Ontario Craft Brewers' Podcast

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast on Old Credit Brewery, Mirella and Old Credit assistant brewmaster Ralph Senuto focus on the Old Credit Holiday Honey and Old Credit Amber Ale. Ralph leads a tasting of the two beers, explaining how ingredients and process affect each beer’s flavour and appearance. He also provides some tips on proper serving temperature. Mirella and Ralph are joined by Chef Howard Dubrovsky, who shares his perspective on the flavours in each beer and how these flavours inspired some surprising pairings. As the group samples through the pairings, Chef Howard shares the recipes for each dish. The first pairing illustrates how contrasting flavours can play off each other and highlight notes in the beer.  The second is a complementary pairing in which the beer flavours & texture complements the food, resulting in what Chef Howard describes as a flavour profile that is “larger than the sum of its parts”. A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Howard Dubrovsky At the age o

For this month’s edition of the Ontario Brewer Podcast, Mirella Amato of Beerology gets the inside scoop on Old Credit Brewery from brewery president Aldo Lista and assistant brewmaster, Ralph Senuto. The pair discusses the history of the brewery and the unique brewing process introduced by the original Old Credit brewmaster Orrin Besco. Aldo Lista shares the story of the Old Credit logo and the seven-year legal battle that was fought to keep it. Aldo and Ralph then share some info about the Old Credit Amber Ale and Old Credit Holiday Honey, which are the two featured beers this month. Finally, the two discuss which of the three Old Credit brands is their favourite and why.

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on the Niagara College Teaching Brewery, Mirella and brewing student Austin Roach are joined by Chef Matt Kantor, who is the chef behind the Secret Pickle Supper Club, Little Kitchen and Ghost Chef. Chef Matt has brought in two dishes that he’s designed to pair with the First Draft Campus Ale and the First Draft Campus Lager. Taste along and discover the flavours of these two OCB beers and how they pair with food! Recipes are available on the recipes section of the OCB Website (link) A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Chef Matt Kantor Chef Matt Kantor is a graduate of the culinary institute of America in New York and has worked in many well regarded Restaurants. Matt has been pairing food and beer forever and a day, going back to his beer-making and cooking days at College in Albany, New York. Now living in Toronto, Matt is currently the chef behind the Secret Pickle Supper Club, Little Kitchen and Ghost Chef. Find out more at: www.mattkantor.c

In this first Ontario Brewer Podcast about the First Draft brands of the Niagara College Teaching Brewery, Mirella Amato, of Beerology, chats with the General Manager of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College: Steve Gill, as well as one of the students enrolled in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program: Austin Roach. Steve Gill tells the story of how the teaching brewery came about and the idea behind the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management Program. Austin then shares his perspective on the program and his experience brewing beer so far. He also describes the First Draft Campus Lager and First Draft Campus Ale, which are highlighted in the podcast, as well as some of the other beers that Niagara College students have brewed, providing some detail on how he developed his graduation project beer. The pair then explains the many facets of the collaboration between the Niagara College Teaching Brewery and the Ontario Craft Brewer’s Association.

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on Mill Street Brewery, Mirella and brewer Andrew Yonick sample the Mill Street Frambozen and Mill Street Coffee Porter along with Sharon Shoot, who is the owner of Chocolate by Wickerhead. Sharon shares proper chocolate tasting technique as well as two chocolates that she’s brought in to pair with the Mill Street brews: Dark Truffle with vintage port Passionfruit with wildflower honey A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Chocolate by Wickerhead. Now in its second year in the Beach area of Toronto, Chocolate by Wickerhead retails delectable hand-crafted Belgian chocolate creations and gifts, made on the premise daily using the freshest ingredients.  Since Shoot conceived her now famous, signature, hand-dipped Belgian chocolate popcorn in 1988, the name Wickerhead Co. has become synonymous with taste, creativity and craftsmanship. Find out more at: www.wickerhead.com

In this first of two Mill Street Brewery Ontario Brewer Podcasts, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Mill Street co-founder Steve Abrams as well as Andrew Yonick, who is the head brewer at the distillery district location, in Toronto. Steve shares the inside scoop on how the idea came about to open Mill Street Brewery and talks about the brewery’s early success introducing beers that stood out from what was available on the market at the time. Andrew tells us about when he joined the brewery and lists his favourite beers among the ones that he brews exclusively for the brewpub. The two Mill Street guys then focus in on the featured beers for this podcast: Mill Street Coffee Porter & Mill Street Frambozen and tell how the origin of one of these two beers can be traced back to the knights templar. They then share some of their favourite food pairings for these beers.

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on Black Oak Brewing Co, Chef Howard Dubrovsky from Live and Breathe Restaurant, in Toronto, has prepared two appetizers to pair with the Black Oak Pale Ale and the Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout. He joins Mirella and Black Oak Brewery president Ken Woods for a tasting of these two beers alongside his appetizers. Chef Howard takes some time to explain why beer pairs well with food, and points out traits to look for in beer when pairing it with food. Ken also shares new sexy technique that brewmaster Simon daCosta devised this year, to brew the Double Chocolate Cherry Stout. A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Chef Howard Dubrovsky from Live and Breathe Restaurant. Recipes for Chef Howard’s appetizers are available on the Recipes section of the OCB Website. Located in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy, Live and Breathe (also known as LAB) provides a unique dining experience, bridging the best of classic Italian cooking techniques and m

In this Podcast, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Black Oak Brewing Co. founder and president, Ken Woods as well as brewmaster Simon daCosta. Ken shares the history of the brewery and the struggles involved in starting and running a craft brewery. Simon recounts how a happy co-incidence led him to join the team six years ago. He also describes some of the fun beers he’s brewed at Black Oak in his current role as brewmaster. Ken then shares his thoughts on how the beer industry has changed since he founded Black Oak Brewing Co. in 1999. Ken & Simon also talk about their latest discovery: “a different way to enjoy beer.”

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on King Brewery, Mirella and brewmaster Phil DiFonzo are joined by Michael Simpson, who is the owner of Leslieville Cheese Market. Together, they sample the King Vienna Lager and King Pilsner, pairing them with two cheeses that Michael has brought from his shop: Abbot’s Gold. Yorkshire Dales Cheese Co.: England A Dutch Masterpiece – Franz Hals Goat Cheese. FrieslandCampina: Holland A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Leslieville Cheese Market With two stores in Toronto and one in Flesherton, Leslieville Cheese Market endeavours to provide a wide selection of cheeses from across the world and find foods to accompany cheese. The Leslieville Cheese team regularly runs a Beer School for Cheese Fans. Find out more at: www.leslievillecheese.com

In this first Podcast of the New Year, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Phil DiFonzo, founder and brewmaster at King Brewery. Phil shares his story, talking about his transition from homebrewing to commercial brewing. He addresses the brewery’s decision to focus on European lagers, detailing some of the challenges and uncommon techniques used at the brewery. Phil then discusses the two beers that are the focus of the podcast, King Pilsner and King Vienna Lager, providing a lot of detail on the ingredients in these beers and why they were chosen. Finally, Phil share his favourite food pairings for these two beers.

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on Grand River Brewing, Mirella and brewer Rob Creighton are joined by Sharon Shoot, who is the owner of Chocolate by Wickerhead. Together, they sample the Grand River Mill Race Mild and Grand River Russian Gun Imperial Stout, pairing them with four chocolates that Sharon has brought from her shop: Milk Chocolate Nut Cluster Milk Chocolate Earl Grey Dark Chocolate Popcorn Milk Chocolate Pumpkin A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Chocolate by Wickerhead Now in its second year in the Beach area of Toronto, Chocolate by Wickerhead retails delectable hand-crafted Belgian chocolate creations and gifts, made on the premise daily using the freshest ingredients. Since Shoot conceived her now famous, signature, hand-dipped Belgian chocolate popcorn in 1988, the name Wickerhead Co. has become synonymous with taste, creativity and craftsmanship. Find out more at: www.wickerhead.com

In this first Podcast about Grand River Brewing, Mirella Amato of Beerology hears from Grand River Brewing’s owner, Bob Hannenberg, as well as brewer Rob Creighton. Bob describes how he made the decision to open a craft brewery. He shares some of the challenges involved in the process, as well as how Rob became involved with the project. The Grand River folk then discuss some of the history and crazy stories behind the names of their various brands. Bob and Rob introduce the Grand River Russian Gun Imperial Stout and Mill Race Mild, describing why these two beers are ideal for pairing with chocolate. They also share some of their favourite food pairings for their various Grand River Brands.

or part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on Great Lakes Brewing Co., Mirella and brewmaster Adrian Popowycz are joined by Chef Matt Kantor, who is the chef behind the Secret Pickle Supper Club, Little Kitchen and Ghost Chef. Together, they sample the Great Lakes Red Leaf Lager and Winter Ale, pairing them with three dishes specially created by chef Kantor for the OCB Podcasts.  Recipes are available on the Recipes section of the OCB Website. A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Chef Matt Kantor Chef Matt Kantor is a graduate of the culinary institute of America in New York and has worked in many well regarded Restaurants. Matt has been pairing food and beer forever and a day, going back to his beer-making and cooking days at College in Albany, New York. Now living in Toronto, Matt is currently the chef behind the Secret Pickle Supper Club, Little Kitchen and Ghost Chef. Find out more at: www.mattkantor.ca.

In this first Podcast feature on Great Lakes Brewery, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with brewery co-owner, Peter Bulut Jr, and brewmaster Adrian Popowycz. Peter shares the story of Great Lakes Brewery and how it has evolved since his father purchased the company in 1991. Adrian, who joined Great Lakes this year, talks about his experience taking over brewing duties at a brewery that makes such a wide range of experimental beers. He also describes the cookiest beer he’s brewed at Great Lakes so far … Peter and Adrian then introduce the two beers that are featured in this month’s podcast: Great Lakes Red Leaf Lager and Winter Ale, telling us which food pairings they enjoy with these beers, in anticipation for the upcoming food pairing podcast with Chef Kantor.

For part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast feature on Nickel Brook Beer, Mirella and brewmaster Ryan Morrow are joined by Michael Simpson, who is the owner of Leslieville Cheese Market. Together, they sample the Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner and Headstock Ale, pairing them with two cheeses that Michael has brought from his shop: Applewood smoked cheddar. Ilchester Cheese Company: Somerset, England Le Mont-Jacob. Fromagerie Blackburn: Quebec, Canada A special thanks to our partner for this podcast: Leslieville Cheese Market With two stores in Toronto and one in Flesherton, Leslieville Cheese Market endeavours to provide a wide selection of cheeses from across the world and find foods to accompany cheese. The Leslieville Cheese team regularly runs a Beer School for Cheese Fans. Find out more at: www.leslievillecheese.com

In this first Podcast of the new season, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Peter Romano and Ryan Morrow from Nickel Brook Beer. Peter and Ryan share the story of Nickel Brook beer and how three home brewers have come together to bring us a great selection of fresh local beers. Ryan and Peter then introduce the two Nickel Brook brands featured in this month’s podcast: the Apple Pilsner, which was first brewed in Germany and the Headstock IPA: Ryan’s latest creation. They also share some food pairing tips for these two beers in preparation for part two of the podcast …

In part two of the Ontario Brewer Podcast on amber ales, Ryan Demler from Cameron’s Brewing in Oakville and Ralph Senuto from Old Credit Brewing in Port Credit share their tasting notes on the Cameron’s Auburn and the Old Credit Amber Ale. Together with Mirella, the brewers explore the difference in flavour between these two amber ales. They also share their thoughts on the ideal glassware to use for these ales as well as the ideal temperature at which to serve them.

In this Podcast, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Ralph Senuto from Old Credit Brewing and Ryan Demler from Cameron’s Brewing. These brewers tell Mirella about the amber ales that they brew as well as the malts they use to give these ales their characteristic colour and flavour. The brewers then address the current popularity of amber ales in Ontario. Finally, Ralph and Ryan share detailed descriptions of the foods that they like to pair with the Old Credit Amber Ale and the Cameron’s Auburn …  including a very surprising combination!  

In this Podcast, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Peter Chiodo from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery and Charles MacLean of MacLean’s Ales. Along with these two brewers, Mirella examines the pale ale style. The brewers explain why they both have a pale ale as their brewery’s flagship brand. They also describe the difference between American and English inspired pale ales, using the MacLean’s Pale Ale and the Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale as examples. Peter and Charles then share a few serving suggestions.  

In this Podcast, Mirella Amato of Beerology chats with Peter Chiodo from Flying Monkey’s Craft Brewery and Charles MacLean of MacLean’s Ales. Along with these two brewers, Mirella examines the pale ale style. The brewers explain why they both have a pale ale as their brewery’s flagship brand. They also describe the difference between American and English inspired pale ales, using the MacLean’s Pale Ale and the Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale as examples. Peter and Charles then share a few serving suggestions.