On a recent November evening the Liberty Village Brewing Co. team hosted its first-ever public tasting. The event was held in a wonderful space in the Liberty Market Building courtesy of the Lifetime Group who provided the meeting location. Based on my experience at that tasting event, I would say it’s looking good and tasting good for the Liberty Village Brewing Co.! Their beers taste marvelous and they have invested in an appealing designer look for their beer labels and their marketing materials. This is a team who cares both about their product and their presentation.
The brewing co. team showcased their best brews for the local group of beer aficionados who turned up for the tasting. This event was an opportunity for Liberty Village beer lovers to sample and provide their direct impression of the brews so far.
The company is currently in the set-up phase, involved with fine-tuning a few signature brews for bigger production. They aim to launch the company with a select small number of beers brewed in enough volume for distribution to local Liberty Village restaurants, and retail outlets, including the LCBO. Following this, the team hopes to set up its physical brewing capacity in Liberty Village.
Four distinctly different beers were under consideration at the tasting event. These four beers were:
– “Penitent Ale” (a Pale Ale style),
– “Hop! In the Name of Love.” (an IPA style),
– “Mercer Amber Ale” (a malt-forward Imperial Amber Ale style)
– “Castle Porter” (a smoky and chocolaty Robust Porter style with a velvety finish)
Regarding the beers themselves, I particularly appreciated that all the beers were unfiltered. Most beers available in Toronto are of the filtered variety and it’s not easy to obtain unfiltered beers. I asked a few attendees at the event about which was their favourite of the night. The one that stood out for the people I spoke to was the Amber Ale. Let’s see if that one makes it to their short list!
Each of these beers was paired with specially-chosen foods to accentuate the beers’ flavours. The selected foods paired amazingly well with each particular beer! It’s worth trying these for yourself at your own future beer sessions.
Here are the food pairings:
– The Pale Ale was paired with green grapes and Brie cheese.
– The IPA was paired with pakoras and tamarind sauce.
– The Imperial Amber Ale was paired with smoked Gouda and sundried black olives that added a meaty and salty consistency to the pairing.
– The Porter was paired with dark chocolate, dried cherries and walnuts.
Future Liberty Village Brewing Co. beer tasting sessions will become available when more batches have been brewed. Visit libertyvillagebeer.com for more info.
More pictures of the event are below…
[…] Photo courtesy of Liberty Village Toronto […]