August Hours: Tu - Th : 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm last call | Fr - Sa : 4:00 pm - 12:00 am last call (beer garden 10:00 pm) | Su : 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm last call (beer garden 8:00 pm) | Closed Mo
67 Front Street East
67 Front Street East
Toronto, ON M5E1B5

C'est What

Beer School

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 24
Beer School, November 2020 E-News

What is Kveik? You may have come across kveik while perusing your beer options and wondered what’s behind this trendy new beer style. It turns out that kveik (pronounced “kah-wike”), is not a new beer style at all, but refers to a unique family of ancient yeast strains originally used in Norwegian farmhouse ales. Kveik, a western Norwegian slang word for yeast, designates a collective of high-heat-tolerant yeast strains capable of producing clean beers at unusually high fermentation temperatures without hot alcohol flavours, medicinal or funky aromas that other ale yeasts would produce in the same high temperature range. From …

C'est What
Beer School, October 2020 E-News

A Brief History of Cream Ale  Cream ales first originated in United States in the mid-nineteenth century. In response to the large influx of German immigrants and resulting popularity of German lagers, American brewers developed the cream ale as a counterpoint to celebrated German beer. Due to local preference and cooler climates, Northeastern brewers were predominantly ale brewers. Prior to prohibition, many American brewers began producing a light bodied ale to rival increasingly popular German lagers. This brew was known as a “present use” ale, as it had a short shelf life and was meant to drink fresh. The fermentation …

C'est What
Beer School, September 2020 E-News

Old Fashioned Cocktail: A Brief History  There are many competing narratives surrounding the history of the Old Fashioned – many have been credited with its invention and many more have debated what constitutes a “real” Old Fashioned. So, here’s a brief, anecdotal and at least partially accurate account of this classic cocktail.  In 1806, the first published version of a cocktail resembling an Old Fashioned appeared as an editorial response in New York publication, The Balance and Columbian Repository. The paper’s editor described a cocktail called a Bittered Sling that was a “potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.” Similarly, …

C'est What
August 2020 E-News, Beer School

Beer & Wine Hybrids Beer & wine hybrids have a long history in the craft beer world, dating back to at least the 1970s when Cantillon made Vigneronne, a blend of Lambic beer aged on Muscat grapes. Over the past several years, an increasing number of breweries have been experimenting with hybrids by blending wine with beer, co-fermenting wine and beer together and aging beer on wine grapes. Not only are there different ways to incorporate wine with beer, brewers may use whole grapes, grape must (freshly squeezed grape juice with skins, seeds and stems), grape juice, or pomace (solid …

C'est What
Beer School, July 2020 E-News

Pasteurization & Beer  For over 150 years, pasteurization has been instrumental in extending the storage life of food and drinks. French microbiologist Louis Pasteur developed the process in the 1860s, initially revealing that pasteurization could combat unwanted acidity in wine by inhibiting the growth of unwanted spoilage organisms. Similarly, he found that pasteurization could extend the shelf life of beer by applying heat for a short time.  Types of Pasteurization  When it comes to beer, there are two main methods of pasteurization. Bottled and canned beer can be pasteurized by passing through a long, narrow chamber or tunnel where they’re …

C'est What
Beer School, June 2020 E-News

What is a coolship? The term coolship, from the Flemish koelschip, is a large shallow vessel made of stainless steel or copper, used to cool wort. Coolships are often housed in large rooms, where they lie open to the elements allowing for airborne yeast to flow in and inoculate the beer. This type of fermentation is referred to as “spontaneous fermentation” because the microbes come at random, rather than using a controlled addition of cultured yeast strains. Predominantly used to create sour beers, a renewed interest in coolships for brewing has been inspired by Brasserie Cantillon, a world-renowned lambic producer …

C'est What
Beer School, May 2020 E-News

Barleywine  A descendant of ancient English strong ales, barleywine (or barley wine) is a full-bodied, high strength ale usually between 8% and 12% ABV. Barleywine owes most of its heritage to its old ale predecessors, which by the nineteenth century was hardly a distinct beer style, but was variously known as old, stock, strong, or stale ale. These old ales were generally barrel-aged for a year or so, imparting them with vinous qualities and rich aromatics. Old ales were mostly malt-heavy and dark, with some residual sweetness and an elevated ABV. In 1903, Bass & Co. Brewery coined the term …

C'est What
April 2020 E-News, Beer School

Beer & Food Pairing With a growing number of craft beer delivery options and, for many of us, a bit of free time on our hands, we have the perfect opportunity to experiment with pairing beer and food. While we often consider wine and food together, beer actually offers incredible diversity in flavour, aroma, colour and texture, allowing for a plethora of pairing possibilities.  Complementing  Complementing relies on finding balance through similar flavours and aromas that work well together. Pairing a fruit beer with a fruit dish, like a witbier with oranges, brings out the orange and citrus flavours in …

C'est What
Beer School, March 2020 E-News

What are Phenols?  Phenols are a broad class of organic compounds that add both desirable and undesirable flavours to beer.  While phenolics are generally known for producing off-flavours, they can contribute positive flavouring compounds too.  Approximately 75% of beer phenolics come from malt, while the other 25% from hops. In barley, the husk and tissue layer just beneath the husk contains the majority of the malt phenolics. Hops actually have significantly higher levels of phenolics than malt, but they are used in much smaller quantities, so contribute fewer phenolics overall. Low levels of phenolics add flavour and contribute to a …

C'est What
Beer School, February 2020 E-News

What is a White Stout? A contentious beer style for many, the white stout has reputation for inspiring arguments among beer drinkers. Some call it gimmicky – remember Crystal Pepsi? – while others have embraced it as a fun and unique beer style.  Although it is not officially recognized as a beer style, the White or Pale Stout, is made from a blonde or golden ale base with the same yeast and hops used in a more traditional stout. Green or blonde coffee and cacao nibs are added to impart stout-like flavours of coffee and chocolate with a balanced acidity. …

C'est What
67 Front Street East

BEER GARDEN OPEN TODAY

4:00 pm until last call 10:00 pm