Henderson Brewing Company
Collaborative…
The picnic table separates the production area from the taproom. Sitting there, stacked barrels played the backdrop for Tomas Madsen, a brewer at Henderson Brewing Company. “There’s no secrets; it’s collaborative,” he told me, when asked to define ‘craft beer lifestyle.’
“The community is very friendly and welcoming: it’s inclusive.”
Opening in late January of 2016, in the south-facing point of the Junction Triangle, Henderson Brewing Company links itself to the history of Toronto, and imbeds itself in the city’s culture.
…and inclusive
Robert Henderson built Toronto’s first brewery on Caroline St (now Sherbourne St) at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. Connecting itself directly to this history is today’s Henderson Brewing Company, whose “Best” amber aims to be the ‘best’ version of the beer that Robert Henderson might be brewing today.
A west wall of the taproom is covered in prints made to look like vintage Henderson Brewing Company ads if the company had been around since the original Robert Henderson. A clock on the wall adjacent to it repeats this vintage look. Long high-top tables fill one half of the taproom; a number of picnic tables fill the other half. It’s a very comfortable, open space with a lot of natural light from large garage doors on multiple walls. (See the full photo gallery here.)
The Henderson Brewing Company “Rube Goldberg Machine”
Perhaps the star of the show though (other than the beer, of course) is the Rube Goldberg machine behind the bar. Setting it off delivers a spectacle similar to watching a tennis match: watching a ball zigzag its way across a course.
This course though has a lot more obstacles than a tennis court, and they all play their role in getting the ball to trigger the climax. It finishes with a hammer smacking off the bottle’s cap to (often) a resulting spray of beer. The entertainment is worth losing a little beer over, I assure you.
One for Toronto
Owners Steve Himel and Adin Wener have branded Henderson Brewing Company to speak directly to Toronto. Starting, first, with the reference to Robert Henderson in their brewery’s name, the two owners have created a space that acts as a hub for their Toronto community.
On the second Wednesday of every month, Henderson hosts the “T.O. Deep Dive.” It’s a night that features experts from Toronto museums, Spacing Magazine and MYSEUM who present stories from the history of Toronto over delicious pints in the taproom.
Every Wednesday in fact is event night at Henderson Brewing Company. Working with their neighbours next door at the House of Anansi Press bookstore, the two come together on the third Wednesday of the month to host Canadian authors discussing books and beer.
The first Wednesday of the month is their “Vinyl Show ‘n Tell,” hosted by local Toronto musicians. Guests bring their favourite vinyl and tell the story of its significance while pairing the sound to beer. And the final Wednesday of the month welcomes Henderson’s “Ha Ha Glug Glug” comedy show with local comedians.
What’s canning down the line?
These events allow Henderson to engage their community and the history of their neighbourhood and city. The brewery is proud to be a part of Toronto.
This fact is perhaps most visible in the Henderson Brewing Company’s “Ides” program. While the brewery has purposely positioned itself within the space between micro and macro breweries, producing year round offerings that are more approachable for those new to craft beer, the Ides program allows the brewers to have a little fun.
In a monthly release, the Ides beers are made with an ear to Toronto’s history, referencing stories about landmarks, like Picnic Point, and amusing anecdotes about visitors to the city, such as Frank Zappa. Each beer in the program aims to tell a Toronto story.
Perhaps the most special of the monthly Ides releases though is the February release. Every year, Henderson Brewing Company holds the “Henderson Cup,” a home-brewing competition. This past year’s competition saw more than 80 entries all vying for the prize of becoming the brew that Henderson releases as its February Ides offering. The winner gets to join the team at Henderson to brew their recipe on a large scale – and they get paid for their winning efforts.
As is the way with craft beer, Henderson is happy to be apart of their community and to do what it can to continue its growth.
The People of Henderson Brewing Company
I was welcomed to the brewery by Kate Ellis and Dylan Ryan who were pouring pints behind the bar. I was able to have a quick chat with them when the Saturday afternoon rush subsided.
Kate got into craft beer once she got to try it: “I realized that beer doesn’t have to be boring.” The comment was on point with her response to what she believes is a craft beer lifestyle. “It’s about trying something new every time,” she told me. And surely Kate, that does not sound boring at all.
I questioned Kate about her favourite Henderson beer: the “Best” amber ale. Given her self-admitted short attention span, she said that the Best would be well-paired with a movie like “Old School.” “Comedies work well with beer.”
While pulling on a different tap handle, I spoke with Dylan. Dylan has actually left Henderson Brewing Company since my visit. His last day in fact was yesterday. He is about to take off on a month-long US tour as the drummer for his band. I wish him the best of luck on his tour.
He’ll need some luck while travelling, I think. He claimed that a craft beer lifestyle is simply, “Knowing where to find the good stuff.” I hope he’s therefore done his research before he heads off on tour.
Dylan suggested pairing “a cozy, cuddly knitted sweater” with his favourite Henderson offering, their Export Stout. “Both are like a warm hug,” Dylan explained.
From chemist to brewer: naturally
I had a more extended conversation with brewer Tomas Madsen. Tomas is a chemical engineering grad who started home brewing while he was working at a nuclear facility. He loved the creativity that the brewing experience provided, and got tired of the usual grind at his day job.
Tomas isn’t the first brewer I’ve spoken to with a background in chemical engineering. This makes sense, given brewing is really about harnessing chemical processes. He now approaches his first year anniversary with Henderson Brewing Company this month.
Tomas expressed his affinity for the brewery’s brand and practical philosophy. Like the brewery, he is happy to find himself brewing beer that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, rather than brewing only specialty beers that only a few have the palette to appreciate. Of course, he also enjoys getting “funky” and experimental with the Ides program.
The philosophy that Tomas aligns himself with at Henderson is one that also speaks directly to how Tomas understands craft beer lifestyle. The “inclusive” community that is craft beer is one that intends to welcome everyone and anyone, just as Henderson’s main stay offerings intend.
Tomas was an engaged speaker with an infectious smile. My sister and photographer, Amelia, was clear to tell to me how much time she spent trying to get the perfect shot of this smile. She nailed it a number of times, I’m happy to say.
I’m also happy to say that Tomas shared three Henderson beers with me. In my usual fashion, I used those three brews to have some fun pairing them.
Pairingwith… Henderson Brewing Company’s “Food Truck” Blonde
The “Food Truck” blonde ale is a crisp, easy-drinking beer that is appropriate for any occasion. It is available year round from Henderson Brewing Company. This beer won silver at the 2017 Canadian Brewing Awards for best blonde ale.
The Food Truck is the perfect pairing for a walk in the park, and, in this case, a walk through Glen Stewart Ravine in the Beaches area of Toronto. The beer itself was made with food trucks in mind, produced to pair well with almost any food truck offering. The clean flavour is there to refresh the palette, and prepare your mouth for the next bite.
But the beer also lends itself quite well to the concept behind a food truck. What’s mostly significant about a food truck is, of course, its ability to be mobile. The light body and comfortable malt-forward flavour of the Food Truck blonde is excellent for consumption while on the move.
Walking through Glen Stewart Ravine, with the more fresh scent of nature around you, is refreshing like the beer is – especially knowing that you’re still surrounded by a metropolis, and that there’s probably a food truck somewhere near the end of your journey.
The touch of grassy sweetness in the beer’s flavour speaks to a stroll through a park. The lack of any hop bitterness, moreover, provides a very friendly beverage, perfect for a decent saunter. Of course, after a reasonable expedition, especially one with a lot of hills or stairs (as is the case in the Glen Stewart Ravine), one will always like to find a food truck waiting at the end to feed you. Paying perfect complement, the refreshing beer will work to quench your thirst.
Crack a can; have a stroll; crack another, and enjoy a bite: we’re on the move with this one.
Glen Stewart Ravine
Glen Stewart Ravine is 11 hectares of diverse plant and bird life, located in the middle of the bustling Beaches area of Toronto. It is a hidden gem in the city that, unless you’re from the Beaches itself, you probably don’t know it’s there.
Designated as an Environmentally Significant Area, Glen Stewart Ravine is something from a fantasy novel, like Middle Earth or Narnia. The Ames Creek runs through the middle of the ravine, which is dominated by rare red oak and red maple trees. Ducks and squirrels are common residents. Long sets of stairs and lookout points navigate visitors through the ravine, providing a number of entries and exists on all sides.
Growing up in the Beaches myself, Glen Stewart Ravine is place I have many fond memories of. In elementary school, I was a cross-country runner, and our training often involved running through this beautiful ravine. As a young teenager, it was a common meeting place for my friends.
Indeed, Glen Stewart Ravine is the first place I got completely intoxicated, throwing up along the path near the south entrance. I passed out on a bench nearby there, I believe. It was also the main attraction for my first experience with mushrooms – the magic sort of mushrooms, of course – and who doesn’t want to enter Narnia on mushrooms?!
Glen Stewart Ravine is a magical place in the middle of Toronto. It’s a secluded space that offers a momentary escape from the traffic, noise and bright lights of the city. It’s a space where families can play, couples can come together and teenagers can make their ‘rite of passage.’ If you’re from Toronto and you haven’t visited, I suggest you make a plan to do so. If you’re a visitor of the city, then definitely add it to your itinerary.
Pairingwith… Henderson Brewing Company’s “By Any Other Name” Stout
“By Any Other Name” is part of Henderson Brewing Company’s “Ides” program, a monthly release of experimental beers that look to highlight places, people and the history of Toronto. This one, released in December of 2018, is a cinnamon bun stout whose recipe uses cinnamon bun paste from Rosen’s Cinnamon Buns, a local, Toronto cinnamon bun shop.
The stout pairs wonderfully with this hand-knitted toque from Burly Knits. Meticulously knitted with the finest natural fibres, and made with an incredible sense of luxury, the toque provides a “treat” for your head in the way that devouring a cinnamon bun is a treat for one’s mouth.
The creamy mouthfeel and sweet chocolate, cinnamon flavoured stout is reminiscent of a good caramel latte; albeit, with a 10% ABV kick that elevates the experience to on par with the level of a luxurious, hand-made wool toque. Elevated, not merely because the kick is a step up from a regular stout, but also because the kick provides a warming sensation that is only paralleled by something like a well-made, wool toque.
The large, stylish folded brim of the Burly Knits toque hugs one’s head away from the cold, while accentuating the face underneath. Similarly, the cinnamon bun stout from Henderson Brewing Company hugs the drinker with aromas of vanilla and coffee, while accentuating any happy face. Indeed, happiness is a perquisite for drinking such a beer – or, for wearing such a toque.
Burly Knits toques are “infused with love and consciously created for all,” and the “By Any Other Name” stout is, likewise, infused with cinnamon bun paste and consciously created for all desert experiences.
Stay sweet; stay warm; stay stylish, my friends.
Burly Knits
Burly Knits is a project began by the enigmatic James Crispin Janz. Beginning as a simple way to provide heirloom quality gifts for his friends’ newborns, James quickly realized that he could satisfy his own need for the quality clothing accessories he could not find on the market by making them himself. With over 20 years of experience as an interior designer and decorator (Crispin Janz Design Inc.), James’ eye for beauty quickly found a new use for handmade luxury knitwear.
“Craft” is the name of the game at Burly Knits. Everything is handmade, and everything made by Burly Knits is here to impart a message of “keeping handmade skills thriving and valid.” Today’s current manufacturing climate, of course, is ruled by the supply-demand matrix, and the climate of desire is one of spontaneity. Indeed, spend an afternoon in a shopping mall, and you’ll find yourself wanting to purchase all sorts of silly do-dads you didn’t even know existed the afternoon before.
Burly Knits attempts to revert back to a time when creation was accomplished to satisfy a need (albeit, in the most luxurious way possible), rather than to make another spontaneous sale. Burly takes “the slow road in order to create items that will truly be loved and enjoyed for a lifetime.”
And these items certainly deliver on that aim. With the finest sourced natural fibres, textiles and trimmings, Burly Knits accessories and clothing items are things of complete comfort and utter artistry and alluring charm.
The name “Burly” refers to James’ large frame and thick beard. He fits in perfectly at the next Viking Fest in Iceland, in other words. (Now imagine a Viking knitting: James is that paradox.) While he has a knack at taking selfies with his face covered, James is one big, friendly character, always ready for a quality chat over a macchiato, dirty martini or a well-balanced beer.
Burly Knits’ products can be found on the Burly website, and custom items can be ordered there as well. As James likes to say, “Everyone deserves to have the best in their lives,” and Burly Knits is here to deliver the best.
Pairingwith… Henderson Brewing Company’s “Best” Amber
The flagship beer from Henderson Brewing Company is an English-style, amber ale that they call “Best.” As mentioned above, it aims to be the ‘best’ beer that Toronto’s first brewer, Robert Henderson, would be brewing if he were brewing today. It won bronze at the 2016 Ontario Brewing Awards, and then gold in 2017.
Given today is International Women’s Day, it’s suiting to pair Henderson’s Best with two of the best women in my life: my mother, Anne-Marie Jackson; and my sister, Amelia Purdy.
With lightly toasted bread and caramel malt-forward flavours, the Best is an amber ale that stands firmly within its style. With slight floral hops coming through on the finish, the Best is a well-balanced beer, which is a necessity for an English-style ale like this one.
These characteristics speak directly to the strength of my mother. Born in England herself, my mother has dedicated much of her life to creating balance. Standing firmly as a proponent for social justice and change, now with the Jesuit Forum for Social Fatih and Justice, Anne-Marie works to educate and spur people towards living in a more equitable, balanced world. She aims, in fact, for the ‘best’ world.
The wonderfully mild bitterness of Best lingers alongside its smooth, soft mouthfeel. A subtle dried fruit and nuttiness joins the bread and caramel of the malt. This nuttiness, obviously, alludes to my sister. With a smile pretty much tattooed on her face and giving out constant and consistent positive vibes, my sister has a knack for keep everything fun and enjoyable.
A photographer by trade, and a mother and business owner, my sister’s sense of aesthetics has her producing photographs that are received by the eye in the way the mouth receives Henderson’s Best: smoothly.
On a day we celebrate the power of womanhood, I look at these two women as paradigms – not merely as paradigms for women, but paradigms for all human beings. Indeed, if I was as balanced, smooth and nutty as these two, then I’d be pretty darn close to being the best.
Join me in raising my glass to two incredible boss ladies, and to all ladies across the world. The rest of us, for sure, would be lost without you.
Anne-Marie Jackson & Amelia Purdy
Anne-Marie Jackson
My extraordinary mother, Anne-Marie Jackson, was born and raised in England. Coming to Canada with her lifelong friend, Heather Brock-Samuel when they were 20, both women fell into the trap of Canadian men (or, conversely, these Canadian men fell into the trap of British women). Anne-Marie stayed here in Toronto with my father, Jim; Heather took her “prize,” John, back to England.
My mother studied languages and worked in the arts, eventually helping my father with his own theatre and film projects. She speaks French and Spanish fluently, and has a reasonable grasp on German (yes: that deserves a “#bosslady”).
After having three children (I was the first, and of course most precious), she migrated from the arts and into social justice. Working first as a regional facilitator, she gained extensive experience as a leader of global justice education and action, working with the international solidarity organization, Development and Peace (D&P). Her depth of compassion and understanding propelled her forward, becoming program coordinator and, eventually, director.
My mother is a monstrously well-travelled woman. She has visited the majority of central America and the Caribbean; much of Europe; visited Brazil, Palestine, Nigeria and China; and has a soft spot for Mexico. Most places she has been, she has been numerous times. Part of these travels came in the form of her leading groups on visits and delegations to D&P partners, mainly in the Global South.
In 2007, my mother left Development and Peace to join the Jesuit Forum for Social Fatih and Justice. She has been its director for several years now and is the lead author and editor of the Jesuit Forum’s journal, OpenSpace.
Anne-Marie is the type of person that does what she believes in. While her story-telling may take an entire dinner to get through the “intro,” she is motivated by action, and is not afraid to take it. I have learned so much from my mother. Not simply manners and basic life skills, but, much more significantly, a sense of morality and empathy that crosses borders, race, religion and sexuality.
If I know a “boss lady,” it’s my mom – and I do know a boss lady.
Amelia “Mia” Purdy
My wonderful sister – who, by the way, I could NEVER be doing this project without! – will be the first to claim that SHE is the most precious in the eyes of our parents. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is in fact the truth.
Amelia – or “Mia” as we call her – is the responsible child in our family. My brother and I are fairly useless individuals who have refused, in our own various ways, to properly grow up (arguably, this makes us the smarter children… I continue to convince myself…), while Mia has, instead, grown up to be a woman on her own mission.
The very proud mother of two of the most adorable little girls on the planet, Aria (about to turn 5) and Eva (now 2), Mia is a house-owner, business owner and loving wife to Darryl Smith (the lucky schmuck!).
Her love of photography motivated her to get into journalism at the University of Ottawa. She perfected her craft over the subsequent years, working with friends and family at various events, especially working weddings and executing family portraits.
Launching her own business, YouByMia Photography, she has grown her client-base and expertise over the last 10 years on, not merely photography, but also the inner workings of weddings. That experience and knowledge has led her to partner with her friend, Kristen Prevost, an experienced event planner and interior decorating junkie, starting their own wedding planning business.
Wildflower Wedding Company was launched last month, and unites the skills of the ladies that run it to provide an all-encompassing wedding planning service. With their own brand of stationary (Etsy shop here), their flower arranging and decorating abilities, their connections to fantastic wedding venues and photography skills, the ladies have everything ‘wedding’ covered. While they are well-versed and prepared for the upcoming wedding season, this one will be their first spent together.
Knowing my sister, this is just another project she will make a success. Indeed, most of the compliments PairingwithBeer receives these days come in the form of, “Your pictures are so awesome!” Yep, I’m just fodder over here in comparison to my amazing sis – and I’m just fine with that.
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