Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.
We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
northyorksammy wrote:"For those who only care about getting new ratings"
perhaps the tone can become something like: 'for most Bar Towellers, whom are interested in trying something new'
Fair enough. I'm just not getting why you're criticizing/doubting this event before it even happens just based on the venue.
If I may clarify this (apparently bizarre?) exchange to any 'new' beer people browsing the BarTowel:
Some BT'ers are understandably doubtful about the boast of 'brand new' beers at events, in a town that is a bit predictable for rehashing the same-old same-old (this is slowly getting better, thankfully .)
On the other hand, it is massively understanding to show support for any Ontario craft beer event, knowing full well there may be as many misses as hits in the line-up of beers. I like to call this approach to things 'just having a good time.' Sometimes you gotta show up to be part of some little surprises you were not expecting, that's the fun of it.
YMMV. Maybe see you tomorrow if I'm feeling better.
From what I've seen on various brewers FB pages, this event will definitely have some unique beers. I don't know every brewer is doing it but I sure wish I could attend
Here is the full list of beers/beverages that will be available, according to a press release I just received:
Muskoka Lakes Brewery – A “Rich Terfry” lager (inspiring with a musical aftertaste – in honour of our favourite CBC Radio 2 disc jockey)
Cameron's Brewing Co. - 'Ginger' Ale
Church Key Brewing Co. - Strong Chocolate Porter
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery – Hoptical Illusion Guava
Beau's All Natural Brewing – Night Marzen (Oktoberfest lager)
Great Lakes Brewery – Sweet Pete’s Peach Wheat (made with Niagara peaches)
Mill Street Brewery – Rauchbier (smoked beer)
Amsterdam Brewing Co. – Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
Victoria Spirits – Left Coast Hemp Vodka and Oaken Gin
Toronto Beer Experience’s own special brew – Gardog Dunkelweisen. With some help from Great Lakes Brewery, Scott Rondeau even brewed his own beer for the occasion!
Note that in the case of Great Lakes, I saw it mentioned somewhere that they are also bringing the Smoked Chipotle beer that they debuted at Project X last week. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more beers should up from other brewers as well.
I'll be attending as a guest rather than as an exhibitor and looking forward to it, particularly interested in Scott's Dunkelweizen for obvious reasons.
I'm not pouring because the event is exclusively for new or one-off beers.. While you will see some familiar beers, that is because the brewery is also bringing a new or one-off. Fair enough. It's particularly tricky for me to do this when using another brewery's facilities and not having access to a pilot system.
See you there!
Michael
Had a good time at the Beer Experience. Mrs. Rosko is a cheap date, so five samples sent her into the stratosphere.
her favourite was the Cameron's Cream ale, while I was very impressed with the mill Street Rauchbier (and I hate the Schlerlenka classic version) and the Flying Monkeys' Smashbomb.
I will say however, that If I hadn't have had a discount coupon for entry, then I'd be doubting whether this event was worth the admission.
The music was lousy, the venue was good, but the food was almost nonexistent.
I agree completely with Rosko. The 'house' music they were playing was awful. A lot of the brewery's were running out of supplies by 10pm - Great Lakes shut down early and Muskoka ran out of Harvest Ale.
For some reason Church Key was selling a "Chocolate Porter Cocktail" that was just awful. I tried to just get a glass of Chocolate Porter minus the cocktail and was refused.
The Rauchbier and Smashbomb were highlights. The Amsterdam Wee Heavy was also quite good I thought.
I had a good time! And the price was definitely right, thanks to this Groupon phenomenon.
Got there early, before the crowd got too big, and they were pouring very generous samples. I got pretty buzzed before I had a chance to try everything.
Was glad to finally try Smashbomb. God bless those Flying Monkeys boys, it's amazing. Their spice-infused Cascadian Black Ale (which was apparently bottled for the first time that day) was also a treat. Cameron's Ginger Ale was really good and Muskoka had a nice one-off as well.
Many of the other samples, I have to admit, were a little on the meh side, but enjoyable enough. And I too was surprised Church Key (a brewery I always considered a bit "rough around the edges") went with a rimmed, iced beer cocktail served by booth babes. I also tried to order it straight up and was turned down.
Didn't try any wine or spirits, but Victoria's gin and bitters smelled fantastic. Will definitely give them a play if they become available here.
Food-wise, I wasn't thrilled. Everything was fried. I'm getting sick of the ubiquity of poutine in this town, too. I'm already killing myself with booze; don't make me absorb the alcohol with yet more nutritional sewage.
The music...well, it was pretty bad, though it could've been worse. The problem is with the acoustics at Berkeley Church. It's meant for pipe organs and nothing else. Note to future event organizers: Don't play music at Berkeley Church.
Other than that, this was well organized and I hope to see more things like it!
Enjoyed the beer part of the night, but the experience left a lot to be desired (for the reasons already mentioned). I would've liked another brewery or two for the size of the crowd so that maybe I could talk to a brewery or two about the beers they brought. And having to leave the sample glass when the ticket says "includes complimentary sample glass"? Not cool.
I wasn't up to a session the other night, but I laughed out loud when I read about the completely inadequate food. What IS it about Ontario and being stingy with food? It's the easiest thing to just not starve people. Visitors coming up from the States can't believe how we fail to feed our own.
Still hope the event was in many wise a success, and people weren't too buzzed and light-headed from lack of a proper snack or dinner (LOL!)
