Hours: Sun & Mon 4 pm - midnight | Tue & Wed noon to midnight | Thu to Sat noon to 1 am | Beer Garden Tue to Sat 4 pm - 10 pm
Location 67 Front Street East
67 Front Street East
Toronto, ON M5E1B5

Beer

Beer School, October 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 58

What is a Hefeweizen? Hefeweizens are a type of weissbier or white beer, also commonly referred to as weizenbier, or wheat beer. Translated from German, hefeweizen means “yeast wheat,” an apt description as they are the two defining ingredients for the style. Malted wheat contains higher levels of protein, contributing to hefeweizen’s trademark cloudy appearance, creamy texture and pillowy head, though the true essence of this style comes from the addition of yeast, imparting notes of banana, clove, bubblegum, vanilla and black pepper. This beer does not showcase hops, and hop presence should be very minimal. Sumerian records reveal that …
Beer School, September 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 57

What is Zoigl Beer?  Brewed for over 500 years, Zoigl is a style of beer made in accordance with traditional methods in five towns in the Oberpfalz, a region in eastern Bavaria that borders Czech Republic. Traditional Zoigl beer bottom-fermented beer, unpasteurized and unfiltered, brewed in the community brewhouse in the small towns of Eslarn, Falkenberg, Mitterteich, Neuhaus, and Windischeschenbach. Zoigl Brewhouses   Some traditional brewhouses are owned by the local community, while others are owned and operated by a group of brewers. Only those who own the brewing right, often historically linked to a specific property, are allowed to brew …
Beer, July 2023 E-News

Take Me Home

You pick up cans of Al’s Cask Ale from thirty-six GTA LCBOs (the list keeps growing) and also have the option of taking home dozens of choices from our bottle shop. We have a full selection of C’est What Durham brews and our entire packaged beer, cider, seltzer, and wine list available for you to take home or to your next picnic. Please see our current list online.
Beer School, July 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 56

History of Grisette  In the late 1800s, Southern Belgium’s Hainaut province became an industrial mecca, moving away from agriculture, into coal and stone mining. With industrialization on the rise, local brewers began producing beer for growing population of local miners. Saison was the brew of farmhands, and grisette became the brew of miners. The term grisette, or little grey, is often attributed to the young female factory workers dressed in distinctive grey smocks, who would pass out beer to fortify miners at the end of the work day.  Saison & Grisette  The history of grisette is largely based on that …
Beer, June 2023 E-News, Uncategorized

How To: The Nitro Pour

Unleash the power of our nitro-brews with some instruction from Craft Beer Days in this fun tutorial video. Hint, it’s all in the wrist action and a bit of patience. Use with Al’s Cask Ale, Blak Katt, ESB, Joan’s Dark Secret, Mocha Porter, and Red Dragon. Not recommended for Ginger Wheat, Hop Addict, or Starlight – although shaking a carbonated beer WOULD make an action packed video.
Beer School, June 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 55

What is a Czech Pilsner? The origins of pilsner beer dates back to 1842, named after the ancient city of Plzen, now part of Western Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed. Prior to the advent of pilsner, beer drinkers were only accustomed to dark, heavy, cloudy beers. This Plzen brew is renowned for being the first fully pale beer in central Europe, light-bodied, golden and brilliantly clear. According to modern standards, Czech pilsners should be more malt-forward than their German counterpart, crisp and clean, with a pronounced bitterness. Yeast & Fermentation By the early 19th century, brewers knew …
Beer School, May 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 54

What is Nitro Beer?  Most beer is carbonated through CO2, both naturally through fermentation and additionally through forced carbonation. To achieve peak effervescence, carbon dioxide is injected into the beer, pressurizing bottles, cans, or kegs.  Nitro beer differs in that it contains a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, where nitrogen accounts for 70-75% of the mix, and carbon dioxide the remaining 25-30%. Nitrogenated beer was originally developed to replicate traditional cask ale, which is naturally carbonated through fermentation, and naturally nitrogenated from the exposure to air when a pint is drawn from the cask. History of Nitro Beer  In …
April 2023 E-News, Beer School

C’est… What Is Cask Beer All About?

What makes beer like Al’s Cask Ale so special? Read on. Definition of “Cask Ale” Cask ale is unfiltered and unpasteurized. Traditionally cask ale is also cask-conditioned, undergoing a secondary fermentation in the cask. This contrasts with “keg beer” which is generally filtered and carbonated. Cask-conditioned beers are also referred to as “real ales”. Beer Delivery Systems It took until the 17th century for bottled beer to become commonplace. Up until that time most beer was consumed by pouring it directly out of a cask. Along with advances in science in the later 19th century such as pasteurization and mechanical …