Steam Whistle Brewing
The Roundhouse
255 Bremner Boulevard
416-362-BEER

I walk down Front Street in a quick stride with my partner Paul by my side. It’s his birthday and I’m keeping him in the dark about our plans. We pass the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower – he is out of guesses. “You have to walk faster,” I say as the clock nears 5pm. We are almost late. With only minutes to spare we arrive at our destination. “We’re going to brew beer?” he asks confusedly as I open the front door to the Steam Whistle Brewing Company. “No, silly, we’re going on a brewery tour!”

The Steam Whistle Brewery is home to the sweetheart of beers on the Toronto scene. The bottle is cool, the beer is good and the 12 pack can be effortlessly and stylishly carried from the Beer Store or the brewery itself. The brewery offers tours of its facility daily at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5pm. (note the 5pm tour is not offered on Sundays).

I am surprised to notice that most guests are not tourists, but rather locals chatting about the intricacies of their work day. The bubbly tour guide flashes us a smile as she hands us beer. Most employees appear under 35 and are beaming with optimism. Free refills are given with pleasure as we wait.

The beer is delicious and I am excited for the tour to start. The interior of the building is spectacular. It’s worth the visit just for the architecture. Our guide leads us outside and our tour begins.
The Steam Whistle Brewing company was started by three friends – Greg Taylor, Cam Heaps and Greg Cromwell. They worked for the Upper Canada Brewing Company but when it was sold to Sleeman Breweries all three lost their jobs. Sitting around one evening they bantered about starting a brewing company of their own and calling it Three Fired Guys. The name didn’t stick but the dream did. Our guide explains how they named the beer Steam Whistle – after the whistle that blows at the end of a work day. She lets us in on the fact that the bottom of each bottle is stamped with TFG – an inside joke between the founders regarding their previous name choice.

The John Street Roundhouse, now home to the Steam Whistle Brewery, was built in 1929 and served as a locomotive repair stop for the Canadian Pacific Railway until 1986. Investors wanted to purchase the building and tear it down for condos, but the city, in a rare moment of clarity, declared it a historic site in the 1990s. The Steam Whistle team wanted to preserve the history and integrity of the building and won the bid for the spot.

A cup of barley, spring water, a cup of hops and some yeast are passed around for all to touch and smell. This, plus a lot of tender love and care, is all that goes into Steam Whistle beer. Two of the ingredients are Canadian – Saskatchewan barley and Ontario spring water. The hops and yeast are shipped from Germany and Switzerland respectively for their world class quality.

It’s a reassuring fact to find out that Steam Whistle carbonates naturally and that no preservatives are added. The brewery prides itself on being green. It uses partial solar power to make the beer. The signature green bottles may let in the light but are more environmentally friendly. I’m told an average beer bottle can be refilled about five times, whereas a Steam Whistle bottle can be used about 50 times. Plus, there is no wasted paper or glue since the logo is screened and baked on.

As the tour ends one lucky person gets to pull the cord and blow the whistle. Sadly, it’s not the birthday boy. Fortunately, the tour ends where it started – back in the foyer next to the bar. Each guest is given a small stylized beer glass or bottle opener for the nominal tour fee of eight dollars. Staff apologize that we can not stay long because of a private function being held there that evening.

The Steam Whistle brewery tour is the adult equivalent of a grade four field trip to a chocolate factory, except the all you can eat chocolate is actually beer. It is both a fun way to spend an hour and an excellent introduction to one of Ontario’s finest beers.