Tag Archives: great lakes brewery

Project X – Great Lakes Brewery – January 12 2012

Mike Lacker, king of the oak

So Project X is not really a new thing.  Indeed, I’ve talked about it various times on this very blog.  If you don’t know, every month, Great Lakes Brewing Co. hosts an amazing party called Project X.  The idea is, people head down to the brewery to drink awesome great lakes beer, usually including a few one-off or specialty brews, often on cask.  It’s a really great time, and it breaks my heart how often I miss it.  But none more than tonight. You see, tonight, it seems they’re taking this overly warm spring-like weather as an opportunity to do a little spring cleaning.  This list of beers on offer tonight is just off the hook.  Doubt me? Here you….  [Read More]

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Barrel Bragging Rights – The Spectacles

Some of our hops

Okay, if you’re a beer fan and live in and around Toronto, one would hope you’ve heard of Toronto Beer Week.  It’s starting this Friday, with a host of excellent events, and you should definitely plan on attending a fair few.  Details on the week and events, etc are here: http://www.TorontoBeerWeek.com. The first day, Friday September 18th, features the ceremonial cask-tapping at Amsterdam Brewery, and later on, the Barrel Bragging Rights event at the Monk’s Table. Barrel Bragging Rights is an event planned initially by Mike Werner, from A Year of Beer, who later found that Adam Grant from The Monk’s Table had a similar idea.  It was a natural fit to have Adam host the event, as aside from….  [Read More]

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Miami Weiss – Great Lakes Brewery

Miami Weiss - Great Lakes Brewery

Ah Great Lakes, you and your crazy names.  Robohop, Does the Muumuu make me look hefe?, and the classic, Miami Weiss (say it. Remember, that “W” is pronounced like a “V” in German).  Miami Weiss, up until now, has only been available on draught at bars in southern Ontario and at festivals, where it is often served in a dry-hopped cask version.  The funny thing about it, is it’s not a weisse beer.  It would more accurately be called a pale ale, with a lot of wheat in the grain bill.  But you’ve got to love the name.  It’s available for a limited time at the LCBO, and often found at bars around Toronto.

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Johnny Simcoe A.P.A. – Great Lakes Brewery

Johnny Simcoe APA - Great Lakes Brewery

I almost feel like it’s silly mentioning, but I guess you can’t say it enough.  I love Great Lakes Brewery.  Mike Lackey at Great Lakes is producing some amazing wonderful beers.  Now with Adrian (formerly of Black Oak) taking over as Brewmaster and Plant Manager, things are going to get crazy!  Many of the best beers are one-offs or adaptations for their monthly event, Project X, a night of fun, food and beer at the Brewery in Etobicoke.  If you haven’t been to one and you like beer, get to one as soon as you can (check http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/ for details).  While it hardly replaces being there and drinking casks of amazing beer, they often have bottles in their retail store….  [Read More]

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Stuff you need to know today – May 20th 2011

So it’s a long weekend here in Canada, for many of you, you’re hours away from three solid days of bliss.  Some of you are working this weekend.  Either way, here’s some good beer juju for you to start out your Friday. Birthday Greetings A little twittering bird told me today somebody is celebrating an important birthday.  So please join my in raising a pint of hoppy cask ale to The Rightly Honourable Mr Nicholas Pashley, author of Notes on a Beermat, and Cheers A History of Beer in Canada. Incidentally, both make excellent gifts if you know somebody else celebrating a birthday (Nick probably already has copies of both, but perhaps you know Stan Mikita, Joe Cocker, Cher, Dave….  [Read More]

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Chocolate Oatmeal Stout – Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Another excellent brewery who will be representing at this year’s Brewer’s Plate, is Great Lakes.  Great Lakes makes some basic beers, Red Leaf and Golden Horseshoe, as well as some excellent American-style brews, like Devil’s Pale Ale, Canuck Pale Ale, Miami Weisse, and a variety of other wonderful beers.  Mike Lackey, their brewer, has also been making one-off batches on his own and with people for the monthly Project X events.  These beers are often available in bottles at the event, and sometimes, Mike might pass you a bottle or two…  This is one of those.  I know Mike told me which event and with whom he made this, but I’ve totally forgotten.  Chocolate Oatmeal stouts are beers that are….  [Read More]

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Currently Incarcerated Black Currant Porter – Great Lakes Brewery

Ah, Mike Lackey and his Project X beers.  They’ve run the gamut from stupendous to Polish Sandwich Lager.  So when Mike hooked me up with a pair of PX bottles in lieu of the actual event last month, which I couldn’t attend, I was well excited.  I know he told me the deal with this beer (aside from it’s name), but I’ve totally forgotten.  Sorry Mike, thanks though!

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Stuff you need to know today – March 1st 2011

Wow, blink and suddenly there’s like a billion cool beer events and news items to address.  Okay, maybe not quite a billion, but a lot.  Get your calendar and bank statement out, and get planning! March promises to be a pretty exciting month for beer lovers in Toronto.  

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Imperial Element – Great Lakes Brewing & Saint John’s Wort

Okay, this post combines a few things that regular readers will be somewhat familiar with:  Great Lakes Project X (the epic monthly beer drinking event featuring experimental brews by Mike Lackey and often in collaboration with others on Great Lakes pilot system), and the partnership of Jordan St. John and Mike Lackey for said events.  Project X brews are often available in very limited numbers of 650ml bombers at the brewery during and after the event in question.  So while I had to take a pass on this month’s PX, I was able, through the kindness of Mike, to procure a bottle of Imperial Element, the Double IPA Jordan and Mike brewed.  I also did have it on cask at….  [Read More]

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LCBO – Fall Release – Today, Tuesday September 14th

So I had meant to get this written sooner, but with a best-friend house-guest, my time is less available then normal.  Anways, last Thursday I was able to pop by the LCBO offices to get a sneak-taste of the Fall and Halloween beers, and I have got to say:  I’m well impressed.  If you haven’t noticed, the LCBO has really been bringing in more and more cool beers that you likely haven’t had before.  There was a time, not that long ago, that the seasonal releases would have one or two really exciting beers, and a variety of so-so to kind of unispired brews.  Not so any more.  Walking into the tasting room with Mike from A Year of Beer….  [Read More]

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  • Chris Schryer

    Chris SchryerI regularly describe myself as an "ardent supporter of beer", which pretty well sums it up. While I'm not working or busy being a husband and dad (okay, honestly, sometimes while I'm doing those things), I am drinking beer, attending events, visiting pubs, and thinking about beer. I work at Castro's Lounge, my local bar in the Beach, where I host beer events and take part in most things beer-related.

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