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 School

Beer School, November 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 48

What is a Rauchbier?  Rauchbier, or “smoke beer” is a German amber lager with a richly toasted malt profile, restrained bitterness and a low to high smoke profile. Historically, the distinctive smoke character in rauchbier was achieved through smoking malted barley over a fire from beechwood logs. History of Rauchbier There is much folklore surrounding the origin of rauchbier, most famously that it came about accidentally in the aftermath of a cloister fire. According to the tale, the fire had destroyed most of the cloister, but part of the brewhouse and much of malt, had been spared. The malt had …
Beer School, October 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 47

History of Oktoberfest The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810, a five-day celebration in honour of the wedding between Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Abandoning regal tradition, the royals turned the wedding into a public event, inviting the people of Munich to celebrate the union in the fields in front of the city gates, where free food and beer flowed through the city. The “October Fests” concluded with a public horse race at a meadow between Munich and Sendling. The formerly unnamed meadow was given the name “Theresewiese,” or Theresa’s Meadow, still the official site of …
Beer School, September 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 46

What is an Irish Red Ale? By the 18th century, Kilkenny was established as the brewing mecca in Ireland, as producing beer had become a commercially viable industry. Despite its commercial success, Irish brewers were constantly struggling financially and were forced to rely on their own ingenuity to lower production costs. In making stouts, brewers opted to use unmalted roasted barley over expensive black patent malt, giving the beer style its signature dry Irish character.  Similarly, Irish brewers also offered their own interpretation on an English Bitter, popular in the mid-late 19th century, using unmalted roasted barley in place of …
August 2022 E-News, Beer School, News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 45

What is Malt?  Beer is comprised of four essential ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast. While newly developed yeast strains and novel hop varieties are constantly at the forefront of beer news, the role of malt in beer is often understated. In reality, malt is the backbone, or essential support system, of beer. Malt can be derived from a variety of grains, but barley is the most frequently used grain in beer. Malt-based wort offers both sugars and nutrients that yeast requires for fermentation, hop bitterness relies on malt sweetness as a counterpoint to achieve balance. Starches contained in barley …
Beer School, July 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 44

Spanish Cider  A part of local Asturian and Basque history, cider production in Spain was initially reported by Roman settlers in the first century. Like many other historical brews, this style of cider was first produced as a low-alcohol farmhouse beverage, before gaining momentum as a commercial industry in the early 20th century. Cider is primarily made in the northern regions of Spain, with Asturias counting for roughly 80% of production, and nearby Basque regions accounting for the majority of the rest.   There are more similarities than differences between Asturian sidra and Basque sagardo – Asturian ciders tends to …
Beer School, June 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 43

What are Esters?  Esters represent the largest class of flavor compounds in alcoholic beverages, responsible for contributing to both flavour and aroma of beer. The aromas and flavors attributable to esters include: anise, apple, banana, honey, juicy fruit gum, nail polish remover, pear, pineapple, strawberry. While they are best known for creating desirable fruity flavours, esters can also produce undesirable solvent-like flavours.  Esters v Phenols   Although esters and phenols are often described interchangeably, they represent different types of organic compounds. Sidestepping the subject of differences in chemical composition, esters are generally associated with fruit flavours, while phenols are known …
Beer School, May 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 42

What is a Witbier?  Witbier, literally translated from Flemish to “white beer,” is named for its signature hazy, or white, appearance resulting from the suspended yeast and wheat proteins in the beer. Although no one knows the precise origin of the witbier style, it is thought to have originated in a monastic brewery near Leuven, Belgium, in the 14th century. Modern versions of witbier are lightly hopped, with a balanced blend of spices and an orange-citrusy fruitiness. Coriander seed and dried curaçao orange peels are often used, where subtle hints of fruit like plum, apple or banana come from the …
April 2022 E-News, Beer School

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 41

What is a California Common? While there are American versions of almost every beer style out there, there are only a few true beer styles born in the US that still exist today. In the mid-nineteenth century, cream ales were developed as a counterpoint to German pilsners; in 1975 American brewing giant Miller released the first American light lager, which became synonymous with American beer culture for many years. California Common, or Steam beer, was first brewed in the late 1800s – its most famous commercial example is Anchor Steam, now hailed as America’s original craft beer. History of California …
Beer School, March 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 40

Bière de Garde While France is rightly renowned for its robust wine culture, it also has a rich but lesser known history of brewing beer. Bière de garde, loosely translated to mean beer for keeping, is recognized as France’s contribution to specialty brewing, originating in farmhouse breweries that once populated French Flanders, an area now encompassing the French sub-regions du Nord and Pas-de-Calais and the Belgian province Hainaut. The BJCP defines a modern bière de garde as a reasonably strong, malt-accentuated, lagered artisanal beer with a range of malt flavors appropriate for the color. All are malty yet dry, with …
Beer School, February 2022 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 39

Hop Farming & Craft Beer  Before the massive growth of the craft beer industry in North America, hops were primarily used for their antibacterial properties to help preserve beer. Until quite recently, hops were perceived as a generic and readily available ingredient, leaving many hop growers susceptible to supply gluts and massive price fluctuations.  For the past two decades, hop farming and craft beer have enjoyed a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. While hop farming has been a major driving force behind the craft beer renaissance, the growth of the craft beer industry has also provided stability for hop farmers. Sierra …