The idea of a “family-friendly” beer festival always confused us a little. Unlike large chunks of the world, where drinking ages are a suggestion, Canada is pretty clear about theirs.
Despite this, the end result is actually an enormous amount of fun. The Brewery Market, held at Parkdale Park in Hintonburg Oct. 20, attracted eight different brewers, half of them from the local Ottawa scene.
“Doing a beer event in a field isn’t that interesting,” says Brewery Market founder Cass Enright. “Having it in a city park, where there are swing sets, and a wading pool for the kids, just makes it a really great environment.”
Late October is usually a pretty dreary time to visit a public park, especially when it’s still soggy from the rain a day earlier, but filling it with beer tents is a sure-fire way to breathe some life into the place.
Families intermingled with the beard-and-flannel sect of society, with groups of 20-somethings clustered together and children darting between them.
Prices were pretty fair for an event like this—$6 for a 12-ounce glass of beer, and $4 for a taster-sized glass. Admission was free.
Standout brewers included Barley Days, a Prince Edward County-based brewery that brought a pumpkin saison that sold out before 3 p.m. Also available was their flagship Wind and Sail Dark Ale, a refreshingly smooth dark ale.
“Being from Prince Edward County, being mainly a wine region, it’s a unique experience,” sales representative Brett French says. “A lot of the wine makers will come into our brewery and pick up our products, and they always tell us it takes a lot of beer to make a good wine.”
Selling off their entire product seemed to be a theme at the event, as the Renfrew-area upstart Whitewater Brewing Company was sold out of all their beers by 6 p.m.
The five-month-old brewing company, ran entirely by rafting tour guides, had a strong and diverse display of beer on tap, including a mild, English-style extra-special bitter that suited the event flawlessly.
“We really just wanted variety, so we just started brewing ourselves,” James Innes, co-founder of Whitewater Brewery says. “Part of the rafting culture is beer… and we just really wanted some better beer in the area.”
Perhaps the strangest and most original beer on offer was Mill Street Brewery’s Palomar Lime and Chipotle Ale. I had never had a smoky beer before, but we finished our glasses wishing that this was done more often. It was both spicy and sweet, and so unlike anything we had tasted before, that we were considering finding legal methods to take the keg home.
Other great beers available included fan favourites such as Flying Monkey’s Smashbomb Atomic IPA, to equally good seasonal brews like Hogsback’s Aloha Coconut Pale Ale—the selection was impressive.
The organizers were wise to plan the event for the afternoon, as opposed to the evening, when temperatures rapidly dropped, and drinking cold beer became unpleasant. By 7 p.m., the sun was receding just above the treetops, the beer was running dry and attendees were beginning to realize they had been standing in-and-out of mud for several hours.
The event did a wonderful job of serving plenty of beer for anyone willing to drink within socially-accepted boundaries. Organizers said they are hoping to plan several more events in the spring, summer, and fall, to continue capitalizing on their success.
“I’m personally really proud that this year, through the three events, every single brewer in Ottawa participated,” Enright says.
