Having the vision and passion…
Across from Peter Caira, co-owner and head brewer for People’s Pint Brewing Company, sitting at a high top table in the middle of the taproom, we enjoyed a pair of pints together. I asked him what he thought a “craft beer lifestyle” might be.
“For me it’s just knowing that somebody put a lot of effort into this – into this thing that you’re drinking. This thing that you’re hopefully tasting, rather than [begins laughing] just guzzling it…
“One extreme is being dedicated to going to every craft brewery no matter what you’ve heard of it, what you’ve been told, and trying the beer oneself… That’s one extreme of the culture.
“The other is just simply being able to go to your own, local craft brewery – the joy and pride to have someone in your own neighbourhood who decided that this neighbourhood can use and deserves a craft brewery. And then you supporting that vision and passion.
“And that’s the only way that a craft brewery is ever going to work, because if the taproom and retail shop aren’t supported, then you need to shift to a sort of beer factory, which isn’t the same, communal thing. If a taproom is supported though, then creativity can really flourish.
“And that’s what’s needed too, because when people visit a taproom, they really want to see something different every time they come in – and to do that, you really need that local support.”
…for having something different every time
Opening on March 16, 2018, People’s Pint Brewing Company got to where is was today by a path that, in fact, sheds some light on the community that is craft beer. One day in 2011, Peter’s wife, Jessica (one true hero of this story, we should say), brought a 1-gallon home-brewing kit back to the house. She was keen to learn how to brew, and, together with Peter, they began to figure out how.
Books and books – everything Peter could get his hands on – started piling up in their living room as they prepared their knowledge for their first home brew, which, in fact (and this is typically unusual), came out very well. After a few more recipes, the couple invited friends over to try their selection of beers. The resounding response was, “Keep brewing beer!”
Don’t stop
Peter didn’t stop brewing. He began entering home-brewing competitions in Toronto, and quickly established himself as a home-brewer to watch – a few awards helped push that even further. At the beginning of 2013, Doug Appledoorn (then a sales rep for Neustadt Springs Brewery) and Crystal Luxmore (beer writer and Cicerone, now one half of the Beer Sisters) were heading up (the now defunct) Brauhaus, an association that hosted private events serving 4 or 5 home-brewers’ beers especially made for the event.
Brauhaus was in fact the precursor to People’s Pint Brewing Company. Doug was keen to grow the successful Brauhaus project, but the other members of the group were unable to dedicate the time necessary to do so. Doug decided to try to grow the project himself, and redefine it as “People’s Pint.” The first event was held at the Gladstone Hotel in 2015, and was a relative success, despite there being legal issues that they had to find clever ways to circumvent.
The first pint for the people
Doug, after the first event, approached Peter about becoming his partner in the project, a project that would elevate the home-brewing community to new, commercial heights.
The first goal was to avoid the legal issues the first incarnation of People’s Pint faced, and the answer was to get a proper brewing license for the events. They held more events of this sort, where today’s People’s Pint flagship beers, “Mango Fett” and “Gose Cuervo,” were originally developed.
As the project grew, Peter and Doug were getting offers to brew beer for bars and restaurants, and scaling up again was necessary to do so. Luckily, they were friends with the folks at Junction Craft Brewery who were about to move into a new facility.
People’s Pint Brewing Company would properly be born when they took over the old Junction Craft space on Cawthra Ave. (along with inheriting fermentation tanks from Junction Craft and other brewery friends, such as Muddy York Brewing Co. and County Road Beer Company, now also defunct). It was January 1st, 2018 when People’s Pint took the keys to their new facility.
The beer commune
Fast forward to today, and you are welcomed into a bright, comfortable space home to at least 12 unique People’s Pint Brewing Company beers. The front entrance features the brewery’s slogan painted large, in black on white, on the wall: “Beer for the people, by the people.”
The south wall is completely covered by a giant version of their red-on-yellow logo, brightening the space further. A number of high-top tables fill the main floor space in the front of the shop, with countless board games stashed on shelves underneath tables.
A wall of People’s Pint kegs stretches across the north wall until they are met by a row of fermentation tanks. Across from the fermentors, resides the bar, with room for about 6 guests to enjoy pints and conversation. Bottles and cans to-go are ordered at the end of the bar, underneath a sign that reads, “Soothe your soul with beer” (well, if you say so…) Classic rock plays through the speakers. (For the full People’s Pint Brewing Company gallery, go here.)
Be local; support local
Peter was clear to say that a craft brewery relies heavily on local residents and the neighbourhood in which it operates, but he is also aware of how this is certainly a 2-way street. People’s Pint rely on their community, but give back to it whenever and however they can.
Currently in one of their fermentors is a special brew called “Mains’ Brew”. Named after a home-brewer who passed away last year from a head trauma injury, the brew is in fact one of Mains’ award-winning recipes, and a portion of the sales of this beer will go to support head trauma research.
Every Christmas, the brewery collects gifts and donations for the Shoebox Project, a charity that collects and distributes gifts to women impacted by homelessness. Prizes are donated to Carlton Village Public School for charity events the school holds.
The brewery loves to work with Ren Navarro at Beer Diversity, hosting important discussions about diversity in the beer industry, and together creating collaboration brews for charity. Of course, sticking with their roots, People’s Pint also donate beer to GTA Brews home-brewing competitions.
The brewery produced a collaboration brew with local coffee roasters, Alternative Grounds, aptly called, “Better Latte Than Never,” and then went back to the well, creating “El Chupacabra” with cocoa nibs from the roasters. Discussions with local bee keepers, Alveole, may produce a beer made with their natural honey in the near future.
Snacks at the brewery are all from local businesses, including cheese curds from The Alpine and pepperettes from Andy’s Sausages. Sitting in the brewery may see you introduced to Maris, the brewery’s cat, who was adopted from the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society.
Being an integral part of the community is the only way for a craft brewery like People’s Pint to succeed, and they know this well.
The people of People’s Pint Brewing Company
I had some fun discussions with a few of the staff who were at the brewery for my visit. Angie Billson is the taproom manager at People’s Pint Brewing Company, but also one of the founders of Bent Mallet Brewing, a home-brewing club she operates with her husband. When I asked her what her favourite Peoples’ Pint beer was, this was an easy answer for her: “The ‘Bachelor Chow,’ because that was a beer collaboration with Bent Mallet!”
In my usual manner, I pushed her to pair this beer, but she didn’t need much of a push: “Too easy: I’d pair it with wearing boxes and watching Futurama.” I guess that was easy, Angie, after all, Bender is kinda the Bent Mallet mascot – damn my silly questions!
I also had the pleasure of speaking with Phil Thompson, a bartender at the brewery. He got into craft beer after working at Indie Ale House, and then drinking a lot of craft beer when at school in Ottawa (drinking, of course, across the canal in Hull).
Phil’s favourite People’s Pint beer is the “Time Lord” IPA, named after a character from Dr. Who. He suggested pairing it with The Black Keys, because “the beer’s big, bitter taste complements the big, blues-rock sound of the band.” That sounds totally right to me, Phil, and I’ve been playing Brothers all day because of you…
Both understood a ‘craft beer lifestyle’ to include a lot of travelling and experiencing new breweries, beers, and flavours. This is certainly correct, and is also the sort of point that should push anyone into the such a lifestyle, as far as I’m concerned.
Crafting crafts with craft
I spent more time chatting with Peter Caira, one half of the ownership team at People’s Pint – the other half being Doug Appeldoorn (unfortunately out of town for my visit). Peter filled me in on the history and culture of People’s Pint Brewing Company, and while he mentioned many important items, one story in particular stood out to me.
Every Christmas, Peter’s wife Jessica hosts a ‘Craft Party’ for family and friends. She collects a myriad of supplies, and then walks those invited through the creation of 5 or 6 craft items. The completion of each item is met with a shot (tequila? whisky? whatever your fancy, really) in celebration. Typically, the last item or two produced do not turn out as well as the first items, given the fun they have between each – but that’s the point: having fun together. (Tell me this isn’t totally awesome!!)
For the party though, Jessica takes part in brewing with Peter the (now) traditional brew for the event: “Saison’s Greetings.” Last year was the first year they decided to host the event at the brewery, being held at Jessica and Peter’s home in the past. This, to me, is an amazing way to celebrate Christmas with family and friends – it’s way better than buying some gift, as you spend the evening creating and getting ‘crafty’ with them instead.
The event, thus far, is restricted to family and friends, and the project does sound like too large for Jessica to try to open it up to the public, but Peter did mention that they have/are considering it (likely not for this year though). I’m more than game for this, Jessica – tell me what to do to help!
As I now happily wait for instructions from Jessica, I was at that moment happy to take off with some People’s Pint Brewing Company beers for some crafting of my own – the pairing sort.
Pairingwith… People’s Pint Brewing Company’s “Mango Fett” NEIPA
The “Mango Fett” from People’s Pint Brewing Company is a New England-style IPA with lactose, available year round from the brewery. It’s clear nod to the “Jango Fett” Stars Wars character, and proves to be an excellent pairing with reading Star Wars comics at Beguiling Books & Art in downtown Toronto.
Pouring a deep, hazy orange, with a frothy cap of head, the beer brings subtle tropical and pine aromas to the nose. A medium body, the beer has a pleasant creamy mouthfeel, and mixes evergreen and grapefruit bitterness with citrus, mango, and peach. Well-balanced, and easy to repeat.
What else is easy to repeat is a trip to Beguiling: this graphic novel and comic shop is stocked full of incredible art and colourful reading. From popular Marvel series, like Star Wars, through rare imports from lands far and wide and collections of originals from the 1930’s to one-of-a-kind prints and signed artworks, this place is a mecca for all things comics. In fact, have you ever been to a comics library? Well, Beguiling does that too.
With it’s happily tropical flavours and slight punch of bitterness, this beer brings me back to my youth, sifting through crates and crates of Spiderman, Venom, Pitt, and Gen 13 comics. The difference now is that (a) I can enjoy an incredible beer while doing this, and (b) my experience is elevated at Beguiling, providing me with proper shelving, bright lights, and a much easier time locating the gems I’m searching for. (Ok, you can’t actually drink inside Beguiling – I’m obviously just that special).
Sit back with your “Legends of Star Wars” graphic novel from Beguiling; pop the tab to the Mango Fett from People’s Pint; now fill your glass: you’re soaring through space on the Millennium Falcon chasing Mandalorians and rescuing the galaxy from the clutches of the Sith, all to the tune of mango.
Beguiling
Focusing on small press, self-published, underground, and alternative comics, The Beguiling Books & Art is a mecca for comic book and graphic novel lovers in Toronto. Founded in 1987, the shop has gained world wide recognition for promoting non-superhero comics in a market dominated by superheroes. This includes the largest magna collection (Japanese works aimed mostly at adults) in the country.
The Beguiling houses its own comic library, and is known also for hosting book launches, author signings, bands, performances, workshops, and other events, bringing together the community of comic book aficionados. Legendary authors and artists, such as Robert Crumb, Harlan Ellison, Jamie Hernandez, and countless more have all visited and made appearances at the shop.
Bright lights and tall book shelves do away with the traditional crates seen in comic book shops from the past. Signed prints and original works of art decorate the walls and are also on sale. It’s a very comfortable space, and easy to get lost in the aisles and in the numerous comics displayed.
The shop was awarded the inaugural Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award for excellence in retailing in 1993. 10 years later, in 2003, members of The Beguiling staff founded the non-profit Toronto Comic Arts Festival, a 2 day celebration of comics and graphic novels and their creators in the spring time. The event now welcomes more than 25,000 visitors every year. The comic book revolution that The Beguiling began decades ago has left an imprint on the world of graphic novels and comic books.
From comics from the 1930’s up to the present day and from all around the world, The Beguiling is a place that stands as a hub for the comic book community in Toronto and beyond. It is a symbol of that community, and a base that the community stands on.
Pairingwith… People’s Pint Brewing Company’s “Gose Cuervo”
The “Gose Cuervo” from People’s Pint Brewing Company is a tequila-lime gose, available year round from the brewery. It is a clear and obvious pairing with latin food, and, in this case, delicious cochinitas (Mayan-style pulled pork tacos) from El Bosco Catering.
Pouring a glass of this near-orange coloured brew as pulled pork tacos stacked high with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, sour cream, and a dollop of guacamole arrive through the window is enough to make your mouth start watering. Take a few sips of this citrus-packed, tequila-punched, medium-tart beer, and your palette will be ready for the flavours of Latin America.
The lively carbonation of the beer acts a perfectly complementing dance to the colourful and flavourful tacos. The tacos being gluten-free provides an excuse to have more than one helping – of both the beer and the tacos, of course. Aromas of lime citrus and herbal hops greet one’s nose before launching into well-balanced tastes of yeast, lemon-lime, muted salt, and subtle tequila. Quite refreshing, and mostly addictive.
If you want another addiction, then wrap your lips around an El Bosco taco. These dishes are just as balanced at People’s Pint’s gose. Creamy guacamole provides a comfortable bed inside your mouth for sweet, tender pulled pork and a splatter of citrus flavours – all accentuated by the citrus tartness of the gose. This is a match made for Latin America, right here in Toronto.
It’s definitely a day for dancing. Crack your can of Gose Cuervo from People’s Pint; order a few tacos and a few Colombian empanadas (these were also incredible!) from El Bosco: your mouth will be dancing faster than your feet – so crack a second can, and your feet will hopefully catch up.
El Bosco Catering
From the Spanish term “El Bosque,” meaning “forest,” co-owners Marcela Geer and Ismael Castro derived the name of their new, Latin-inspired catering service, El Bosco Catering. The name alludes to the two owner’s heritage and childhoods in their very green and leafy hometowns in Colombia and Mexico, respectively. The moniker also symbolizes the vision they have for their catering company: fresh, natural, and organic – with an “exotic Latin flair,” of course.
Marcela and Ismael have known each other for almost two decades. Both met working in the service industry, and immediately gravitated towards each other, forging a lasting friendship. Their personalities matched, and it was only much later that the two of them realized that they in fact shared something more than simply Latin heritages and outgoing personalities: they both had an incredible love of food and a knack and desire to host and entertain.
They began working together on small diner parties for family and friends, cooking and entertaining in the way they new how best. The more parties they hosted though, the more requests for their food and their hosting abilities were sought out. Before they really understood what was happening, they were hosting parties on a semi-regular basis.
Then, a few summers ago, a new request arrived: to cater a wedding. This was not something to take lightly for the two soon-to-be partners. They were flattered by the request, but certainly did not want to underperform for it. They didn’t.
A huge success led to more requests for weddings. Such requests found Marcela and Ismael at a crossroads: do they really start doing this full-time? Marcela had been working in finance for the previous decade at this point, and Ismael was running bars, but they couldn’t continue those jobs while also executing wedding parties.
The two share a similar passion for incredible food and amazing entertainment, and the decision was a difficult one, but the choice was also obvious if they wanted to follow their hearts.
They thankfully did follow their hearts, and we now have El Bosco roaming the city’s events in a food truck and catering massive parties throughout with everything from Albondigas and chipotle cauliflower tacos through Colombian empanadas and Venezuelan arepas to pacific white shrimp ceviche and chiles rellenos. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options abound, and everything tastes as good (actually better) than it sounds. Good decision.
Pairingwith… People’s Pint Brewing Company’s “Hey You Guys!” Porter
The “Hey You Guys” India porter from People’s Pint Brewing Company is a one-off brew, currently available at the brewery for a limited time. It actually makes for a surprising, yet clever pairing with the Toronto Fire Services (TFS).
“Hey You Guys” gets its name from an infamous quote from the movie, Goonies. When the character of Sloth yells this out during the climax of the film, he stands high in the air on the mast of a ship. After yelling it out, he then leaps off the mast and swoops down to rescue Stef and Mouth from the clutches of their captors. Sloth stands as a rescuer in the film.
This plays out nicely for our pairing: People’s Pint, upon opening their brewery, adopted a rescued cat they then named “Maris.” First responders, like the Toronto Fire Services, put their lives in danger on a daily basis, and live lives as true rescuers themselves. The TFS (and fire departments everywhere) are all superheroes like Sloth, here to rescue all of us from whatever danger we may be faced with on any given day.
Yet, this pairing runs even deeper: can we not say that, with a beer like Hey You Guys, and it’s wonderful espresso and dried fruit flavours, dry finish, and slight bitterness going down one’s throat in its medium body – that a beer like this is here to rescue us in its own way? Brewed in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Prud’homme Beer Certification Program in Canada, is this not a “Hey, you guys!! – We’re going to rescue you from the clutches of the bland flavours and cheap ingredients of macro beer!”?
While certainly not as significant as the work the Toronto Fire Services do on a daily basis, People’s Pint, with the help of Sloth, is doing their part to enlighten beer drinkers everywhere, and that’s worth a “Hey, you guys are awesome!”
A massive “Thank you, you guys are beyond awesome!” to the Toronto Fire Services for putting themselves in harms way to keep the rest of us safe; thank you to Sloth for saving Stef and Mouth; thank you to People’s Pint for adopting Maris; and thank them again, along with Prud’Homme, for screaming “Hey you guys” into the sea of drinkers of bland beer. You’re all awesome, and total superheroes in your own right.
Toronto Fire Department
Prior to 1874, fire services in Toronto were run by volunteer companies, comprising of mostly poorly-trained firefighters who typically only operated pumps drawing water from Lake Ontario. Official services began in 1874, but still consisted of volunteers. After a fire that destroyed much of Bay Street in 1904, the fire services in Toronto began more in-depth training, and began developing the expert services now protecting the city today.
The Toronto Fire Services, as they are now, was created in 1998, after merging departments from across the Greater Toronto Area. They provide fire protection and first responder medical assistance to the city, and are the largest municipal department of its kind in Canada, and fifth largest in North America. Fire services are the only “all hazards” emergency response team.
Currently operating with 83 stations across 15 districts, the Toronto Fire Services protects everyone in Toronto from life-threatening events, loss of property, and the effects of natural disasters and accidents. They serve as inspectors as well, ensuring homes and businesses alike are prepared with preventative resources and measures in place, while also educating citizens about fire safety.
Firefighters everywhere risk their lives on a daily basis to keep residents and visitors safe. They are faced with unimaginable circumstances on a daily basis, and sacrifice themselves in numerous ways for the general population. If there are superheroes on this planet, then firefighters certainly fit the bill.
Raise a glass of delicious craft beer to the Toronto Fire Services and firefighters everywhere – if anyone deserves a good drink, it must be these folks! Thank you for keeping us safe.
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