Top ten reasons to love Ontario Craft Beer Week
Directly from the Ontario Craft Brewers – 10 reasons not to miss Ontario Craft Beer Week in 2013:
1. Craft Beer has Flavour
Ontario Craft Brewers brew over 250 brands including lagers, ales, pilsners, porters and stouts. This number multiplies with all the new seasonal specialties, one-offs, collaborative brews and casks available during this week only. Ontario Craft Beer Week is your chance to taste as many varieties as you possibly can.
LCBO BEER FAIRS: On June 15, 2013, eight local LCBO stores across Ontario will host tastings with four Ontario Craft breweries sampling two products each. Drop by for a taste and stock up for your own OCB Week home tasting event. Stores include: Summerhill, Kingsway and Bayview (Toronto), Nepean & Rideau (Ottawa), Orion Gate (Burlington), Appleby Line (Burlington) and Howard Ave. (Windsor).
2. Craft Beer is Down with Dad
June 16 – What better way to treat Dad on his special day than with great, local, fresh craft beer. Most Ontario Craft Breweries host Father’s Day events at their breweries with tours, tastings and BBQs and some will host events at local restaurants and pubs.
Amsterdam will be holding a Father’s Day BBQ + Tours + Tasting at our brewery at 45 Esandar Dr. (Leaside)
Beau’s All Natural Brewery will host a BBQ for daddies on the brewery patio and will release the 2013 edition of its collaborative brew, Pan Ontario, a delicious barrel-aged creation that contains one beer each from Beau’s All Natural, Flying Monkeys, Great Lakes, Amsterdam and Wellington. (Vankleek Hill)
Cameron’s Brewing Co. hosts its 16th anniversary during the annual Father’s Day BBQ at the brewery in Oakvillewith beer, food & free tours.
F&M Brewery Father’s Day Bus Tour (12-4 p.m.) between F&M Brewery, Wellington Brewery, and local craft beer legend, the Woolwich Arrow. Tours and samplings at the brewery in Guelph. $5 per person.
Granite Brewery in Toronto will give Dad a pint in a special free Granite Father’s Day glass.
Bring Dad down to Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke between 2-4 p.m. for beer and BBQ treats.
Muskoka Brewery Steamship Cruise: A four hour tour of Muskoka lakes with good craft beer, delicious food and entertainment.
Railway City Brewing’s Railway City will be hosting a Father’s Day Barbeque, Brewery Tours and Sample event in our new brewery in St. Thomas, ON.
Steam Whistle Brewing – Free tours for Dad at the Roundhouse brewery in Toronto.
There’s also Beach, Brews & BBQ June 14-16 at Woodbine Park in Toronto with tasty food and Ontario Craft Beer offerings from Beau’s, Black Oak, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, Great Lakes Brewery, Left Field Brewery, Mill Street Brewery, Nickel Brook.
3. Craft Beer goes Great with Food
Fine dining, 4, 5&6 course meals, BBQ, cheese pairings, pig roasts, sliders and canapés – all better with beer. Highlights:
“Chef-Faced” … Presented by Muskoka Brewery & The Hintonburg Public House – A Bartender and the Chef from the HPH and 3 of Ottawa’s Top Restaurants (TBD) will battle it out to see who will be crowned “Chef-Faced”. Each team is to come up with a beer cocktail and food pairing; judged by a group of their peers. (June 23)
Mill Street Brewery will offer its outstanding Beer & Cheese Pairing Program in pubs and restos throughout the province with Mill Street providing 7 oz glasses, sampling paddles and tasting notes so participating establishments can offer flights the right way! (week-long)
Muskoka Brewery’s 2nd Annual “Epic Pig Roast” at the Arrow and Loon in Ottawa (June 15).
The Beau’s Beer & BBQ Bash at The Compass Bar & Grill in Oakville will showcase the talent of the Group of Seven Chefs and the fabulous flavour of Beau’s Beer. Each BBQ dish will be complimented and enhanced by a specially chosen Beau’s beer to complete the flavour experience.
Mill Street’s four course brewmaster dinner made and paired with Mill St. beers and featuring a rare tasting of their 5yr old aged Barley Wine at the Dominion on Queen in Toronto (June 18).
Beau’s & Glen Echo Fine Foods visit the Queen’s University Grad Club for a cheers to cheese! Five Beau’s beers will be paired alongside five perfectly matched cheeses. (June 17)
4. Craft Beer Tap Takeovers
Follow your favourite breweries when they take over the taps at your local establishment. Highlights:
Beau’s All Natural and Great Lakes join forces at Toronto’s Bar Hop celebrating OCB Week with 36 of each breweries finest brews on tap + two cask engines. (June 19)
Flying Monkey Tap takeover and tacos. Five of Flying Monkey’s regular craft beers on and one specialty brew (Imperial Pilsner). Corner Bar will be showing off their new menu which includes unique Tacos. (June 19)
King Brewery and Steam Whistle gather for a side by side comparison of their award-winning pilsners AND a rare sampling of their un-filtered versions! Compare two great versions of a classic-style Ontario Pilsner in both their un-filtered and regular style beers! (June 20)
Mill Street Brewery Tap Takeover at Relish in Toronto with live music all day (June 22).
Tap for Tap – Beau’s vs. Muskoka – A friendly head to head competition between Beau’s All Natural and Muskoka. Decide who will win each battle in this all out throw down as they compare beer by beer! Beau’s own Tim Beauchesne and Muskoka’s Ross Muir play host. Beaver River VS Mad Tom? You be the judge! (June 20) I think you should ass their last names Tim and Ross??
Wellington Brewery Tap Takeover at Relish in Toronto featuring a wide selection of beers and beer inspired menu pairings from Chef Joanne Clayton. Karaoke starts at 10pm with 5 dollar Wellington pints. (June 20)
5. Craft Beer & Entertainment
The 2nd annual Battle of the Beer Bands at The Only Café – 1 MC, 2 Nights, 3 Judges, 8 Bands. Each band includes at least one member who works for an OCB brewery. The 2nd annual brewery band showdown will include great music, tons of fun and a whole lot of great beer from your favourite breweries, including some tap features.
Tuesday, June 18 Audio (Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.) Julian Taylor Band – (Cameron’s Brewing Co.) Clang (Great Lakes Brewery) Stone Face Dolly’s – (Wellington Brewery). Wednesday, June 19 Bands & Breweries TBA.
Party like a rock star with WILLIE NELSON and Beau’s! Beau’s Big Birthday Bash with Willie Nelson at TD Ottawa Jazz Festival. A selection of 8 tasty Beau’s beers will be on tap and the first 1000 ticket holders through the gates will receive a free Beau’s branded bandana. (June 21)
STRANGE BREW – Mill Street Brewery’s amazing celebration of craft beer, rock n’ roll, and the unusual. Featuring 10 seasonal brews from local craft brewers (Black Oak, Lake of Bays, Mill Street, Neustadt Springs & Steam Whistle among others!); performances by: DWAYNE GRETZKY; JUMPLE + more TBA. Hosted by: MYSTERION the Mindreader and featuring his clan of sideshow weirdos. (June 21)
6. Beer Tours
Sign up for a specially-priced, personalized regional beer tour, such as: the Old Toronto Beer Tour™ by Toronto Beer Lovers Tour Co., http://www.beerloverstour.com/
Travel Round the World Tour with Beau’s in four short hours! Experience Four Seasons, four Celebrations, four Countries & one Big Surprise! Join Beau’s in Toronto for a tour around the world, celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa, Oktoberfest in Munich, New Year’s Eve in Copenhagen and St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. Beau’s will transport you through time and space to spend one hour at each of these magical destinations. (June 20)
7. Craft Beer Collaborations
Collaboration is a key theme of Ontario Craft Beer Week with breweries brewing, working and playing together.
Five Brewery Tap Takeover – “Crafters of the Brewniverse” Tap Takeover Event at Brothers Beer Bistro in Ottawa (Beau’s, Muskoka, Nickel Brook & two TBD). (June 16)
Collaboration Nation – This year, Griffin Session Toronto has put together a collaboration nation of Brewers and Artists, teaming up 20 breweries and 20 Artists to create one-of-a-kind collaboration beers that will be available to try at Session. Highlights include – Beaus and Tom Green, Mill Street and Royal Wood, Great Lakes Brewery and Josh Rubin. Follow @griffingastro on Twitter and hashtag #collaborationnation. (June 22)
Niagara Collabrewation – Niagara College is inviting local Ontario breweries to visit the college throughout the summer to collaboratively brew with their student hire(s). (all week)
8. Craft Beer Culture is Cool
One of the unique things about Ontario Craft Beer is that you can get up close and personal with the people who make the beer. Meet the makers behind Ontario’s awesome craft beer scene.
Beau’s Masterbrewer Matthew O’Hara and his mentor Michael Hancock of Denison’s for dinner. A delicious four-course beer dinner will feature two of each brewer’s creative and wonderful brews. (June 18)
Mill Street sampling and seminar with a Mill Street Brewer at Sarah’s Café in Toronto. (June 20)
Beau’s brewer Andrew Bartle will be onsite at the Branch Restaurant in Kemptville to make sense of each beer and why it matches each bite. The impressive beer lineup features a cask of summer seasonal Festivale Altbier, Boubon barrel-aged Strong Patrick + Festivale, Burnt Rock and The Tom Green Beer. (June 19)
Session Toronto will have special education sessions led by OCB member brewers and beer experts. This is the place to meet many people in the Ontario Craft Brewing industry. (June 22)
9. Craft Beer is Creative
This is your chance to try specialty and on-off brews created for this week only.
Join Flying Monkeys brewery at the Wellington Gastro Pub in Ottawa and taste two specialty cask conditioned pins and one specialty keg. (June 18)
Mill Street Brewery’s cask tasting at Pegasus in Toronto. (June 20)
Wellington Brewery will be on hand at Sarah’s Cafe to sample a selection of their award-winning beers including a special Welly One-Off cask. (June 21)
10. Craft Beer is Fun
Griffin Session Toronto – Official OCB Week wrap party in Toronto with 20+ Ontario Craft Brewers
When – Saturday, June 22nd – 4pm – 9 pm
Where – Artscape Wychwood Barns, Toronto
What – This year, Griffin Session Toronto teamed up 20 breweries and 20 Artists to create one-of-a-kind collaboration beers that will be available to try and at Session. Some of the highlights so far – Beaus and Tom Green, Mill Street and Royal Wood, Great lakes brewery and Josh Rubin. Details are updated frequently on twitter using @griffingastro and the hashtag #collaborationnation.
There will be an educational element featuring tastings, beer and food pairings and craft beer appreciation sponsored by OCB. There will also be an Ontario craft beer station sponsored by The Griffin Gastropub, UBC and Mom & Hops that will have many other Ontario craft breweries featured and on tap. Special beers will rotate by the hour. Live music by Madison Violet, Grady Kelneck and Lindy.
Tickets available on line at www.sessiontoronto.ca for $50 and that includes all beer samples. Food can be purchased from special food trucks and other food vendors on the grounds.
Related Posts:
Ontario Craft Brewers announces 30 Days of Giveaways →
Ontario Craft Beer Week Act receives Royal Assent →
Get out for Ontario Craft Beer Week 2017 →
