In the several millennia since it was first discovered, there have been very few changes in the basic recipe for beer: soak a grain of some sort in water, add some extra flavouring if you’d like, leave the resulting liquid out to ferment for a week or so, and voila, you’ve got beer.
OK, it’s not exactly that simple, and the beverages made using this method by ancient civilizations were more than likely a chunky, gruel-like liquid that no-one today would recognize as being beer. But once people figured out concepts like filtration and began to take more control over the brewing process rather than leaving it up to nature, it took on a form much closer to the beer we enjoy today.
The biggest changes in brewing in the past couple of centuries have been in the area of technology, with things like electricity and artificial refrigeration giving brewers the ability to carefully control every aspect of the brewing process, from the initial harvesting and preparation of the raw ingredients to the final steps of fermentation and storage. But as useful as these advancements in the brewing craft have been, it’s still possible to create perfectly drinkable beer the old-fashioned way. And where better to prove it than at Black Creek Pioneer Village?
Located at the northern edge of the city near Jane and Steeles, Black Creek is a replica of an 1860s settlement that is often thought of by city dwellers as an attraction suitable mainly for school bus trips. In an attempt to change this perception, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has been working hard in the last few years to promote a variety of events and festivals that take place at the Village throughout the season.
One of the most interesting initiatives was their decision in 2007 to hold a craft beer festival at the village. As we reported back then, the first Black Creek Brews Fest was a lot of fun, and a second followed in 2008, although poor weather the weekend it was held caused it to be less successful than hoped, so plans to follow it up this year were scuttled.
But while the Brews Fest is no more, Black Creek’s commitment to craft brewed beer hasn’t lessened. On the contrary, it’s gotten even stronger with the opening in June of the Black Creek Historic Brewery. Located in the basement of the Half Way House restaurant in the heart of the Village, the brewery is an operating replica of a small-town brewery from the 1860s, an era when there were more than 150 local breweries scattered throughout the province.
To help visitors get a fuller understanding of how breweries and beer fit into the society of the time, brewery-themed tours are being held twice each day during regular park hours. But for a truly unique experience, they’re also offering a special after-hours tour each Friday until the end of the September.
Last Friday evening, we joined a dozen or so people on the hour-long tour led by guide Ana Ratcliffe. Armed with strong knowledge of both beer and history, as well as an affable dry wit, Ratcliffe took the group to several of the Village’s historic buildings including the mill where the malted barley would have been ground, the cooperage where the barrels would be made, and a typical home where the resulting beer may or may not have been consumed, depending on whether or not the family was part of the Temperance movement. Along the way, she described the basics of how beer is made, and explained concepts such as malting (i.e. the germination and roasting of barley to prepare it for brewing), and how hops act as both a flavouring agent and preservative in beer.
After our lesson came the fun part: a visit to the brewery itself. We were met there by Ed Koren, one of several experienced homebrewers who volunteer at the brewery, who gave us an overview of the brewery’s rather simple set-up. In a nutshell:
- Malted barley is mixed with hot water in a copper vessel called a mash tun to release the sugars from the grain.
- The resulting liquid, called wort, is transferred to a second copper vessel called a kettle, where hops are added while it’s boiled over an open flame.
- After some time, the hot liquid is poured through a straining rack covered in cloth to filter out the hops, and into a shallow tray called a cool ship, where it’s left to cool.
- Once cooled, the liquid goes into an oak barrel where yeast is added and fermentation takes place.
There are, it should be noted, a couple of modern touches in the process. Even in the basement, August temperatures are warm enough that the beer could spoil, so a small air conditioner is used to keep the barrels cool. And modern health regulations mean that all of the barrels much be power washed between uses, which would not have been typical in olden times. Otherwise, though, the equipment and methods are right out of the late 1800s - and so, we must assume, are the resulting beers.
Served directly from the barrels, the four ales currently being brewed at Black Creek – brown ale, porter, stout and IPA – are extremely unique and interesting brews. While they bear a strong resemblance to modern interpretations of their styles, they also have some notable differences. Since they’re served unfiltered, all of the beers have a turbid appearance from the suspended yeast, and they’re also quite still in body due to the lack of artificial carbonation. Most notably, the fermenting barrels give them a strong oak character in the aroma and flavour. From the perspective of a modern beer drinker, the beers are essentially what we call cask conditioned ales nowadays, although even more authentic due to the use of wooden barrels rather than metal kegs.
Once the tasting in the brewery is complete, visitors are offered a complimentary pint in the adjacent restaurant. The beer served there, though, is not from the tiny on-site brewery, but from Oakville’s Trafalgar Brewery who have partnered with Black Creek on this project. Accompanied by some fantastic homemade root chips and a short pub menu that includes chili and tortière, the Trafalgar-brewed versions of a traditional brown ale and pale ale are enjoyable, but also much closer to what we think of as beer today. Filtered, carbonated and served from a modern keg, they provide an interesting contrast to the rustic brews being created just a few feet and 150 years away.
Admission to the “Field To Firkin” Friday evening tours is $15, with reservations required – call 416-667-6295 for tickets. For more information on the tours as well as other brewery events, including daytime tours, tutored tastings, beer dinners and more, visit the Black Creek Historic Brewery website.
