Volo Cask Days 2007

The third annual Volo Cask Days festival.
October 20 ~ 21, 2007.



It was a beautiful autumn weekend for the 2007 Cask Days. The sun was shining on this sold out event. There were four sessions: (1) Saturday Breakfast with the Brewers, (2) Saturday Afternoon, (3) Saturday Evening and (4) Sunday Afternoon. Bier Goddess had been looking forward to this event for months. Of all the Toronto beer festivals and events, this is the one NOT to miss. It was the second year I had volunteered to help serve and there was no making the same mistake as last year - sensible shoes this time. I needed to pace myself since I had signed up to volunteer at two out of the four sessions. Ralph & Ina, the owners and operators, always do such a great job with all the special events they host that it's a pleasure for me to help out where I can. It also gives me a chance to talk with the brewers & get an inside look at this Toronto creme de la creme festival of All-Cask-Conditioned beers.


Biergotter's Cask Imperial Porter.
Biergotter's other beer, Hopocalypse Redux, won for Best Beer of the Festival as voted by the attendees. (www.biergotter.org)
Fog On The Tyne by Magnotta Brewery won for best beer name.


Ina and Stephen Beaumount, beer writer,chat about beer.

What an amazing turn out beers. Here is the list of special casks that were submitted to this event:
* Volo's Hopocalypse Redux (American IPA, brewed by Beirgotter)
* Volo's Casc Imperial Porter (American Imperial Porter, brewed by Beirgotter)
* Volo's Totally Bitter Ale (brewed by Robert Hughey)
* Denison's Weissbier (Denison's Brewery)
* Wind & Sail Dark Ale (Barley Days Brewery)
* Hop Bomb "S.T.F.U." Pale Ale (Black Oak Brewing)
* Bourbon Barreled 2005 Nutcracker Porter (Black Oak Brewing)
* Hopburn Ale (Camerons Brewing)
* Hop Head IPA (County Durham Brewing)
* Blak Kat Stout (County Durham Brewing)
* Taste of Ontario Harvest Ale (F&M Brewing)
* George's Herbal Mild (F&M Brewing)
* Fuller's ESB (Fuller's Brewery)
* London Pride (Fuller's Brewery)
* Mill Race Mild (Grand River)
* Plowman's Ale (Grand River)
* Best Bitter Special (Granite Brewery)
* Keefe Oak Chipped Steeped Irish Stout (Granite Brewery)
* Devil's Pale Ale (Great Lakes Brewery)
* Pumpkin Ale (Great Lakes Brewery)
* Stewart's Organic Ale (Heritage Brewery)
* Traditional English Dark Ale - Made with vanilla beans (Hockley Valley Brewery)
* Maclean's Pale Ale - Dry hopped (Maclean's & Lagers)
* Fog On The Tyne - Weizen yeast flavoured American IPA (Magnotta Brewery)
* IPA (Mill Street Brewery)
* Left Hook Barley Wine (Nickel Brook Brewery)
* Jackson Best Bitter - Michael Jackon tribute beer (Saint Andre Brewing)
* Perry's Atomic Pumpkin Ale (Scotch Irish Brewing)
* Peppermint Stout - Unconditioned (Tafalgar Ales & Meads)
* Volo's Grains Of Wrath Double IPA (brewed by Church Key)
* Arkell Best Bitter (Wellington Brewery)
* Special Pale Ale- Dry hopped (Wellington Brewery)


I had volunteered at sessions 2 & 3 but I attended session 4 with a group of friends. We had a great time tasting, sharing our favorites and mingling with the other beer fans. At these events, there always seems to be a relaxed excitement. The cost of $35 per session it's a real deal. You got ten 4 oz tasting tickets and a tasting glass. I don't know anyone who ran out of tickets. There were also four beers that were sold in to fundraise for Sick Kids Hospital. (Good on you Ralph!) My favourite beers of the festival were Biergotter's Casc Imperial Porter, for it's velety smoothness and well intergrated hops, and Perry's Atomic Pumpkin Ale, for it's good pumpkin flesh flavours and balanced drinkability.


Above, some of the brewers: (top) Adrian Popowycz (brewmaster of Black Oak), (second in column) Robert Hughey & Bruce Halstead of Durham County, (third in column) Perry Mason (founder of Scotch Irish Brewing Co)and (fourth in column) Russ Burdick & Jan Biega (brewer and brew monkey of Biergotter).

This festival benefitted from the trials & errors of the previous years. The quality of the beers submitted were a notch above past years. I think this is due to the competitive nature of the brewers and the prestige this event has garnered in the Toronto beer community. The cap on the number of attendees per session allowed for a more comfortable experience. We were not all on top of each other and the flow of traffic to get tasters was easy & quick. Also, the rotating invitees at "The Cheese Table" allowed for a fuller tasting experience, especially for those who attended more than one session. The invitees were, Julia Rogers (www.cheeseculture.ca), Cole Snell (provincialfinefoods.com), Ruth Klahsen (www.monfortedairy.com), Scott Jensen (www.jensencheese.ca) and Alli Miller (of Alli's Bread).


The two best beer t-shirts...gotta love the sense of humour that brewers have. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Tickets, Cheese Seminar, Beer Friends

September 2007

On the last Sunday of September there was a special day at Volo. The first thing happening was the Cask Days one day ticket sale. To celebrate the day there was a limited quantity of Fuller's ESB on cask for the early birds. Not only was there a big line up for the ticket sale, they sold out within the first couple of hours! This was the third year of Cask Days & it had gained a certain prestige in the beer community in Toronto as The Festival to attend if you like cask conditioned beer.

I wanted to attend the Saturday night session but by the time I got to the front of the line, I could only get tickets for Sunday afternoon. I called everyone I was getting tickets for and thankfully everyone would be able to attend on Sunday instead. This ment I would be volunteering to serve both Saturday afternoon & evening sessions...I knew then that I would have to be prepared for a long day on my feet. Then I thought, "What if it rains??!" Having promised Ralph, the owner, I'd help out ment no backing out now. Not that I would. This was my favorite Toronto beer event and I enjoy supporting those events I believe in.


Dan & Doug are regulars at Volo. There not only very nice guys but they are also fellow beer enthusiasts. Cheers boys! Don't drink all the Fuller's - save me some!


Biergotter Gang: Eric Ecclestone, Jennifer Root, Russ Burdick & Jan Biega enjoying a pint of ESB and playing some eucher. I'll take some of that action.

Part 2 of the same day: Later, I attended the first of three monthly cheese seminars at Volo taught by Julia Rogers. There were 3 sessions scheduled for the last Sunday of September, October & November. Each session would have a different focus, introducing different cheeses and their different wine & beer pairings. This series breaked for the holidays but new sessions were added for spring of 2008. If you're interested go to the Volo website listed as a link on the blog's right hand side.

(More details on this September cheese session will be posted later.)


Julia Rogers of Cheese Culture (cheese educator & enthusiast)


Tasting Plate: September '07 Cheese Seminar

2007 Golden Tap Awards

A table of Bier Gods & Goddesses enjoying their tastings.
(from left to right: Eric, Hilary, Chris, Michiho & Mark)

Once again Beer Bistro hosted the annual Golden Tap Awards on Saturday August 18. This event celebrates and honours the beer makers and beer establishments in Ontario. It was the fifth year of this event and it was packed with beer enthusiasts. Hosted by Cass Enright, the moderator of the Bar Towel website, it brings together brewers and their beers to one afternoon of casual fun and opportunity to sample, sample, sample. At $2 a tasting, it's easy to try a wide variety of beer or something from the table of finger foods.

One of the bonuses of attending is that many breweries bring one-off batches that you can try. These special brews are often only available at the event and you might not ever have a chance to taste ever again. Some at this year's event were Black Oak's Transvestites Tipple and Scotch Irish's Fire In The Hole.


Cass Enright who emceed the awards ceremony.


Michael Hancock, brewer and owner of Denison's, accepting his Editor's Circle Award for his outstanding brewing.


Adrian and Ken of Black Oak Brewing company who won the Best Beer of the Festival.

The 2007 Golden Tap winners:

Best microbrewery in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - Mill Street
Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Church-Key
Best beer brewed in the GTA - Mill Street Tankhouse
Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Beau's Lug-Tread Lagered Ale
Best bar in the GTA in terms of draught beer selection - C'est What
Best bar in the GTA in terms of bottled beer selection - beerbistro
Best bar in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Winking Judge
Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (including the GTA) - Mill Street Brewpub
Best beer of the festival - Black Oak Transvestite's Tipple

New this year were Editor's Circle awards, to recognize unique and significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. Four were handed out:

Michael Hancock
Great Lakes Brewing
Roland + Russell
Volo Cask Days

(For past winners see http://goldentap.ca/winners.html)

Fat Belgian

After finding Smokeless Joe's too full we went a couple of doors down John Street to try the Fat Belgian. It has been open for a year now but this was my first visit. As you walk into the beautiful converted historic row house, the bar is just inside the front door. The intimate interior has warm wood and a clean, simple elegance. There's a "boys club" kind of feel except for the whimsical accents scattered around the room - fresh flowers, lit candles and multiple New Yorker Magazine-like caricatures of Rubenesque-bottomed women. It's far more formal than Smokeless Joe's but we were very comfortable and did not feel out of place in our casual attire.

On tap were, Delirim Tremens Blond Ale, Erdinger Wheat, DeKoninck Amber Ale, Fruli Strawberry Wheat and Affligem Abbey Ale. Their bottled selection includes other Belgian beers. Some listed are Achel Brune, Achel Blond, Chimay Premier, Chimay Blue, Chimay White, Chimay Red, Duvel, Golden Draak, Priaat, Westmalle Double, Rochefort 6, Rochefort 8, Rochefort 10, Blanch de Chambly and many more.



It was a bit too late for a full on meal but we did indulge in some light fare. The warm mushroom salad with miso dressing was buttery & rich. We also ordered the Fat Belgian mussels and the grilled calamari salad which were both excellent. The server was friendly and knowledgable. I will definitely come back to another visit and try a full meal next time.


For a profile on Toronto.com : http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-374-145

Relish a Future Visit

I met some friends for brunch last weekend at a little place on the Danforth called Relish Bar & Grill (2152 Danforth Avenue, tel.416.425.4664). It is a very pretty place seating around 25 or so with a cozy lounge area in the rear. While there I noticed their tap offerings: Stella Artois, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, Hoegaarden and Bellevue Kriek - ahh, a Belgian five-some.

It warmed my heart finding that even a small, local restaurant made an effort to offer draught selections with some character. I will have to come back for a pint soon...and maybe try their cheese plate too...mmmm...

p.s. BTW, brunch was excellent!

Williamsville Adventure

It was February 24 and Bier Goddess was sick of the cold weather that had her trapped inside. She was itching for an adventure. What is far enough from Toronto to feel like you're getting out of town but not so far that a one day round trip would wear you out? Consumer's Beverage in Williamsville, NY at 8580 Transit Road.

The hour and a half car ride was well rewarded. There was a good selection of bottled American micros (Rogue, Stone, Great Divide, Avery, Victory, Bear Republic, Ommegang, Middle Ages, Clipper City, etc.) and bottled imports. The bonus was the tap station where there are 12 drafts to choose from for a take-home growler. (http://www.consumersbeverages.com/brew/new.html)

And it was at the tap station that we began chatting with a very patient gentleman named Tom who helped us navigate through the choices of beer - choices of which is not to be had in Ontario.

After a lengthy visit we checked out, giddy with excitement. Between the two of us, we agonizingly made our final choices. The cart was full and we were getting hungry so this was the result of the check out: 68 bottles (fifty 331 ml bottles and eighteen 650 ml bottles), $260 USD and $65 CAD taxes at Canadian customs). Just a sidebar about wine. We found out that there was a recent change to the duty charged on wine. I had purchased four bottles, each priced at $15 USD. The duty on these four bottles of wine was $50 CAD!! The customs agent explained that the LCBO got wind of Canadians going across to NY state to buy higher priced bottles because the duty was approximately $2 per bottle. Now the duty is calculated on the price point versus the volume. An expensive lesson to learn but at least I didn't buy a case.

With hungry stomachs we made our way down Transit Road a couple of minutes to Pizza Plant.





(http://www.pizzaplant.com/)
They are famous for their gourmet pizza & pods (calzone type stuffed pocket) and a good selection of micro drafts. I had a pint of the Rogue cask-conditioned Charlie and Beer Guide had an Avery IPA.



This was the take out...the pods are BIG. The marinara sauce that comes with it is so yummy. I should have asked for an extra for my leftover.



At home with a growler...or two...cheers to a good day out!

Volo's IPA Challenge

Cafe Volo is a favourite restaurant of the Bier Goddess. Volo has hosted many beer & wine events and won the Golden Tap Award in 2006 for Best Beer Bottle Selection. (http://www.barvolo.com/) The owner, Ralph,is a real supporter of local beer makers, wines & cheeses. There is always a rotating selection of Southern Ontario micros on tap for you to enjoy as well as one or two cask-conditioned ales.

On March 3 & 4 there was an IPA contest open to anyone who wanted to take their best guess at 6 local beers plus one 'mystery beer' not from Ontario. The results of the contest are posted on the Volo website. A member of Bier Gotter, Beer Guide and Bier Goddess Alexa all gave their best shot but alas, only 4 were accurately identified. These were the beers: 1. Tankhouse 2. West Coast Pale Ale 3. Great Eastern IPA 4. Headstrong Pale Ale 5. Hop Addict IPA 6. Sgt Major IPA 7. (The Mystery Beer!) Brooklyn Lager

Despite the low rate of the participants' accuracy, the IPA Challenge was definitely worth it. It only cost $12 to participate and whenever you get a chance to sit with other beer-minded people, it's an opportunity to learn, teach & commune. Not to mention the healthy competition that these kind of events inspire.


Some of the comments around the table were about how similar the IPA's were and why that is. As time went on and several passes were had among the 7 beers, palates got muddier - the differences between each dimished. We heard from the grapevine that the brewers were invited to take part but none did.

Another afternoon with good friends, good drink. It never fails to delight because the world of beer is so vast and varying, just like the people who seek them out!