How Mill Street Brew Pub Makes Award Winning Beer

Mill Street is renowned as one of Canada’s favourite beers, named after its original location at 55 Mill Street in the Distillery District. Now ten years old, Mill Street is a pioneer of Canada’s young microbrewery industry. The Distillery was a natural fit for Mill Street’s craft beer production, as a neighbourhood once known for its spirits and beers. As the Distillery has evolved and grown, so has Mill Street transformed; Mill Street brews over 25 varieties of beer, many of which are shipped across the country and some still exclusive to the Distillery.

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The site of Mill Street Brew Pub is the former industrial complex of Gooderham & Worts, the massive 1930s whiskey distillery. Gooderham and Worts was one of the largest distilleries in the British Empire and one of the main suppliers during the Prohibition. This distilling operation became so large that it moved to Winsdor, and even built a tunnel beneath the Detroit River to move more product to the United States. This left the buildings of the Distillery empty and obsolete until Toronto decided to revamp the area. Mill Street got involved at the beginning of the Distillery’s restoration, and was one of the original two tenants alongside Balzac’s Coffee Roasters.

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Today, all of Mill Street’s large-scale brewing occurs at a facility in Scarborough. While the Distillery District inspires many of Mill Street’s well-known beers, such as Tankhouse and Stock Ale, the Brew Pub only brews specialty beer that cannot be found at the liquor store. These exclusive brews are available on draught or in kegs, including Betelguese, Pilsner, Maple Ale, Spring Bock and Don Valley varieties.

Mill Street Brew Pub exclusively produces speciality beers, including this season's favourites: Maple Ale, Distillery Ale, Lemon Tea, Spring IMP, Minimus Dubbel, and Ampel Weiss

Mill Street Brew Pub exclusively produces speciality beers, including this season’s favourites: Maple Ale, Distillery Ale, Lemon Tea, Spring IMP, Minimus Dubbel, and Ampel Weiss

Mill Street Brew Pub remains an experimenting ground; With 14 different taps available, the Brew Pub has the ability to brew any beer that is ordered. This is a great way to test different beers and understand what people enjoy drinking. In fact, Mill Street’s Lemon Tea Beer started as a small batch, experimental beer. Lemon Tea Beer was so well liked at the Mill Street Brew Pub that it is now sold in cans and shipped across Canada.

the still door

Mill Street will soon be offering beer schnapps for the new beer hall

For the first time since its bulk production moved to Scarborough, Mill Street will expanding its distillery operations by producing beer schnapps. Mill Street will be unveiling two stills imported from Germany to distill beer schnapps, a product that no other Canadian is producing. Mill Street’s new beer hall will be home to the beer schnapps operation, and will pay homage to the former distilleries that occupied the historic neighbourhood.

The first Canadian brewery to produce beer shnapps, Mill Street will be opening its new distillery facility this month

The first Canadian brewery to produce beer shnapps, Mill Street will be opening its new distillery facility this month

Mill Street Brew Pub offers brewery tours that delve into the details of quality beer production. In order to brew beer, four ingredients are required: Malt, water, hops and yeast.

Malt adds colour and flavour to beer

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Mill Street brews straw, caramel, and dark malts, which are mixed and matched to create various colours and levels of sweetness

Most beers are made from barley, a versatile cereal grain, while malt refers to the process done to this seed. Barley seeds are first soaked in water until they begin to sprout and germinate, allowing sugars and starches to come to the forefront. Baking or kilning the barley stops the germination process and results in different styles of malt. When the barley seeds are baked for a long time, a darker colour is produced. Beers made from dark malt have a toasted, bitter flavor. Malt that is cooked for shorter periods result in a beer that is lighter in colour and less intense. After the malt is mixed for a brew’s specific recipe, it is funneled into a machine that grinds the malt into a fine, coffee-like texture. The malt is pumped through a tube that carries it to be mixed with water.

Water makes up about 90% of beer

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Malt is mixed with water to create a sticky & sweet solution, which can be sterilized and flavoured

Water is a very important ingredient and, depending on the style of beer, the water used can be either hard or soft.  The technology to harden or soften water did not exist hundreds of years ago, and beers were completely defined by different regions with different water softness and mineral content. Mixing the malt with water creates a sticky, sweet substance known as wort, and strips the starch and sugar from the malt. This solution is boiled to both sterilize and add flavour.

Hops is a preservative that adds flavour, aroma and bitterness to beer 

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Hops balances the sweetness of malt and adds bitterness to beer

The main flavour addition is hops, which is added either early or late depending on the bitterness desired.  Other flavours can also be added to the beer at this time, such as the genuine Balzac’s coffee beans that are added to every batch of Mill Street’s Coffee Porter. The effect of hops is to provide beer with bitterness and aroma, as it balances the sweetness of malt. Many people aren’t aware that hops works primarily as a preservative, which keeps beer alive longer and allows it to taste better when not refrigerated. Historically, the British needed to brew beer with plenty of hops, in order to send to their troops overseas in India. Today, people crave and love bitter beers for being full of flavour and high in alcohol.

Yeast is fermented to add alcohol to beer

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The purpose of yeast is to add the alcohol content to beer

Finally, yeast is added to the process to eat up the remaining sugar, add the alcohol content, and to contribute some carbonation. The majority of beers are brewed with either ale or lager yeast. Ale yeast is fermented at a warmer temperature, so it can be enjoyed warm. This type of yeast does not eat up the sugar as efficiently and produces a beer that is more complex.  Lager yeast is fermented cold and is best served cold. Lager distills more sugar and creates a beer that is more refined, refreshing and crisp. A lager is so delicate that even light can affect its flavour profile, which is why lagers are produced in dark bottles. The next step is fermentation, which takes place in temperature-controlled tanks to ferment beers at different temperatures.  Finally, the beer is filtered, carbonated, and ready to be enjoyed.

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Post written by Alex Franceschini on May 8, 2013.

2013 Miss Teen Canada World, Megha Sandhu at Pure Spirits in Distillery

In what has now become something of an annual tradition, Megha Sandhu the 2013 Miss Teen Canada World visited the Distillery District today August 10th 2012, and spent some time walking around and admiring the old buildings, modern outdoor furniture and hip art work before being tutored on the fine art of blogging and the subtleties of digital communication by Smojoe.

Below is the quintessential Balzacs Coffee Doorway shot that I have done for three years running now. Type ‘Miss Teen Balzacs’ into Google image search and you will see the others.
Megha Sandhu at The Distillery District

Ranked as one of the top ten bloggers in the Miss Teen Canada Blog Network before the pageant event, Megha is now the official voice of the Miss Teen Canada World pageant and will remain the foremost blogger until July 2013 when the next Delegate wins the 2014 crown. That’s how it works.

This is actually a large responsibility considering the Miss Teen Canada World website homepage now defaults to the blog to showcase the adventures of the young Miss Teen as she hobnobs with celebrities and lends her voice to charity and cultural events. And lets not forget about the Teen World competition in Guatemala this year – Megha could win the ultimate Miss Teen World crown! (and several thousand dollars, and increase Canada’s prestige all over the world).

During the course of the day, Megha got a chance to ride a Segway two-wheeled vehicle at Segway of Ontario, and this has also become something of a tradition. The guys are so good about training the reigning Miss Teen and then parading her around the grounds. They get a kick out of it too.
Megha Sandhu, 2013 Miss Teen Canada, Segway Ontario, Distillery District
I have some video but unfortunately I had the camera on the wrong setting and we ended up with a time lapse video of her two-wheeled trek. It would be perfect for Benny Hill style comedy movie. The second movie was made on Toronto roof looking down into the courtyard, but I’m saving that piece of rich media.

Last week, Megha was just one of sixty four competitors who came to Toronto seeking the Miss Teen Canada crown in Toronto on July 21st at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Exhibition Place. Hosted by Luke Bilyk and Cynthia Loewen, the show dramatically cut the competition down from sixty four to twenty girls, and then ten, and then finally to the top five. After skill testing questions and public speaking, there was eventually just two people, Megha and Sasha Stewart 2012 Miss Teen Ontario, who is the runner up in the pageant and will be the ‘stand-in’ for lack of a better word to Megha should she be unable to fulfill her duties at any time throughout the year.
Megha Sandhu dons the crown at Pure Spirits restaurant
At Pure Spirits restaurant we dined on delicious salads and I had a seafood linguine. Megha told me that she was training for the Miss Teen competition everyday – memorizing speech components and practicing her public speaking is the hardest part for Megha and one of the most important parts of the teen pageant.
Megha Sandhu eats her dinnert at Pure Spirits
Anyway here is Megha Sandhu, a smart eighteen year old girl who comes from a long line of professionals, first in India and now in Montreal Canada.
 Guy LaLiberti, Megha Sandhu, Gaia, 2013 Miss Teen Canada, Distillery
While touring around The Distillery District in sash and crown she got a lot of looks from tourists who of course wanted to take pictures with her – even in the restaurant she was approached by young girls who stood awkwardly beside her as their mom snapped pictures. She is their role model.
Megha Sandhu is 2013 Miss Teen Canada World
Megha enjoyed the GAIA exhibit, and knows a lot about Guy Laliberte who is also native to Quebec and Montreal in particular. He is one of her heroes and she is of course very aware of his new girlfriend who is also a fashion model. Because of this Megha really liked touring the Thompson Landry gallery and seeing the GAIA exhibit which consists of images of planet Earth taken from space. All this really brings Megha’s title – World into perspective.

Distillery District Scavenger Hunt, 2012 Search for Miss Teen Canada – World

Kirsten Collins sings and plays piano in The Distillery District of TorontoSixty two regional delegates, finalists in the 2012 Search for Miss Teen Canada World had a fun filled adventure in the Distillery District on Weds July 18th 2012. Moments before this picture of Kirsten Collins, Miss Teen Calgary was captured playing the piano and singing to her friends, the group was busy competing with each other in a thrilling scavenger hunt for free goodies on printed gift cards.

The Distillery District Scavenger Hunt started at noon on Weds the 18th of July and was the first of its kind and completely unprecedented in the recent history of the grounds. On this occasion a multitude of teen girls did engage in a marathon of discovery. Many runners removed their high heels and ran about in their stocking feet to better navigate the tricky cobblestone lanes. One girl secured five cards! The story of the Distillery District scavenger hunt appears in many different domains on the 2012 Miss Teen Canada Blog Network.

pink and black gift cards redeemed for prizesThe pink and grey gift cards were taped to windows and steel drainpipes, metal barrel hoops and plastic signs – anywhere the adhesive tape could hold the paper card. The girls raced to find them and collect them, and it was hairy in a few places.

After the initial scramble, the pack settled in to enjoy their winnings. But in order to procure their treasures each girl still had to seek out the locations of mystery businesses that issued the gifts. Five separate businesses came together and sponsored the event, 48 prizes were donated to the cause. The companies, Brick St Bakery, Café Uno, Greg’s Ice Cream, The Dance Current magazine, and Pure Spirits Oyster Bar all put up prizes.
Cafe Uno, Gelato, Distillery, gift cardMacaroons and gelato, ice cream, magazines and oysters were the prizes that awaited teens who found the little black and pink Miss Teen Canada – World greeting cards.

Dance Current magazines were also awarded as prizes.

Several of the teens found gift cards that could be exchanged for Dance Current magazines which are highly coveted by female teenagers obsessed with this beautiful art.
Miss Teen Canada delegates tour Dance Current office in The Distillery DistrictThe chance to get a free Dance Current magazine and take a tour of their office was a supreme thrill for many delegates. Indeed Christina Logan Miss Teen GTA who is very fond of the publication, spotted and seized a sudden opportunity to apply for an internship position in the office. Good work Christina!

Fresh Oysters at Pure Spirits Oyster Bar

On that afternoon Jennifer Robitaille, Miss Teen Central Alberta and Crystal Li of British Columbia each found a card for a free Oyster at Pure Spirits Oyster Bar restaurant and eagerly sought out their prizes.
Oysters in oyster bar in distillery. miss teen
Crystal Li is from British Columbia and has lost of experience with fresh seafood, but Jennifer is the daughter of a beef farmer near Red Deer Alberta and had never tasted an oyster before.
Miss Teen British Columbia, Miss Teen Central Alberta
She heeded staff recommendations and did squeeze some lemon juice over the pale flesh in the half shell.
Crystal Li and Jennifer Robitaille enjoy fresh oysters at Pure Spirits in Toronto
Down the hatch!
Miss Teen Central Alberta, Oysters, half shell
Not sure if that taste was what she was expecting?

It was a fun filled scavenger hunt as sixty two regional titleholders in 2012 Search Miss Teen Canada – World did enjoy the Distillery.

Anyone that wants to learn more about the Miss Teen Canada World organization can read the latest Miss Teen Canada World regional delegate blogs and investigate each delegate’s first posts here,

Alberta Miss Teens

http://missteenalberta.com/hello-from-miss-teen-alberta-world-2012-lindsay-fraughton-2/

http://missteenedmonton.com/hi-im-angie-mellen-miss-teen-edmonton-2012/

http://missteencalgary.com/hello-from-kirsten-collins-2012-miss-teen-calgary-world/

http://missteensouthcalgary.com/my-biography/

http://missteeneastcentralalberta.com/hello-from-stacey-cox-miss-teen-east-central-alberta-world-2012/

http://missteenokotoks.com/hello-from-miss-teen-okotoks-world-2012-justine-orban/

http://missteenstalbert.com/chloe-fulton-miss-teen-st-albert-world-2012/

http://missteenstrathconacounty.com/hello-from-kelsey-bryant-miss-teen-strathcona-county-world-2012/

http://missteencentralalberta.com/502/

http://missteenreddeer.com/hello-from-gina-omilon-miss-teen-red-deer-world-2012/

http://missteensouthernalberta.com/hello-from-hailey-kloot-2012-miss-teen-southern-alberta/

http://missteenwestcalgary.com/hello-from-miss-teen-west-calgary-2012/

British Columbia Miss Teens

http://missteenokanagan.com/sarah-nieberle-miss-teen-okanagan-world-2012/

http://missteensouthernbritishcolumbia.com/millie-rong-miss-teen-southern-british-columbia/

http://missteenbritishcolumbia.ca/hello-from-nicole-miss-teen-british-columbia-world/

http://missteenvictoria.com/brandi-anderson-miss-teen-victoria-world-2012/

http://missteenprincegeorge.com/hello-world/

http://missteensouthwesternbritishcolumbia.com/crystal_li/

http://missteennorthernbritishcolumbia.com/the-beginning/

http://missteenvancouver.com/nadia-afshar-miss-teen-vancouver-world-2012/

http://missteencomoxvalley.com/hello-world/

http://missteencoquitlam.com/hello-from-katarina-lulic-2012-miss-teen-coquitlam-world/

http://missteennewwestminster.com/31/

http://missteenburnaby.com/cecilia-ferreira-miss-teen-burnaby-world-2012/

Manitoba Miss Teens

http://missteenwinnipeg.com/a-new-chapter/

http://missteenmanitoba.com/hello-from-courtney-mandock-miss-teen-manitoba-world-2012/

http://missteencentralmanitoba.com/hello-from-rilee-lloyd-miss-teen-central-manitoba-world-2012/

http://missteensouthernmanitoba.com/hello-from-devon-shewchuk-2012-miss-teen-southern-manitoba-world/

http://missteensouthernavalon.com/hello-from-hayleigh-mcgrath-miss-teen-southern-avalon-world-2012/

http://missteennorthernavalon.com/courtney-jones-2012-miss-teen-northern-avalon-world/

http://missteennovascotia.com/hello-from-kelley-penney-miss-teen-nova-scotia-world-2012/

Saskatchewan Teens

http://missteenwesternsaskatchewan.com/hello-from-nikita-kahpeaysewat-miss-teen-western-saskatchewan-world-2012/

http://missteensouthernsaskatchewan.com/hello-again-from-miss-teen-southern-saskatchewan-brittany-orsted/

http://missteencentraleastsaskatchewan.com/hello-from-natahni-paquachan-2012-miss-teen-central-east-saskatchewan/

http://missteennortheastsaskatchewan.com/hello-from-elaine-vallier-miss-teen-north-east-saskatchewan-world-2012/

http://missteeneasternsaskatchewan.com/hello-from-jamie-newberg-miss-teen-eastern-saskatchewan-world-2012/

http://missteensaskatoon.com/hello-from-danica-cox-miss-teen-saskatoon-world-2012/

http://missteensouthcentralsaskatchewan.com/jasmine-gemmell-miss-teen-south-central-saskatchewan-world-2012/

http://missteensouthwesternsaskatchewan.com/hello-from-dakota-cooke-miss-teen-southwestern-saskatchewan-world-2012/

http://missteencentralsaskatchewanworld.com/your-name-2011-miss-teen-your-location-world/

http://missteensaskatchewan.com/hello-from-savanagh-walker-miss-teen-saskatchewan-world-2012/

Ontario Teens

http://missteenkingtownship.com/shelby-lynn-prioriello-2012-miss-teen-king-township-world/

http://missteenontario.ca/hello-from-sacha-stewart-2012-miss-teen-ontario-world/

http://missteenthunderbay.com/hello-everyone-i-am-sabrina-felice-miss-teen-thunder-bay-world/

http://missteeneasternontario.com/hello-from-hillary-macmillan-miss-teen-eastern-ontario-world-2012-2/

http://missteensudbury.com/hello-from-desiree-mathias-miss-teen-sudbury-world-2012/

http://missteenkirklandlake.com/hello-from-darian-allison-miss-teen-kirkland-lake-world-2012/

http://missteenkapuskasing.com/hello-from-janick-chartrand-miss-teen-kapuskasing-world-2012/

http://missteengta.com/christina-logan-miss-teen-gta-world-2012/

http://missteenbarrie.com/hello-from-danielle-hawthorne-2012-miss-teen-barrie-world/

http://missteenottawa.com/hello-from-leigh-mundy-miss-teen-ottawa-world-2012/

http://missteensouthwesternontario.com/danielle-cocchetto-2012-miss-teen-southwestern-ontario-world/

http://missteenpeterboroughcounty.com/hello-from-jessie-potvin-2012-miss-teen-peterborough-county-world/

http://missteensimcoecounty.com/hi-from-lolah-gifford-miss-teen-simcoe-county-world-2012/

http://missteennorthontario.com/hello-from-nichelle-thomson-miss-teen-north-ontario-world-2012/

http://missteensdgcounties.com/kelly-ouderkirk-miss-teen-sdg-county-world-2012/

http://missteenmarkham.com/hello-from-jordy-arsenault-kivell-miss-teen-markham-world-2012/

http://missteenyorkregion.com/what-you-should-know-about-me/

http://missteensouthernontario.com/hello-from-francesca-mcfadden-miss-teen-southern-ontario-world-2012/

http://missteenbrampton.com/hello-from-simrat-sandhu-miss-teen-brampton-world-2012/

http://missteendurhamregion.com/what-do-you-want-to-know/

Quebec Teens

http://missteen-quebec.com/hello-from-megha-sandhu-miss-teen-quebec-2012/

http://missteenmontreal.com/miss-teen-montreal-world-and-miss-teen-famas-2011-all-in-one/

Distillery Tenants’ BBQ at Archeo

A heavy downpour with thunder and lightning interrupted an otherwise bounteous beef burger and hotdog BBQ on the patio of Archeo on Monday August 15th 2011.

The BBQ was put on by The Distillery District for their tenants enjoyment and network advantage. The rain came and gave everyone something to remember – it was fun!

Archeo Trattoria in the Distillery District

Our feature restaurant for the week is Archeo Trattoria, located right at the Mill St. entrance of the Distillery District. This rustic restaurant is known for its beautiful wooden pillars and art work that hangs from the ceilings. Walking in, you are transported to a calming and relaxing cabin-like atmosphere. Whether you choose to sit on the patio or indoors, the restaurant’s décor will cater to your aesthetic sense and to your appetite. Archeo has been renovated from an old carpentry shop and uses 150 year-old wood from the Distillery for all of its wooden tables and bars.

 inside Archeo restuartant in The Distillery District of TorontoThe Interior design of archeo trattoria:

The walls of the restaurant are draped with silvery photographic prints that lend a modern ambiance to the restaurant. High yellow pine ceilings, exposed brick and concrete floors keep up the Distillery District’s reputation for Victorian Industrial architecture. The walls are separated by the black and white photographs that divide the room and create private settings for its patrons. The images are a reflection of the location’s history and allow the sun to shine through them and set the lighting for your meal. The images are often changed and moved around, giving the location a different look every time you visit it. The calming atmosphere of Archeo Trattoria is very earthy, intimate and relaxing.

The patio at Archeo restuarant in The Distillery The Patio at archeo trattoria :

The restaurant’s patio is very sunny and accommodating. Fellow food lovers get a spacious amount of seating while enjoying the season’s warm weather. There is something about the cobblestones and red brick walls of the Distillery that makes photos look awesome – the thumbnail pics of this venue on review websites and mobile apps like Martini Boys and Toronto Bar Wizard look great, and pictures of you and your friends will look great here too. The tables are surrounded by flower and plant pots that perfect the picnic atmosphere, and the cobblestone ground oozes charm. Beautiful umbrellas will shade you from the sun and keep you cool while you enjoy Archeo’s food and drinks. If you are looking for a place to escape the sounds of the city, then Archeo’s patio is the perfect location for you to get away.

 The menu at archeo:

The seasonally changing menu offers Italian items such as pastas, pizzas and salads–delicious, classic food at affordable prices. The kitchen uses quality ingredients such as calamari, prosciutto and lamb which are spiced and filled with hearty flavor to keep you craving the meal for days to come. Archeo Trattoria also offers a feature of the day menu, which includes soup, catch of the day, pizza and pasta.

All meals are started with a complimentary bread basket. You can dip the freshly baked bread (which comes straight out of the oven) with olive oil and vinegar. The appetizers range from crab cakes to salads.

One feature salad for summer is made from fresh ingredients such as spinach, blueberries, walnuts, strawberries and goat cheese; not only was it a delight to look at, it was also delicious to eat.

The main courses range from pizzas to pastas. You will fall in love with your food more and more with every bite you take. The toppings are delicately seasoned and cooked to perfection before placed on the pizzas. Archeo also offers an extensive wine list by the glass for those looking for a drink destination.

Continue to check out updates on the blog to learn more about what the Distillery District has to offer.