Over the Easter weekend I was
privileged enough to visit two of the newest attractions in Niagara , and latest additions to the growing craft beer boom in Ontario.
Oast House Brewery, Silversmith Brewery and the Niagara Teaching College Brewery have been busy creating names for themselves and enticing
would-be and die-hard tourists to the vine capitol of Ontario with
the tempting call of barley and hops. I was able to make quick
visits to Silversmith and Oast House – the teaching college will
have to wait – and thought BeerGeeks.ca readers might like a
glimpse of what's brewing in wine country.
Silversmith Brewing Company
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| *This photo is from last summer |
Since my last visit, Silversmith has
seen quite a few changes to their home in a renovated old church on
Niagara Stone Road, and I'm glad to say a healthy crowd of tourists
was flowing through to appreciate it. The bar - created with massive
timbers from one of rural Ontario's many decaying barns- is now
complete and brings the rustic character and hard-working feel of
farm country indoors, where it can speak to how Silversmith brews
their beers; with blood sweat and tears. Their new brew-house
addition is coming along nicely but unfortunately was not yet ready
for a sneak peek. One feature I am very excited for upon my next
visit is the oyster bar that promises future on-site food pairings
for their tasty beers.
Silversmith excels on originality and
unique, seldom seen styles. Their four taps give regulars coming in
for growler refills, and tourists passing through, a chance to see
experimentation and development as it happens. All the beers I
tried, except for their exceptional flagship Black Lager, are in the
the process of development, and the management are not shy about it.
Silversmith want you to participate in the creation of their beers
and make you feel at home by starting the conversation or taking your
feedback with interest and enthusiasm. Here are the brews
Silversmith was working on during my visit:
Russian Imperial Stout: This stout
currently clocks in at a mild 7% for an RIS. But Silversmith isn't
going for a lightweight version of the powerful style. They're
testing out the taste of the beer as they go before increasing the
alcohol content. This shows some serious focus and patience on
producing a quality beer – kind of like how a smithy finds the
perfect mix of alloys and metals and the right temperature to mold metal so as to forge the best possible sword. This
RIS has plenty of coffee and dark chocolate flavours and a lean but
strong body. I can't wait to see where they take it. Bavarian Breakfast Wheat: Lightly spiced and inviting as it is quenching; but it still needs a signature Silversmith touch to set it apart from the wheat beers that will soon be flooding LCBO shelves. I can't wait to see where this one goes as they find its voice.
Oyster Stout: If there's one thing
Silversmith is good at, it's accessible and drinkable darks. The
oyster stout takes a few ques from the Black Lager in taste and feel
(not necessarily a bad thing), and I couldn't quite detect the
oysters added during the brewing process, but it's a solid light
stout I could see sold as a session beer with a twist.
Overall, Silversmith is an up and
coming Ontario brew house that produces unique and little seen beer
styles while keeping them deliciously accessible. The fact they brew
with passion and are one of the first in an undeveloped craft beer
area - that already thrives on bacchanalian tourism - can only mean
great things in their future.
Stay tuned for part 2 and my visit to
Oast House Brewing.
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