Brew Day with Manantler and the #Beersaints

I'd like to add "Brewer' to my resume; I really would. But that would be a big, fat lie.

But it was a whole lotta fun pretending to be one.

The last Saturday in April was spent in the company of Durham Region's legendary #Beersaints, as we invaded Manantler Brewery in Bowmanville to help Chris (the real Brewmaster) brew a beer.

A 4.5 per cent Coffee Oatmeal Ale (working title: Buzz Light Beer), to be precise.

The #Beersaints in beautiful black and white. That's our host Chris
(Manantler's Brewmaster) at the back. He's the guy with the antlers
sticking out of his head.

It was actually supposed to be a cream ale but Chris couldn't source the flaked corn, so after getting some feedback from the group the decision was made to brew the Coffee-infused Ale.

And I am confident Chris could not have brewed this beer without our help.

Who else could have mixed in 15 kilos of oatmeal to the malt AND tasted the malt to ensure it was a quality product?

(For the record, it tasted just like the Ovaltine my Mom used to make me as a kid.)

Who else could have given the hops the smell test and pronounced it hoptacular?

(Especially the Simcoe hops. Epically hoptacular.)

Who else would have kept a steady supply of black coffee between the tanks and the back room and never once complained?

Well, that was Dave, but he was a champion. And I think it was dry-hopped coffee.

That's Alex (nominated as Ontario's Sexiest
Cellarman) stirring the mash because we
shouldn't have to do all the work.

And who else could have sampled about a thousand beers from around this great province (they don't call them the #Beersaints for nothing) while all this brewing was going on?

I suppose Chris could have tried, but the beer might have been a 19 per cent Coffee Oatmeal Barley Wine when the day was done, and relative sobriety is an underrated skill set in the beer-making process.

Or so I've heard.

So our contributions were extremely valuable and I know Chris was thrilled to have us around that day. "Couldn't have done it without you," he said, and "If you're really a #Beersaint, why didn't you bring any beer?"

Because I'm only a part-time #Beersaint, I guess.

I'd been out just once with the group, and that was just one stop (5 Paddles) on a whirlwind tour of Durham Region's many breweries a few months ago, so I was honoured when Paul Thebeerguy, the unofficial leader of this rag-tag band of beer lovers, asked me to join them for the Manantler brewing day.

A small selection of the beer brought
by the #Beersaints for 'sampling'

The group included Paul, Jen, Robin, Joan, Toni, Dave, Rob, Brett and myself and we had a blast brewing this beer.

I've been to Manantler many, many times, but other than the time I shared a rare bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA with James and Trevor (both since departed), I had never been inside the brewery before.

It's a small space, but very cool.

"Our system is based on a big homebrew system," Chris explained. "We built it based on plans we found online. It's all stainless steel; just no bells and whistles."

The beer-making process was long, but there was always something to do (mostly by Chris or Alex, Manantler's Cellarman) or something to learn.

For example: Magnum hops smell like spaghetti and meatballs. At least they do to Chris.

"It's always something different with the Magnum hops, but it's definitely a Chef Boyardee thing with me."

All I could smell was the malts and that delicious Ovaltine aroma.

Chris on the hot seat with Rob for the
Durham Craft Beer Talk podcast

Sampling the beer brought to the party by these legendary #Beersaints was fun too, but I had to cut off the tasting after a while, what with work scheduled after the event.

(Which is where the gang all went after the event. So while they were all sitting down to delicious barbecue and craft beer goodness at Buster Rhino's, I was working during one of our busiest nights in weeks. I would drop by the table briefly and chat a few times but work kept pulling me back. Jealous much? Not me.)

 But I was able to whet my whistle a few times in the afternoon because brewing is thirsty work. There was Latent Content, a five per cent Coffee Oatmeal Stout from Rorschach (watch for these guys - great new brewery); and Double Jutsu, Roman Candle and Ghost Orchid (drool) from the famed Bellwoods Brewery.

Local brews included Mango Hopshake from 5 Paddles (a 7.3 per cent Milkshake IPA); a Blackberry Kettle Sour from Brock Street called Don't Know Don't Care and Peachy Princess from the same brewery; Ginger Haze from Falcon; and Falconer's Flight, a New England IPA from Manantler.

There was even some international representation, with a bottle of Orval, a genuine Abbey ale from Belgiun, on the table as well.

And that's just to name a few. It was difficult (but necessary) to resist drinking ALL THE BEERS.

The gang, once more. minus Paul, who snapped the pic

Besides the brewing and the drinking and the general #Beersaints camaraderie, there was also a live broadcast of some of the festivities, courtesy of Rob and his Durham Craft Beer Talk podcast. Rob interviewed most of us (I keep telling you, Jen: you're a star!) and other than sounding like my younger brother, I didn't sound lame.

Which is really my goal every day. You can hear it here: Durham Craft Beer Talk (Episode 4). I'm on from 25:54 to 30:42 but you're welcome to listen to the whole podcast. Minimal lameness. Lotsa fun.

Did I say the day was a lot of fun? I did. And it was.

Now all we have to do is wait for the beer to be ready.