Tipsy Tales – Muddy York Brewing Company

With the craft brewery scene exploding over the past decade, Toronto has gotten into the trend with over 30+ brewers alone.  One of my personal favourites is Muddy York Brewing located in the East York area.  While I have been here before, I figured I would review my time at their mini-Cask festival recently entitled “You Can Kiss My Cask!”  Cask ales are brewed with traditional beer ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in a small cask barrel, and served without the use of carbon dioxide.  It’s the removal of this carbon dioxide that gives cask ale a different body texture than a regular draught pour.

Muddy York Brewing Company

The Cask Festival was scheduled from 12pm to 9pm EST on September 8, so Nick and I agreed to be there for the beginning of the event as casks tend to run dry relatively quickly at these festivals.  After watching the “Tapping of the Casks” ceremony, it was time to put my strategy into action.  With eleven casks in total of various styles and ABV content, it was smarter for me to sample some of the lighter ales first before moving onto the heavy ones.

Cask #1: Kiwi & Saskatoon Berry Sour Ale

Brewer:  Muddy York Brewing Company

Style:  Sour Ale – Fruited

ABV:  4.8%

IBU:  5

First on the docket was Muddy York’s Kiwi & Saskatoon Berry Sour Ale.  A lighter fruited Sour Ale with a 4.8% ABV with 5 IBUs, this displayed a great balance between the kiwi and Saskatoon berry giving a little bit of sweetness to it.  I gave this one 3.75/5 overall.

Kiwi & Saskatoon Berry Sour Ale

Cask #2: Grim Reaper Pumpkin Stout

Brewer: 5 Paddles Brewing Company

Style: Pumpkin/Yam Beer

ABV: 6% ABV

IBU: N/A

5 Paddles Brewing Company is actually one that I visit once in a while in nearby Whitby, Ontario.  Normally, they produce some solid craft beers.  And since Pumpkin Ales are a difficult style to find around Toronto, I was pretty stoked to try this one next.  Sadly, I am not sure what happened here, but it seems like the Grim Reaper killed the pumpkin flavour in this stout.  Overall, I gave this one an average rating of 3/5.  Nice concept, but poorly executed.

Grim Reaper Pumpkin Stout

Cask #3: Coconut Porter

Brewer: Muddy York Brewing Company

Style: Porter

ABV: 4.7%

IBU: 21

Sticking with the heavier beers, it was onto my third cask pour.  This time Muddy York’s Coconut Porter.  This had a very creamy mouthfeel with sweet coconut flavours.  This was deserving of a 4.25/5 rating from me.

Coconut Porter

Cask #4: Pink Guava Sour

Brewer: Rouge River Brewing Company

Style:  Sour Ale – Fruited

ABV: 5% ABV

IBU: 2

I’m not sure why I decided to go back to another sour ale after having back-to-back darker ales, but I did.  Brewed by Rouge River Brewing Company, the Pink Guava Sour was very tart on the nose with good pink guava and subtle pineapple flavours.  I didn’t find this to be overly sour, but according to Nick, “it smells better than it tastes.”  I gave this one a 3.75/5 rating.

Pink Guava Sour

Cask #5: Cervisia Saison with Sorrel

Brewer: Muddy York Brewing Company

Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 25

As soon as I saw this Saison offering from Muddy York, flashbacks of Barbados immediately flashed through my head.  I had a sorrel soft drink during my first visit to Cheffette, so I was already anticipating a sour-like strawberry flavour to this ale.  Sure enough, the sorrel flavour was very noticeable.  Overall, I gave this a 3.25/5.  My rating would have been higher, but the Saison fell a bit flat as if it wasn’t casked properly.

Cervisia Saison with Sorrel

Cask #6: Lone Pine IPA Double Dry-Hopped with Too Much Mosaic

Brewer: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Style: IPA – American

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 65

I was surprised to see Sawdust City Brewing here as they are based in Goderich – a small beach resort town off Lake Huron some 2 ½ hours west of Toronto.  Nevertheless, I have had some of their beers in the past.  So, I was interested in trying them next.  The Lone Pine IPA had aromas of grapefruit and pineapple with a very piney flavour and loads of Mosaic hops.  This one got a 3.5/5 rating from me for being a decent India Pale Ale.

Lone Pine IPA Double Dry-Hopped with Too Much Mosaic

Cask #7: Ontario Dry-Hopped Sour Riptide Rye Pale Ale

Brewer: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Style: Pale Ale – American

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 40

Continuing with the trend of ridiculously long beer names, I decided to try the Ontario Dry-Hopped Sour Riptide Rye Pale Ale.  This concoction from Forked River Brewing Company was a sour Pale Ale with subtle rye flavours.  I thought it was average and gave it a 3/5 rating.  However, I would like to make my down to London – a three hour drive west of Toronto – to pay this brewery a visit someday as I have seen some of their brews floating around the Greater Toronto Area in recent years.

Ontario Dry-Hopped Sour Riptide Rye Pale Ale

Cask #8: Double Dry Hopped Kapow! (With Cascade & El Dorado) 

Brewer: Rainhard Brewing

Style:  IPA – American

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 65

Nick introduced me to Rainhard Brewing a couple of years ago.  They are located the Junction area of Toronto and produce a lot of different India Pale Ales.  This one had subtle pineapple aromas on the nose with piney flavours and a very bitter finish.  I wasn’t a huge fan of this an only gave it a 3/5 rating.  I am just not big on the dry-hopped style I guess.

Double Dry Hopped Kapow! (With Cascade & El Dorado)

Cask #9: Downhill Pale Ale

Brewer: The Collingwood Brewery

Style: Pale Ale – American

ABV: 5.4%

IBU: 33

The Collingwood Brewery has a bit of a presence throughout Toronto as this popular ski resort town is only about two hours north of the city.  They produce great beers, and the Downhill Pale Ale is no exception.  It’s a lot hoppier than one would expect in an American Pale Ale.  And while I have had this one before, you can taste the Malts a bit more in the cask version.  Overall, I gave this one a 3.5/5 rating.

Downhill Pale Ale

Cask #10: Jail Fire Rauchbier

Brewer: Muddy York Brewing Company

Style: Smoked Beer

ABV: 6%

IBU: 25

Smoked beers taste just like they sound as the malt used to brew them are smoked during the process.  Jail Fire Rauchbier has a very smokey taste to it as 30% of the ingredients used are smoked Malt with notes of peat in the finish.  Yowza!  I gave this one a 3.25/5 rating.

Jail Fire Rauchbier

Cask #11: The Frogman Imperial Black IPA

Brewer: Muddy York Brewing Company

Style: Black/Cascadian Dark Ale

ABV: 8%

IBU: 60

For my eleventh and final cask ale of the festival, I decided to finish it off a strong note.  The Frogman Imperial Black IPA was very full, rich, flavourful, and smooth.  Displaying mild hoppiness with aromas of black licorice, this was by far my favourite beer at the cask festival.  I gave it my highest score of the day with an overall rating of 4.25/5.

The Frogman Imperial Black IPA

All in all, it took us about five full hours to sample all eleven casks!  I’m not sure if this will be a one-off festival or if Muddy York Brewing plans on hosting future events like this, but this was definitely a fun day had by all!  In addition, they produce a good selection of small batch ales that can be enjoyed onsite one of the most beautifully designed taprooms in Toronto.

Muddy York Brewing Company

22 Cranfield Road

Toronto, ON M4B 3H1

Phone: (416) 619-7819

Website: www.muddyyorkbrewing.com

Hours

Sunday – Monday:  11 – 6pm EST

Tuesday – Saturday:  11am – 8pm EST

Flight Report – AC 1837 – YYZ to PHX

Just as quickly as I came home from Boston, I was quickly out the door to Phoenix for my next work trip.  It had been 12 years since my last trip to Arizona’s capital, which coincidentally was for work.  Actually, it was one of the first work trips I had ever done in my career, so there was a bit of nostalgia returning to one of the places where it all began.  The last time I was here, it was in the middle of summer and humid as Hell.  With this trip occurring around the first week of May, I wasn’t sure what to expect to be quite honest.

Boarding Air Canada Flight 1837

With an early flight around 9:30am, I had to leave my condo early enough to avoid Rush Hour.  What should be a quick 35 – 40 minute drive to the airport can easily double in time if I didn’t time my cab pickup correctly.  And with it being a Monday morning flight, that could cause me severe problems as it is one of the busiest times of the week for departures.  Leaving around 6:45am, I had a little bit of a scare as we ran into slow moving traffic on the highway.  It eventually cleared up so that I was able to arrive just a bit more than two hours before my scheduled departure.

Cimarron, Colorado

Check in was uneventful, although it took me about 50 minutes because I lost some time trying to check in with Air Canada International Departures instead of USA Departures.  Chalking that one up to tiredness as I should have known better having only being here a little over a week earlier for my Boston flight.  For breakfast, I decided to give Wahlburger’s a second try.  Boy, was that a mistake!  Although the Bartender served me almost immediately, it still took almost 30 minutes for me to get Paul’s Crispy Haddock again.  After wolfing my breakfast down as fast as I could and settling my bill, I literally walked a few feet over to Gate 48 just to see my section being called for boarding.  No more Wahlburger’s for me in the future – good food, but terrible service.

Thoreau, New Mexico

Finally, I could relax a little as I took my seat in 49K.  I picked this window seat based on as I would get a great view of Camelback Mountain upon landing.  Economy was also in a 2 x 3 x 2 formation similar to my flight to Barbados.  It was a sunny 9°C in Toronto by the time we departed for the 4 ½ hour flight.  Things were seeming to look up for this flight if it weren’t for the fact that the in-flight Entertainment System wasn’t working for the first hour of the flight.  But that seems typical with my past experiences with Air Canada.  We also had some turbulence issues once we crossed over Lake Huron, but it settled down once we entered Michigan airspace.

Snowflake, Arizona

Around this time, I decided to watch Baywatch – starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron – to pass the time.  As with most children of the 90s, I used to watch the original television series.  Back then, Baywatch was considered a “drama,” but it was a very cheesy one at best.  The movie takes on more of a comedic approach with a little bit of drama mixed into the plot.  Dwayne Johnson plays the role of Mitch Buchannon – Head Lifeguard of Baywatch – who works with the team to uncover a criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.  I definitely had a few chuckles watching this feature film and appreciated some of the inside jokes and nostalgia thrown into storyline, but definitely would not have paid to see this in the theaters.  It was an okay movie, but not great like the Lego Movie.

Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest

Once we crossed over Colorado, I kept checking the scenery every so often.  From the Rocky Mountains to endless miles of desert; from lush National Forests to random Plateaus caused by Millennia of erosion, the Southwestern United States is a Photographer’s dream.  It was also dry and humid outside as we got closer and closer to landing.  In fact, I may have caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the beginnings of a wild fire in the Forest Lakes area of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest with large clouds of smoke just endlessly carrying on for miles.  Aside from that once incident, this stretch of the flight was absolutely stunning.

We arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport about 15 minutes early around 10:34am PST, which is kind of unusual when travelling from East to West in North America as you are usually flying into headwinds that slow you down.  Whatever gains were made in this early landing were quickly eaten up as we had to wait ten minutes upon landing for another Air Canada flight to leave Gate B23 at Terminal 4 before we could disembark.  Once we got off the plane, it was straight to Carousel 1 to pick up my luggage, grab the first taxi available, head to my hotel to drop of my suitcase, and then head back downtown to catch the last Chase Field tour of the day.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

AC 1837 – YYZ to PHX

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 49K

Cabin:  Business – Continental Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale

Depart: 09:18AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F68

Arrive: 10:43AM MST – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Terminal 4, Gate B23

Flight Time: 4:25; Non Stop Flight – 1908 Miles/3071 Kilometers; Date:  April 30, 2018

Flight Report – AC 1237 – RSW to YYZ

After five days on Captiva Island, it was time for me to head back home.  It was a gorgeous sunny day with balmy 24° C weather.  I wish I had a bit more time to enjoy the good weather, but I was okay not spending extra time on Captiva.  Since my flight wasn’t scheduled until 1:40pm EST, a few of my colleagues and I drove back together around mid-morning to make sure we got there in time for check-in.  During the hour-long drive, I tried to take in as much of the scenery as possible.  Captiva and Sanibel Islands are certainly interesting islands that are completely different from each other – Captiva being more of a sleepy retirement community while Sanibel being a busy beach destination for tourists.

Taking the Sanibel Causeway back to the Florida Mainland

After a quick stop to buy some gas for our rental car, we finally arrived at the airport around 11:24am EST.  Because Southwest Florida International Airport is relatively small, check-in with Air Canada was extremely quick for me.  While it should have taken me about 5 minutes, I had to fight for my right to waive the $25 baggage fee as an Aeroplan Visa card holder.  It was a successful fight and only the second time within the past couple years I have been a member of this program where this benefit has been honoured.

Southwest Florida International Airport

Security took a bit longer than expected, though.  There were essentially two lines passengers could choose from – TSA Pre-Clearance/NEXUS Pass Holders and regular passengers.  Since I don’t travel to the United States enough to justify paying for an annual NEXUS Pass, I had to wait in line with the regular passengers.  That probably took me about 10 – 15 minutes to get through.  Not too bad of a wait, but still kind of long for a small International Airport that doesn’t get the same amount of traffic like the airports in Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Miami do.

Southwest Florida International Airport - Concourse B

With an hour or so to spare before boarding, my colleagues and I decided to grab some lunch at Beaches Boardwalk Café as it was the only restaurant in our Concourse that was available.  The only other options we had here were Burger King and a small bakery.  Since I didn’t take any pictures here, I will summarize my experience instead of posting a separate “Airport Eats” article.  Beaches Boardwalk Café can accommodate up to 60 – 70 people with some tables available on the outside of the café – like a pseudo-patio within Concourse B.  I ended up eating a Cobb Salad to tide me over and washed it down with a pint of Hi 5 IPA brewed locally by the Fort Myers Brewing Company.  Service was kind of slow due to the lunch hour rush, but the television sets were tuned into European soccer action to keep me occupied – Spanish league action if I am not mistaken.

Getting ready to depart Southwest Florida International Airport

Following lunch, my colleagues and I headed towards Gate B3 only to find out we had been moved to Gate B1 instead.  It was literally just two gates over, though, so not really a big deal for us at all.  Even though we boarded on time, there was a 20-minute delay in departure as the flight crew had to wait for a few late passengers to arrive.  A bit irritating for sure, but beyond my control, of course.  The flight configuration was 3 x 3 – the same as it was on AC 1234.  Luckily, there was no one in the middle seat and the lady who sat along the aisle moved back a few rows to grab an available window seat.  Bonus!  I wasn’t expecting to have the entire row all to myself for the flight home.

One final look of Fort Myers before the journey home

We took off shortly after 2pm, which kind of scared me a little as we experienced noticeable turbulence for a few minutes.  It was kind of like the experience I had in Orlando the previous year.  Once that subsided, I decided to watch “Battle of the Sexes” again.  Steve Carrell and Emma Stone put in great performances in this one as Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King respectively.  While it is labelled a “black comedy,” I didn’t find it to be that funny as I did entertaining.  The style of filming was a bit unusual for this one until I realized afterwards that it was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris – a famous husband-wife duo who have directed some of the most memorable music videos of the late 1990s and early 2000s.  I have enjoyed some of their previous work with the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Just some of the in-flight "snacks" I had to pass the time

I was also kind of hungry at this point.  Personally, I don’t believe in buying meals on North American flights.  But since I wasn’t sure what I was going to have for dinner once I got home, I figured it was best to eat now rather than risk the chance of hunger later on.  Since my flight was already paid for, I decided to go all out and order a trio combo for about $20 CDN.  That included a roast beef panini sandwich, a cup of chicken noodle soup, and a can of Goose Island IPA.  I even asked for complimentary water and tomato juice, which was a bit ridiculous consider how crowded my table tray was at this point.  No complaints about the panini or the beer on my end, but the soup wasn’t good at all.  You could tell that the Air Canada staff just poured hot water into the container, but the noodles were still stuck together when I got it.

Flying over Downsview Airport upon our descent on Toronto

We landed just after 4:30pm EST – about 20 minutes early – as the sun started to set.  While going through Customs was relatively quick and easy, there was a massive lineup and Baggage Claim due to several planes arriving in Toronto within minutes of each other.  I don’t think I have ever seen Baggage Claims this busy before.  It must have taken me at least 10 – 15 minutes to wait in line before exiting towards the taxi pickup area.  Nevertheless, I had arrived safe and sound back home wondering when my next trip would be.

Beautiful Winter sunset over Lester B. Pearson International Airport

AC 1234 – YYZ to RSW

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft:  Airbus A321-200 (twin-jet); Seat: 38A

Cabin:  Business: Meal / Economy:  Food for Sale

Depart: 01:52PM EST – Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) – Concourse B, Gate B1

Arrive:  04:39pm EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F36 

Flight Time: 2:47; Non-Stop Flight – 1240 Miles/1995 Kilometers; Date:  January 26, 2018

Taste of the Danforth - A Celebration of Toronto's Greek Community

As Canada’s largest city, Toronto is a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities from around the world.  One of the largest ethnic communities that you cannot miss here is Greektown, which is located just East of the Don Valley Parkway along Danforth Avenue.  Every year in early August, Greektown celebrates its heritage by shutting down the avenue for three days to host one of Toronto’s largest street festivals – the Taste of the Danforth.

Welcome to Toronto's Greektown!

The Taste of the Danforth originated in 1994 when a number of Greek businesses pooled their resources together to offer tasting tables outside their restaurants.  They thought that this would be more effective than advertising to draw more business to their restaurants.  During that first year, about 23 restaurants participated in the event while about 5,000 attendees showed up.  Today, over 1.5 million people attend the annual 3 day/2-night event.

Chicken souvlaki being prepared at the Taste of the Danforth

As one of Toronto’s largest annual street festivals, the Taste of the Danforth offers a little bit of everything for everyone – from a Midway for families to a “Greek Zone” where anyone can learn how to Zorba or smash plates while shouting out “Opa.”  There is even a beer garden for adults to take in some suds – albeit of the non-Greek variety – while listening to musical acts on stage.

Midway games at the Taste of the Danforth

Kooks and I have only been to the Taste of the Danforth once before, which was on a Saturday.  For the 23rd Annual event, we opted to go right after work on Opening Night.  What a difference did that make as it was far less crowded and we were able to see and do more this second time around.

Ortikia - BBQ Quail

We started off grabbing some Turkish pizza at Mr. Pide.  Yes, I know we were at a Greek Festival, and I really encouraged Kooks to stick to just Greek food here as some of the vendors were offering BBQ corn or Jerk pierogies, but this Turkish pizza was too good to pass up.  It’s basically a reverse pizza – dough on the outside with the toppings inside.

Turkish Pide - a reverse style pizza with the toppings in the middle

My pide – or Turkish pizza – of choice was the Sucuklu Kasarli, which included Turkish sausage and mozzarella cheese.  Kooks opted for the Ispanakli Kiymali, which included spinach and ground beef.  Because we bought outside at Mr. Pide’s street booth, it cost us $5 CDN each.  Turkey is on our bucket list of countries that we want to visit together, so I am really looking forward to eating more Turkish food in the food after this experience.

Enjoying our spinach swirl and baklava with pistachios

Next on the Taste of the Danforth list was Akropolis Pastries.  The baklava with pistachio caught my eye while Kooks opted for the spinach swirl.  Baklava is a pastry dessert made with layers of filo filled with chopped nuts – pistachio in this case – and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey.  Mine tasted like it had syrup.  We paid $3 CDN each this time for our food.

Krinos Taste of the Danforth 2016

Following our baklava and spinach swirl, we spent some time in the Beer Garden near the Celebrity Stage where we caught the tail end of the Opening Ceremonies.  My only complaint here is that the beer choices are limited – Stella Artois, Corona, and Shock Top.  You would think that a Greek street festival would allow for Greek beers to be sold at their official Beer Garden, but I digress.

Greek Poutine - Fries served with Gravy & Feta

For our final tasting of the night, Kooks saw Greek poutine for sale at the Pantheon Restaurant.  It cost $5 CDN a serving.  For those not familiar with poutine, it is a Canadian delicacy originating from Quebec where you are served a side of fries with gravy and cheese curds.  The only thing “Greek” about this poutine was the Feta cheese curds that replaced the traditional mozzarella.  Still good, nevertheless!

Taste of the Danforth as seen from the Ferris Wheel

By this point of the night, our stomachs were full as we headed back towards our car.  Before we left, I wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel to get a great vantage point of the entire Taste of the Danforth festival.  Rides cost about $3.50 CDN and last for up to two minutes.  It was a gorgeous night and a great way to cap off our visit to the latest Taste of the Danforth event.

Taste of the Danforth

Dates:  First weekend of August following Civic Day/Simcoe Day

Where:  Danforth Avenue – between Broadview Avenue & Jones Avenue

What:  A street festival showcasing Hellenic food and drinks by the Danforth BIA

Admission:  Free – Cash only for the Midway, Beer Garden or Food Tents

Official Website:  www.tasteofthedanforth.com