Brewery tours and family chores - the best tonic

There's nothing like a little brewery run to get a guy out of the doldrums.

I had been meaning for months to do a proper tour of the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, home to perhaps the greatest concentration of breweries and brew pubs in Ontario. There are so many breweries here, in fact, that 13 of them banded together to try to get the City to declare the neighbourhood Toronto's official Brewery District.

They're still working on that.

The area in question extends beyond the Junction proper, from Rainhard Brewing in the Stockyard district (a Jose Bautista stone's throw from the Junction) south-east to the legendary Bellwoods Brewery, located in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. It's about a 13 kilometre drive from one end to the other, with only a few detours along the route.

Hitting up all the breweries on the list would be an all-day affair and involve a hotel or an expensive cab ride, and with work waiting for me later in the afternoon time was my enemy and money and I are barely on speaking terms, so that 'proper tour' I mentioned earlier would have to wait.

So I visited just four, and only one was new. Oh well. The quest will continue next time.

But first on the agenda was an enjoyable morning spent doing a few chores at my parents' place in the suburban wilds of north-west Toronto. When I was a kid and slugging a thousand pound backpack (it seemed at the time) through the mosquito-infested cottage trail, I wouldn't have dreamed that 'enjoyable' and 'chores' would ever leave my lips.

But time does strange things to one's perspective and even though the 'rents are but a 40 minute car ride away from the Third Floor Loft in the 'Shwa, sometimes it seems they are so far away it hurts. So any time I can spend time with them I'm there, and if Dad wants his grass cut or his attic cleaned out his Number Two Son will make himself available.

Besides, it's really quite therapeutic.

So I was in a far better frame of mind when I decided to reward myself with a few brewery stops on the way home, starting with Rainhard Brewing.

Rainhard is hard to find as it's tucked away betwixt and between a cluster of abandoned factories in what was once Canada's largest abattoir. But I've been there many times and this time I found the place in full roar with people packed inside and out, and the lineups for beer ten strong. I guess I should have done my research but Jordan Rainhard was there in the flesh to enlighten me: it was the release of Hearts Collide Imperial Stout, his first barrel-aged beer.

Rainhard Brewing's tap list

I probably should have bought some, I suppose, but instead I grabbed a couple of bottles of Double Kapow, an 8.1 per cent, 95 IBU brand new Imperial IPA that is part of his Revolution Series. It's also the first new IIPA at Rainhard since Hop Cone Syndrome won silver at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

I sipped a half-pint of Armed 'N Citra, Rainhard's excellent pale ale, and crowd watched for a bit before heading out to stop #2: Indie Ale House.

This brewpub is only a few minutes away from Rainhard (after you fight your way through the construction) and is a long-time favourite of mine. But I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't linger long. I bought a couple of bottles of Instigator IPA ("crisp, dry, bitter and excellent"), re-checked my GPS co-ordinates and headed east towards a new brewery: Halo.

This start-up is already making headlines in the local beer world, winning 'Newcomer of the Year' at this year's Ontario Brewing Awards, an honour that belonged to Rainhard in 2015. Well deserved, too, though I wouldn't be able to confirm that until I took my Black Knight (Black IPA) and Magic Missile (Session IPA) bottles home.

I sampled a malt cider (!) called Elder God (made with Elderberry and Elder Flower) while I was inside and pronounced it ... interesting ... before getting back on the road for my final stop: Bellwoods Brewery.

A world class pale ale from
a world class brewery

One of Canada's truly world class breweries, this brew house is noted for producing unique beers and interesting takes on traditional styles. I sipped on a Roman Candle IPA at the bar while people-watching on Ossington Avenue before venturing into the adjoining bottle shop, where I lucked into a few beers I had never tried before.

A new IPA made with Enigma and Galaxy hops had just been released, so I bought two bottles, and I also went home with a bomber of Monogamy Chinook, part of their single hop pale ale series that are almost always excellent.

And then my phone rang. It was Heather at Tri-Modern Deliveries and she wanted to know when I could be ready for work. "Well, I'm almost downtown," I started to say before she interrupted. "Good. I need you at Mr. Burger right away."

"Downtown Toronto, Heather. Not Oshawa. I'll be a while."

She was slightly less than pleased and I wasn't thrilled either, because that meant I was at the end of the Junction Brewery Tour, October edition.

Will there be a November tour? Maybe. If the criteria is 'whenever I'm in a funk,' then I could do it nearly every day. Then again, I could just visit my Mom and Dad and do a little work around the house. That works just as well.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock

With the exception of the Instigator IPAs from Indie Ale House, every beer I brought home from my visit to the Junction was a new experience for me. So let's get to them, shall we?

I went with the IPA with Enigma and Galaxy from Bellwoods first because I was fascinated by the idea of  an IPA tasting of basil and black tea. I have enjoyed basil in my beer (5 Paddles: Italian Backyard) and tea (Stone/Baird/Ishii: Japanese Green Tea IPA) so I had high hopes Bellwoods would pull it off.

I'm not that sure they did. It poured a murky yellow with a mango/pineapple aroma. Very interesting flavours. There was a hint of citrus and then BAM! there was this bitterness that was hard to describe. Black tea? Sure, why not. Overall, it was pretty tasty but definitely weird. This might be an accustomed taste.

Halo Brewery Black Knight (Black IPA)

The Monogamy Chinook was a solid winner, so Bellwoods didn't lose any brownie points with me as a result of this visit. This 6.4 per cent American Pale Ale was da bomb, as they say. The aroma was pine and ripe grapefruit with a touch of spice, with more of the same on the tongue, along with tropical fruit. Smooth and really drinkable.

Next up was Double Kapow from Rainhard, a "supercharged" version of Kapow, their excellent west coast IPA. The Double is a seriously powerful beer that drinks like a less imposing brew, not unlike Ronda Rousey after a few post-fight puffs. Citrus and pine on the nose with tropical fruit flavours, soft pine and a little weed gave it some complexity. Balanced and beautiful.

Last to leave my fridge were the two bottles from upstart Halo Brewery. Black Knight, which  just put out a  challenge to Manantler's Dark Prince for Black IPA of the Year, and Magic Missile, a mighty tasty Session IPA.

Black Knight was all coffee on the nose and toast, roasted coffee, a bit of licorice and some citrus on the tongue. Slick, not bitter.

Magic Missile was tropical goodness on the nose. Lighter in body than I expected but quite delicious. Citrusy and a bit dank with melon and some grassy notes. Not a lot of bitterness. Nice.

U.S. Trumped

As I write this the United States of America is waking up to the fact they have just elected  Donald Trump as their next President.

I am not terribly alarmed as what The Donald can get up to in the Oval Office. Presidential powers are usually overstated so I fear not of buttons and the pushing of same, and the thought of him shaming or embarrassing America over the next four years (pretty much a given, no?) doesn't bother me. I am, after all, Canadian. Trump is not my problem.

If I was American I would be more worried by the Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, because there is a chance some good things - such as  health care reform - can be undone by a party anxious to push their weight around after eight years away.

But what  really scares me is this election may serve as a validation for all the racism, misogyny, homophobia and all-round hatred that had been released by Trump's supporters during this campaign. 

That's what is truly scary about a Trump Presidency. The wound goes deep and I don't know if American can heal itself.

I hope so.

Thank God I drink.