Halo Brewery
From complement…
Callum Hay, co-owner and head brewer at Halo Brewery, was initially reluctant to speak of such a thing as a ‘craft beer lifestyle.’ His response to my question about it began, “I like to think of craft beer as complementary to one’s lifestyle, and I don’t think it should be the sole defining element such that it would be the ‘be-all-end-all’ adjective.”
This was a shrewd and fair response, but, to my delight, Callum did not stop there. Instead, he went on to give me more or less exactly the sort of response I was really hoping for: “If there was such a thing, and we weren’t being horribly pedantic about it, then it would be a lifestyle that supports local creation and endeavour. It would also be about self-improvement through the exploration of one’s tastes and aesthetics.”
I will say here that this blog does intend to illustrate a lifestyle – one I want to call a “craft beer lifestyle” – one that takes its lifestyle prescription from the culture of craft beer. And that culture, Callum, above, was clear to pronounce: support local and be apart of the community; explore taste, flavour and new experiences; and know those behind the production of those experiences. That, in the tiniest of nutshells, is what I believe a ‘craft beer lifestyle’ is about. Callum articulated it (reluctantly) very well.
…to lifestyle
Opening in May of 2016, Halo Brewery is located in the Junction triangle in the west end of Toronto. It’s nestled within a residential neighbourhood on Wallace Avenue, and, as is the case with many craft breweries, this neighbourhood is a significant part of Halo Brewery itself.
The small taproom is decked out in minimalist, modern decor. The light fixtures stand out as bright red metal arms that resemble parts of a structural formula for a chemical compound, finding their pinnacle with the large chandelier that hangs in the centre of the room. (See the full Halo Brewery photo gallery here.)
The simplicity of the room is inviting and comfortable. Halo Brewery is proud to offer a space for local residents to unwind and relax in. Their guests are welcomed to the space, but Halo Brewery is well-aware that the relationship they have with the locals is the key to their success in the neighbourhood.
A part of the neighbourhood…
The team at Halo Brewery makes a point of trying to give back to the community in which they are nestled. They support at least one local event every month, often in the form of beer donations or appearances at the events, serving beer.
When Halo Brewery is looking to host their own events or adding food items to their menu, they look to the local businesses nearby for partnerships. Currently, you can find vegan pepperettes from Sausage Party and pretzels from Cafe Neon on the Halo menu.
Halo Brewery also likes to remain connected to its roots and to its specifically craft beer neighbourhood. Callum began his beer journey as most brewers do: as a hobby, brewing at home in a basement. To honour this past, and to remain connected to the community of home-brewers, Callum sees Halo Brewery as the first open source brewery in Canada (and beyond).
…of craft beer
In conversation and support of home-brewers, Halo publishes its beer recipes on their website. What’s published is not merely a list of the ingredients either. Halo gets as specific as it can, listing the exact amounts of those ingredients, along with outlining the entire brewing process, including temperatures and time schedules.
It’s in conversation with this community that Halo makes every effort to remain a relevant part of. This is the route Callum took – home brewing – to get to where his is today, and he makes a point to remain connected to those roots.
Halo Brewery also works with their craft brewery neighbours. They collaborated on a black currant saison with Folly Brewing two years ago and, last summer, on a New England-style IPA with Laylow Brewery. Both brewery’s are located only a few city blocks south-east of Halo.
Behind the Halo Brewery beer
Going behind Halo Brewery beer, really means going behind its maker. Callum began brewing beer because he wanted flavours that he couldn’t easily find anywhere. With this aim in mind, he and a friend purchased a copy of John Palmer’s How to Brew, along with some very basic brewing items, such as a three gallon stock pot and a bucket with an airlock – no kits.
Callum’s home brewing experience went as one can perhaps expect: “The result could be described as an obsessive, regimented schedule of learning – or, more specifically, making lots of mistakes quickly and doing our best to improve after each one.”
The self-described “geekery” of the project quickly became an obsession, and this drive for perfection is what eventually led Callum to begin brewing professionally. It took a “shit load of time and effort,” he admits. I can say that the results prove that it was more than worth it.
Blurring styles
The result is a consistently unique offering that tends to push the boundaries of the usual. Focusing on styles that are more popular today, sours and IPAs, Halo Brewery lets these styles come to life by opening their possibilities beyond the traditional. In the process, they often blur the distinction between styles, but the point is to invent new flavours, ones Callum and his team haven’t tasted before.
It was new styles that originally inspired Callum to begin home brewing in the first place. Unibroue’s “La Fin du Monde,” a Tripel, was a first experiment with craft beer for Callum. He hated it.
It was a matter of “recalibrating” his palette and understanding of beer before he could come to appreciate, and then fall in love with the myriad flavours that beer has to offer. Fast forward to today, and Halo Brewery aims to mirror that expansion of taste. They intend to expand the style-spectrum further, adding their own sense of fun and flavour into an already wealthy mix.
And Halo Brewery beers are fun. Their beers are often some of the juiciest, untamed explosions of tart, sweet and bitter found at any one brewery that I am aware of – they scream fun.
With that reality in front of me, I can tell you that I was more than simply keen to be able to take three Halo beers with me for my own sense of fun: pairing them.
Pairingwith… Halo Brewery’s “Elder God” Brett Saison
The “Elder God” brett saison with elderflower and elderberry is an incredibly colourful and unique offering from Halo Brewery. It is a seasonal offering; this version produced about two years since its last rendition.
The Elder God is a wonderful pairing with Awolk, a neo-folk musician from Nova Scotia. I caught up with the artist (Jesse Thomas) during his latest tour, meeting at Page One in Toronto to share this delicious beer. He played the Free Times Cafe a few nights later, where I also was able to catch his live performance.
The floral-forward nose with a hint of sweetness and yeast is refreshing before you even take your first sip of this beer. The vibrant deep purple colour also wakes one up before a taste. The beer is so deliciously refreshing that one can easily enjoy it for breakfast, even at its 6.5% ABV. (And that’s more or less what Awolk and I did – and it was an awesome breakfast, let me speak for both of us.)
Elder God’s aromas allude to the natural world, and in a world full of music containing blips and bleeps, hearing a more organic musician pour his heart out over beautiful, moody arrangements made without any blips and bleeps is as refreshing in this current musical landscape as is the Elder God. Indeed, my date to the Awolk show was so grateful to be brought to the show for, as he said, “I haven’t seen actual, organic live music in, like, forever.”
The complex taste of the Elder God that is a mix of sweet, tart, berry, yeast and subtle spice with mildly dry finish speaks directly to the honest, poetic lyrics coming from Awolk’s amazing croon. Take these, from his song, “Dreams:” “Live from your heart and not your mind / We need a revelation, full speed acceleration / Don’t fear losing over love.” Now imagine a voice that is part Jeff Buckley, part Bono, hints of Eddie Vedder and part, well, straight up Awolk belting these out from the depths of his soul.
The beauty inherent to Awolk’s music is complemented by the beauty of this beer. I can’t tell you how good of a pairing this really is, to be honest. We’re talking about a flippin’ amazing beer and a(n elder) god damn stunning new artist.
Make your way to Halo Brewery today to pick up a 6 pack of the Elder God, and then get on Spotify or Apple music or whatever and get a copy of Awolk’s self-titled second album. I’ll meet you in both places.
Awolk
Awolk is Jesse Thomas, who hails from the Halifax area in Nova Scotia, and has been writing music now for close to ten years. Originally, Jesse performed under his own name, but when he moved from the east coast to Toronto in 2016, his sound took a significant turn.
With this transformation, Jesse looked to also change his stage name. Not only are there simply too many Jesse Thomases in the world, but his experience of transformation felt to him like an “awakening” that also revealed a new artist. This is where his new moniker comes from: pronounced “Ay-woke,” not “Ay-walk” (not like he is some sort of furry Star Wars alien, in other words – not an ewok), the moniker references the musical epiphany Jesse experienced.
Awolk’s alternative sound, which fuses soul, country and electrified folk-rock, is something I hear alluding to early U2 (“The Joshua Tree”), Jeff Buckley (“Grace”) and even moments, in Jesse’s voice, of Eddie Vedder-esque groans and growls. His newest record, last year’s self-titled debut, is an inspiring romp. Roots Music Canada said of the record, “Awolk digs into the deepest parts of you, pops the bubble between artist and listener, and makes you bleed in the most beautiful way possible.”
Jesse is a gentle, thoughtful man, and this all comes out in his lyrics, which are easy to identify with and are both thought-provoking and touching. His song-writing skills and arrangements bring a full atmosphere to complement the sound of his delicate plucking and strumming of his guitar – and his incredible croon.
Produced by Colin Buchanan, the album was ranked as the 26/60 best albums of the year (2018) on the east coast by CIOE 97.5 radio. With over 30 dates in 2018, and now having just finished a 15 date tour in early 2019, Awolk’s live shows are intimate and engaging. I personally suspect that his sophomore release (whenever that drops!) is going to propel this incredible artist to reach well-deserved new heights (i.e., I suspect some Juno nods). Listen to Awolk’s album here.
Pairingwith… Halo Brewery’s “Shapshifter” Sour IPA
The “Shapeshifter” sour IPA from Halo Brewery is a year round offering, available at the brewery. This is the base product of the Shapeshifter series, with other versions seasonally made, such as blood orange, blackberry and tangerine.
It is the perfect pairing with my first tattoo, recently acquired in November of 2018. The tattoo is of a chameleon with the word “change” written in the pattern of the reptile’s skin by tattoo artist Unkle Gregory at Imperial Tattoos in Toronto.
The vibrant, opaque orange colour of the beer, with its upfront tart and grapefruit flavours and lively effervescent mouthfeel, allow the beer to blend into any Sunday morning breakfast table, especially one featuring mimosas. Yet, the beer also stands tall in the evening, with its 6.5% ABV and subtle bitter finish, with a colour that could brighten any dimly lit club. The tarty sweetness of the beer, moreover, could complement any fruity dessert.
This versatility, of course, speaks directly to the strength of a chameleon’s ability to blend into the background and disguise itself within any scenery. The smooth, clean taste of the beer mirrors the incredible line-work that Unkle Gregory achieved with the fibonacci sequence he created to frame the chameleon. Greg’s outstanding dot-work, blending shadow and design, is reminiscent of the friendly bubbles that give extra life to the beer. The chameleon’s eye, which Greg positioned to look at the viewer from almost any angle, is like the colour of the beer – always looking at me, encouraging another sip.
With “change” as the name of the game in the tattoo, the Shapeshifter, not only in its name, but also in its series, alludes directly to change. The fibonacci spiral presents an image of a constantly evolving path that nonetheless retains a consistent sequence: it’s always changing, yet remaining the same. From a grapefruit base to blackberry through tangerine and blood orange, the series from Halo Brewery retains its tart and sweet taste while changing the details of what sort of sweetness arises from within.
I have been waiting since before even getting the tattoo to get this pairing accomplished. Not only is getting one’s first tattoo somewhat of a monumental moment in one’s life, but when the tattoo conveniently alludes directly to one of your current favourite beers, you take advantage. Or your shirt off, as the case may be.
After 6 hours in a chair being stabbed repeatedly by very tiny needles, one needs a beer. The Shapeshifter from Halo Brewery will immediately provide a boost of juicy energy to get you back up on your spiral of growth and change.
Now dubbed “Unkle Heraclitus,” in a nod to the artist and to the pre-Socratic ancient Greek philosopher who argued that the world was “in constant flux,” the black and white tattoo, at this point, only seems to be missing a colourful beer in the clutch of the chameleon to really match my aesthetic here.
Unkle Gregory: we may need to schedule another date. I’ll bring the beer, but no drinking while inking, please.
Unkle Gregory at Imperial Tattoo
Imperial Tattoo is a very clean, safe and incredibly friendly tattoo shop in downtown Toronto. Established in 2008, it is a comfortable, large space with a number of private stalls. The shop is home to numerous talented tattoo artists, with a combined experience of more than 56 years.
The artist I worked with goes by the name of Unkle Gregory. The “Unkle,” with a “k,” is in reference to his niece who, as a young girl, always over-pronounced the “c” in “uncle.”
Greogory Serpanchy has been into art for as long as he can remember. He studied fine art and industrial design at OCAD University in the early 2000s, before finding his own studio. He showcased his work at various galleries, while completing random graphic design projects and working his “daily 9-5 grind.”
Tattooing came after all of this. Greg describes his role as a tattoo artist as finding his “place in the visual arts.” Never quite settling comfortably with anything previously, tattooing offered a discipline that pulled in two directions: one that allowed him to be expressive, and the other that insisted on pleasing a client. And then it also tested both his design skills and his ability to execute the design – the technical aspect of tattooing itself a lure for Greg.
Greg has now been tattooing professionally for almost a decade now, and it’s clear with how he speaks of his art that he is now more than simply settled: “Tattooing has given me something to aspire to, which I strive to attain everyday. It is a beautiful art that I have committed to entirely.”
After sitting with Greg for about 6 hours straight, I can confirm that the thickly-bearded, for-the-most-part-covered-in-tattoos Sri Lankan is as sweet, gentle and authentic as he sounds above. I sensed a certain spiritualism about him when he spoke, and I also sense that that plays a large role in his way as a tattoo artist. He also likes bourbon almost as much as I like craft beer, so it’s easy for me to say that he’s pretty much cool all round.
Unkle Gregory creates unique and detailed tattoo designs, and has the ability to turn someone else’s idea into a better-than-imagined reality. His specialties are blackwork, dot-work, geometric and black and grey floral. He works solely out of Imperial Tattoo, and by appointment only (although he does offer random flash days – keep your eye on his Instagram for those!).
Imperial Tattoo does welcome walk-ins, and offers free consultations. If you have an idea for a tattoo – or simply just want one! – I suggesting booking with Imperial.
Pairingwith… Halo Brewery’s “Magic Missile” Pale Ale
The “Magic Missile” dry-hopped pale ale is the flagship beer from Halo Brewery, available year round. It’s a deliciously acute pairing with the Arts Market, which is a chain of (currently three) shops in Toronto that offers space to local artisan makers to sell their goods.
Being a flagship beer, the Magic Missile is that missile that projects itself through the craft beer landscape, and, as a result, marks a territory for Halo Brewery. It is a wonderfully hazy beer with tropical aromas and flavours of mango, pineapple and passionfruit with a balancing mild-bitter finish. Versatile, and great for almost any occasion.
And that’s a good thing, because enjoying this beverage while perusing the numerous stalls at the Arts Market (ok, that’s not exactly legal, but imagine a different world here for a moment…) will find you inspecting such a variety of wonderful craft items, it’s like a new occasion at every stall.
The Arts Market is a space that allows the many artisans renting there to reach their audience in a more consistent way than merely waiting for the next pop-up or outdoor, weekend market to occur. The Arts Market, like the Magic Missile, is therefore a flagship for these artisans, marching its way through the commercial landscape on behalf of its tenants.
Like the Arts Market, the Magic Missile works to excite the drinker with its medley of fruit flavours that is completed by a comfortable grapefruit bitterness. One dips their tongue into the many fruit flavours in the way one dips their hand into the many stalls at the Arts Market.
If there’s one thing this world is good at these days, it’s shopping. The Arts Market provides a unique shopping experience, blasting, like a missile, across the typical window-shopper: every stall is a new window here. Every sip of Halo’s beer similarly provides a new flavour to focus on. Now if only we could live in a different world, and enjoy a Magic Missile while perusing those stalls…
Bring a Magic Missile, but leave your glass and bottle opener at home: the Arts Market should have those items available in one of its stalls. Shopping and beer! Wish with me, people – wish with me.
Arts Market
Daniel Cohen is an artist who had been travelling for six years, selling his art at various markets around the world. While settling in Sydney, Australia, for almost 3 years, he ran an outdoor market called the “Glebe Market.” He also fixed scooters on the side.
His travels afforded him exposure to retail concepts he had not seen in Toronto: shops that rented chunks of their space to artisan makers, allowing them to sell their items everyday of the week. Rather than the common, temporary, outdoor, pop-up markets found in Toronto, Daniel wanted to bring this new concept home.
On Saturday, July 9th, 2011, Daniel opened the first Arts Market in Toronto at 1114 Queen St. East in Leslieville. With the success of the first store, a location on College St in Dufferin Grove was opened in 2013, and then another in Riverside in 2016.
The arrangement between the Arts Market and its vendors works in a way that keeps both parties healthy. The Arts Market charges $227 for 4 weeks in one of their stalls; they take zero commission on their vendors’ sales; and the vendors, besides needing to stock and arrange their space, do not need to be present for sales – the Arts Market staff take care of those.
A walk through an Arts Market will see you finding items that you would have a difficult time finding elsewhere. From unique prints and artwork to hand-carved wooden trinkets, coasters, keychains through jewelry and iron works to vintage clothing, antiques and handmade accessories, there’s something for everyone. With around 175 vendors selling out of the three shops, the eclectic mix should come as no surprise.
An eclectic mix, without a doubt, the Arts Market has provided space to artisans as young as 15 years old. The success of the shop has transferred over to its vendors, with 8 of them (thus far) having such success that they have opened their own shops. And the hub for artisans has led to unexpected connections: two marriages and one baby.
I asked Daniel what he though a “craft lifestyle” might be, and he responded this way: “I think the Craft Lifestyle has been around for many decades… However, it’s really came into its own in the past 5 years. More and more people are taking on the DIY mentality… I think the success of craft blogs and sites like Pinterest are indicative of this. The term also strongly represents the support we feel from our surrounding communities. Torontonians are eager to support local artisans who make a living from having a craft lifestyle themselves.”
Daniel can be found at any one of his Arts Markets most of the time. When he isn’t found there, he is probably spending time with his wife and daughter – or fixing scooters (ok, he doesn’t do that one any more – but he may if you ask!).
Leave a Reply