 More and more locals and visitors to
Toronto are making the trip to Black Creek Pioneer Village to tour the Black Creek
Historic Brewery – an authentic working reproduction of a 19th-century brewery, the
only one of its kind in Canada. The Brewery uses traditional tools, techniques and recipes
to recreate the ales, stouts and porters enjoyed in Upper Canada before Confederation, and
because everything is done by hand on a small scale, visitors have a unique opportunity to
learn about beer and the brewing process up close and directly from a Brewmaster. During
the summer, tours of the Black Creek Historic Brewery are offered twice daily where
visitors can learn the whole story of how beer was made. (From September to December the
tours are offered once a day). Participants can see where the grain was milled, how the
barrels were made and even see hops growing in Village gardens. Committed to sourcing all
ingredients locally, as it would have been in 19th-century Ontario, the Brewery will even
start growing and malting barley on-site over the next few years. On the tours,
participants are immersed in the world of 1860s’ beer making while learning about the
people of the time period. Visitors are given a character card with the name and story of
a historical personality. The tour introduces some of Toronto’s colourful brewing
past, including notables like Thomas Molson, or Joseph Bloore, (after whom Bloor Street in
Toronto is named), Mary Short, proprietress of the Wheat Sheaf Hotel, Toronto’s
oldest pub, Timothy Eaton, (a pious abstainer), and George Brown, founder of the Globe
newspaper and temperance advocate.
“People have a lot of fun with the character cards,” said Blythe Haynes, one
of the tour guides at the Black Creek Historic Brewery. “They are surprised by the
social history of beer and find it as interesting as the process of brewing beer. I invite
them to play along with their characters, and that makes it a very lively social
experience for everyone, including the children. By they end of the tour everyone is
talking and laughing.”
Sampling the actual beer right from the barrels is a highlight for tour participants,
and there is old-style root beer for the children. “People are surprised by the taste
of the beer, because it is barely carbonated and room temperature,” said Haynes.
“We get a lot of different reactions and I tell them that your taste buds don’t
lie. Some don’t like it, but a surprising number of people like it more than
commercial beer. They say it has more body and flavour.”
“Visitors are surprised that the beer is brewed in such a small space with such
simple equipment,” said Edward Koren, Brewmaster, Black Creek Historic Brewery.
“Because it’s on such a small scale, people find it easier to understand the
process.”
“We are getting quite a cult following for our beer,” said Koren proudly.
“We have people coming back regularly to pick up growlers of the beer to bring home,
and some are even coming back to take the tour a second time. People like that the beer
really is 100% natural, and just like in the early days, no two batches taste exactly
alike.” A growler is 1.9 litre jug that was commonly used for beer in the 1860s.
“We really enjoyed our tour guide, she was a lot of fun,” said Mary Evans
from Stettler, Alberta who recently visited the Brewery with her husband. “And it was
great to taste the beer at the end. I have wanted to visit Black Creek Pioneer Village
since I was a teenager and I’m so glad we came. It has lived up to all my
expectations.”
The Brewery is located in Half Way House Inn at Black Creek Pioneer Village, a restored
inn built in 1849. One half of a large downstairs room is used for the brewery, the other
half operates as a pub. Visitors can enjoy a pint in the pub, or with a meal in the
adjoining Black Creek Historic Brewery Restaurant. The Restaurant was fully renovated in
2009 and offers an all-new menu focusing on local foods and featuring a selection of
Ontario’s best craft beers, including Black Creek Ales and Porters.
Along with a series of special events through the summer and fall – including
Field to Firkin tours the first Friday of every month through November, and Say Cheese!
And Cheers events which teach visitors to pair craft beers with artisanal cheeses –
Black Creek Historic Brewery is available as a one-of-a-kind venue for corporate events
and meetings, family parties and wedding receptions.
The Brewery is open daily from May through December 23 and is included with general
admission to Black Creek Pioneer Village: $15 for adults, $14 for seniors and students,
and $11 for children 5-14. Guided tours of the brewery, including samples, are offered
daily for an additional $4. Black Creek ales and porters can also be enjoyed in the new
Black Creek Historic Brewery Restaurant and Pub, or brought home in returnable 1.9 litre
"growlers."
Black Creek Pioneer Village is located at 1000 Murray Ross Parkway, Toronto (one block
east of Jane St., south off Steeles Avenue, right next to York University). The Village is
south east of Hwy 7 and Hwy 400. Parking is available on site. For more information on the
Black Creek Historic Brewery, visit http://www.blackcreekbrewery.ca, or call (416)
736-1733. |
