The 2015 version of Session craft beer fest (the sixth, by our count) went down yesterday, once again at Yonge Dundas Square. It was a perfect day: sunny, not too hot, full of beer and friends.
We met up with Adam & Alicia, did a reconnaissance mission, and then got started. Along the way we bumped into Steph & Jeff, and I even came across an old friend from the MBA program.
I ended up sampling 14 beers…well, 13 different ones, and went back for seconds on the last one.
- Silversmith “Breakfast” Wheat
- Whitewater “Class V: No Turning Back” IPA
- Wellington Rhubarb Saison
- Sawdust City “Until Tomorrow Ingrid” Barrel-aged Cranberry Saison
- Stack “Panache” Cedar-Aged Pale Ale
- Side Launch “Syrah Vice” Tawse Barrel Aged Wheat (collab w/ Toronto Roller Derby Team)
- Innocente “Waterloo 1815” Rye Saison (collab w/ Jordan St. John)
- Sawdust City “Limberlost” Saison w/ foraged wood sorrel (collab w/ Johnny Fay from The Tragically Hip)
- Big Rig “Release The Hounds” Black IPA
- Red Hook “Audible” Ale
- Bell City “Round Trip” Cherry Brown Ale (collab w/ Scott Wilson from Departures)
- 3 Brasseurs “Cool Beans” Coffee Porter (collab w/ Raina from Indie88)
- Flying Monkeys “Russian With Love” Imperial Stout
- Flying Monkeys “Russian With Love” Imperial Stout
I’d had the Silversmith and Wellington before, but of the new ones I tried my favourites were the Side Launch, the Sawdust City cranberry saison, and (surprisingly; their beer is usually rubbish) the 3 Brasseurs.
Rounds of beer were punctuated by food (a pork belly taco from Tilde; bacon on a stick from Bacon Nation), K-OS inexplicably singing “I Just Called To Say I Love You” from the main stage, the mega-hammered dudes from Sawdust City singing “O Canada” and demanding that we high-five each other, and a good-but-bad ska band who played every Sublime song ever put to tape.
We ended the night at Triple A, devouring ribs and nachos and brisket. Actually, I guess we ended it at our place, drinking Bowmore. Technicalities.
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 