The Benefit of Friends

So Spring sprung and then it shrunk.  Then it sprung up again.  Now it seems to have shriveled back down once again.  And no this isn't a slick segue into the fact that we just brewed our second batch of Ol'Woody Alt, cause that would be down right crass...although we did just brew it last week.  So yeah, I'll take the crassness and move on (also, keep an eye out for Ol'Woody, he should be springing up in awesome beer pubs early next month!).

Truth is I'm just bemoaning the lack of consistent, solid weather.  Mother Nature has been down right bi-polar this year. But this is Canada and really, we should kinda expect it.  Or at least just shut up and take it.  And take it we shall. Cause rain or shine or wind or snow, it's the Spring Fest at The Only Cafe this weekend!  So grab your shorts and sandals, or possibly Kodiaks and snow pants, cause either way, we be drinkin'!

There is a fantastic list of breweries lined up for this years event.  For further information check out the link I  done just posted right down there -

http://www.theonlycafe.com/theonly/fest.html

And if that list of awesome craft breweries is not enough to entice you to come, well listen up.  Sawdust City is going to be releasing their 2nd seasonal at this here Spring Fest.  That's right, The Princess Wears Girlpants will be making it's first appearance.  Well, actually 2nd appearance.  We did release a cask of it for last weekends wonderful IPA Cask challenge at barVolo (which woulda been a whole bunch more wonderful had our cask of Lone Pine not exploded! Cursed casks!) as part of Friday's fun night of festivities.  But honestly, this is a Belgian Golden Ale and it needs to be drank in it's proper fully carbonated form.  All dolled up and dressed to kill, The Princess Wears Girl Pants is an 8.5% Belgian Golden, loaded with Motueka, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops.  Don't believe me.  Well check out this here poster and see for yourself.

Now before you go gettin' any cockimamy ideas about the origins of this beer handle, lemme just tell you, this beer done come by it's handsome moniker quite honestly.  Named after two of my very dear friends, Princess & Girlpants, this here ale is somewhat of a hybrid beer.  A special brew, I believe would be enjoyed by both equally.  You see Princess ain't too fond of big, hoppy beers, he like his pints to be easy drinkin' and not too harsh.  But Girlpants on the other hand, he done love his hops.  He want an aggressive, in yo' face, gut punchin' pint.  So I figure the best way to give them both what they want was to create an easy drinking 8.5% dry hopped Belgian, usin' only the juiciest varieties of New Zealand hops.  Don't believe me.  Well read this here back label a see for yourself.

So yeah, maybe at first blush the names of our seasonal and one-off beers at the Sawdust City Brewing Co., may seem silly and outlandish, cause well...hey they are.  But there is method to our collective madness.  Each of our beers, each of our names, and each of our labels, has in it, important details from the lives we live.  Be it intimate details about the town we live in, the family and friends that populate our lives or just the books and artwork that have been important to us over the years.  We want to honour all those things and the best way we know how, is to make a beer with a silly name about them.   Cause in the end, it's just beer folks and it should be fun.

Well that's that.  So what else is new?  Well lots, but that's gonna have to wait.  It's a busy time for the Sawdust City Brewing Co., as we're all off to wild south west. We're all headin' down to San Diego for the Craft Brewer's Conference next week.  A great event that may or may not prove to be my own personal Waterloo.  Last years conference in San Fran almost did me in and this year my brother is going.  Not good.  Wish me luck.

If I do make it out alive, I promise to bring back tales of beer glory and wonder.  Until then, everything will have to wait.

Anyhoo, that's about it for now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.

Post v. Brew

Ladies and Gentleman of the jury, I know it has been some time since I last posted on this here internet, but over the course of this blog post I will prove BEYOND a shadow of a doubt that I was in fact, extremely busy and was by no means neglecting my duties as your guide to Sawdust City.
If it pleases the court, I would like to offer in to evidence, Exhibit A -

The logo and label for Sawdust City's next and second seasonal release of 2012.  Proof, that while I haven't been updating the blog as much as I ought too, I have most certainly been hard at work creating new brands of beer for our burgeoning brewery.

Brewed with three new and exciting hop varieties from New Zealand (Moteuka, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin), "The Princess Wears Girlpants" is also Sawdust City's first attempt at a Belgian style ale.  Not quite a Golden Ale.  Not quite a Tripel.  And not really a Belgian IPA, this unique beer is a little of everything.  A beautiful golden hue, easy to drink even at 8.5% abv and with a hop forward profile, this ale has it all.  And too top it all off, half of the batch is going to be aged in oak blueberry wine barrels...donated to us by the good folks at Muskoka Winery (http://www.cranberry.ca/) .

So, as you can plainly see, Ladies and Gentleman, that with this new beer there is definitely good reason for my internet tardiness.  Internet tardiness?  Umm...on second thought, can I have that last statement stricken from the record?

Moving on.  Next I would like to offer into evidence, Exhibit B -

The poster for barVolo's 4th annual IPA Cask Challenge.  Now although Sawdust City is very new and is just getting it's proverbial feet wet, we are by no means going to back down from a challenge.  So in order to prepare for this single elimination, brewery throw down, we decided to hike up our socks and work a little harder to prepare something special for this fantastic event.

With so many great breweries filling up the brackets of this hotly contested competition, we knew that we would have to be at our absolute best if we would have even a Mynocks chance on Hoth in taking home the hardware. Good people of the Jury, please excuse my obscure Star Wars reference. I may have gotten a little excited just there.  But I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger...crap, I did it again!.

Now where were we.  Oh yes...so again, as you can see, my time has been taken up by not only creating new beers, but also by brewing beer for this competition.  With only so many hours in a day good Jury, you must understand why I may have slacked a little in my posting duties.

And lastly kind Jury, Exhibit C -

The label and logo of Sawdust City's Lone Pine IPA.  The first of our "Mainstay" brands to be brewed for a second time. I felt, as head brewer, that I had to make sure that this batch was hoppy-er, piny-er and bitterer-er, than the first.  So while I enjoyed the first batch quite thoroughly, I decided to dedicate more time and effort to making this IPA the best it could be.

Brewed at the beginning of March, this ale needed extra time and care with loads of late and dry hopping.  So instead of chaining myself to the laptop, I tethered myself to the brew house.  And upon it's release, I had to make sure it got into the hands of some of Ontario's finest beer joints.  No easy task I assure you dear Jury.  All of this demands time!

So there you have it Ladies and Gentleman, I hope that I have proved to you that there has been good reason for my lack of posts.  And although yes, I have neglected to post over the past few weeks, it is my intention to return to a more regular schedule.  And to be more prompt with upcoming information.

I thank you for your time and I rest my case.

Anyhoo, I think that's about it for now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.

Pining for Pine

My apologies kind City-zens but it's been two weeks since I last posted here on our blog, but trust me it's been busy and we've been hard at work ramping up for the upcoming onslaught. You see it's been two days since the unofficial kick off to the drinking season (St.Paddy's Day) and it's two more days until the unofficial kick off of the patio season (first day of Spring) and we here at the Sawdust City Brewing Co., could not be happier.

Not only was St. Paddy's Day it's usual awesome self, with fun being had by all who ventured out into the unseasonably warm embrace of the 17th of March.  But for the first time ever, we got to enjoy a few of our own stouts on the stoutiest of all days.  It seems a simple dream, but until Saturday, being able to enjoy a stout I brewed in a bar had been just that, a dream.  Well cross that off the list folks, cause I done did that.  And in spades!  With an pseudo pub-crawl of wicked bars across downtown Toronto, we were able to find a few places that were carrying our stout and we elected to enjoy some of said stout and said pubs.  Good times, good times indeed!

So what were those bars in which we were able to find Sawdust City beers?  Well thanks to AJ Sharma, a card carrying City-zen of the Sawdust City Nation, you too can find those bars with this simple and easy to use map.  Check out the link -

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203783977480740694666.0004bb744ad9f95f2204a&msa=0&ll=43.670355,-79.377937&spn=0.110508,0.235519

No more muss, no more fuss. Just consult the map, head to one of these convenient locations and you'll be able to walk confidently up to the bar and order a fine pint of Sawdust City.  How fine you ask?  Well thanks to The Thirsty Wench, you can read this review and get an idea of just how fine.
Check out the link -

http://thethirstywench.com/2012/03/15/currently-drinkingskinny-dipping-stout-by-sawdust-city-brewing-co/

And the wicked pic -

So yes, momentum is building here in Sawdust City and like I said, we couldn't be happier.  For right on the heals of all this positivity is the return of the mighty Lone Pine IPA!  V 1.0 of Lone Pine sold out super fast, with all the bottles, kegs and casks flying right out the freezer doors.  So with such a great response what else were we to do but tweak the recipe and make a few changes!  The bane of all brewers is our inability to stand pat and not tinker with a recipe.  We know, We know, consistency is key, but sometimes we just have to tinker.  The general theme of V 2.0 is the same, hop forward with lots of pine notes, we just wanted to make it...you know....hoppier....and pinier.  So we did.

With just a few strategic changes to the hop charges and a few more days on the dry hop, we think that we've achieved just  that. more delicious hoppiness and more face slapping pininess.  And seeing as we brewed it with the fine folks at Black Oak brewing, there is now twice as much Lone Pine awesomeness kicking around!

So thanks to AJ and his amazing map, you too will be able to find Lone Pine IPA at bars across the GTA real soon, maybe as early as next week (March 28th)!

Oh but wait, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you about Gateway Kolsch....it's almost gone!  Our first double batch brewed at Black Oak has been selling much faster than we anticipated.  With twice as much beer, we expected it to last twice as long...well that didn't happen.  With only a few kegs left, it looks like we're going to have to brew this again real soon.  Perfect for this early warm spring weather, Gateway Kolsch has all but disappeared, so head out and try a pint before its gone.

Anyhoo, that just about does it for now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.

That Lovely Smarch Weather

It hung around longer than usual but the dreary month of February has finally moved on.  March here we come!  And with March here we have two big events on the horizon, St. Patty's Day and the First Day of Spring.  Hazzah! One is the unofficial kick off to the drinking season, the other one is an Irish holiday.  Zing, pow...see what I did there. You thought I was gonna say...but then I didn't.... and now it's funny.  Okay, maybe not that funny.

Moving on.

With St.Patrick's Day just a few weeks away it's a good thing we have our Skinny Dipping Stout out there in bars.  While a certain big brewery is saying that there maybe a shortage of their stout floating around for one of the biggest drinking days of the year, I say, damn the torpedos and drink something local!  Something local and chances are, something way more tasty too!  Now, I'm not gonna toot my own horn, but the Skinny Dipping Stout is mighty tasty brew and it's just one of many great stouts that you can find here in Ontario.  I've recently had the new Railway City Stout and it's a darn tasty beer.  Amsterdam has a fne stout in the "Two Fisted Stout" and "O'Keef's Stout" from Granite Brewery is great as well.  I also used to work for a pretty well known brewery in Toronto that happens put out a fantastic stout with their "Cobblestone Stout".

Now I'm not just gonna sit here and list off stout after stout, but just be comfortable in knowing that Ontario is not left wanting when it comes to the stout.  We no longer must depend on the kindness of the Irish to inebriate us on the 17th of March.  We can handle it just fine on our own Thank You Very Much!

So this year, when you find yourself stumbling from pub to pub looking for your next sip of delicious black gold, ask the kindly Publican for a taste of something local.  You may just find the next love of your life.
Ah and oh my, the 17th just happens to fall on a Saturday this year.  Dangerous.  But dangerous in a good way.  So remember to enjoy responsibly. But responsibly in a good way.

And what of the vernal equinox?  The burgeoning of a new season.  The waning of Winter and the sprouting of Spring?  I for one could not not be happier that Old Man Winter is finally packing his crusty ol' bags and heading down South for another year.  Spring is my favourite time of year.  Well favourite next to Summer.  I think it's just a timing thing right now.  I'll be so happy to see Winter leave that anything by comparison is just so much better.

With Spring just around the corner and so much to celebrate its a good thing that our Gateway Kolsch is out there in bars.  While a certain big brewery is saying.....wait, I've done this already.  And I'm almost certain there is no big brewery floating Kolschs around Ontario....really it's just us and Beau's (and Lugtread is an awesome Kolsch).

So what was I saying? Yes, it's a good thing our Kolsch is out there in bars.  Cause, it's a perfect beer for this time of year.   A time of year when the mercury starts to rise and patrons start to trickle out of doors.  Patios are in full bloom and drinkers are looking for something a little less heavy and little more drinkable.  Welcome Gateway Kolsch!  At 4.8% abv, a pretty simple malt bill and with enough hops to keep you coming back for more, this is most certainly a Spring session ale.

The last of our 5 Mainstay brands, Gateway Kolsch was released last week at the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival but you can now find it all the way from Bracebridge and Barrie to the Big Smoke.  So keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages to know which bars will be carrying the Kolsch.

Anyhoo, that just about does it for now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.

Family Day! 'Tis the Season to Blog

Happy Family Day everyone!  Who doesn't love a totally fabricated but very much welcomed holiday in the middle of the dreariest of all months?  Not I good readers, not I.  If they want to give all us hard working stiffs a much deserved break, then hey, who am I too complain?

Well again, another week has passed and more good news from the Sawdust City Brewing Co!  Last Friday, friend of Sawdust City and all around good guy, Chris Schryer went into the Edge 102.1 studios with host Fearless Fred and did an on-air tasting of our latest release; Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus - Uranal Imperial Stout. The results were good dear readers, oh yes, the results were good.  But don't take it from me, take a listen to the full interview right here -

http://www.edge.ca/Blogs/FearlessFred/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10350213

So hot on the heals of this great review, Sawdust City is set to release it's next two beers.  As mentioned last week, Skinny Dipping Stout and Gateway Kolsch will both be making their debuts this weekend at the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival ( http://www.gravenhurstoperahouse.com/the-opera-house-will-be-host-to-many-events-for-the-gravenhurst-winter-carnival-february-24-25-26%20to%202048 ).  But for those of you wanting a sneak peek, try popping by a few of our regular joints in Toronto as you might be able to find it on tap.  WVRTS Sausage and Beer Hall and Dominion on Queen, a few new bars serving Sawdust City brands will be carrying it as well.  So pop in for a pint, sample some new beer and enjoy a few of Toronto's finest beer bars.

And what of Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus?  Well you can still find it at a few places. Of course The Griffin in Bracebridge has it, although as I type this, only a scant few pints remain.  Sarah's Cafe on the Danforth may still have a few pints as well.  And a few bottles are floating around some of the better beer bars in the Toronto area.  But if you do want to try it on draught before it's gone and you are in the Toronto area (well, at least gone until next year) barVolo on Yonge St will be tapping the last remaining keg of our Uranal Imperial Stout this Tuesday!  After that, only a single Firkin cask will be left on this here third planet from the sun and that cask belongs to Milos Kral and the rest of the crew at the Gambrinus Cafe & Bistro in lovely London, ON ( http://www.gambrinusbistro.com/ ).  This is the first time Sawdust City has ventured outside of Muskoka and the Toronto areas, so head out and try it before the long, dark drought begins.  'Cause you won't see this massive stout again until next winter.

So after we launch the two remaining "Mainstay" brands in the Sawdust City stable, what next?  Well, as we approach a new season, you can expect to see another seasonal release.  Right now it's looking like a barrel aged saison...but who knows, changes can and have been known to happen.  But what you can expect is a return of Lone Pine IPA.  Next up on the brew schedule and the first brand to be brewed for a second time, Lone Pine IPA should be ready by mid to late March.  I really liked the results from the first batch, but I'm a little nitpickey so I've made a few minor tweaks to the recipe.  It will still be distinctly piney and hop forward, I've just made a few adjustments to the hopping schedule, hoping to bring about even more hop flavour and aroma.

Well, it's going to be a big week for us this week folks.  We're super excited about not only launching the last two brands, but we're very much looking forward to spending some quality time in our home town of Gravenhurst during the upcoming Winter Carnival.  Rob, myself and the rest of the crew will be at the Opera House throughout the entire event, pouring pints and introducing ourselves to as many people as possible, so please stop by our booth, try some of our beer and say hello, we're happy to chat!

If you happen to be around Gravenhurst this week and want to have an early taste of our beer, try stopping by Regatta ( http://www.davezak.com/regatta/ ) for a glass of our Ol'Woody Alt.  They put us on tap last week so there may not be much left, but it's worth the trip down to the wharf and this fine restaurant any ways right?

Anyhoo, that's about it for now.  So until next time, keep the beer in your mug and the sawdust beneath your feet .

Skokie Meet Sawdust City. Sawdust City, Meet Skokie

Well it's been a few years since I've seen the iconic image of Skokie the Otter (well, iconic at least in the mind of a boy who grew up in Muskoka in the early '80s), but I'm glad to say that he's aged very well, doesn't look a day over 30.  I gotta say, seeing Skokie does bring back memories of my youth and Winter Carnivals of yore;  snow sculpture contests, speed hammering nails into logs, matinee movies and hot chocolate. Oh, those heady days of my youth.  For not thinking about it for almost a quarter century, the images are still pretty clear in my mind.

Yes, its been about 25 years since I've taken part in the Winter Carnival but I'm excited to announce that once again I'm going to be taking part in this fantastic annual event.  The Winter Carnival did go on hiatus for a few years and coincidentally, I also left the comfy confines of the Muskoka borders, but now we're both back. Skokie rides again! This time I'll be bringing a few friends with me, The Sawdust City Brewery.  Rob "The Big Kahuna" Engman and myself, along with the rest of the Sawdust City team, will be bringing a few of our new beers along with us to pour at the Gravenhurst Opera House throughout the duration of the festival.  Skinny Dipping Stout and Gateway Kolsch will be making their debut's in our home town.  So when you come out for some great music, why not grab yourself some great craft beer too!

They've put together a poster for the event, here it is -

And for more information of our beers, check these labels, they'll give you an idea what you're in store for.

We've got a little something for everyone with these two brews.  A dark, rich stout for those of you who like bolder beers.  And an easy drinking, more mellow kolsch, for those of you who like the lighter brews.  Both are packed with flavour so for those of you who just wanna try great beer, have a little of both!

We've had beer in Muskoka before, at the Mighty Griffin Gastropub,  but neither of these brews have been here before.  In fact, they've never been any where before, this is the first time we've brewed both of these and I'm really excited to be showcasing them on our home turf!

 They both been brewed and are patiently aging away in their respective fermenters, biding their time until they are unleashed upon the thirsty public.  Skinny Dipping Stout is a hardy brew, perfect for this time of year. Loaded with chocolate forward flavours of roasted malts this is a fantastic winter beater.  Gateway Kolsch on the other hand is drinker!  Designed after the Kolsch beers of Koln Germany, this light lagered ale is a session beer by design.  At 4.5% abv and made with soft German pilsner malt, you may find yourself having more than a few of these!

Sawdust City won't be the only brewery there though, Lake Of Bays and Muskoka Brewery will also be pouring at the event, which is fantastic.  We're so proud to be a part of this event and we're even more proud that we get to be standing beside our brewery brethren.  Both Lake of Bays and Muskoka make great beer, so we're going to have to bring our A game if we plan on standing next to them.

Anyhoo, that's about it for now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.

 

The 5th Annual Easter Seals Chili and Beerfest Wasn't The Only Fest This Weekend

A long and unnecessary title, I know, but after the whirlwind weekend we had at Sawdust City, it's going to have to do.  I'm tired.

So this is what happened on Friday -

We launched the Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus upon the unsuspecting crowd at The Only Cafe's Winterbeer Fest this past Friday night and I'm glad to report that it went over exceedingly well.  Along with it's good friends Ol'Woody Alt and Lone Pine IPA, Uranus was sucked dry in a mere matter of hours.  A good problem to have if you're a beer company.  Not so good if your a gas giant.

The Winterbeer Fest was put together by the good people at the legendary The Only Cafe in Toronto's Eastend.  Situated on Danforth Ave, The Only's Winterbeer Fest brought together brewers and beer fans for an outdoor celebration of all things beer.

As I mentioned, the festival itself was held outdoors on The Only's ample back patio.  And with temperatures running just above the freezing mark, you could not have asked for a better night to kick off the patio season...well in February. Just above freezing in February is fine, March not so much!  As soon as the gates opened at 5p the patio started to fill -

And with more brewers and imbibers dropping in throughout the night, that ample patio was packed to the brim in no time.  Along with us, there were a slew of other great craft breweries from across Ontario and the rest of Canada

Black Oak

McAuslan

And King Brewery

Just to name a few.  Railway City, Cameron's Brewing, Steamwhistle, Wellington, Flying Monkey's, Creemore and Beau's were all in attendance too.  There may have been others, but after a few of the Flying Monkey's Imperial Stout...well let's just say I may have forgotten.  And Flying Monkey's weren't the only ones that brought special beers just for this occasion.  Steamwhistle had an unfiltered, dry-hopped version of their massively successful Pilsner on hand, a rare treat indeed.  Wellington brought a one off cask of IPA, Black Oak had a cask of Hop Bomb Pale Ale and Beau's had their Beaver River IP'eh there too, a day before it's release none the less.

And while I was out exploring the fantastic wares of the festival, The Great Nodini and KR manned the Sawdust booth...you can't buy friends like that.  Unless you have an ample supply of beer.  Then yes, yes you can buy friends like that.

It was a beer festival so of course Troy Burtch from TAPS The Beer Magazine was there.  This time though he wasn't just there to represent Canada's only national beer publication, but apparently Scandinavian ingenuity as well...check out the awesome "skoozi"(sp?), a must for any outdoor beer enthusiast.

All and all, it was a fantastic time at The Only Cafe, but with so many breweries and so much fantastic beer, how could it not be.  Just ask Jaime, she seemed pretty happy to be there -

Friday was a good night for Sawdust City, but that wasn't all that was going on this weekend.  On Saturday and Sunday up in Barrie, Ontario, it was the 5th annual Easter Seals Beer & Chili Festival and Sawdust City was proud to be there serving our Ol'Woody Alt and Lone Pine IPA.

Representing Sawdust City at the Beer & Chili Fest was chef Sean.

Sporting the Sawdust colours, Sean doled and poured until he could dole and pour no more!  The crowds came early and often and Sean did his darndest to not only sate their thirst for beer but also for their thirst for information about our new brewery

He got the beer out and he got the word out.  By the end of the festival the good people of Barrie knew what Sawdust City was all about.

The Easter Seals Chili and Beer Fest was a wonderful event for a great cause and Sawdust City was just happy they could be a part of it.  And just like The Only Cafe's Winterfest, we ran out of beer in Barrie too!  So although I maybe tired, it was a successful weekend all around.  Thanks to Noddy and Kevy for manning the booth at The Only.  Thanks to Chef Sean for manning the booth in Barrie.  Thanks to Jaime and Steph for snapping some sweet pics.  And thanks to everyone that came out and tried out beer at these two awesome events.  We really do appreciate it.

Anyhoo, that's about it for this now.  Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet.