All Aboard! Next Stop Uranus!

As January wraps up a new month beckons as does Sawdust City's next beer release!  That's right folks our first seasonal has been packaged into cask, keg and bottle and is ready for it's maiden voyage.  Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus is all set to hit the streets, so get it while you can cause there isn't much of it to go around.  We made a very small batch, only 500L of this luscious Imperial Stout was created, so keep your eyes out for it as it will soon be gone and it might be a while before it makes it's return.  It's a long way to Uranus don't you know.

8.5%, 85 IBU and 2.57billion SRM, this decadent treat is loaded with rich, sinful flavours of chocolate and espresso. It has a big bitter kick though, so approach with caution...this is not for the faint of heart.
Long, Dark Voyage will be at awesome beer bars around Toronto starting next week.  Look for it at barVolo, Burger Bar, Smokeless Joe's to name a few.  We're also branching out to the further reaches of the province as we will be sending our first few kegs out London way to be put on tap at the Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe.  A great beer bar, Sawdust City is happy to be able to find another home away from home, so thanks to Milo's and the rest of the crew at Gambrinus.  Of course, you'll also be able to find Long, Dark Voyage at our second home...the mighty Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge, ON.  Re-opening on the 26th of January, the Griffin will be sporting a new look for the new year.  So come out and see what's changed and try a few pints while your ate it!

Other than that, Sawdust City is also pleased to announce that we will be a part of the 5th Annual Easter Seals Chili and Beer Fest in Barrie this year.  There is going to be great food, great beer and it's all for a great cause, so come on out and try some thing new Februrary 4th and 5th at the Southshore Community Center in lovely Barrie, ON.  Check out the website -

http://www.facebook.com/events/298907923492584/

And that's not all folks, that same weekend Sawdust City will also be taking part in another festival, the legendary The Only Cafe's Winter Beer Fest on the Danforth in Toronto.  Along with a slew of other great craft breweries from across Ontario and the rest of the country, Sawdust City will be sampling some of it's beers, some come out and beat the winter blah's with a good ol'fashioned beer fest.  Who know's, Uranus might even make an appearance! Check out the website -

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

So even as we enter the dead of winter, Sawdust City is very much alive and kicking!  And we're only getting started folks, 2012 is going to be a big year for us, so we're going to try to keep up the momentum, releasing a few more of our Mainstay brands and maybe even another seasonal or two.  So keep an eye on this here blog, or follow us on our facebook page or our twitter account....heck you can follow us on untappd.com, a new social website for beer lovers...check it out and then check in next time you're drinking a Sawdust City pint -

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

The Winter Blahs

Well we're staunchly ensconced in the dreaded and dreary Winter Blahs.  The Holidays have come and gone, the New Year has kicked off and we've all gone back to the insipid minutia of the day to day.  Trudging through the early morning ice and snow, we scrape the overnight frost off our car windows.   Then we sit in a half frozen car fighting slowed traffic all the way to work, our only prize is hopefully getting that sweet parking spot right next to the front door.  Yes, Old Man Winter has us firmly in his icy grip and I fear he has no plans of letting us go until the Spring thaw is upon us.  He's a greedy and lonely fellow my dear readers.  And he'll squeeze every drop of joy and optimism out of us like some demonic python that only feeds on our hopes and dreams. Luckily we have beer.

Yep, there is no shortage of great craft beer out there folks.  The craft beer industry in Ontario and across this great Country of ours is booming with new brands, new breweries and new beers seemingly coming out everyday.  We maybe entrenched in the Winter Blahs, but its certainly a good time to be a beer drinker here in Ontario!

And we here at the Sawdust City Brewing Co. are just glad to be a part of this exploding scene.  We've pumped out a few beers over our short existence and we've go no plans to slow down.  As mentioned in my last post, up next we have our Uranal Imperial Stout, "Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus".  Loaded with robust flavours of espresso, chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt this massive stout is most definitely a winter beater.  Coming in at a mere 8.5% abv, this ale is as black as Satan's blood and will warm every nook and cockle of your heart.

So if the Winter Blahs have got you down, head out to your favourite local beer bar and set out on a Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus. It may just be the escape that your looking for!  And hey, we know you got it tough, so we're going to make it easy for you to take this trip too.  We're going to bottle, keg and cask this ale.  So which ever way you like to travel, we got the vessel for you.

Now, I tried Uranus just this past week in the fermenter and I have to say it's pretty darn close to being finished.   Just a little more mellowing and it'll be ready for it's maiden voyage.  ETA is week of January 23rd...probably the 25th or 26th.  So like I said, look for it at your favourite beer bar in the GTA and Muskoka.

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

A New Year!

It's been a while folks, but we've been pretty busy here in Sawdust City.  Sorry for the prolonged absence and gaps between posts, but so it goes.  It was a great Holiday season and we're excited to start in on the New Year.  As our tag line says, "The Dust Will Fly in 2012!" and here we are, 2012 already.  The dust has already to started to fly....well moderately at least.  Here's a recap on said moderate flying dust!

2011 saw Sawdust City kick off with our collaboration brew Great Weiss North.  Brewed with the Niagara Teaching Brewery and featured at the CNE, Great Weiss North featured an ingredient from every province and territory in the country.  Not a bad way to start if you ask me.  Later we brewed a few one-off beers for some events across the province which were again received well, like our "I Swear Sugarpants it was Your Idea".  A lactose brown ale brewed with masala spices was a fun little brew that we put together for VoloCaskDays.  Intended to be only an experimental one off, I ended up really liking the results though and you just may see this one again in the future!

After those one-offs, we finally received our Manufacturer's License from the AGCO on October 31st...this was a big day for Sawdust City, we could finally sell our beer!  Starting on November 18th with the release of our Golden Beach Pale Wheat (which saw two simultaneous parties.  One at The Griffin Gastropub in Muskoka and one at The Only Cafe in Toronto) we've been selling beer at some of the provinces best beer bars non-stop. 

We followed up the Golden Beach release party with a party for our Ol'Woody Alt (at The Monk's Kettle in Etobicoke) and hot on it's heals our Lone Pine IPA got the same treatment (at The Burger Bar in Toronto).  All three events were attended very well and we'd very much like to thank all those that made the trip out to try our beers.  We'd also like to say a very big thank you to the bar owners that hosted our events.  Again, we really appreciate all the support you've given us.  If it weren't for you guys, we'd have to where to sell our beer, so thanks again! And I know it's only been just under two months, but the reception has been great and we're very excited about the future.

So speaking about the future, what's up for 2012?   Well most importantly, we're hopefully going to be starting our building soon.  So keep an eye on the Muskoka Wharf over the next few months cause there should be some developments soon.  But on the beer front, we are going to be releasing our first "seasonal" beer in late January, early February.  "Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus", should be ready and packaged by the end of this month.  It started off at just under 22 plato and when I left for the Holidays it was down to about 6 plato.  Hopefully it crept a bit lower and the extra time in the fermenter should mellow out some of the big coffee, chocolate and roasted flavours.  This is a big stout folks, in fact it's a Uranal Stout of the highest order....take a read on the label -

This was a recipe I put together for the Iron Brewer last year but I liked it so much that I decided to brew it again.  I made a few changes, mainly taking out the star anise and oak spirals, deciding instead to focus on the intense chocolate and coffee flavours.

Like I said, this should be ready in about a month so keep an eye out for it at better beer bars across Toronto.  I've already got a few orders for casks of it, the remainder will be bottled with only a few kegs being made.

After Long, Dark Voyage, we are going to be brewing our regular stout, "Skinny Dipping Stout" which should be ready to go by early to mid-February depending on the brew schedule at the college.  An oatmeal stout with tons of chocolate malt (I also err on the side of chocolate...a good moto to live by if there ever was one), this ale is perfect for the cold winter months.  As soon as we brew it, I'll let y'all know so you can get appropriately excited.  After we did our first round of test batches at the school, this was my favourite of the four I brewed. It's hard to pick favourites, I mean, I loved them all in there own way.  But this one just stood out.

As we move into the spring we'll be finishing off the last of our mainstay brands with Gateway Kolsch, which should be brewed and packaged by March.  A traditional German style Kolsch, this ale will be brewed using only German malt and hops.  That will be followed by our second seasonal, which will remain a surprise until we release it.  Ohhh, a teaser!

Thanks again for all the support in 2011, we really do appreciate all the kind words and more importantly, we thank you for drinking (and selling) our beer.

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

Let's Celebrate the Shortest Day of the Year!

So you say you need a reason to celebrate this time of year.  The Holiday's aren't doing it for you.  A beer release party isn't good enough.  Great food and a wonderful atmosphere isn't footing the bill.  Well hows about the shortest day of the year?  Cause you know what happens after the shortest day of the year?  Everyday for the next 6 months gets longer!  That's right folks, once the Solstice hits, we have 6 months of better lighting ahead.  And I don't know about you, but moving past this 430p sundown is reason enough to party.

So throw in the aforementioned beer release (Sawdust City's Lone Pine IPA), the great food and wonderful atmosphere (The Burger Bar @ College and Augusta) and you have a solid list of reasons to come out and celebrate.  Read this poster and tell me you don't want to join us for a night of fun -

I heard Randal the Enamel Animal may even make an appearance.  Good time folks, good times!  Take a look at some of the photos from our last release party at The Monk's Kettle.  A great new addition to the Toronto beer scene, The Monk's Kettle offers wonderful food in a warm, cozy atmosphere.  Did I mention they have a bottle list 70 beers deep and a tap list that would make anyone envious.  If you haven't made the trip out to the West end, I highly recommend it.  Here's a few shots from the Ol'Woody release party last week.

A good time was had by all.  Thanks again to Michael and Guy from The Monk's Kettle for hosting and taking a chance on us.  It's folks like those from the Monk's Kettle that help us craft brewers out and give us a chance to get our foot in the door.

Photo dump.  More random shots of lovely Golden Beach Pale Wheat!

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

Ol'Woody is on Deck!

Have you been to The Monk's Kettle?  Have you tried Sawdust City's newest beer, Ol'Woody Alt?  If you answered no to either of these questions, then we've got the cure for you!  This Thursday, December 15th, starting at 4p, The Monk's Kettle (3073 Bloor St. W) will be hosting a release party for Sawdust City's second release, Ol'Woody Alt. A traditional German Dusseldofr Alt, Ol'Woody is a great beer for a cool fall evening.  Paired with an appetizer created by The Monk's Kettle's chef, come out and try a sample of Ol'Woody in the pubs fantastic setting.

They'll be featuring Ol'Woody all evening but there will also be samples of our Golden Beach Pale Wheat available as well.  Hibernating until next Spring, this could be your last chance to try our inaugural brew before it disappears for the Winter.

So come out for some after work drinks or stay for a fantastic dinner prepared by The Monk's Kettle kitchen crew, either way it's a great way to warm up for the Holidays!

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

Ol'Woody is Getting Wrapped Up

I'm a little early this week and I know, I  know another title with another double entendre...it's getting a little tired but seriously, the name warrants it.  Eitherwhich, Ol'Woody Alt is ready to hit the town, filtered yesterday and packaged tomorrow, he's all geared up and stoked to meet some new folks.  And he's getting a right proper welcome at The Monk's Kettle (www.themonkskettle.com) in Etobicoke too!

A new bar on the GTA beer scene, The Monk's Kettle has a cozy atmosphere and great food to boot, it's the perfect place to get acquainted with Ol'Woody.  So come on out, Thursday, December 15th to The Monk's Kettle (3073 Bloor St W) and try some of our new brew, the party starts around 4p.  Golden Beach Pale Wheat will be there too, we'll be sampling some of our first beer before it hibernates until next Spring.  So it's a "welcome party" and a "going away" party at the same time.
'Tis the season though and really do we need two more reasons to celebrate at this time of year?  Sure why not.

I'm certainly going to need it, at least after tomorrow. It's going to be a long day folks.  Not only are we packaging Ol'Woody (and then deliver him), but we'll be brewing our first batch of Lone Pine IPA tomorrow. too!  Check out the label -

It's going to be a super delicious, completely nutritious blend of West Coast hops and malt dear readers,so be sure to look for that at bars just before Christmas.

Until then, Ol'Woody is going to be out in full force at great beer bars across Toronto and Muskoka.  The Only Cafe (Congrats on 30 years!), Burger Bar, C'est What?, barVolo, The Griffin Gastropub along with the Monk's Kettle are just a few places you'll find Ol'Woody.

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

Winter Has Sprung Up and so has Ol'Woody

'Tis Friday dear Readers and as such I finally have time to sit down and tell y'all about the week done past.
Ol'Woody Alt has finished fermenting and is resting quietly in the fermenter.  Aging, mellowing and ultimately getting in shape for its long voyage out to the bars across Toronto and up North to Muskoka.

Drastically different from our first release, Golden Beach Pale Wheat, a hop forward American style Pale Wheat, Ol'Woody Alt is a traditional German Dusseldorf Altbier.  Made with all German malt and hops, this light mahogany brown lagered ale has a nasty bitter bite but with enough malt body to balance it all out.

This particular style of Altbier hails from the German city of Dusseldorf.  Ever since visiting the city with my classmates at the VLB I've wanted to brew an Alt.  I had such a great time crusin' around the Altstadt jumping from brauhaus to brauhaus, drinking Alt until the sun went down and then came up again.  The city and the beer hold a special place in my heart.  And now with the Sawdust City Brewing Co finally underway, I finally have the chance to bring some of that beer back home!  Easy to drink and quite sessionable, Ol'Woody is perfect for a fall day at the pub.  So after December 9th, head out to a fine beer bar near you and sample one.  Here's a little description of Ol'Woody -

And what of the Golden Beach Pale Wheat?  Well it was another great week for our first release.  We've heard some wonderful reviews from the drinking public and we'd like to thank everyone that carried our beer and to those of you that made it out for a sample, cause if it wasn't for you, we'd have no reason make this beer.

Now it's Friday and I'm sure you're all really thirsty, so here's a few random shots people have sent us of Golden Beach Pale Wheat looking all sexy in a pint glass -

Oooo la la, how risque!  Hopefully that did the trick and got everyone all thirsty and ready to enjoy a few pints tonight!

Later this week we're going to be brewing our first batch of Lone Pine IPA, if all goes according to Hoyle, it should make it out to the taps just before Jolly Ol' St.Nick, so keep an eye on our facebook and twitter pages for further updates.

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