Might as well start out right headed over to Black Oak for some of the Summer Saison which was my absolute favourite at the Toronto Beer Festival last year. It’s a superb beer for the hot weather.

I then tried the Black Oak Daily Bread collaboration beer. Part wheat beer and part pilsner. Beautiful colouring and the Belgian Wheat nose brought you nicely into the easy drinking of a smooth pilsner. Simon, Black Oak’s brewer out did himself on the Daily Bread.

After a nice few drinks and some catching up with the Black Oak crew I took a few steps to the left and visited Beaus. I had a Festivale ale and a nice chat with Beaus very own Stuntman Morra. Some really good beer and really good people with Beaus brewing.

Off twisting through the crowds to find myself over at Great Lakes Brewing’s Caskapalooza.

A wall of one off casks, a bar surrounded in taps, a DJ, dancing girls and party seating. The bigger breweries pulls off similar party areas Great Lakes does it with some delicious and sometimes adventurous beer. Though somehow Wellington Brewing snuck a “Welly One Off” into the GLB Caskapalooza wall. I couldn’t read the full name it was a sour cherry beer. The cherry flavouring made it taste a bit like cherry cola.

GLB Caskapalooza Herb’s spiced Saison. Is “oh my gosh this is really good” a tasting note? It starts off really nicely drinkable and then you are hit with his pepper flavour that just pushes the beer into being unique and a bit extraordinary.

Off around the band shell and the fountains to explore more of the festival.

I found the Quebecois import tent. Sponsored by the guys from Bar Volo it was four or five of the great Quebecois breweries they’ve fostered relationships with and often feature in the bar. Wonderfully This allowed me to have some of Dieu du Ciel’s delicious Corne de Diable pale ale.

After which I wandered back through the grounds to Black Oak Brewing for my favourite Ontario Pale Ale.

Which is pretty impressive Pale ales are plentiful and Black Oaks remains in my opinion one of the best. With some Toronto beer lovers and Black Oak’s illustrious Ken Woods we went back to e wilds of the beer festival.

Over to Hogtown Brewers for their Kolsh style beer.

* A Public service announcement When at the Toronto festival of beer Pre-pee-pare. Meaning there are line ups and you need to go line up well before the need to make space for more beer is urgent.

Back to our regularly scheduled beer quaffing. We made it back over to The Quebecois tent. Where I had some Hopfenstark Framboise. Which I thought I might not have again until Montreal beer Fest. next year. Making it a treat to find at home.

Le Trou du Diable Schieve Tabarnak Old Style Ale was recommended and was quite good.It had the most transparent pale yellow colour.

The nights entertainment was Salt N Pepa. The two of them looked pretty great and the show made for a fun bit of nostalgia for a crowd that was feeling pretty good.Unfortunately I wasn’t really able to get a photo.

  Off to Spearhead. They released a few new beers. I tried the Belgian Stout. Amazingly it was as good a stout as their Pale ale is an amazingly quaffable ale. After the stout I had the Hawaiian Style Pale ale. Which is quite wonderful in the hi weather and notably recently available in bottles in the LCBO.

I finished the evening wishing the guys at Beaus and Black Oak. Good night and wandered off with a True North Cream Ale. Jen brews up some good beer smooth, drinkable and a great night cap to my visit to the 2012 Toronto Festival of Beer.

http://www.beerfestival.ca/

*** On the way to leave I hit the the porta potty ( thank goodness I had been drinking) I put my glass on top of he towel dispenser and turned to go about my business . A moment later someone slammed the door to the adjoining potty. I heard a splash and turned back to find my last dregs of beer and glass had careened into the depths of no return. It was kinda funny, though sometimes you know you just need a bit more to drink. Like exactly the amount in that glass.