Well the CNE is finally over for another year and I'm not going to lie to you, my feet aren't sad to see it go. Standing on your feet slingin' pints for 8-12 hours a day for 18 days really gets the dogs a barkin'. That being said, my heart is sad to see it go. The 2011 CNE was the first foray into the public forum for the Sawdust City Brewing Co and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. I know I said in the last post that the Muskoka Beer Fest was our first festival, but the CNE was our first public "exhibition". And from all accounts I think it was a most successful one. We got to meet and talk to a lot of great people about what we are going to be doing up at Sawdust City and so many of them were not only enthusiastic but also supportive of our plans. It was very uplifting and reassuring to see such a response from people who were basically complete strangers. But outside of just getting to talk to consumers and good beer fans about our products, I think it was a wonderful event for craft beer in general. By the end of the 18 days, there were 30 different beers available from 13 different breweries to try and with each passing day, more and more people came by the Wine and Beer Garden to do some sampling. With many of them coming back more than once!
You have to remember that this was the first time anything like this has been attempted at the CNE and no one was sure how it was going to go over. But Jed (from The Griffin Gastropub) and Bryn did a fantastic job of putting together the event and running a pretty tight ship over those 18 long and sometimes endless days. Sawdust City owes them a big thank you for letting us come in and showcase the Great Weiss North at their event. Along with Jed and Bryn we also want to thank Jaime (The Sassy Lamb), Marta, Rachel, Amelia
and Katlyn (sorry if I spelled your names wrong) for all their help pulling pints and collecting empties during the CNE. Without you guys we wouldn't have gotten our beer into the waiting hands of the public.
And to all the other craft brewers that showed up on their "feature" days to help introduce people to their great beers (Beau's, Spearhead, Great Lakes, Nickle Brook, Creemore, Lake of Bays, Mill St and Wellington) it was great getting to know you and work with you. Hopefully we'll get to work together again in the future.
Lastly I would like to thank the Niagara College and their Teaching Brewery for helping brew the Great Weiss North. It was a wonderful experiment with wonderful results.
Anyhoo, that's about it for now. Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.
No one said openin' a brewery was gonna be easy. But here in Sawdust City, we don't much care for easy. We've spent 18 months patiently perfecting our brews and honing our skills and now we feel it's time to bring our beer home and finally give Sawdust City the brewery it so richly deserves. So keep an eye on this here blog over the up coming months, cause things are moving fast and the dust is really starting to fly!
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