A Diatribe Against Toronto’s Festival of Beer

Dear readers,

I apologize if this is reaching you too late and you have already forked out for a ticket to the Festival of Beer. Two of the three days are sold out, so it’s possible. (If you have, maybe this will give you reason to sell your ticket on Craigslist or to that co-worker you don’t like.) You may see tweets on Friday and Saturday that will cause you to debate buying a ticket for Sunday. I’m here to talk you off that ledge.

This festival is worst beer event this city has to offer. I’ve gone the past two years (see my posts for 2012 and 2011) and declined a free media ticket this year because it just wasn’t worth my time and energy. Some people will complain about the obnoxious drunkards, the crowds and/or the frat boys – those are all things I could live with if I was drinking some nice beer and enjoying myself. But that hasn’t happened in two years, so I’ve disregarded the usual articles that make claims that this year will somehow magically be better.

Most of the beer will not be new if you regularly go to bars or have other festivals lined up this summer. A night at one of the cities finer drinking establishments will get you a much better value for money. Tokens are only sold in packs of twenty, which means you have to really commit to drinking lots of beer (or using some on food). Add that $20 on to the ticket price and you’ve already spent $60. Drink somewhere else and you’ll likely hear better music than whatever 90s nostalgia acts the festival has found under a rock.

Maybe you’re itching to try out some beers from the Great Lakes Caskapalooza section. I’m a huge fan of 99% of what Great Lakes does, but this is the 1% that makes me pull out my hair. The beers are often less than stellar, possibly because the casks are sitting out in the July heat. (Presumably there are hidden ice packs, but don’t forget that these are probably delivered the day of and that will mess with the condition of the beer.) The final insult are the rent-a-girls that Great Lakes hires for the weekend. Beer is clearly not their specialty.

Chances are, dear reader, that you will not be attending the Festival of Beer (unless you are one of those media guys also getting a free pass). You have made a wise choice. Here’s a gold star.

If you’re looking for a beer festival, I recommend the far superior Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival. $10 gets you into Saturday and Sunday. All OCB beers, plus some food trucks. Much nicer vibe and still outside. A little easier by public transportation. Thank me later.

Your cantankerous beer blogger,

Mike Warner

Rhino Summer Beer Festival

Putting together a beer festival seems like it should be an easy task. There should be plenty of beer and hopefully a nice variety. The cost should be reasonable and people should leave feeling they got their money’s worth. Washrooms should be plentiful. Lineups should be at a minimal, whether they are for beer, food, purchasing tickets or admission. Yet festivals continually seem to get at least one aspect wrong, though not always at the fault of the organizer.

The Rhino Summer Beer Festival presented by Canadian Beer News was perfect in all the basic requirements of a beer festival. The cost was justified, regardless of whether you paid to get in early (and maybe paid for brunch too, which was perfect pre-drinking fuel) or showed up after 1pm and paid $2 for a nicely sized 5oz sample. (Full disclosure: Greg is a friend and my ticket was a media comp.) There was plenty of seating inside the Rhino for those who wanted it and the patio was available for those looking for some sun.

I left relatively early (1:30pm) but it was far from crowded and I didn’t hear any complaints from those who stayed after me. There was a lot of great beer on offer, most of it being very appropriate for drinking in the heat. In typical beer fest fashion, most of the booths were managed by the breweries but the tap station pouring a variety of breweries was a nice touch. Beers were also available at the bar, so some breweries were able to send a beer or two and not have to worry about staffing the event.

The nicest part was just the general vibe of the festival – much like the Rhino, it was relaxed and didn’t take itself too seriously. It wasn’t a party like the Festival of Beer and it wasn’t populated by people going around with homemade lists of what beers to try. In the summer I just want to relax with good beer and good company, which is exactly what the Rhino festival offered. The next festival will be in the fall, but the date has not been confirmed.

Wither Mondial?

It’s been over a week since Mondial, but I had to wait before writing this to collect my thoughts. This wasn’t my first time at Montreal’s biggest beer festival (it was my third Mondial in the past four years) and the changes that have taken place have been significant enough over the years that a reappraisal was necessary. I knew this post wasn’t going to be very positive, but wanted to make sure that there was enough time to sit down and think about the festival rather than slapping together a quick post.

Not only was this my third Mondial but it was also the third venue that has hosted the festival in the past four years. While it was better than last year’s concrete bunker, it was not without flaws. There was once again an outdoor area (hurray!) but it was down a long hall from the main hall (boo!). You couldn’t take beer between the outdoor and inside areas. Beer outside was only served in plastic cups. It felt like I was at a beer festival in Ontario, which was not a good thing. It didn’t help that the weather was extremely hot during my two days in Montreal (felt like 37 and 38° C, respectively) and didn’t exactly make me want to stand outside drinking from a plastic cup (especially if you had a stronger beer that was meant for slower consumption). Luckily inside was air conditioned, had most beer vendors and was quieter than last year. I appreciated the fact that they tried to bring back an outdoor component, but it was a far from perfect system.

The venue quirks could be forgiven, but it was hard not to notice that many breweries were absent from the festival this year. Unibroue and Charlevoix were two bigger names that decided not to attend, which was disappointing and somewhat surprising. Most of the Quebec breweries were ones that operated in or near Montreal, so it would have been just as easy to visit Montreal on a different weekend and try a lot of the same beers. Breweries also seemed to be charging more. All craft breweries started at $3 for a 5oz sample, but there seemed to be more $4 and $5 beers than in previous years. Sometimes the cost seemed warranted by the beer, but other times it seemed to be gouging.

The bottle list from other countries and provinces was also a little disappointing this year. The American bottles weren’t interesting, the Belgians were just boring and I can’t get excited for South American breweries. That pretty much left some interesting Italian beers, though I opted not to spend $10 to drink the barrel aged Xyauyu in the scorching heat from a plastic cup.

My advice to bring your own glass was especially true this year as Mondial replaced the long Mondial glass with a short and stout thimble of a glass. The long glass wasn’t perfect, but it had a handle and allowed for double samples or generous pours (plus it was a saving grace for those beers with massive heads). The thimble only fit one sample, had no room for head and would have been rather awkward to hold throughout the festival.

While the bones of Mondial are still in tact, the 20th Anniversary edition seemed like a rather sad year. Yes, the festival was still enjoyable and fun, but the overall quality is slipping and it is hard for me to endorse going next year. It would make more sense to go to Montreal on any other week of the year and enjoy many of the same beers while the brewpubs and bars are a little quieter. Anyone that hasn’t gone to Mondial should still go once, but repeat visits may no longer be necessary.

Mondial de la Biere: A Guide

The time has come once again for Mondial de la Biere! Montreal will be overflowing with thirsty beer lovers from Wednesday to Sunday. This is a special year as it marks the 20th anniversary of Mondial. The festival is once again moving venues, this time to the Palais de Congres. It should be a positive move away from the concrete air hanger that was devoid of outside light. For those not familiar with the festival, it brings together over 500 beers from around the world. Beers from Belgium, the United States, Italy and Brazil are highlighted alongside a large number of Quebec breweries. Samples range from $2-6, which is pretty good when you factor in that Mondial is free to enter. For any first-timers, here are some things to know to help you enjoy Mondial de la Biere.

Pack water and snacks. Yes, plenty of delicious food is available, from kangaroo to cheese, but it is only smart to take advantage of a beer festival that allows you to bring in food. Go cheese shopping at Marche Jean-Talon or Atwater first and conduct your own beer pairing session.

Arrive early. This was especially true at the old location, but probably still good advice. The big crowds start to arrive around 4 or 5pm during the weekdays, so showing up before noon and getting a good three to four hours of drinking in before everyone else is key. By then your food supplies will have run dry and it’s time for a nap (or poutine, then nap).

Skip the first beer ticket line. This may not be appropriate with the new venue, but last year there was one entrance and a booth to buy tickets, glasses, etc, was right there. Everyone lined up for that booth, even though there were plenty of other places to buy tickets inside that had no lineups. Don’t fall into this trap! Those are precious minutes you’re wasting that could be used for drinking.

Do your research. Beer geeks love Mondial because they tell you what beers will be served in advance of the actual festival in a handy PDF. This saves you from wasting money on a lot of bad beers. It also allows you to make a game plan of what you must try before heading home.

Use RateBeer or BeerAdvocate smartly. Research will probably involve one of these two sites, checking ratings and eliminating the lesser breweries. But remember that the ratings for Quebec beers and those from Latin America are often only a handful, making it harder to get an accurate score for percentile or style. Read some of the comments, which give a much better picture. Also remember that certain styles (IPAs and anything imperial) are often rated higher than saisons, lagers or fruit beers. If a fruit beer and imperial stout are in the same percentile, chances are the fruit beer is the better beer. Be sure to use the style ratings as well. For instance, La Succursale Petite Cote only has an 84 overall on Ratebeer, but it gets a 100 in the kolsch style category.

Don’t overplan. Not all beers will be available at all times. The Quebec brewers rotate their offerings on tap, so don’t expect the full list at their stands. Rare bottles at the bottle stations are spread out through the festival to avoid all the first-day beer geeks from drinking everything up. If the beer you want isn’t available, chat up the server and try to find out when it will be put on tap/when the fridge will be restocked (but in a nice way, not an anal beer geek way). Also expect new beers that aren’t on the list, mainly from the Quebec breweries.

Start light. This should be obvious advice that applies to any beer festival – begin with the beers under 5% and work up to the heavy stuff. Think of it as a marathon, not a race, which means saving your liver for a final sprint at the end. You might make one or two exceptions based on availability, but try to hold off till the end of your session.

Bring/buy a glass. Yes, you can buy a glass for $10 (or a plastic cup for $5), but the tall glasses aren’t ideal for your beer. To remedy to this is bringing your own glass (as long as it holds less than twelve ounces) or buy one from a brewery (a free sample is often included with the purchase of a glass). You’re going to be drinking lots of beer and you really want the right glass for the job. If you’re worried about your glass getting lost or damaged, get a tulip glass from a dollar store.

Take notes of what you like. The samples come fast and furious, so it helps to keep track of what you liked and what you pour out in the grass, especially if you’re stocking up at a depanneur for beers to take home. It’s impossible to remember everything, even before you factor in all the alcohol. A simple system of check-marks and Xs works well.

Pour out the bad beers. Doesn’t matter if it cost one dollar or five. Save your liver and taste buds for the good beers.

Love the nightlife. Montreal’s brewpubs are still open and serving delicious beers, so enjoy Dieu du Ciel!, Benelux, Le Cheval Blanc, Le Saint Bock or another fine establishment in the evening. Expect the brewpubs to be extra crowded during Mondial. And remember there are night events, which get very crowded as well. Get there early while everyone else is still at Mondial.

Be responsible. Take transit. Know when to leave.

Make friends. The charm of going in the day is that you will likely see the same people over and over. Enjoy some conversation about beers and scout out what beers to try/avoid.

Be friendly with the people at the booths. This might seem like obvious advice, but be nice to those pouring the beers. Whip out the French you haven’t used since middle/high school and at least show you’re trying. It’s good karma, plus sometimes you get a bit more beer in your glass.

Cask Days IPA Challenge 2013

Helping out with the first round judging for the Cask Days IPA Challenge means trying a minimum of sixteen beers (plus whatever beers you drink after judging), which was half of the competition this year. That gives a pretty good base for the overall quality of the event, because odds are that the great and terrible beers are equally spread out between the two judging groups. Like the rest of the event, our judging was done blind with no indication of the beers we were trying. For those that haven’t judged beer before, it’s quite a challenge – the first three or four beers can be hard to rate until you can establish a general standard for comparison. Sometimes you come across a perfectly fine beer that goes against the style, either in a small way or rather glaringly (this happened on more than one occasion).

Judging the IPA Challenge is also difficult because the beers are being rated against the set style criterion for English and American IPAs. That is not to say that breweries didn’t try to break the mold – a couple of casks seemed to have some White IPA characteristics and one strange beer contained smoked malts. The group I was judging with felt it was hard to give these beers a higher score because they went against the set style. I can understand why breweries would try to make their beer stand out – it was hard to remember all the beers in detail after you’ve had sixteen of them. (And no, not because of the alcohol, but just the sheer number of beers.)

On the whole, the overall quality of the casks was lower than my expectations. There were three beers from my group that stood out (scores of 40+ out of 50 on my sheet), but too many that seemed to have glaring errors in them. Some of the beers were clearly aided by added carbonation. Of the beers that did stand out, many seemed to be created in the same mold, which was very light in the malt profile to allow for the hops to fully stand out. Obviously the hops that are used create differences between the beers, but it was a little disappointing that the path to success has become fairly predictable.

Comparing the bracket to the scores is also an interesting exercise to see what beers deserved better fates and which ones were aided by their bracket. The Great Lakes Karma Citra was the second ranked beer from Round Three, but was eliminated because it faced the top ranked beer (Hopfenstark’s Post Colonial). The beer ranked 29th in Round One made it to Round Two thanks to their match-up, which came in 31st. Such is the nature of a competition that involves brackets – it’s not only about the quality of the beer, but also who that beer is paired up against. Some of my favourites didn’t make it past the second round, which is just the way things go sometimes.

The next Cask Days IPA Challenge will take place in a new venue, moving to the Brickworks Farmers Market on April 26 and 27, 2014. The Challenge is going up to 64 casks next year, so it will be interesting to see how that jump in numbers affects the quality of the casks. The dates for Cask Days were also announced, so mark your calendars for October 19th and 20th. It will once again be at the Brickworks and tickets will be available starting August 1st.

Brewers Plate 2013

As a person very interested in drinking beer and eating good food (remember that post about beer in restaurants?), going to my first Brewer’s Plate event last week was an exciting night. The event teams up local chefs and food artisans to create a pairing with Ontario craft breweries, encouraging people to think local when they eat and drink. Unlimited food and drink are included in the $125 ticket, allowing attendees to talk to both the chefs and breweries about what they have to offer. (For those who have heard of the Savor event in the States, it basically operates the same way but with a greater emphasis on the local.) The proceeds this year were going to Not Farm From The Tree, a charity that goes around and harvests food from the trees of willing participants. A third of the food goes to the trees owner, a third to the volunteers and a third to food banks/shelters/community kitchens.

The evening is really about creating a conversation about local food and beer, which might have been why most stalls did not have signs about what was on offer – you had to ask the chef or brewery what they were serving. (And yes, the chefs were in attendance and serving the food.) Getting the chance to ask a chef to explain their dish is a cool experience, but being able to have a dialogue with them about the food is even better. Whether or not you try the food with the intended pairing is optional – I had a better time by going around and trying to create my own pairings, sometimes grabbing more than one dish and trying them with the same beer. In my opinion, this a better way of trying to pair beer and food because it lets you explore why things work and when they fail.

There were too many highlights to mention, but here were a few: the wild boar cotechino on Algonquin grits with preserved peaches and some sort of foam by Globe Bistro (top photo; bonus points for degree of difficulty at an event like this) was supposed to be paired with the Amsterdam Big Wheel but worked just fine with Boneshaker; the deconstructed chiles rellenos from Fonda Lola paired with a Muskoka Mad Tom; the meatball from Cava stuffed with blood sausage and served with some of the tastiest garbanzo beans that will ever be served (no pairing necessary). All the food was excellent and I had to stop myself from licking my plate on more than one occasion. It quickly became obvious that attempting to try everything would prove futile, so tough choices were made of what to eat and endurance became a key part of the evening.

Not to pigeonhole the people in attendance, but it wasn’t a typical beer event. It does draw in some beer fans, but not the typical faces that populate the craft beer events (except for all the media types with press passes). The Brewer’s Plate could easily pass for a wine event if it weren’t for all the beer bottles. That being said, the conversations I overheard between the brewery reps and the attendees meant that a lot of people were interested in the beers. People were venturing to try new products and experience new flavours, which is all you can ask at an event like this.

As I was heading home on the TTC, feeling more stuffed than a Christmas turkey, I got to thinking about the general excess of the event. Obviously people are enticed to go to the Brewer’s Plate because of the unlimited food and beer, but that also caused some wastefulness (people not finishing all the food given to them, for instance). There was too much food and beer for any mortal to try, so it was not surprising that people would taste some dishes but not finish them. At the same time, the event was supporting a charity that tries not to waste the bounty of the harvest, so I couldn’t help but reflect on the disconnect. As the Brewer’s Plate is all about eating and drinking local, it would have been nicer to have more information about where the chefs sourced their foods. Perhaps pushing the event back to the fall would allow more of the food to be local and let the chefs experiment with freshly harvested produce.

Those points may seem trivial, but I think they’re worth raising. The only other issue from the night was a lack of tables. Attempting to eat and drink without being able to put either plate or glass down was challenging at times. Other than that, it was a great night filled with memorable food and beer. The Brewers Plate is obviously a splurge, but something that everyone should try to experience once. Just be a little more prepared than I was and only have a salad for lunch.

Jim Koch, Sam Adams and Utopias

Jim Koch doesn’t look like a man whose job title reads co-founder and brewer of the biggest American craft brewery. He reminds me more of a cross between Mister Rogers and Don Knotts – a friendly yet unassuming man who wears his pants a little too high and not someone you would associate with a beer company. Yet having Koch act as brand ambassador has obviously worked for just this reason. His passion for beer is earnest and there is an aura of honesty around him that can’t be manufactured. I don’t know whose idea it was to market the innocence of this middle aged white guy, but it worked perfectly. Jim Koch is a man you instinctively trust, which is basically what people do whenever they go out to buy a Sam Adams beer.

Behind this exterior there is a very smart man, which shouldn’t be a surprise (after all, he did graduate from Harvard). I was part of a privileged group of media, LCBO employees and some Sam Adams folks that were invited to attend a small tasting of Sam Adams beers before the ticketed public tasting. Jim spent most of the time talking about beer, the history of Sam Adams and the creation of Utopias, impressing everyone in the room with his wealth of knowledge about all aspects of beer. (Everyone in the room was instantly smitten when Koch was handed his first bottle of beer and responded, “I was afraid I was going to have to do this sober.”) Koch was especially knowledgeable on the science of brewing and shed some insight into how science can help Sam Adams select the best hops for their beers.

Sam Adams and the Boston Beer Company are in a unique position within the American craft beer world. With 1% of the American beer market, they are the largest craft brewer in the States. Most of their production is done in two breweries, one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania. They brew enough of the Boston Lager that there is a signature malt made only for them. It is a publicly traded company. The definition of a craft brewery from the Brewer’s Association had to be amended because Sam Adams was going to go over the production limit. For these reasons it is hard to think of them as small, at least for a craft brewer. I don’t want to say they’re not craft, but they straddle a fine line.

But then they make a beer like Utopias, which Koch described as a labour of love more than a money maker. The origins of the Utopias go back to the Triple Bock, which was described as the original extreme beer (it originally came out in 1994 at 18%). Some of that beer went into used spirit barrels and a little bit still goes into every batch of Utopias. At 29% ABV this year (previously 27%), the Utopias is more of a liqueur than a beer, though it has not undergone any freeze-distillation that many other extreme beers use to reach their high ABVs. Blending is done from beer that has been aged in bourbon, Port and rum casks to create a deliciously smooth sipper with just enough alcoholic heat to remind you of its potency.

The Utopias went on sale on Friday morning and sold out a couple of hours, which was no surprise. Sorry to anyone just getting the news now, but you missed out. That being said, it is a beer I have now tried twice and is not something I would be quick to buy. I think the $115 price tag is justified, but the rational side of my brain always seems to win out whenever the Utopias goes on sale. Odds are in favour of the Utopias going on sale through the LCBO in 2014, so anyone wanting a bottle next year should starting putting away $10 a month.

There were three beers in the tasting that preceded the Utopias. The Spring Lager (currently available at Summerhill and some other LCBOs) was a beautiful showcase of Noble hops (specifically the Tettnang Tettnanger – this is a single hop lager). The hops and touch of honey malt reminded me of a lemon square. The Boston Lager was, well, the Boston Lager. Finally, the Latitude 48 IPA was a weird mashup of American, German and British hops that just didn’t come together in a pleasant way to my palate. Mixing earthy and bright hops in the same beer just muddled the flavour.

Being able to hear Koch talk while drinking a glass of Utopias was an absolute pleasure. His years of experience talking to groups and being a spokesperson are evident in his smooth delivery, yet he somehow still seems energized by telling the same stories repeatedly. Sam Adams makes a wide range of beers, from the fantastic to the terrible (anyone care to defend the Cherry Wheat?), but they have been leaders of the craft beer revolution and will likely continue to be for a long time.

A Night With Amsterdam & Friends

The Amsterdam brewery wasn’t really on my radar when I started blogging over three years ago. Their Blonde and Nut Brown were bland craft beers and there was little to celebrate about the brewery. Since then they’ve started to release some interesting seasonal products, one of which (Boneshaker) eventually became a wonderful year-round offering, and have started one of the best barrel aging programs in Ontario. Amsterdam is now one of the leaders in creating innovative beers that explore new tastes. Saturday was their biggest event to date, a tap takeover that saw barVolo be transformed into a mini Red Light District.

While credit has to be given to everyone at the brewery for taking the risk to make these untested beers, the bulk of the work is that of head brewer Iain McOustra. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Iain on two beers and he is both extremely knowledgeable and exceptionally friendly. Most of the thirty-two beers (twenty-six on tap, six on cask – incredible in itself) were his or a collaboration he did with other brewers.

A good chunk beers at the event were either barrel aged, used unusual yeasts or had some other unique twist (like grape skins or oak chips), which made for an extremely impressive list of beers. Many had been months in the making and showed just how much effort went into preparing for the tap takeover. Some of my personal highlights:

• Divination #2: A framboise that underwent a secondary fermenation with wild yeast from Niagara grapes and aged one year. One of the tastiest fruit beers I’ve had in a while with a perfect balance of acidity and the natural sugars from the raspberries. This took me to my happy place.
• Rip and Run: A collab with House Ales, this imperial smoked porter had pinot noir skins added for a beautiful interplay between smoke and dark fruits. Once again, a beer that had exceptional balance between the different elements.
• Raspberry Gose: The Maverick and Gose brewed with Great Lakes was then blended with raspberries and aged in a Flat Rock pinot noir barrel with lacto. Not as much depth of flavour as the Divination #2, but salty enough to be equally as intriguing.
• Full City Tempest: This should be no surprise to those who have had the Full City Tempest before, which has shown up at a couple of events. A clean coffee flavour that doesn’t dominate the base beer. Please keep making this version of the Tempest.

Not everything was a winner, which is to be expected when you’ve got thirty-two beers being poured. Some beers were merely fine and a couple of the golden ales/saisons were a little too similar thanks to the yeast strains used. It seemed like the case of a brewer going through a phase of experimentation – the beers had noticeable differences, but there was a common thread through a lot of them. That’s my only complaint from the night and a relatively small one at that.

I’ve tried to temper my enthusiasm for the night, but let me state unequivocally that it was a great event with fantastic beers. It is tempting to overstate the importance of the night and spout lots of hyperbole, because it did feel like this hadn’t been done by an Ontario brewery before. I couldn’t help but remember how the Great Lakes tap takeover at Volo was such a big deal in March of 2011 and to reflect on how things had changed in the span of two years. (Check out the tap list for that night – Karma Citra, Harry Porter and the Bourbon Soaked Vanilla Beans, Armadildo, My Bitter Wife, Miami Weiss. Lots of beers that have become staples of the Great Lakes rotation.) Breweries keep pushing the boundaries bit by bit and I have no doubt that someone will try to top this night in a year or two. For now, though, Amsterdam has raised the bar.

The future looks great for Amsterdam. Between their new brewery in Leaside and the brewpub set to open in Queen’s Quay this spring, expect a lot more exciting beers produced on a consistent basis. If you still think that Amsterdam is all about the Blonde and Big Wheel, it is time to change that. Amsterdam is now in the upper echelon of Ontario breweries and still getting better.

Other Random Thoughts Related To (But Not Directly Associated With) Cask Days

Okay, so there’s a lot of stuff I wanted to include in yesterday’s post about Cask Days but didn’t for various reasons. I tried to have that be about the basic who/what/where of the festival and general impressions of the beers, but lots of other ideas came up during the weekend that didn’t fit within the scope of what I was writing. So here is a smorgasbord of random thoughts:

1) Beer Styles on Offer: The beers served at Cask Days are pretty much out of the organizer’s hands (with the exception of some of the House Ales beers). Ontario breweries know the event will be taking place in the same period every year and can plan what beer to showcase. Sometimes they get multiple chances to highlight their brewery (one at the Ontario booth, more if they had a collaboration or pumpkin beer), but most only have a single beer to woo drinkers. When over a hundred beers are available, that one beer had better get people’s attention. Cask Days also adds an extra wrinkle compared to most event because the beers are not served by brewery representatives. No one is there to explain your beer – the name and style must tell attendees everything they need to know.

This partially explains why some of the breweries are trying to out-crazy one another. Adding spices to beer was popular this year (chai, curry, masala, and chipotle, to name a few), which may be attributed to experimentation or cries for attention (probably a mix of both). Everyone was talking about the F&M Wurst Idea Ever, which is great in a way but can also backfire when the beer is a bust (or, in the case of the Wurst Idea Ever, an epic failure).

Unfortunately, the push to get noticed also works against anyone trying to make a traditional cask ale. Notice the lack of English IPAs and milds this year. There were some English IPAs and ESBs, but it is hard for even the best English-style ale to compete against American IPAs and Imperial Stouts (which proved to be very popular this year thanks to great entries from a number of breweries). I’m curious to see if this will become a trend in the next couple of years.

2) The Subjectivity of Beer Tasting: I spent a lot of Saturday talking to people about what beers they liked and what they hated. It was amazing how much people had differing opinions. Sometimes that is to be expected with some of the more adventuresome beers, especially when it comes to the level of spiciness in a chipotle or curry beer. (Not everyone loves some heat to their beer, regardless of how intense.) But the wide ranging opinions on the IPAs, ESBs and experimental beers were quite interesting. While some beers were good or bad by popular consensus, others brought a wide range of opinion.

This shouldn’t surprise me, but it still does in many ways. I always expect popular opinion to generally swing in one direction, but people’s opinions seemed to be all over the place. It might help that Cask Days operates in a sort of vacuum – most beers are new, so people can’t drink a beer with any expectations or preconceived notions of its quality. This differs from a lot of other times, when a collective narrative gets formed about a beer (either through Twitter comments, blog reviews, Ratebeer/Beer Advocate, Bar Towel, etc) and sort of forces most people into the same opinion. (If you disagree, pay attention to comments about the Muskoka Twice As Mad Tom and Great Lakes Imperial Black IPA over the next two weeks.) Perhaps the widely differing reviews over a lot of beers are a result of not having a consensus to gauge our opinions against. The exceptions were the Imperial Stouts from Flying Monkeys, Bellwoods, Amsterdam and Great Lakes – the beer geeks were loving these beers for the most part. (My opinion on the Hellwoods is one exception.)

3) Booth Popularity: An intriguing twist to Cask Days is that it has become the one opportunity to compare beers from across the country. Yes, Ontario has by far the greatest selection, but there are casks from almost every other province. Quebec was particularly well represented once again, especially with the Trou du Diable feature booth. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see people clamoring for Central City, Dieu Du Ciel or any other cask from outside of Ontario, but the local beers seemed to be the most popular.

The Imperial Stouts mentioned above went really quickly, as did the Niagara Oast House Belgian IPA (no surprise as it was the first chance for many to try this brewery). I’m not trying to pit provinces against each other in terms of which was best – Canadians need to support our craft breweries across the country – but just pointing out that people were excited and eager to try what the Ontario craft breweries had to offer. Yes, the placement of the Ontario booths may have helped, but it seems that people are really starting to respect what the more adventurous craft breweries are producing. I tip my hat to all those breweries helping to raise the bar in Ontario.

Cask Days Brings Real Ale to the Brick Works

Growing pains were to be expected at this year’s edition of the Cask Days festival. The event was making a big jump in size, from two sessions at Hart House to three at the Brick Works. Hart House and barVolo, where the festival was held for the first six years, were easy to access by public transit, had all the necessary amenities already built in (kitchens, washrooms) and had experience getting large groups of people in for ticketed beer events. (Yes, the Brick Works was home to the Brewer’s Backyard, but that was not ticketed.) As always, the weather is an uncontrollable unknown and proved to be bothersome this year. Some hiccups were expected and would be tolerated for those who have attended the festival religiously for years.

The part that worried me the most was getting back and forth from the Brick Works, but the shuttle buses were frequent and there was never a logjam of people waiting for one. I used them for all three sessions and had no problems. The Brick Works itself was a great venue for the festival – the kilns were a beautiful backdrop and provided a poetic undertone to a festival that is all about helping to promote and preserve a traditional method of serving beer. Though the rain was steady during the two afternoon sessions, most of the casks (and attendees) were covered from the weather. (Two stations were covered by tarps and involved a sprint through the rain to reach them.) Food vendors were spread out in pockets and a small but well curated art selection hung on a wall behind the Ontario casks. Casks filled with water were placed liberally through the venue and staff were diligently refilling them and taking away the rinse buckets. One small quibble was the washrooms – not a whole lot inside the Brick Works and only two port-a-potties added inside, which were tucked out of site. I understand why more weren’t added – presumably for aesthetic reasons, because those things are damn ugly, though maybe it wasn’t allowed – but hopefully some sort of fix can be figured out for next year.

The big problem, as everyone probably knows by now, is that the casks started running out sooner than expected. They stopped serving some during the first session and then over half ran dry during the evening. A number of new casks were brought in for the last session and ticket holders were offered $10 back or an extra four beer tokens, but obviously some people were still upset. I can’t really comment on the fairness of the scenario (in the interest of open blogging, it should be stated that I was given access to all sessions as I now write for the Cask Days blog), but it was obviously an unfortunate situation. That being said, there were still roughly sixty casks available for the last session, which is still an incredible number and more than any one person could try in an afternoon. Some good finds were still available (the Parallel 49 Gyparillo Red IPA was a great English style IPA and the House Ales Raving Ghouls Double IPA was a delicious new addition) and there was definitely more of a relaxed atmosphere from the really busy Saturday sessions.

Okay, so it’s probably time we talked about the beers. (You’re probably saying, “Finally! It’s only taken 500 words!”) Obviously I tried a sampling of the 100+ on offer. I took some recommendations, fell on a couple of grenades and generally drank what I wanted when I wanted to. There were a couple of big hits, lots of good beers and a couple of duds. Here is a random selection of mental notes:

• Le Trou du Diable Mactavish in Memoriam: Great big citrus hop aroma, but the finish was a little too empty.
• Half Pints Smoktoberfest: Not a huge smoked malt component, but enough to make it a delectably chewy beer on a cool evening. Didn’t think a Rauchbier would hold up well on cask, but it did.
• F&M Wurst Idea Ever: This is the grenade I was talking about. Smelled like sewage. Tried to taste it without smelling the beer, but that proved to be impossible. I love brussel sprouts and the fact that this beer is doing them further injustice makes me hate it even more.
• Great Lakes X Toronto Brewing Curried Spiced Pumpkin Ale: A good idea in theory, but the curry was just too strong (and spicy). Just had a taste of my wife’s, but kept smelling the curry in her glass through the next sample. (And yes, that was even after a rinse.)
• Central City Red Racer ESB: Not a sexy or new option, but a tasty ESB with a large dose of West Coast hops.
• Bellwoods Hellwoods w/Cherries: This was a popular recommendation, but I may have been the one person that wasn’t a huge fan. Just too sweet for me.
• Alexander Keith’s #217: Tried a sip of someone’s sample. My joke was, “Oh, that’s what Keith’s tastes like before it is watered down.” Kudos to them for sending a cask into a no-win situation.
• Les Vergers De La Colline Rouge Dolgo Cider: The exact opposite of the Hellwoods was this sour cider from Quebec. It tasted like a super sour kriek, but was still distinctly a cider. Face puckeringly good.
• Amsterdam Full City Tempest: One of the other big recommendations that I got during the first session. My opinion going into the day was that the unadulterated Tempest was best (I’ve had barrel aged versions and one with cocoa nibs), but this beer made me retract that statement. Not that it’s necessarily better, but I think the perfect complement to the flavours has been found in coffee beans. It was by far my favourite of the weekend – great body, wonderful smell and a taste that leaves you speechless and grinning like an idiot.

I could go on like this for some time, but those are just a selection of thoughts and highlights from a wonderful two days of drinking cask beers. The food was all amazing and a definite step up from the normal beer festival choices. It is easy to picture the food becoming a big draw, especially for people that are only marginally into beer or don’t know about cask beers. Though it might not have been as noticeable during the first and third sessions due to a higher amount of industry presence, the Saturday evening was definitely filled with a lot of people newer to the world of cask and craft beer. (Overheard beside me at one point: “What do you think a Double IPA is?”) If you think that at least 3,000 people went through the festival, a good portion of those may not have experienced a cask beer before.

Cask Days is a great beer festival, no doubt the best in Ontario, but the amazing part is how rapidly it has moved from barVolo to Hart House to the Brick Works. A few people may complain that it was more intimate at Volo, but the fact is that Cask Days is now at a point where it can reach a lot of new beer drinkers in one swoop. Now thousands of beer drinkers are exposed to cask beer in a single weekend, which can only help grow the movement. Even with the wet weather it was a great weekend and I really hope that Cask Days returns to the Brick Works next year, because the space is phenomenal. Thanks to the Morana’s, the staff, volunteers and everyone else involved for a great weekend!