The secret to winning at the track? Winning
And that ain't no Fake News)

I was at the track and I was on a roll.

It was Craft Beer Day at Ajax Downs, an event I attended last year with my protesting son in tow (They have Wi-Fi, right?), and I naturally popped in to the slots room to try my luck.

Ten bucks went in the machine and after nearly ten minutes of watching my credits creep down to zero territory I figured it was time to get out of this dungeon and into the sunshine, so I bet it all.

And won. How about that?

Three queens, I think, but I wasn't really paying attention and I couldn't see worth shit anyway.

So I stuck around another five minutes or so, won a few more little pots and cashed out happily, having beat the machine.

I was up $5.70, dammit!

And they're off! Quarter-horse racing at Ajax Downs

Trackside, I plunked down three dollars of my hard won money on three beer tickets and found the Flying Monkey's booth for a sample of their delicious Juicy Ass IPA.

I wasn't going to be here long, so I lined up to place a bet on the only race I was going to see, the penultimate sixth race on the card. Two bucks went on Gogo Jangles to win and $4 went on this horse, who was the favourite and listed in the program at 3-1, to show. Four more dollars was placed on Front Me Money, a 10-1 long shot.

With my big casino winnings still fresh on my mind, I was feeling confident as I headed to the rail to watch the race.

But betting is thirsty work, so I stopped at the Northern Maverick booth to refresh my glass first.

Matty from Northern Maverick Brewing
(and me) with Fake News Ale

I chose Northern Maverick - newcomers who just opened a huge 400-seat restaurant and brewery in Toronto's King West neighbourhood - partly because I had never heard of them, but mostly because the beer they were selling was called Fake News Ale and pictured on the label a caricature of the cartoonish buffoon running the country just to the south of us.

Not bad at all. Strong malt character, but a decent beer to crush on a warm summer day.

The beer. Not the president, though that statement could apply to him as well.

Back on the rail, I watched the #1 horse, Snow Storming, break from the gate and go for a rip down the track - riderless - to the cheers of the crowd, before officials got everything sorted out and the race went on for real.

A bunch of horses at the finish line and a cloud of dust is what I saw, but the board told the real story: Gogo Jangles came first.

Like I said, I was on a roll.

But I would soon find out that winning was not all it cracked up to be. When Snow Storming was scratched the odds were duly adjusted and my horse ended up going off at 6/5 odds, which meant you would have to put up five bucks just to win back six.

My take on the Gogo Jangles win bet was $2.40. On the show bet? Twenty whole cents on top of my $4 bet. Couple that with the $4 I wagered on Front Me Money and I ended up losing $1.40.

Don't ask me to check my math.

Still. A win is a win and I celebrated by enjoying a tasty blonde ale from Henderson Brewing. Only fair, I thought, as Henderson sponsored the race.

To recap, I spent $4 on a program, $3 on beer and lost $1.40 wagering (while winning). Meanwhile, I won $5.70 at the slots.

So if I carry the three and ... never mind. Mathing is hard. All I know is winning is expensive.

The Passion Fruit Sour tap takeover

I'm standing behind the bar putting clean glasses away when Jessica approaches with a sample glass of beer in her hand.

"You can have a sip," she says. "It's the Passion Fruit Sour."

This is the beer that was the hit of the recent Durham Craft Beer Festival and it is also the beer that was long gone before I got my hands on it so yes, Jess, I'll have a sip.

It was all it cracked up to be. Tart and delicious: like drinking grapefruit juice. And everyone likes grapefruit juice. Except this was made with passion fruit. Whatever. It was awesome.

"So you're good then? she asked sweetly, perhaps hinting I should shut the hell up about it.

"No, not really," I muttered under my breath. "Sure. That was great. Thank you," I said aloud.

I wasn't worried about getting a full pint in me before the night was out. It was the Rouge River Brewery Tap Takeover at Buster Rhino's and ten different brews from the upstart Markham brewers were flowing and the place was hopping.

My shift was going to end soon and then the Passion Fruit Sour, the peachy-good Summer IPA and any other Rouge River brew that struck my fancy would be mine for the taking.

And at around ten o'clock I found myself on the patio with a plate of chicken fingers, a pint of Passion Fruit Sour and a flight of three other Rouge River beers in front of me.

Life could get a lot worse.

I spent some time chatting with Darryl and Beth at the Buster Rhino's Executive Table, talked to Rouge River Brewmaster Jordan about his philosophy on beer (and was gifted cool Rouge River glassware), got poked in the eye by a pretty young lady with green hair who thought I was her Dad, and finished the evening with a pint of the most delicious Summer IPA.

So yes, Jessica. I'm good. Thanks for asking.

Brewer's Pantry rises (👍) Tuesday!

*Updated (again)*
After a couple of devastating floods in the past month caused a shutdown of Brewer's Pantry there were fears that it would be a long time - if ever - before the Bowmanville brewer's supply store would re-open.

That would be tragic because Brewer's Pantry owner Matthew Chellew is one of the most popular guys in the local beer scene and one of my favourite people.

Not to mention the supplier for my homebrew pals.

Matthew Chellew of Brewer's Pantry.Yes, that's rum
in his glass. The man is allowed to diversify!

But fear not. Thanks to some hard work from Matt and his friends - the list of people he thanked on social media was quite extensive - and some understanding on the part of insurance companies, Brewer's Pantry is set to re-open early next week.

Construction has taken a little longer than expected to complete, but Matt hopes to be ready to go by Tuesday.

"We're moving location without moving location," Matt said in a Facebook post, adding that Brewer's Pantry is now located around the back at 116 King Street West. "Same building, different unit."

At the time of writing equipment and supplies were being moved to the new unit as a storage room and a custom milling room were being built.

I ran into Matt the other day and got the construction update but forgot to congratulate the man.  So congratulations Matt! And may local homebrewers now get back to happy brewing!