Bringing the community…
With the Jays game playing on the TVs above the bar, I sat with Jimmy Peat, co-owner of Longslice Brewery, in the Aviary, the brewery’s brewpub. I asked him what he thought a ‘craft beer lifestyle’ might be.
“It’s a sense of community,” he quickly remarked. “You get to know a craft beer community that is really inclusive, but also peeps in your own neighbourhood, which is awesome. It really brings everyone together, I think.
“But it’s equally about a move to supporting local and increasing variety, which stimulates the local economy – and knowing who made the beer: being able to discuss that and learn about what you’re really drinking is super cool…
“It’s dope to have access to cases of beer for house parties too,” he finished with a grin.
…to the house party
Originally contract brewing, Longslice Brewery began their operations in March of 2014. Owned by two brothers, Jimmy and John Peat, and their longtime friend, Seb Lesch, Longslice really got its start back in high school.
“We got into brewing beer because we figured out that you could purchase all the ingredients and tools to make beer, even if you weren’t of legal age to drink it yet – we were in high school, and we wanted to drink beer, so…” Jimmy admitted.
A large part of me wishes I was as clever as these guys were back then.
Partners
Approaching the Aviary brewpub brings a large, L-shaped patio quickly into view. Upon entering, you are greeted with a homemade arcade game (made by Seb) on your right, a foosball table to your left and a bar that wraps around a series of televisions. Large windows let oodles of natural light into the sports-themed brewpub and restaurant. (See the full Longslice photo gallery here.)
The Aviary, which opened in August of 2018, was born from a partnership between Longslice Brewery and the team behind one of Toronto’s truly hippest sports bars, The Dock Ellis. Featuring comfortable pub food made fresh in house, and an atmosphere ripe for casual dining and friendly drinking, it is an excellent place to catch the game, try some brews and let loose.
It doesn’t happen over night
From their self-declared “crappy” first home brews in high school, things really took a turn a number of years later when Jimmy brewed the “Hopsta la Vista” IPA. Entering the brew into various home-brewing competitions, the IPA was well-received and won a number of medals. This is when the Longslice team started to believe they could take a serious run at brewing.
On a cold, dark night (ok: I made the “cold, dark” part up here for dramatic effect…) Jimmy had had a few brews and was thinking creatively. The name, “Longslice,” came to him in some sort of vision (similar to the Three Kings’ run in with an angel, I believe), and, knowing full-well that this name was almost as good as his Hopsta la Vista tasted, he had the (inebriated) need to trademark the name, worried “Longslice” would be snatched up by someone else the next day.
Of course, when he woke up the next afternoon (ok, I made up the “afternoon” part here too…), he had spent a pile of money on a name he now felt no one else would have ever come up with. But it was his, and now he was certainly committed.
Thank god for commitment
There’s something to be said about Jimmy’s leap of commitment here that I believe we can all learn from. One never accomplishes anything sitting and waiting for something to happen; sometimes you just need to dive into the deep in and figure out a way to pull yourself out of there. Jimmy had taken a dive, and with John and Seb at his side, the Longslice team didn’t merely figure out how to pull themselves out of the water, they also learnt how to surf it.
Going professional with Hopsta la Vista proved to be the right move. From their experience at home-brewing competitions, the brew doubled-down on those wins, taking gold medals at the professional level in 2015 and 2017 at the Ontario Brewing Awards. Longslice was now more than a name from some vision: it was a substantial brand with something delicious to offer.
Longslice Brewery: offering up fun
And what’s on offer from Longslice Brewery is always about having fun. They take their brewing seriously, but know full-well that drinking beer is about fun – it’s not some snobby pastime that only a few can enjoy properly; it’s an inclusive community, meant to be enjoyed by all.
John now leads the brewing team, with Jimmy having passed that torch to his agreed upon more capable brother, and John seemingly likes to take his time concocting beers. While they’ve brewed “hundreds” of different beers at this point, John likes to perfect a brew properly before he really brings it to market. With names like “Loose Lips,” “Slam Dunkel,” and, of course, “Hopst la Vista,” the brews that make it passed John’s standards are meant to be had for fun and enjoyable experiences – but only good beer can accommodate such experiences, of course.
The fun and enjoyable Longslice Brewery
The beer and the brewery is branded in a fun way, with, according to Jimmy, “80’s partying” in mind, and the brews themselves are made to be approachable so that all can enjoy (just like an 80’s party). This enjoyable brand likes to have its fun with the community, which includes other breweries nearby. This includes Mill Street Brewery to the west, and to the east, Saulter Street Brewery, both having made collaboration brews with Longslice.
But they go beyond their craft beer community as well. Partnering with Think Fitness, a nearby gym, the neighbours created the “Barbells and Brews” event last September, a day of competitive and social fitness-based challenges and activities with a Longslice-style celebration afterwards. They are currently speaking with neighbouring bike shop, Gears, for an event similar to Barbells and Brews (with cycling as the fixture here though, of course). The team has also been a repeat participant at the Junction Farmer’s Market, offering some fresh Longslice pints to the crowds.
Perhaps my favourite collab the Longslice team has involved themselves with, and one that really brings the fun to the fore that this brewery is known for, is Jimmy’s participation with Junction City Wrestling. Jimmy wanted to be a “bad guy,” and brought his two heads of security to toss bodies around in the ring for him at a recent show, “The Destructor Rumble,” at Junction Craft Brewery this past March. The wrestling show really mirrors the sense of hilarious enjoyment that the Longslice brand consistently offers
The party is just gettin’ started
It has taken a lot of hard work, effort and energy for the Longslice team to be where they are at today. As their brewery is still putting the final touches on the facility, they do not foresee the work to be over – in fact, it may just be getting started.
The Aviary brewpub shines in bright yellow, ready to host its community for pints, food, laughs and games. Sitting across from Jimmy at a table for 8, I admire the accomplishments here, in this big, bright building. How kids in high school looking to skirt the system to get drunk can evolve into an operation with more than 25 employees is beyond me. Once a passion burns though, I guess, there’s no stopping what it can accomplish.
With room for even more fermentation tanks in the brewery section of the venue, I can imagine that John, and the entire team at Longslice, is beyond excited to get working on their own system – and the community is certainly excited to see the results.
Equally excited is I, who Jimmy has passed three Longslice Brewery beers to, so that I can run off with pairings in mind: this is, indeed, my own semblance of Longslice fun.
Pairingwith… Longslice Brewery – “Hopsta la Vista” IPA
The “Hopsta la Vista” IPA from Longslice Brewery is the brewery’s flagship beer. It is the first beer the brewery produced, winning them a gold medal at the Ontario Brewing Awards in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
It is perhaps a surprising pairing with springtime flowers. The beer’s name is an obvious pun on “hasta la vista,” a saying made most famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Terminator 2. The saying that Arnold utters in the movie though was not his (nor James Cameron’s): “Hasta la vista, baby,” was originally coined by Jody Watley, in her 1987 hit single, “Looking for a New Love.” The lyric translates as “See you later, baby,” but as the title of the song might suggest, Jody’s intent here is to not actually see the person later. Arnold mimics this when he uses the saying, after blowing up his enemy.
I sit here amongst gorgeous flowers, enjoying my Hopsta la Vista IPA, as I say, “Hasta la vista, baby,” to what seemed to me to be a never-ending winter. And I hope (although, admittedly, I doubt) to never see it again in the way Jody hopes to never see her former love again.
This English-style IPA, with it’s caramel, malt-forward backbone, is a delicious riff on an old style made fresh by the use of more fruit-forward North American hops. Bringing a slight floral character to the malty nose and complementing the sweet malts with citrus flavours, the North American hops round this beer out to it’s middling-bitter finish that has a pleasant lingering effect. It’s a solid beer for springtime, given it’s tasty bipolar character, capable of warming you up or refreshing you, whichever today’s spring might bring you.
Toss your skates and snowboard into storage; get out your lacrosse stick and swimsuit (ya – lacrosse is the official summer sport of Canada, folks!); fill your cooler with a case of Longslice IPAs; and join me amongst the flowers to say to winter, “Hopsta la Vista, baby!”
Pairingwith… Longslice Brewery – “Loose Lips” Lager
The “Loose Lips” Vienna lager from Longslice Brewery is a year round offering that won silver medals at the Ontario Brewing Awards in 2017 and 2018, respectively. As its name might suggest, this beer pairs well with spreading gossip – and needing to hear about it.
With a clear, deep gold, almost copper colour, and a very soft aroma of bread and cracker, the pleasant and approachable beer prepares one to get their phone to their ear for a comfortable discussion of things probably not completely comfortable. “Did you hear what she said?” “No! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” (These lines could not merely be the beer’s tagline, but also lyrics to the next Taylor Swift hit single, I believe…)
Clean and crisp, the Loose Lips delivers on its Vienna-style promise with a tinge of floral hop character to balance the well-pronounced grainy and nutty malts. It’s approachable profile is given a slight boost of substance here, and when we listen through the phone, we hope a bit of substance comes through on that exciting gossip we devour alongside the Loose Lips.
Like any bit of devourable gossip, the beer is easy to toss back one after the other. Its off-dry finish, with little to no lingering effect, offers the perfect complement to chatty-Kathy’s constant flow of near-meaningless gossip ramblings: while we listen with intent, we quickly forget – until its our turn to crack the next can and spread the exaggerated, hearsay ourselves.
Get out your phones (oh, wait – those are always already out, aren’t they?!); pour a pint of Longslice’s Vienna-style lager; and get your lips ready to be loosened: this is what going-down-easy tastes like.
Pairingwith… Longslice Brewery – “Aloha Friday” Hibiscus Pale Ale
The “Aloha Friday” hibiscus pale ale is a year round offering from Longslice Brewery that is perfect for summer relaxing. And as we make our way back outdoors for the summer, the beer is an excellent pairing with this party tumbler from Pirani Life.
The sexy tumbler, with the teal colour I chose, matches wonderfully with the can art on Longslice’s HPA. We need the help containing our beverages safely outdoors, and the Pirani tumbler executes this with style – and conscience.
We enjoy the outdoors in the summer, but the beautiful nature around us is of course worth protecting, and Pirani’s mission is to make us all more aware of our responsibility to respect and protect nature. The reusable tumbler sends a message to negate single-use plastic, and with a beer like the Aloha Friday in hand, how could we be going for single-use anyways? Crack me another…
The fruity and floral aroma of this gorgeously pale pink beer is enough to perk you up and get outside. Take a few steps off the veranda and onto the grass, and then – gulp: a delicately, well-rounded, sessionable ale tickles your tongue with a mix of grass, mild-tart hibiscus, citrus and subtle bitterness. Light-bodied in colour, weight and ABV, the Aloha Friday is as refreshing as it looks and sounds.
“Aloha Friday” is the Hawaiian version of “Thank goodness it’s Friday” – it screams “Friday night summer party,” and is exactly the liquid I need in my Pirani tumbler to make it through a night with the notorious partiers the founders of Longslice Brewery (Jimmy, John and Seb) are known as.
Get outside; respect outside; pour the HPA from Longslice into your Pirani protector: Aloha Friday, y’all!!
Pirani Life
In 2013, a pair of designers quit their corporate gigs to live out of backpacks and travel the world for 18 months. While away, they spent time imagining a company to build together; but not just any company, they wanted an eco-friendly company, and one that would be on a mission to spark change to the way we interact with our environment.
How about sustainable swimwear?
What about a health-conscious food truck?
Danielle Del Sordo and Brandegee Pierce banged their heads across the world looking for the right idea. In 2018, more than five years later, the eco-conscious designers launched Pirani Life, an ocean-conscious company intent on bringing awareness to the detriment one-use plastics can bring to the oceans and, to be sure, the world.
Their flagship product is the Pirani Party Tumbler: a reusable party cup with some useful attributes. At 16 oz., the sleek-looking party tumbler features BPA-free, 18/8 vacuum insulated stainless steel to keep drinks cold for up to 12 hours and hot for six. Covered with a powder coating for a near-indestructible surface, each tumbler also has standard pour measures marked on the cup (1oz. for whiskey – 2oz. long island measuring – 5oz. espresso – 8oz. glass of wine – 12oz. afternoon beer – and, of course, a full 16oz. for an evening beer). Easily stackable and with a secure lid, Danielle and Brandegee swear that this is “truly is the last party cup you will ever need.”
Their brand of eco-conscious products does not stop at simply producing ocean-friendly items: Danielle and Brandegee use their spare time to volunteer in their community for local water clean ups, and participate in events working to create awareness of the plastic crisis facing the world today.
Support their cause – support your nature: head to their website to order your own party tumbler or learn more about how you can get involved in bringing awareness to the issue of single-use plastic. PARTY SUSTAINABILITY is here.
See you next week when I’m Pairingwith… The Six Brewing Company!!
Quick Links
- FULL LONGSLICE BREWERY PHOTO GALLERY
- PAIRING OUTTAKES
- Longslice Brewery WEBSITE
- Pirani Life
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