Monday. Initial house beers will be an IPA ("40 to 45 IBU"), porter, Belgian brown and (I think) a dunkleweizen.

Only the porter (and Creemore) was on tap today. Tried a sample of the porter and it was quite good.

They've rearranged the layout a bit and tarted the place up. Intrigued by the initial lineup of house beers.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:23 pm

Stopped by tonight. First, despite the upgrade and design changes since the time of the former occupants, there is still very much (to me anyway) the feel of Duggan's and Denison's, it's perhaps the spareness of the place, or just the general feel, and I liked that. It's partly too that some of the brewing equipment seems the same, e.g., the wood-jacketed tanks behind the glass on the north side.

I had parts of two flights and tried the India Pale Ale, the Belgian-style brown ale, porter, Kolsch-style, and Creemore Keller Bier. The IPA was outstanding with not just a balanced flavour but an excellent flavour, the Chinook, Cascade and NZ Hallertau were used in a way to impart an English character IMO. This was the star for me and I hope it becomes a regular offering.

The Kolsch-style, served unfiltered, was tasty but seemed a touch oxidised I thought, or maybe that earthy quality was a characteristic of one of the malts used. Decent but not special IMO.

The porter was excellent, dryish, coffee-tasting without coffee added, a little astringent as a porter should be. It actually reminded me of Molson Porter as it was in the 1970's but with more taste, as if you blended that with, say, a good craft stout. Worthy indeed and very sessionable.

The Belgian-style was superb, with classic raisin, bread yeast and dark malty tastes. It had a finish that I thought disclosed some sucre candi in the fermenter although I don't know. Easily as good as Chimay Blue or Maudite, say.

Finally, the Keller Bier of Creemore. Super-fresh and very drinkable. Creemore (any iteration) is not my favourite but this version presents the taste in the best possible way.

Staff were enthusiastic and knowledgeable about these products and beer in general.

Credit must be given where due, this is a welome addition to the Toronto beer scene.

Gary

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:39 am

Gary - I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion of this place. I really want to stop by and pick up a growler, assuming they are offering them now.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:45 am

I'm looking forward to trying the Porter and the IPA. I know Molson used to do a Porter in the early part of the last century - I wonder if it's reminiscent of that.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:05 am

Jeff, a Molson porter was available in Ontario in the 1970's and (I'm pretty sure) 1980's. I used to buy it regularly and it was the best of the big brewery porters. The one made at Six Pints reminded me of it but was better, being richer and with a more defined roasty taste. Whether Six Pints' version is a recreation of porter as Molson made it in the early 1900's is hard to say, one would have to ask the brewer.

Anyway these guys know what they are doing. A RIS is up next soon, I was told.

Gary

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:52 pm

Gedge wrote:I really want to stop by and pick up a growler, assuming they are offering them now.

They have growlers, as well as "quart" bottles that are actually 625 ml, but they're selling them as quarts, the same way the Molson and Labatt beers sold in that format back in the day used to be called quarts. I've never been sure how they ended up being called that...

Anyway - when I was there earlier in the week, they had the Porter and Belgian Brown in bottles, and a couple in growlers as well, plus various Creemore brands in cans.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:31 pm

I went back tonight for one more flight, since there were beers I wanted to try still. Dunkel Weiss: excellent with rich Bavarian-type flavours, perhaps a little light-coloured for the style but tasting yellow fruit-estery and immaculate.

The Creemore pilsener also impressed, and I didn't notice the sulphur-like note the Creemore line tends to exhibit (IMO). If this will not feature in the pilsener version, it will be a regular buy for me.

Gary

aofe · Post by **aofe** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:23 pm

Not exactly a secret, but Creemore brewpub is going to replace the Beer Academy. Of the 5-6 times I've been there, I haven't tasted a single beer I'd liked. Total mismanagement of such a good space in my option.

http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2014/12 ... e_brewpub/

lister · Post by **lister** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:37 pm

The space is being used wrong of course. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

The beers have been okay with a few being pretty good. I quite liked the Galaxy pale ale during the Australian event at TBW2014.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:50 pm

Sucks they're firing all the staff. That seems a little odd to me, if anything they'll need more staff if they turn the entire thing back into a brewpub instead of just using that one little corner and saving the rest for event space. Maybe they're going to renovate so they want the payroll cleared while they do?

Anywho, as someone who works around the corner, I approve if the shift takes that space back into a decent brewpub where I can get lunch every now and then.

boney · Post by **boney** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:45 pm

It's too bad things went the way they did. The first 6 or so months they were open, they were actually producing a ton of different styles of lagers that I though were actually very, very good. After that point though, the quality started to decline, off flavours crept in and I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic to try their newer offerings.

I have to wonder now though, what is the point of a Creemore brewpub that's not in Creemore?

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:28 pm

boney wrote: I have to wonder now though, what is the point of a Creemore brewpub that's not in Creemore?

Probably the same as having a Mill St. Brewpub in Ottawa.

Rob Creighton · Post by **Rob Creighton** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:35 pm

It's still just Molson's shuffling money and brands around at their marketing office.

Every new marketing phenom that gets hired has to introduce "the next big idea" which in this case is friendly, warm, rural sounding 'Creemore' in the middle of downtown as opposed to unfriendly, pretentious sounding 'beer academy' (Can we drink there?). It probably only cost them 3 to 4 mill to introduce and then dump the concept. Maybe 5

It never changes. The new marketing knob 2 years from now will spend a boatload and change it again

liamt07 · Post by **liamt07** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:41 pm

aofe wrote:Of the 5-6 times I've been there, I haven't tasted a single beer I'd liked.

The Schwarzbier, Kolsch, Baltic Porter, Rauchbier, Hefeweizen and Porter are all solid. Could you be more specific about what about the beers you weren't fond of?

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:03 pm

This is a shame. Agree that I've had many enjoyable styles of beer there over the past few years (though i haven't been in recently so can't comment on a perceived decline). Having said that, the concept and space were terribly misused. Many times when meeting a few friends (who are not quite the same level of beer geeks) I've reluctantly passed over Beer Academy in favour of Beer Bistro, C'est What, or even Loose Moose, based mostly on the complete lack of food, but also on the slightly precious tasting-bar vibe. I personally liked it a lot but it wasn't really a place to take the average drinker.