CestWhat.com News

Results from 24 Hours of Beer

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:31:49 -0500

24 Hours of Beer

23rd Annual Festival Of Craft Breweries

We poured over 10,000 samples at our 23rd annual homage to the fine state of Canadian craft brewing. That's an average seven samples each minute for twenty-four hours. A little more than 30 per cent of these samples were rated and compiled.

The top-rated brew was St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale, the only one to finish with a median score of eight out of ten. The most universally admired beers (having the most agreement among festival goers) were McAuslan Apricot Wheat, C'est What Homegrown Hemp Ale, and Muskoka Harvest Ale. The beer that was most rated, C'est What Mother Pucker's Ginger Wheat was also the most controversial, having the least agreement among those scoring. The second most sampled flavour was Black Oak Gender Bender proving that after two decades, the local beer-drinking public is still looking for adventure.

Of the sixty-two beers that were available to taste everything was deemed at least "decent effort" with eighteen finishing high enough to feature on a beer advent calendar. Twelve of the top finishers were of the "big" beer variety showing off some combination of high hops or alcohol.

Table of scores

Ten Rules For A Conkering Knight

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:06:36 -0500

According to the brewer, Andy, there are certain rules that must be followed for full enjoyment of Neustadt Conkers Ale:

1) No knight shall show his conkers before the joust.
2) A knight must keep his conkers in a non-transparent bag.
3) Before a contest a knight must slap his conkers on a table for the judges to see.
4) Conker caddies are allowed but must not take part in the contest.
5) Strings must be butcher grade; no violin or piano g-strings are allowed.
6) Your opponents, nor any of their entourage are allowed to carress, fondle, demean, or sympathize about the size of your conkers.
7) A a Conkering Knight you must go into battle upright, proudly holding your conkers.
8) It is expected that a knight will wash and pamper his conkers before each event.
9) Conkers with deformaties are acceptable as long as they don't interfere with the outcome of the contest.
10) If all of these rules are followed you should have good service and long life from your conkers.

Casks, Kegs, Bottles, or Cans?

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:55:00 -0500

Enquiring minds need to know: What is the best way to store and dispense beer? This was the question posed during Toronto Beer Week on Wednesday September 21, 2010. Five different styles of beer were compared, each from two different containers.

The results went contrary to what many beer experts would have guessed in advance (well, at least to what we would have guessed). Two beers of styles that would have traditionally been served in cask; Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA and Arkell Best Bitter were prefered on draught and in bottles respectively. Denison's Weissbier and Steam Whistle Pilsner which, it could be argued, would benefit from the higher carbonation of a can and bottle were favoured on draught. The only thing that went true to form was the St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout which was deemed better from nitro-dispensed draught instead of bottles.

Another surprise was the parity in overall scores with an IPA, a Pilsner, a Weissbier, and a Stout all within a finger width of head away from each other in ratings. So it would seem that the favourite container for beer is, really, yourself.

Table of scores

Canada vs. The World Taste Challenge Results

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:52:55 -0500

Over the first seven days of Toronto Beer Week 2012 we pitted Canadian craft beer against some of the international standard bearers in seven differennt styles. The tasting was done "blind" in groups of three. The results confirm what we have been saying for the last couple of decades: When it comes to beer, fresh is best.

Canadian craft beer came out on top in six of the seven categories: Pilsners, Weissbiers, Belgian Style Ales, Pale Ales, Lagers, and Stouts. The home side was narrowly beat out in the Bitters style to give the World a single consolation point. In all the Canadians had an average ranking of 1.9 compared to 2.3 for the familiar foreigners.

This proves what we're sure you already know from experience: Canadians just taste better. If you doubt the truth of this just kiss one, you'll see.

Table of results

New To The Menu

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:43:04 -0500

We have a couple of new tasty treats to tide you over until our annual fall menu changes are unveiled around Thanksgiving. On the downside, the price of bison has doubled and have had to increase the price on our burger. Dam you Buffalo Bill, leave some for us.

We are now serving a homemade Adobo Black Bean Burger: An all-veggie burger made with adobo sauce, black beans, Caraway Rye Beer, kamut, carrots, millet, onions, red peppers, and tomatoes. Served on a lightly toasted Ace Bakery Kaiser with chipotle mayo and your choice of potato or yam frites.

Our new chipotle mayo is replacing garlic mayo throughout the menu and you now have the choice between the herbed frites or deep-fried yams as a side on many items without an up-charge.

For those that like eating with a bib, the Staggering Pig pulled pork sandwich now features our Coffee Porter BBQ sauce.

Stay in and vote

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:56:52 -0500

Voting season is upon us. You have until August 21 to vote for your favourite breweries, bars, and beers in the Golden Tap Awards presented by our friends at BarTowel. Unlike other votes, you actually have good choices in this contest.

Results from te 1st Annual Summer Festival of Craft Breweries

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:49:56 -0500

We moved our annual spring beer festival into June to coincide with Ontario Beer Week and the first day of summer. Over four days we offered up seventy-one choices from thirty-five producers of which about five-dozen were unique Ontario-made brews.

Although some may think of summer as a time for lighter flavours, the summer festival-goers said "go big or go home" picking an Imperial Stout and an Imperial Pale Ale as their top choices. The two that finished in the top tier (with median scores of eight out of ten) were Amsterdam Tempest Stout and Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA (cask version). In all, 40 of the choices were deemed worthy of purchase with median scores of seven or more while only 10 were relegated to the "meh" zone with scores of less than six.

Some of the more adventurous brews were not as well received with bourbon barrel ageing, blueberry, strawberry, and papaya hitting a sour note with many tasters. Exceptions to this rule were the pineapple-tinged Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale, Mill Street's Lemon Tea Ale which garnered scores of seven.

A full table of score can be found here

The Daily Lineup

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:04:24 -0500

Tuesday June 21

CASKS: Al's Cask Ale, Durham XXX, Great Lakes Lackey's Caskey, Duggan's #9 IPA, Granite Hopping Mad, Cameron's Hop Burn, MacLean's IPA, Muskoka Mad Tom IPA

DRAUGHT: Amsterdam Stout, Durham Hop Addict, King Pilsner, St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Kensington Augusta Pale Ale, Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale, Cheshire Valley IPA, Black Oak Saison, KLB Raspberry Wheat, Nickel Brook Headstock IPA, Black Oak Pale Ale, Waupoos Cider, McAuslan Cream Ale, Big Butt, Coffee Orter, Caraway Rye, Homegrown Hemp Ale

Wednesday June 22

CASK: Al's Cask Ale, Durham XXX, Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange, Black Oak Bourbon Barrel Aged Nut Brown Ale, Granite Hopping Mad, Barley Days Dark Ale, Grand River Dry-hopped Plowman's Ale, Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout

DRAUGHT: Amsterdam Stout, Mill St. Lemon Tea Ale, King Pilsner, McAuslan Apricot Wheat, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Hockley Valley Black & Tan, Great Lakes Belgian Saison, Neustadt This Sour-Kraut, Black Oak Saison, KLB Raspberry Wheat, Church-Key Saison, Mill St. Ginger Beer, Waupoos Cider, McAuslan Cream Ale, Big Butt, Coffee Porter, Caraway Rye, Homegrown Hemp Ale.

Thursday June 23

CASK: Al's Cask Ale, Durham XXX, Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange, Black Oak Bourbon Barrel Aged Nut Brown Ale, Granite Hopping Mad, Nickel Brook Strawberry Wheat, Wellington Blueberry Cider Bitter, Black Oak ???

DRAUGHT: Amsterdam Stout, Railway City Pilsner, King Pilsner, McAuslan Apricot Wheat, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Creemore Kellerbier, Hop City Pilsner, Barley Days Loyalist Lager, Hop City American Ale, KLB Raspberry Wheat, Cameron's Cream Ale, Mill St. Ginger Beer, Waupoos Cider, McAuslan Cream Ale, Coffee Porter, Caraway Rye, Homegrown Hemp Ale.

Friday June 24

CASK: Al's Cask Ale, Durham XXX, Great Lakes Lackey's Caskey, Duggan's #9 IPA, Granite Darkside IPA, Beau's Screaming Beaver Double IPA, Duggan's #99 Double IPA, Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA, + leftover casks from the week.

DRAUGHT: Amsterdam Stout, Railway City Cocoloco Wheat, King Vienna Lager, McAuslan Apricot Wheat, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Flying Monkeys Supercollider Double IPA, Amsterdam Urban Wheat, Duggan's Maibock, Lake Of Bays Rousse, F&M Maple Red, Mill St. Weisse, Unibroue Blanche de Chambly, Waupoos Cider, McAuslan Cream Ale, Coffee Porter, Caraway Rye, Homegrown Hemp Ale, Duggan's #9 IPA, Ste. Andre Vienna Lager, Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA, Railway City Dead Elephant Ale, St. Ambroise Pale Ale, Mill St. Organic Lager, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange, 666 Devil's Pale Ale, Neustadt 10W30, Grand River Blackberry Wheat, Denison's Weissbier.

Liquor Laws

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:01:32 -0500

The changes that are truly needed

The Ontario government recently announced some changes to the regulations that will make life a little easier for outdoor festival promoters, resort managers, and restaurants considering summer patios. While these changes are welcome they don't address the issues that really matter. If we are to truly leave the era of prohibition in the last century we have to treat adults like grown-ups when it comes to the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits.

C'est What was recently invited by the government to comment on potential changes to the liquor laws. This is a summary of what we had to say:

Change #1: Craft Brewers� Access To Market

Locally owned and operated breweries do not have equitable access to the marketplace. They must rely on a 100% foreign-owned company (The Beer Store) that is owned by their competitors to sell their products. Prohibitive listing fees at The Beer Store discourage widespread distribution of Ontario breweries offerings. It costs well over $100,000 just to get a product listed province-wide. The alternative is the LCBO, which does not have the infrastructure to properly warehouse and sell the typically all-natural, unpasteurized products that local breweries produce.

The idea of allowing beer and wine sales at �corner stores�, as is the case in our neighbouring province, has many supporters. However, detractors point out that there is a risk of a loss of control over preventing sales to under-age age and intoxicated people and is a business for which they are not trained or licensed.

The solution to unlocking the economic potential of Ontario�s beer industry is largely already in place. There is an existing network of nearly 17,000 outlets that are licensed for the sale of alcohol, Ontario�s restaurants and bars. Allowing these outlets to re-sell wine and beer that is currently delivered direct from the manufacturer under the same rules as tied-house off-sales would open up the marketplace to local producers. It would also provide a needed boost to the beleaguered hospitality industry while keeping the distribution of alcohol in responsible hands.

Proposal:

Allow take-home sales of Ontario beer and wine through licensed bars and restaurants.

Benefits

Equitable access to market for Ontario producers.

Economic benefits for the producers, hospitality industry, their employees, and the provincial economy. The dollars spent in Ontario will stay in Ontario.

Change #2 Wholesale Pricing

Ontario licensees have long been at a disadvantage internationally because they largely pay the same price for the products they re-sell as the end consumer. This pricing structure encourages the consumer to stay at home and restricts the positive social and economic benefits of going out to a restaurant.

Increased sales tax revenue from the value added sales price at licensed establishments would far exceed the reduction in LCBO revenue on the sale of the wholesale product.

Proposal

Wholesale pricing to bars and restaurants from the LCBO and direct-to-licensee-delivery manufacturers (Ontario beer and wine).

Benefits

Increased economic activity in the hospitality industry, more jobs, more tax revenue.

Change #3: Legal Drinking Age

The legal drinking age should be the same as the Age Of Majority, eighteen.

The age was raised in 1978 �to remove liquor from high schools� when high school included grade 13. Now that grade 13 is no longer in the high school curriculum, this reasoning no longer is valid.

Especially in light of recent changes in alcohol and driving legislation, there is no �public good� to be served by restricting the rights of adults who are eighteen years old. If you can vote, serve liquor, and die for your county in armed conflict you certainly should have the right to have a glass of wine with dinner.

Proposal

Legal drinking age set the same as Age Of Majority.

Benefits

Aligns the right to serve liquor with the right to consume it. It is the fair thing to do.

Community Matters

Thu, 5 May 2011 14:33:50 -0500

In April the Canadian Federation Of Small Business and the Bank Of Nova Scotia issued a challenge to find community minded businesses across Canada. This was our response:

What does your business do to make your community a better place to live?

There are not a lot of twenty-three year olds that can claim to have changed the world. Not in the Joan of Arc epic kind of way but in the making a difference in your community kind of way. C'est What and it's loyal customers can lay claim to that kind status. Before we throw out an arm slapping ourselves on the back let us explain by using some examples:

Craft Brewed Beer. There are now over thirty craft brewers in Ontario and dozens of friendly purveyors of their products in Toronto. When we started out in 1988 there were a handful of brewers and not a single micro-friendly pub. We were the first establishment to support the local industry and only serve Canadian craft brewed beer. We now have thirty-five taps devoted to the best in local beer.

VQA Wine. When our local vintners formed the VQA, there was an entire generation of wine drinkers who wouldn't touch anything but French wines. We were the first establishment to embrace Niagara wineries by serving their products exclusively. Now the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in Toronto all serve VQA wines.

Food. In 1988 pub food was almost exclusively burgers, wings, and nachos. While there are still more than few of those kind of places around there many notable places that have followed C'est What's lead to offer great meals inspired by our multi-cultural city.

Music. We have always supported local musical talent. This is not an effort that would be considered on any corporate business plan but has a value that far exceeds the bottom line. Thousands of performers have been treated with respect and been given a professional helping hand while showcasing their talents here. More than a few have turned into international success stories, but the best news is that the local music scene is thriving.

Being a good neighbour extends outside of your own walls. C'est What has always been keenly aware of the connection between a thriving community and a solvent business. Our founder, George Milbrandt, is the chair of the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA and spends countless hours each week on community issues. The BIA takes a bigger view of the role of business in the area. Initiatives such as a tree watering program, hiring local shelter residents to keep the streets clean and graffiti free, and partnering with community groups to address local concerns go beyond the parochial and seek to improve the neighbourhood for all.

Major cultural contributions or just one big string of coincidences? We'll let others pass the judgement but we'll make the claim.

Why have you chosen to take this approach?

An independent businesses providing locally sourced and produced goods has the economic advantage of keeping money circulating within the community. Our neighbourhood benefits from many businesses that are run by people passionate about what they do and who look around them for inspiration and not to a remote head office.

In our first year, when we announced that we were going exclusively with Canadian "micro" brews and Ontario wines, we were told by many that we were committing financial suicide. In retrospect, we're happy to say that being the first kid on the block has been a huge competitive advantage for us.

It is also culturally important to support the creativity that can be found in your community. C'est What's interest in local culture extends beyond the culinary and into the arts. Thousands of aspiring musicians have been nurtured with respect, great technical support, and a good pint. Look on the iTunes Canada top ten and you are bound to see at least one C'est What alumnae listed.

Caring for your community also means caring about people who are not necessarily your own customers. There is a direct link between the health of a community and the health of the businesses within it. Now more people understand the benefit of focusing on "local" as a way to strengthen community connections and the economy.

What advice would you give other business owners who might be considering this idea?

What held C'est What together in the beginning was a lot of hard work, generous loans from family and friends, and a vision of being a truly local establishment. A Toronto-centric pub restaurant. C'est What is the real deal. No ersatz English, Irish, Belgian, or American concepts are to be found. To this day the only faux to be found is the well-known local musician Adam Faux who moonlights as our music booker and sound tech.

The way in which you conduct your business is a reflection of your values. Put effort into the things that you believe in and there is always a return whether it is personal satisfaction or monetary gain. Even your "competition" are your partners in your community. If you stop looking in the mirror and look out the window for inspiration, it will make looking in the mirror easier in the end.

1st Annual Summer Festival of Craft Brewers

Thu, 5 May 2011 14:32:15 -0500

Usually, the weekend after Victoria Day we fill our coolers way past capacity, feed the staff a lot of coffee, and present our Spring Festival Of Craft Breweries. This year we are mixing things up and holding a five-day Festival running from Tuesday June 21 to Saturday June 25.

If you were to guess that we are moving the Festival to coincide with the first anniversary of the Toronto G-20 Summit, you would be wrong. Although we are very pleased that fiasco is far behind us, we are even happier with the prospect of Ontario Craft Beer Week, June 19 to 25.

A total of 26 beers will be available to sample each of the first three nights at the original bar. Each night we will be featuring about a dozen new draughts and three new casks in addition to selections from our usual line-up. On Friday we will throw open all of our taps to sampling with around forty flavours available. We will post a list of each night's sampling menu as we approach the Festival. As usual, most samples will cost a loonie.

On the Saturday we are presenting The Great Beer Chaser, no sampling, but $4 glasses / $6 pints (tax-in) of all of the leftovers that we can rotate through (not our regular brews) all day long.

Five days, eighty brews, best to start training.

Distillation Education

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:04:00 -0500

Wednesday April 20 we will look south of the border for distillation inspiration. Matt Jones, Maker's Mark Distillery Diplomat for Canada who will lead you through a tasting of Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Knob Creek, and Booker's bourbons. You will also have the opportunity to taste Maker's Mark at various stages of its evolution: one day old, two years old, and an over aged version to illustrate the art of aging.

We will start off with a appetizer of deep fried chicken served with a Maker's Creole mustard orange sauce and corn bread. Y'all welcome, 'hear.

Advance tickets are available for $25 (all-in)

Re: P.S., I Love You - A Beer Tasting

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:16:55 -0500

We convinced eighty-two people to come over to the dark side, for at least one evening, on Wednesday March 16, 2011. On offer were ten of Ontario's best black beers, seven served from cask.

Almost universally loved was Muskoka's first foray in the style, Double Chocolate Cranberry, which finished with a median rating of 41.5 out of 50. Also well appreciated was Duggan's #8 Porter (37.0), which topped the porter. category. The extremely full-flavoured Grand River Russian Gun Stout edged out Wellington in the imperial stouts bracket but there was wide disagreement between our judges. The Russian Gun is definitely a love-it or hate-it kind of experience.

Third and fourth overall were C'est What's Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange and Great Lakes Harry Porter, vanilla bean cask. It seems that wacky was indeed wonderful on this night.

A full table of scores can be found here

P.S., I Love You - A Beer Tasting

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:09:09 -0500

We are honouring the last week of winter with a blind challenge taste-off of Porters and Stouts on Wednesday March 16 at 7 p.m. Our choice of dark brewed elixirs has little to do with the Irish themed week that a certain multi-national brewery would like you to associate with their black beer but owes more to the amazing selection of local craft brews in this style.

There will be ten samples in all: seven from casks, one on draught, and two from bottles. The cost of advance tickets is $19.50 (all in).

Porters: Great Lakes Harry Porter vs. Scotch Irish Black Irish Porter vs. Duggan's #8 Porter vs. Neustadt Pre-Ported Porter vs. Lake Of Bays Mocha Porter.

Chocolate Stouts: C'est What Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange vs. Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout vs. Muskoka Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout.

Imperial Stouts: Wellington Imperial Russian Stout vs. Grand River Russian Gun Imperial Stout

One thing is certain in this competition: In each round a black heart is sure to come out on top.

Re: Robbie Burn's Hangover

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:46:27 -0500

What Wood Robbie Say?

We put wood finishing to the test the day after Robbie Burn's birthday on Wednesday January 26, 2011. If you are interested to see if we came up with a "rule of thumb" about what barrels work best for aging, you will be disappointed. Between traditional sherry casks, Madeira, Sauternes, Bordeaux, and new French oak there seemed to be no discernable path to single malt glory.

The top "finishers" were Benriach Madeira, The Arran Sherry, and The Glenlivet French Oak. Although to be fair to the others, it should be noted that the difference in scores from top to bottom was less than three points. While the scores were quite close, the flavour imparted by the barrels was very noticeable.

Perhaps the lesson here is that wood does make a difference to quality, it just doesn't particularly matter which one. If you agree with this thesis then, of this group, the most attractive is probably The Glenlivet. At about $63 a bottle it offers the best value.

To view the table of scores, click here

Robbie Burn's Hangover

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:24:51 -0500

It's the day after the birthday of the patron saint of whisky, Scotland's favourite son, Robbie Burns and we're tasting single malts. Six fine examples of scotch whisky finished in different barrels will be compared:

The Arran sherry single cask 1997, The Arran Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol Bordeaux casks, The Benriach 15 yr. Henriques & Henriques Madeira barrels, The Glenlivet 15 yr. French oak reserve, Glenmorangie 12 yr. Sauternes cask, and Glenmorangie 12 yr. The Lasanta sherry cask.

Wednesday January 26, 2011, 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $34.50 all in.

Beer-Writers-In-The-Round Videos

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:18:11 -0500

Not Always In Good Taste: A Beer-Writers-In-The-Round was presented as part of Toronto Beer Week at C'est What on Tuesday September 21, 2010. Pint in hand and foot precariously close to mouth, many stories were swapped. Our intrepid videographer, Sierra, was on hand to capture a few of the tales told.

Check out the highlights on our youtube channel

New Year's Eve

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:25:47 -0500

This will be our 23rd New Year�s Eve. Now that we have reached this level of maturity, we are no longer swayed by the pull of loud crowds of inebriated people. So every December 31st we now hold a relaxed, low-key, anti-party. More conversation, better food, less hangover. Just drop in to your downtown local, it�s business as usual.

Results from the 22nd Annual Festival Of Craft Breweries

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:33:08 -0500

In honour of Toronto's first Beer Week we held our annual fall Festival Of Craft Breweries over two evenings on Friday September 24 and Saturday September 25, 2010. Somewhere between 750 and 800 people participated purchasing 9651 samples of beer at the event.
We were featuring 71 brews from 37 producers including 18 cask beers and one cider.
Five finished on top with median scores of eight: St. Ambroise Great Pumpkin, Black Oak's Ten Bitter Years, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Wellington Russian Imperial Stout, and Unibroue Trois Pistoles. In a show of Canadian unity, three of the top finishers were produced in Quebec. In all 32 beers were deemed purchase worthy by the majority with median scores of seven or more.

Flying Monkeys Smashjezebelhoneybomb was the most tasted. C'est What Steve's Chocolate Orange, Nickel Brook Sour Cherry, C'est What Mother Pucker's Ginger Wheat, and F&M Chachi Pilsner were also sought after samples. The most controversial brew was the Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortal. The high-test coffee stout generated the biggest high/low mark split.

It seems the growing lack of a middle ground in all things is being reflected in the world of beer. Of the scores (votes) tabulated it became apparent that (political) taste is not governed with dispassion (logic) and is the ultimate exercise in subjectivity (ideology). How else can we explain that 23 of the beers (1/3) received scores of both zero and the maximum of ten? At least we have a place where beer drinkers of all types (and political leanings) can enjoy each others company. "There will be no revolution today, at least not until we finish our pints."

The full table of results can be found here

22nd Annual Festival Of Craft Breweries

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 11:21:37 -0500

Now in it�s 22nd year of featuring the best of the local brewing trade, C�est What�s annual Fall Festival Of Craft Breweries is becoming a two-night stand on September 24 and 25. You shouldn�t have to line-up to get a decent beer, but line-ups have become commonplace at this event so we�re going to double the fun and be festive on both Friday and Saturday night to give more people an opportunity to discover the latest in this corner of the craft beer universe. We have also moved the event a week earlier than usual to be part of Toronto�s inaugural Beer Week running from September 20 to 26 at well over forty watering holes and restaurants around town. This is evidence that, unlike two decades ago, we are no longer one of the only places in Toronto to get a decent pint. But C�est What has always been more keen to promote the community of good beer and better places to enjoy them than to create its own gated community.

This years festival will feature assortment of old favourites, new releases, and one-offs. Over ninety percent of Ontario brewers will be represented with about sixty beers available over the two nights, including fifteen cask dispensed choices. True aficionados of the barley nectar (i.e.. beer geeks) may want to drop by on both nights as there will a be different selection of forty to choose from each evening. The line-up will be posted online as the brews are confirmed.

As usual admission is free and most samples cost a loonie. Sampling runs from five to ten each evening.

The current confirmed line-up can be found online

Not Always In Good Taste - a beer writers-in-the-round

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:46:09 -0500

On Tuesday September 21, 10 p.m. some of Canada's best beer writers will share a few beers and tell a few stories in an in-the-round format.

Listen in, offer a story of your own, maybe even buy a signed book.

Four attendees will win a hardcover copy of "Last Call: The Rise And Fall Of Prohibition" by Daniel Okrent. A brilliant, authoritative, and fascinating history of America's most puzzling era, the years 1920 to 1933, when the U.S. Constitution was amended to restrict one of America's favorite pastimes: drinking alcoholic beverages.

Commfest Global Community Film Festival

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:29:48 -0500

Movies, Music, and Beer. Wednesday September 22, 9:30 p.m. Free admission, donation to Commfest requested.

10:00 - The Mountain Music Project: A Musical Odyssey from Appalachia to Himalaya, 57min, USA, Directed by: Jacob Penchansky.

The Mountain Music Project follows two Virginia musicians, who travel to Nepal to explore the extraordinary connections between Appalachian and Himalayan folk music.

9:30 - IMA No good reason, 12min, USA Directed by: Michael Mierendorf.

Musicians and singers from around the country, people who have never met and who are currently or recently homeless, gather in Boston to record a song written by a 15-year girl who was homeless when she wrote it. Natalie Merchant (formerly of 10,000 Maniacs) has less than three days to arrange and record the song - in a process that normally takes weeks or months. Working with several artists who have never set foot in a recording studio, Ms. Merchant completes the track, which winds up on a new CD featuring artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jewel, Bonnie Raitt and many others partnering with unknown artists who are currently or recently homeless.

Beerology: More Than Meets The Eye

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:43:20 -0500

More than meets the eye: A Toronto Beer Week Blind Tasting on Monday September 20, 7 p.m.

Do you know the difference between an Ale and a Lager? Do you think you could tell them apart in a blind taste test? How about distinguishing a Porter from a Stout?

Join Mirella Amato from Beerology for a blind tasting of nine different beers. Taste a range of beer styles side by side. Compare and discuss their appearance, aroma and flavour and find out more about what sets each of these styles apart.

Mirella Amato regularly conducts fun and informative guided beer tasting sessions as well as beer classes, workshops and seminars. Mirella is involved in various projects that focus on promoting local beer, and beer appreciation in general. She is a regular contributor to TAPS, Great Lakes Brewing News and Bi�res et Plaisirs and can be heard every second week on the CBC Radio One program Here and Now.

Advance tickets are available for $20 (all in) online

Toronto Beer Week

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 12:16:33 -0500

Toronto is going to get it's very own week-long celebration of beer. From September 20 to 26, 2010 there will be dozens of craft beer themed events at all of your favourite establishments including C'est What.

He Walks, She Rocks

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 11:14:42 -0500

Jason Myers and Bri-anne Swan kicked off a month-long fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society at C'est What on Saturday April 17 at C'est What. Jason files this report:

"I remember when I first brought up the idea of a long walk to raise money for the MS Society of Canada to my girlfriend Bri-anne. There wasn�t even a hint of �this guy is crazy� in her eyes. She also had people close to her that were affected by the disease and all I saw was an immediate and unequivocal �Yes, and I want to help.� That was the first of countless acts of kindness and generosity that I experienced on my over 800km journey from Niagara to Tobermory.

The concept for the fundraiser was simple. I would solo walk the Bruce Trail end to end from April 18 to May 20 and Bri-anne, a singer/songwriter, would meet me in a number of the communities along the way and play folk concerts. We came up with a catchy name (He Walks, She Rocks), set up a website and started our preparations.

One of our assumptions going into the journey was that we would not be able to do everything by ourselves. I would need places to sleep and Bri-anne would need help within the communities organizing and promoting the shows. The success of the project would be heavily dependant on the good will of friends, family and even strangers (or, as I prefer to say, �friends not yet met�). We needed to ask for help. What happened was one of the most heartwarming and affirming experiences of my life.

A month before I was to set out we received the following message on our website: �You are more than welcome to stay at our home with meals while you are in the area.�

It was from Donna and Jack in Owen Sound. They had heard about what we were doing and wanted to help. We had never met before, and yet were willing to welcome me into their home. This was just the start.

Over the course of 33 days on the trail, new friends gave me places to sleep, helped promote concerts, made very generous donations to the MS Society, drove me to and from the trail, fed me, washed my stinky clothes and, on one occasion, even massaged my aching feet. After walking in solitude for 7 to 9 hours a day on challenging terrain it was rejuvenating to come down into communities at night, share a meal with a family and have a brief glimpse of their lives.

My days on the Niagara Escarpment were full of beauty � from being surprised by a waterfall in urban Hamilton, to walking through an explosion of Trilliums in the Beaver Valley, to hearing Bri-anne�s voice dancing off the walls of Trinity United Church in Collingwood to seeing the white cliffs that plunge into the breathtaking, turquoise waters of Georgian Bay. But what I will take away most from this trip was the indefatigable goodness of the people I met along the way. When you experience kindness and generosity like this there is simply no room left in your heart for cynicism, fear and other unproductive things we are told we should feel.

On May 20, Bri-anne and I walked into Tobermory together and were met by Don McIlraith, the President of the Bruce Trail Peninsula Club with a bottle of champagne. He toasted to our success of completing the walk and concert series that raised almost $11,000 for the MS Society. As I raised my glass, my thoughts turned to the heroes of the He Walks, She Rocks journey that made it all possible."

Golden Tap Awards

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 18:52:13 -0500

Get out and vote.

Now in its eighth year, the Golden Tap Awards is a democratic awards event, with voting to take place online at goldentap.com from now until August 16th. Visitors to the web site can vote for any or all of the categories they wish, which include:

Best craft brewery in Ontario
Best brewery for cask-conditioned ales in Ontario
Best bar in Ontario for draught beer selection
Best bar in Ontario for bottled beer selection
Best bar in Ontario for cask-conditioned ale
Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario
Best regularly-produced craft beer in Ontario
Best seasonal or specialty craft beer in Ontario
Best cask-conditioned ale in Ontario

We encourage you to support your favourites and help out the people that bring a little joy to our lives.

Results from the 6th Annual Spring Festival Of Craft Breweries

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 18:50:38 -0500

The normally relaxed Spring Festival Of Craft Breweries was filled to overflowing with beer lovers of all ages and tastes. By the official start time of five o'clock both of our bars were packed with eager tasters. Against our usual "drop-in" philosophy we we forced to institute a line-up for the better part of three hours. We managed to serve about four hundred and fifty people at the event.

Even though the axiom "there is no accounting for taste" was never more true than at this event, we will still attempt a numerical summary. We were featuring forty-three brews from thirty-two producers including 12 cask beers and two ciders. Two finished with top honours and median scores of eight: Black Oak's Ten Bitter Years and Wellington Russian Imperial Stout. Both of these clocked in at a whopping 8.0% alcohol and made as big an impression on festival goers. In all seventeen beers were deemed purchase worthy by the majority with median scores of seven or more. Many of the brews received both perfect tens and extremely imperfect zeros from different raters with decidedly different tastes.

The most sampled beer was the cask dispensed Flying Monkeys Smash-Bomb Atomic IPA. Many top finishers from past festivals were just about ignored with St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Durham Hop Addict, and C'est What Al's Cask Ale not even making the minimum number of samples rated to be in the running.

For the third festival in a row we can claim that it was our busiest festival ever: we sold 5915 samples. That amounts to about one sample served every three seconds. There have been many requests to make C'est What beer festivals two day events so that we can accommodate the growing number of craft beer aficionados in our fair city. We will consider this for the fall festival - stay tuned for details...

Session Craft Beer Festival

Thu, 20 May 2010 18:15:19 -0500

Just in case you would like to make attending beer festivals a regular thing, after you attend the C'est What Springfest you can make plans to check out the Session Craft Beer Festival which wraps up Ontario Craft Beer Week on Saturday June 26.

This outdoor festival is being hosted at Sunnyside Pavillion and features the usual great combination of craft beer, local food, and music. You can check out more details at session.com

Tickets are available at the website and will soon be sold at C'est What.

6th Annual Spring Festival Of Craft Breweries

Thu, 20 May 2010 17:56:58 -0500

Friday May 28, 5 to 10 p.m.

Victoria's birthday has come and gone and it's time to drink beer. Lots of different flavours in tiny glasses with hundreds of other like-minded people.

Here's the line-up so far:

13 Cask Beers:
C'est What Al's Cask Ale, Black Oak Mucho Mango, Beau's Screaming Beaver Angry IPA, Neustadt Big Dog Porter Extra, Granite Hopping Mad, Great Lakes Imperial Hefeweisen, Flying Monkeys Smash Bomb Atomic IPA, Duggan's Porter, F&M Stonehammer IPA, Grand River Plowman Anniversary Ale, Durham Hop Head, Black Creek Dandelion Stout, Scotch Irish Sgt. Major.

30 Draughts:
Amsterdam Spring Bock and Boneshaker IPA, Barley Days Harvest Gold, Big Rock Warthog Ale, Black Oak Ten Bitter Years, C'est What Homegrown Hemp Ale and Mother Pucker's Ginger Wheat and Coffee Porter and Steve's Dreaded Chocolate, Church-Key Weissenbitter, Denison's Spezial Weissbier Dunkel, Creemore Kellerbier, Durham Hop Addict, Grand River Raspberry Pils, Great Lakes Miami Weiss, Hockley Valley Black & Tan, Hop City Lawnchair Weissbier, King Pilsbock, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Cream Ale, Mill Street Lemon Tea Ale and Roggenbier, Muskoka Born Bitter, Nickel Brook Strawberry Wheat, Railway City Dead Elephant Ale, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Unibroue Ephemere Cassis, Wellington Imperial Stout, Waupoos Cider, Peeler Cider.

Bottles: Nickel Brook Bulls Eye Gluten-free Pale Ale.

Admission is free. Most samples, as usual, are a loonie each.

Eric Euller

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:50:42 -0500

Eric Euler is a print/painting based artist who currently lives in downtown Toronto. He graduated from The Ontario College of Art & Design in May 2009 with a BFA in Printmaking. His artwork is a chaotic mosaic of apocalyptic transcendence. He currently works as a custom printer and teacher's assistant at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

For more information please see ericeuller.com

New Menu

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:54:22 -0500

When you can visit C'est What twice a week for an entire year and never order the same beer it raises expectations for variety on our food menu as well. This is why we try to review our menu a couple of times a year and shake things up a little. So, the lads in the kitchen have come up with a few new winners and and an old favourite.

New to our line up are: Abdul's Butter Chicken - a traditional East-Indian curried chicken dish served with basmati rice, mango chutney, and a pappadum; Jambalaya - the classic Cajun m�lange of chicken, sausage, and shrimp in a piquant tomato vegetable sauce pan-fried with rice; Cajun Ragout - a vegetarian friendly version of the Jambalaya; and a Tofu Wrap - sesame-soy-cilantro marinated bean curd and saut�ed vegetables wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. Back by popular demand is our tender deep-fried Calamari served with tzatziki.

April Beer Update

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:53:07 -0500

Aside from offering three rotating cask beers, three other draughts that change weekly, and an ever increasing out-of-province bottle selection among our list of fifty craft brews we are having some fun with our own recipes.

The latest iteration of our chocolate ale (Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange) has orange peel, cardamon, and hazelnut extract added to the dark and chocolate malts.

We are on our last keg of Big Butt smoked dark ale. We will be replacing it for the summer season with an unfiltered Ginger Wheat beer (code-named Mother Pucker's) that will feature ginger root, lemon and orange peel, and Cascade hops to add a bit of grapefruit character. It will be ready in time for our Annual Spring Festival Of Craft Beer on Friday May 28.

Maker's Mark Tasting

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:35:24 -0500

Meet Ron Oliver, Maker's Mark Distillery Diplomat for Canada who will lead you through a seminar that will cover the history of Bourbon from the first settlers to Kentucky and explaining how corn first came to be used for alchohol production.

Ron will discuss how they make bourbon at Maker's Mark, from field to bottle, with emphasis on barrels, aging and tasting. As part of your bourbon education you will taste four different expressions of Maker's Mark at various stages of its evolution: one day old, two years old, fully mature and an over aged version to illustrate why they only make a single product.

Our locals go head to head with the Americans

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 13:57:20 -0500

Craft beer supremacy: Canada or U.S.A.? This was the question posed in a blind tasting on Wednesday March 3, 2010, a mere three days after the Canadian hockey team defeated team USA for Olympic gold.

The contest was certainly a contrast of styles. The local squad relied on balance through all lines while the Americans were counting on an aggressive style packing enough bitterness to fuel a Town Hall meeting.

Once the cups were on King Pilsner scored early. Brooklyn Lager and Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA turned the tide in the Yankees favour in the middle stages. Late in the contest Barley Days Wind & Sail Dark Ale tied things up for the Ontarians. We were going to overtime. However, neither Rogue Hazelnut Nectar or Steve's Dreaded Chocolate Orange could gain advantage for their team. It was all tied up and going to a shoot-out. In head-to-head match-ups the Americans outscored our locals 122 to 100 and took the first Craft Beer Cup.

Canadian coach, George Milbrandt, summed things up saying, "I knew we were in tough. We lacked the depth that taking the full national squad would have given us. I'm proud of the class that our lads showed. Hopefully we can bolster our line-up with some of the great talent from Quebec next time and bring the Cup back to Canada."

The full table of results can be found here

Recipe For Success?

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:53:43 -0500

Our annual menu review is underway and the lads in the kitchen are busy testing out the next great ethno-clectic sensation. Check out the specials menu the next time you visit. Chances are you will have an opportunity for a sneak preview of coming attractions. Please take the time to give your server feedback on the feed.

If you are in possession of a time-honoured recipe that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to us. We may try it out on some unsuspecting people just like you.

The Yankees Are Coming

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:47:34 -0500

While the American brands have taken over our domestic mega-beer market our craft brewers have not had much competition. Recently we have seen more craft beer migrating north. Could this be the end of our micro-sovereignty? In what could shape up to be a rematch of the World Junior Hockey Championship, we are pitting four southern invaders against four local brews in a blind tasting on Wednesday March 3, 2010. Can we withstand the onslaught of Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Rogue, and Southern Tier or will we drunkenly capitulate? Is there any middle ground when the Yankees are coming?

Advance tickets are available for $20 (all-in) here

Best Blended Scotch?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:18:21 -0500

Wednesday January 20, 2010 a packed house was eager to answer the question: What Is The Best Blended Scotch? From the smokey Teachers Highland Cream to the subtle J&B Rare, the ubiquitous Johnnie Walker Red (our current offering) to the pricey Chivas Regal opinions were easy to solicit even when tasting "blind".

Once the names were revealed one thing became clear to our tasters: Chivas Regal was generally not appreciated at any price. While a number of people expressed surprise at how well the Johnnie Walker Red had scored it was not ranked first by anyone. However it was not ranked last either and once the scores were compiled Johnnie had come up the middle to end up with the highest median score.

When you consider that a bar standard scotch should appeal to a wide range of tastes and not be too distinctive or off-putting it seems that Johnnie Walker Red was a good choice for our rail after all.

Check out the table of scores here

Results from the 21st Annual Fall Festival Of Craft Breweries

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:43:55 -0500

Forty-six brews, thirty-three breweries, hundreds of people.

We were jam packed with beer enthusiasts at C'est What on Friday October 2, 2009 for the 21st annual Festival Of Craft Breweries. As usual, the only thing attendees were able to agree on was that it was a good time. As far as agreement in the matter of taste there was less unanimity. There were many perfect tens awarded and as many "I'd rather drink out of the Don River" zeros. Most scores fell happily in between with twenty-five of the beers reaching the plateau where most festival-goers would seek them out for purchase.

Six finished with median scores of 8 Mike Duggan's IPA #9 (cask), McAuslan Pumpkin Ale, Durham Black Katt, McAuslan Vintage Ale, Wellington Imperial Russian Stout, and Waupoos Peach Cider. The most sampled beer was the hop filtered Flying Monkeys Hoppopotamonkey. The beer that provoked the most disagreement in scoring was Black Creek Porter which was brewed over an open fire with no electricity and served warm 19th Century style. For every complimentary score it received a brickbat like "No wonder the pioneers are extinct."

For those of you that are statistically inclined, it was our busiest festival ever: we sold 5829 samples in four hours and fifteen minutes when we had to stop sample sales due to a shortage of eco-cups, up 20% from last year. That amounts to about one sample served every three seconds. About one-third of the samples were rated with the second version of our simplified festival rating system. Those that took the time rated an average of fifteen samples. There was some discussion about the merits of the new score sheets with "early adopters" and traditionalists in equal numbers.

The table of results can be found at http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/festival2009.asp

Whisky Tasting

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:41:03 -0500

Please join us on Wednesday November 4 for a tutored tasting of three fine single malts. Glenmorangie Original, La Santa, and Quinta Ruban single malts will be sampled with some backgound and expertise provided by a representative from Glenmorangie.
For tickets please go to http://www.cestwhat.com/asp/events.asp?ID=1268

21st Annual Fall Festival Of Craft Breweries

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:46:22 -0500

The time has come to embrace the cooler weather and the advent of pub season with C'est What's annual Fall Beer Festival. Dozens of breweries and even more brews to choose from in sample sizes. The line-up confirmed to date is:
Amsterdam: Oranje Weiss, Oktoberfest
Big Rock Warthog (bottle)
Barley Days Dark Ale
Black Oak Oaktoberfest (cask)
Beau's Lugtread Lagered Ale
Church-Key Scarlet Pilsner
C'est What: Al's Cask Ale (cask), Big Butt, Hazelnut Chocolate Ale, Coffee Porter, Homegrown Hemp Ale, Caraway Rye Beer
County Cider: Peach Cider (bottle)
Creemore Urbock
Denison's Dunkel
Mike Duggan's #9 IPA (cask)
Durham Black Katt
F&M MacLean's Pale Ale
Flying Monkeys Hopapotamonkey
Grand River Highballer Pumpkin Ale (cask), Vienna Lager (cask)
Granite Double Hopped IPA
Great Lakes: Pumpkin Ale), Devil's Pale Ale (cask), Red Neck IPA (cask)
Heritage Harvest Lager
Hockley Valley Dark Ale
King Unfiltered Dark Lager
MacLean's Brown Ale (cask)
McAuslan: Vintage Ale (bottle), Pumpkin Ale (bottle), Cream Ale, Oatmeal Stout
Mill Street: ESB, Oktoberfest
Muskoka Dark Ale
Neustadt 10W30 (cask)
Niagara's Best Drummond Dark Ale
Nickel Brook Maple Porter
Pioneer Brewery Black Creek Ale (cask)
Railway City Dead Elephant Ale
Steam Whistle Pilsner
Trafalgar Hop Nouveau
Unibroue Ephemere Cassis
Wellington Imperial Stout

Book 'em Adam

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:25:00 -0500

C'est What is now busy writing a new chapter in it's twenty-one year love affair with Toronto's indie music scene. The club's music booker for the past decade, Crispin Giles, has moved on to The NXNE Music Festival. In Crispin's place will be long-time indie music darling Adam Faux who will bring his enthusiasm for all things cool and local to the job. Aside from having a great ear for music, Adam has been playing C'est What since the early nineties and has some interesting life experiences that we are sure he can put to good use here:

Adam Faux was born in Toronto Canada to a eccentric designer and proto hippie sculptor. He spent years living in geodesic domes and 28 sided houses and even a real farm house, and attended the Ontario college of Art at the tender age of 5. Okay, he ran around the halls for a year or so while Al Faux taught, and around Maggies Farm (an o.c.a.d campus, 69-72) while hippies got their freak on. By the age of 16, Adam had left home and was living in the heart of Toronto's art and music scene, on Queen west. His first mohican was administered by Pete Lawson and Handsome Ned, and his first real job was "kitchen slave" at Yofi's restaurant on fabled Baldwin Street, a mecca for vegetarians and green haired punk rocks. While At Yofi's, Adam met John DesLauriers of the "10 Commandments" and "l'etranger", and hassled him until finally forming "Pigfarm" in the mid-eighty's.

There was in the mean time, a stay in Mexico hunting iguanas and fishing commercially near isla mujeures, and a residency at Paris north station in France, as well as "street level existence" in 9 other countries in Europe, ending in England, where he recovered from a Grecian motorcycle crash, having his broken fingers set by a widow whose husband had died that day, on the Greek island of Naxos.

Pigfarm recorded and performed from 1985-1994 in various forms throughout Canada and the United States and charted number 34 on the college music charts in America (after they had broken up for the first time), and held top honor on most Canadian university radio stations at at varying times, and enjoyed a publishing deal with peermusic world wide during which time Adam delivered Whitney Houston's diamond award for the BodyGuard soundtrack to New York, and held up the train at the U.S. Canada border because immigration didn't believe the dread locked and messy lead singer was telling the truth... about the contents of the box......

The "Lost Dakotas" list Adam as a founding member on wikipedia, and the "Urban Decay Group" appears if you google long enough; Andy Stochansky, Cyrus Sundar - Singh being key members... Adam counts among his most memorable accomplishments, working with Michael Snow (Canadian Hotshot Artist, see walking woman) on "the Audience" a massive sculpture at Toronto's Skydome, producing and/or recording and playing on Kyp Harness's breakthrough "the Floating World" and "All her Love", and recording/ mixing on the gemini award winning film "The Film Club" directed by Cyrus Sundar Singh, doin' the same plus playin' on the award winning doc "the Jews of India" by the same director, and including producer Vanessa Laufer. Adam has in one way or another had video's rotated on Much Music, CTV, and CBC among others. Been the focus of the Dini Petty show(CTV), swinging on a star (CBC Radio), Much Music's 'the wedge" and countless other newspaper, tv and periodical features.

Presently, Adam's focus is with a gang of disparate characters, "Exploding Band". Adam Faux, Jesse Capon, Curtis Faux, and Pete Fusco make up the live and recording band. Jake Chisholme, Brandi Disterheft (guitar and bass respectively) play on 3 tunes in the exploding band's recorded repertoire. Michael Philip Wojewoda appears on two tracks pounding the skins, and John Deslauriers plays bass on "The Same Great Gasp". Adam produced, co-wrote and performed on the "the Fourway Flashers" debut 2007 pop rock release, and is occasionally jazzing with fundamentalist pop players "The Tiny Specks".

Check out our music booking page for more info on how to get a show at C'est What.

Results from the 5th Annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 18:09:17 -0500

5th Annual Spring Festival Of Craft Breweries
The best of forty-two

Hundreds of beer lovers of all shapes, sizes, and sensibilities gathered at C'est What on Friday May 22, 2009 for the fifth annual Festival Of Craft Breweries. True to the basic nature of taste, our intrepid samplers didn't agree on much. Individual scores for each brew would, more often than not, run the gamut from zero to five. One thing that nearly everyone who tried it agreed on was the superb qualities of Denison's Weissbier which was the only entrant to garner a median score of the top mark, five. Other notables were the Grand Church-Key Stout, River Russian Gun Stout, Wellington Russian Imperial Stout, Mystique Cider, C'est What Hazelnut Chocolate Ale, Mike Duggan's IPA No. 9, Durham Hop Addict (cask), and McAuslan Vintage Ale which each had a median score of four. The most sampled beers were Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion and Mill Street Lemon Tea Ale.

For those of you that are statistically inclined, we served 3860 samples in the five hours, up 83% from last year's Springfest. That amounts to about one serving every five seconds. The simplified rating system seemed to work with 44% of samples scored compared with 14% the year previous.

The full table of scores can be found at http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/springfest2009.asp

Lindsay Veh Returns

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:31:08 -0500

Results From The Chardonn-eh Challenge

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:29:44 -0500

Which wine region is making the best value Chardonnay? We put this challenge to you in a blind tasting between the two Ontario products that we carry on our list and well known examples of comparable price from France, California, Argentina, and Australia on April 28, 2009.

Our tasters gave the thumbs up to the Santa Rita Reserve, which finished first. It showed delicate, nuanced winemaking without any excessive oak aging or over-ripe fruit. The runners up were the two Chardonnays from our own backyard the Silver Peak and the unoaked Henry Of Pelham. The French example finished a disappointing last. Although these results may be no surprise to the growing legion of people who appreciate new world wines, it may still shock the Euro-centric traditionalists. The new millennium would seem to call for new attitudes towards wine.

Full table of results:http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/chardonneh.asp#results

5th Annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:27:28 -0500

The snow is gone, the tulips are blooming, and it's time for our 5th Annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries.

While we don't have the entire line-up confirmed as of yet, we should have around forty interesting flavours available to try in sample sizes.

For those with BADD (Beer Attention Deficit Disorder) notable newcomers for the festival are: Amsterdam Big Wheel Amber and Spring Bock, Barley Days Summer Light Ale, Black Oak Chocolate Cherry Stout (oak cask), Brick Waterloo Wheat, Churh-Key Stout, Creemore Keller Beer, Durham Hop Addict (cask), F&M Maple Red Ale, Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion, Grand River Russian Imperial Stout, Granite Peculiar, Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale (cask), King Unfiltered Pilsner, MacLean's Bitter (cask) and Dark Mild (cask), McAuslan Vintage Ale and Mystique Cider, Mill Street Peche Belgian Wheat and Black Tea Lemon Ale, Muskoka Hefe Weiss, Neustadt 300 (cask) and Texas Tea, Nicklebrook Bitter (cask) and Juniper Saute, Okanagan 1516, Rail City Amber and Blonde, Stratford California Common, Trafalgar Black Creek Dark Ale and Oak Aged Dry, Unibroue Chambly Noire, and Wellington Russian Imperial Stout. As usual, there is no admission charge. Samples are a loonie each.

As usual, there is no admission charge. Samples are a loonie each.

Multi-track Recording

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:25:47 -0500

Our long awaited digital multi-track recording facility is in place. In addition to streaming our shows online, all of the magical moments are now also recorded for posterity.

We will be undertaking a major overhaul of our website over the summer to you to access more of the great music from C'est What.

Five Irish Whislies - Results

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:22:27 -0500

If there were any doubts about the ability of Irish whiskies to match the breadth and depth of flavours exibited by their Scottish cousins, it has been dispelled for those that participated in our tasting on April 7, 2009.

Vanilla, carmel, smokey, earthy, peaty, oatmeal, grassy, fruity, green apple, and melon aromas gave way to tobacco, leather, cereal, nutty, heather, honey, medicinal, and spicy flavours. Fortunately these traits were not found all in one whisky otherwise our tasters would have had great difficulty with their score sheets. As it was, there were four that had a median score of over twenty out of thirty with Tyrconnell and Connamara Peated Single Malt topping all others at 24.

In short, if you are looking for something to perk up your coffee have one of these on the side so you can savour the flavour.

The table of scores is located at http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/sixirishwhiskies.asp.

Five Irish Whislies

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:11:46 -0500

The next instalment in our educational series, The Importance Of Grain, features five recent releases from the Emerald Isle. Connemara Peated Single Malt, Greenore single Grain 8 yr., Inishowen Peated Blend, Locke's Single Malt 8 yr., and Tyrconnell Single Malt.

Tuesday April 7, 7 p.m., $20, tickets are available at http://www.cestwhat.com/asp/events.asp?ID=1158

Whiskies Of The Eighties

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:53:22 -0500

Canadians have made great strides in the art of fermentation over the past few decades but when it comes to distilling we still have a thing or two to learn. In a tasting of well-aged whiskies from Scotland and Canada it was apparent that the visiting side had the advantage. All of the single malts finished with median scores of twenty-two or more (out of 30) with Glenfarclas 21 topping the chart. The highest domestic whisky was Canadian Club 20, well behind at sixteen points. It should be pointed out that the Canadians were less than one third of the price of the Scots, so there may be an argument for value, if not snob appeal.

Twenty-one: C'est What Comes Of Age

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:48:16 -0500

The superstitious among us dread the occasional confluence of a Friday and the 13th day of the month. Our experience at C'est What provides anecdotal evidence that the number thirteen is actually quite lucky especially now that we have made twenty-one (February thirteens). Besides, who could really be afraid of Fridays?

It was February 13, 1988 when we first opened our doors to the public. C�est What continues to offer good value and is a leader in the decidedly uncrowded, but growing, craft beer market. Increasing interest in local products is catching up to our vision of �true local flavour�.

Our many years in business has seen us survive many up and down cycles - C�est What has stood the test of time. One of the reasons our business model endures is that we never stand on our reputation. We always strive to become a better place for our customers and employees. You will never see C�est What become worn and tired as we are always looking forward, re-inventing ourselves, and making physical modifications to the restaurant to keep things fresh.

Our current focus is on energy efficient lighting and fair-trade, local, and organic supplies for our menu. You can keep up to date with all things C�est What by subscribing to News or Events and Artists RSS feeds.

Darren Hastings

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:46:20 -0500

February Beer Update

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:43:25 -0500

There is never a dull moment taking care of our draught menu. With our local brewers continuing to produce new flavours and seasonal offerings the sheer number of products can make our jobs difficult at times. One hundred and nine different brews rotated through our thirty-five taps last year. A turnover ratio that would be a challenge for a Fund Manager. You won't hear much in the way of complaints from us about this situation - after all someone has to do the taste testing. All of this adds up to more selection and more fun than a trip to the ice cream store.

Currently we still have a little bit of the F&M Stonehammer Coffee Chocolate Stout on cask, Neustadt's Casked Double Fuggled will be back at the end of this week. In the next couple of days we will make room for County Durham's Red Dragon on cask and will follow that up with a fresh batch of Iron Duke from Wellington. Denison's Dunkel and the Weizen Bock from Church-Key are on tap now and we are looking forward to the Green Tea Ale from Great Lakes.

Indications Of A Good Beer Bar

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:01:39 -0500

Most of the details that go into pouring a good pint are hidden from the customer, so it generally takes a little bit of sleuthing to find out how serious the establishment is about their beer.

Most of the �enhancements� you find from the bigger international companies are just gimmicks. When ever you see colour changing glasses, digital temperature readings on the taps, etc. you can be sure it was dreamed up by a marketing guy and not the brewer.

Of course the easiest sign of a good beer bar is their menu. A thoughtful, balanced selection is a good indication. A bad sign is when all of the brands come from one company. This means that the sales relationship is not based on quality but based on perks or a corporate relationship. In this age of mergers and acquisitions it is not always apparent when things come from the same company even when the beer is from different countries. If there are no offerings from local craft brewers, the establishment is ignorant of anything that isn�t advertised on TV � not a recommendation for their expertise.

Does the bar have a walk-in cooler to store their beer in? If you see full kegs in the hallway on the way to the washroom you know the beer is not being stored properly. Beer is a fresh food product and needs proper, refrigerated, storage.

Line-cleaning is important, but just about impossible to get an honest answer about. Ask what gas mix is used to dispense the draught. If they don�t know, it says something. A nitrogen/carbon dioxide mix, sometimes referred to as �beer gas� is the best. Compressed air is the worst.

Unless a glass rinser is used, the glass should be dry before it is used. Wet glasses will still have traces of chlorine from the washing process. The chlorine will affect the aroma and head retention of the beer.

If they sell pitchers and/or have uniforms designed to show off the waitresses cleavage the pub is not about beer, it�s about gluttony.

Of course, the more experience you have in tasting beer, the better you can let your tongue decide.

There you are, a few things to look for in a good beer bar.

Gas In Draught Beer

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 16:46:55 -0500

Gas is used in two very different ways in draught beer. Just to be clear, I am referring to the gas before consumption not after...

In conventional, modern, draught systems gas is used to pressurize the keg and force the beer out of the tap. Three gases are commonly used: compressed air, carbon dioxide, and a nitrogen-carbon dioxide blend.

While inexpensive, air is the worst choice for beer pressurization as it is comprised of about 21% oxygen. Oxygen will oxidize the beer in short order, leading to a change in the flavour profile. The carbon dioxide that is in solution in the beer will gradually be lost to the head space in the keg as the beer is dispensed, further changing the flavor of the beer as it loses its fizz.

One cost-effective method of preventing the beer from oxidizing or going flat is to use carbon dioxide to dispense. The problem with carbon dioxide is that the longer a keg is hooked up to pure carbon dioxide, the more CO2 goes into solution in the beer leading to a fizzier product and changing the essential character of the beer.

A more expensive but more effective method is using a blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Nitrogen is an inert gas that makes up 78% of our atmosphere and will not chemically interact with the beer. The theory here is that you mimic the composition of atmosphere by putting 75 to 80% nitrogen in the mix and replace the oxygen normally found in the air with carbon dioxide. In practice two blends are used: a 75/25 or 80/20 blend for "nitrogen dispensed" beer (like that famous Irish stout) and a blend with 50 to 60% nitrogen for more conventional brews.

So, how does all of this relate to cask beer? Well, cask beers are dispensed either by gravity - basically opening up a spigot on the cask and letting the beer pour out or a hand-pump - a piston that is operated by hand to extract the beer from the cask. In either case every drop of beer that comes out needs to be replaced by air, otherwise you will create a vacuum in the cask and the beer won't flow. Of course letting air into the cask means that the beer comes into contact with oxygen, a bad thing. The alternative here is to use the same sort of gas that you would use in a conventional keg system to fill the head space in the cask, but only at atmospheric pressure so that it doesn't push the beer out of the cask. A protective "blanket" of gas on top of the beer. One of the charms of cask ale is its lower carbonation level, which is why you want to avoid using CO2 as your blanket, it would end up in the beer creating fizz where you don't want it.

At C'est What we use three different gas mixtures 55/45 and 75/25 nitrogen/carbon dioxide for our keg beers and pure nitrogen for our cask blanket or breather. We believe these are the least intrusive combinations and let the beer shine like the day it was kegged or casked, days later.

CASK! Challenge Scores

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 16:41:37 -0500

No surprises were to be found at our CASK Challenge on Tueday November 18, 2008 where we compared the kegged and casked versions of the same brews. This is not to say that people didn't enjoy the fine beer it's just that we were definitely preaching to the choir: All cask versions scored higher than their kegged siblings except for the Black Oak Pale Ale which had identical marks for each version. One has to wonder what would have happened in a blind tasting, but that will be another evenings work.
Brewers Charles McLean, Ken Wood (Black Oak), and Bruce Halsted (Durham, C'est What) all talked about the finer details of the "real ale" process. Notes On a Beer Mat author and CASK stalwart Nick Pashley did a fine job filling the spaces between sips with his abundent wit.
Oh, by the way, our Coffee Porter finished first. Although, to be fair, we have to mention that it also finished second last. Go figure...

Leaner And Greener?

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:42:18 -0500

We have been steadily working to green C'est What over the past couple of years. Initiatives to reduce our energy consumption, make use of recycled and compostable products, and buy more local, organic, and fair trade products are well underway.

In partnership with GreenTBiz we are a pilot site for the use of LED light bulbs to replace our halogen bulbs at about one quarter the energy consumption. We have already converted much of our incandescent lighting to CFLs.

Our bathroom tissue and beverage napkins are now 100% recycled and chlorine free. The take-out containers are now plant-based and compostable.

Through Mountain View Estates we have sourced high quality organic, fair trade coffee, espresso, dark hot chocolate, and teas. Our use of butchers at The St. Lawrence Market means that we are not dependent on factory processed meat.

Our annual food menu review is almost "ready for prime time". Here is a sneak preview of what's new:

Antojitos - It's out with the black olives and in with the Chipotle.

Melange et Tu - A combo appetizer plate for those who can't make up their mind. Tortilla Chips, Antojitos, Quesadillas, and Chipotle Garlic Melt.

Green Party - A vegan friendly salad of mixed greens and seasonal veggies with a savoury topping of marinated chick peas and raisins.

The Hogtown - A chef's style salad of mixed greens and seasonal veggies topped with bacon and your choice of cheese

Rainbow Coalition - It's basically the tried and true Mango Chicken Salad but we will use ripe, seasonal fruit instead of always relying on the fickle mango.

Falafel - You will now have the option of turning it into a Falafel Salad.

Green Curried Noodles - You can add calamari as well as chicken to the vegetarian rice noodles base.

The Staggering Pig - Smoked pulled pork in a chipotle and red wine reduction served on baguette au jus.

C'est Brule - Home baked custard dessert.

We're aiming to have all of this ready for you by this weekend.

20th Festival Of Small Breweries Results

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:22:04 -0500

It seems that this craft beer thing is finally catching on. On Friday October 4 2008, at our 20th Annual Festival Of Small Breweries, hundreds upon hundreds of interested folks decided to join us for an evening of tasting, talking, (and spilling). We often had to resort to a line-up to stay within a safe capacity.

About half of the forty brews avaialble were in for just the Festival: Amsterdam Oktoberfest, Big Rock Black Amber, Black Oak Wasabi Brown Ale, Grand River Highballer Pumpkin Ale, Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale, Midland Beer Works Georgian Bay Dipper, Granite Hopping Mad, King Hopped-up Un-filtered Pilsner, Nickelbrook Oak-aged Kriek and Sahti Juniper Beer, Neustadt Elderbrau, Railway City Iron Spike Copper Ale, Scotch Irish Coporal Punishment, Okanagan Pale Ale, St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale, Trafalgar Smoked Oatmeal Stout, True North Altbier, and Mill Street Witbier.

In all, 4935 samples were sold (that's about one every four seconds). The voter turnout was also up as 16% of the samples were rated (up from 14% at the Spring Festival). Not quite election sized numbers but the contented citizen tends not to vote.

The top four finishers were: In first for the third time in the past four festivals, Durham Hop Addict with a median score of 41 out of 50 followed by McAuslan Pumpkin Ale (40.5), C'est What Hazelnut Chocolate Ale (39.5), and Unibroue Chambly Noire (39.0).

You can view the full table of results at http://www.cestwhat.com/what.asp#beer

CASK! Challenge

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:26:00 -0500

C'est What and CASK have put together a tasting to compare the relative merits of hand-pulled cask ale and the more typical gas dispensed beer. We will be serving five sample pairs of craft brewed goodness for your consideration:

C'est What Coffee Porter, Black Oak Pale Ale, Granite Best Bitter, McLean's Pale Ale, and Wellington County Ale. A brewer or two will be on hand to explain the differences in style and production.

The beer flows Tueday November 18 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available at http://www.cestwhat.com/asp/events.asp?ID=1059

RSS Feeds

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:38:30 -0500

Keeping up with our connected times, we have set up two RSS feeds to keep the eternally curious up to date with all things C'est What. The first, C'est What News http://www.cestwhat.com/rss/news.xml, keeps you up to date with our propaganda so you know when there is a new beer on tap or can be edified by one of our stories or rants. The second, C'est What Events And Artists http://www.cestwhat.com/rss/music.xml, is for the music fan notifying you of new events, shows, and performer biographies.

If you don't yet know what a RSS feed is, check out the very accessible Google RSS Reader at www.google.com/reader.

Festival Of Small Breweries

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:06:50 -0500

C'est What's 20th annual craft beer festival takes place on Friday October 3, 2008 from 5:00 to 10:00. There will be well over three dozen of the best brews Canada has to offer in sample sizes at a loonie each. The beers confirmed for the festival are:

Amsterdam - Oktoberfest, Pommegranate Wheat
Big Rock - Black Amber
Black Oak - Wasabi Brown Ale (cask)
C'est What / Durham - Caraway Rye Beer, Chocolate Ale, Coffee Porter, Sierra's Excellent (Summer) Ale
Denison's / Cool Brewing - Denison's Weissbier
Durham - Hop Addict, Witbier
Grand River - Bumbleberry Wheat, Hannenberg Pils, Highballer Pumpkin Ale (cask)
Granite - Hopping Mad
Great Lakes - Pumpkin Ale
King Brewery - Unfiltered Hopped-Up Pilsner
MacLean's / F&M - MacLean's Pale Ale (cask)
McAuslan - Apricot Wheat, Cream Ale, Pumpkin Ale, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Midland Beer Works / Hockley Valley - Georgian Bay Dipper
Mill Street Brewery - Oktoberfest, Organic Helles Bock
Neustadt - Elderbrah (cask), Scottish Pale Ale
Niagara's Best - Blonde
Nickelbrook - Oak-aged Kriek, Sahti Juniper Beer
Railway City Brewing - Iron Spike Copper Ale
Scotch Irish / Heritage - Corporal Punishment
Sleeman - Okanagan Pale Ale
Steam Whistle - Pilsner
Trafalgar - Smoked Oatmeal Stout
True North / Magnotta - Altbier
Unibroue - Chambly Noire, Don De Dieu
Wellington - Iron Duke (cask)

A Short History of Canadian Wine

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:59:28 -0500

By: Mark Hutchison

Wine has served as the bookends of Canadian history. The first Europeans to set foot on the new found land were the Vikings led by Leif Erikson, who looked at the vegetation growing and announced; �VINLAND�. 500 years later Jacques Cartier found red grapes growing on an Island in the St. Lawrence, which he promptly named Ilea de Bacchus after the Roman God of wine. Wine in Canada has grown from such humble beginnings, a mere glint in a thirsty explorer�s eye to a thriving world-class industry.

The business of wine in Canada began with Johann Schiller of Cooksville (now Mississauga). He was the first to commercially produce and sell his own wine in Canada around 1811, but had little financial success. Later on in 1864 a group in the same area established the Vine Growers Association. The Association was granted a charter by the Parliament of Upper and Lower Canada. Meanwhile, on the west coast, B.C. had their own Father of Wine, Father Charles Panosy. Vines were planted at the Obate Mission he started in 1859 near modern-day Kelowna. J. W. Hughes planted the first commercial wine grapes in the Kelowna area in the late 1920s.

From these very humble beginnings the wine industry in Canada had many obstacles to overcome. The biggest obstacle was from the temperance movement, which grew strong enough to force Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier to hold a referendum on prohibition in 1898. The majority voted in favour of prohibition but was �not large enough to warrant passing a law�. The Laurier government�s position didn�t deter the temperance movement, which successfully made the Alcohol Laws a provincial issue. Eventually prohibition was enacted through provincial laws during the first twenty years of the 20th century. After only a few years all provinces repealed their own prohibition laws but the effects of prohibition was long lasting. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario was established 1927 to sell alcohol under heavy government supervision. The wine industry across Canada was heavily stifled and Ontario didn�t grant a license to open a new winery until 1975.

In 1975 Donald Ziraldo obtained the first license to start a winery in Ontario since 1930. The new winery was named Inniskillin. This was a monumental benchmark in the Canadian wine industry. It opened the doors for many more wineries to start up in the good growing conditions of the Niagara region. This also marked a time when there was a global push for higher quality wines.

Another serious obstacle to the new wave of quality winemakers was the success of the established industry in marketing lighter sparkling wines such as �Baby Duck�. In 1980, Baby Duck was downgraded from a wine to a �refreshment beverage� but it�s status as an icon of Canadian wine quality lives on to this day with many consumers.

The following decades marked many changes in the Canadian wine industry. Expo 86� held in Vancouver highlighted the lack of quality wines from B.C. and after the 1988 vintage the provincial government paid to have two-thirds of the vineyards ripped out and re-planted with higher quality vinifera vines. Ontario was undergoing a similar transformation. Measures were enforced to increase the quality of wines and stay competitive in the new more open market of post NAFTA Canada. With the new emphasis being placed on quality, the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) was set up in the late 80�s as a way of guaranteeing the appellation, grape variety, vintage and quality of Ontario wines. These standards were enshrined in law in 1999 by the Ontario government.

While Canadian wines, such as Ice Wine, are beginning to be critically aclaimed abroad it is domestic sales that still fuel this growing industry. Canadian wine sales have grown to over 40% of the home market. From it�s humble beginnings, Canadian wineries have began to produce wines that measure up to the promise that Leif Erikson and Jacque Cartier foresaw.

Story contest winner

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 21:44:43 -0500

With Valentine's Day just around the corner (curiously, now followed by Family Day) we couldn't resist giving the following story the nod for favourite C'est What memory.

"My name is Ian. On March 17, 2006 I responded to a "smile" from Eleanor on LavaLife. Our e-mails conversations, and subsequent phone conversations showed us to have the same goof-ball sense of humour, a love of the outdoors and physical activities, as well as many other things in common. We were so enthusiastic to meet that we did so at our first opportunity, March 20th, 2006, at C'est What.

We stayed at C'est What until midnight (a couple of bottles of wine and a broken glass later) and then spent 2 hours talking in Eleanor's car. After going our separate ways, we spoke again for an hour once home and then again the next morning. We've never stopped and have been together every since and expect to be together for the rest of our lives. We are "Life Partners" and have come to believe in the old clich� "soul mates".

C'est What is where is started and your establishment occupies a warm place in the hearts of both Eleanor and me."

"Where there is no wine, there is no love." - Euripides

Twentieth Anniversary

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 21:39:55 -0500

To celebrate the occasion of our twentieth anniversary, we are throwing a big bash on Wednesday February 13, 2008.

There will be no Miami Vice re-runs but there will be 1988 pricing in effect on food and selected beverages, special one-off brews, and swag give-aways every hour.

Since this all happens the day before cupid has his way, the music is following a "What's Brewing In Your Heart" theme with some of C'est What's favourite musicians, both past and present, playing songs of love and heartache throughout the evening.

Confirmed performers include: Arlene Bishop, Adam Baillie (Club Treehouse), No 0ry Man, Sarah Burton, The Flints, Laura Repo, Cyrus Sundar Singh, Noah Zacharin, and Adam Faux with The Exploding Band (and guests from the various bands he is in/has been in).

The fun starts at five and continues through until past midnight. No cover, pick up your invite at C'est What.

Story contest

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:32:42 -0500

Two short months from now, on February 13, 2008, we will be celebrating our twentieth birthday, so it seems appropriate to reminisce a little. If you have a story or anecdote related to C'est What, write it up and send it off to us. All authors will get invited to the anniversary party and the winner will receive a commemorative personalized C'est What hockey jersey.

The deadline for entries is Monday January 7, 2008 so put your holidays to good use and get creative. We will publish a selection of stories in our next e-news.

December additions

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:31:44 -0500

We now have 20 Bees Cabernet Merlot 2006, Chateau des Charmes Sauvignon Blanc 2006, and Pelee Island Gewurztraminer Reserve 2005 available by the bottle.

New brews for December

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:28:01 -0500

At C'est What we like to think that we have a timeless quality, are an island of calm, an oasis in our fast-paced world. As relaxed as we like to be, our menu is always full of new and interesting things.

Since the last e-news we have seen Amsterdam Oktoberfest and Grand River Galt Knife Lager come and go and now have the Grand River Jubilation Spiced Ale, Neustadt Big Dog Porter, Nickelbrook Maple Porter, Black Oak Nutcracker Porter, and Great Lakes Winter Ale taking a turn. A special one-off Neustadt Decade Cask Bitter is just about finished and will make way for Wellington Imperial Stout on cask in the next couple of days.

We are on the second batch of our Caraway Rye to which a little more caraway has been added and an altered hop schedule has given it a cleaner finish. Look for a new batch of our Hazelnut Chocolate Ale in a week or so. It has been tweaked to give it a little more backbone behind the luxurious dark chocolate flavour.

Our complete beer list featuring forty-eight craft brews, is available online. Our in-house version has extended information and an ingredient list is available for those concerned about specifics.

October changes

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:28:13 -0500

Our much beloved Le Grand Shepherd is back on the food menu. Next week we will be offering a meatier version of the Porter Beef Ribs sourced from the St. Lawrence Market - a carnivore's delight of which Mr. Flintstone would be proud.

If you thought that the Shepherd and Ribs couldn't be topped for decadent and comforting consumption, think again. We are days away from launching the Beer Float, dessert nostalgia for the over nineteen set. You will have your choice of Hazelnut Chocolate Ale, Coffee Porter, or Oatmeal Stout topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a bright red cherry. Yes, you will have to drink your beer with a straw.

New to wine list in October

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:27:20 -0500

We welcome a new Niagara winery to our list, Harbour Estates. We will be featuring their fruity and accessible Vidal/Chardonnay and a well structured, good value Cabernet by the glass.

New brews for October

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:25:57 -0500

The restless quest for (true local) flavour continues with the addition of Church-Key West Coast Pale Ale, Maudite, Mill Street Oktoberfest, Durham Hop Head (cask), Black Irish Porter (cask), Black Oak Nut Brown Ale (cask), Great Lakes Double Pumpkin Ale, and the return of St. Ambroise Pale Ale to our craft draught line-up this month.

Re: 19th Annual Festival Of Craft Brewers

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 19:41:20 -0500

County Durham swept the top three with Durham Hop Head, C'est What Caraway Rye, and Durham Hop Addict finishing ahead of the pack, all with median scores of 37. The Hop Head was inadvertently tasted "blind" as it's tap label was switched with the Scotch Irish (Helen) Kellertrubes Lager for the duration of the Festival.

Full details are available at http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/festival2007.asp

Re: 19th Annual Festival Of Craft Brewers

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:35:38 -0500

New for the festival that are confirmed so far: Church-Key Flanders Brown, Grand River Highballer Pumpkin Ale, Mill Street Octoberfest, Trafalgar Black Bullet, Black Irish Porter, Trafalgar Smoked Oatmeal Stout, County Durham Hop Head (cask), Stratford Bohemian Lager, Taps Vanilla Bean Wheat, Barley Days Wind & Sail Dark Ale, Great Lakes Double Pumpkin Ale, Neustadt Shonet Pale Ale, Granite Ringberry Ale, Black Oak Maple Nut Brown (cask), Nickelbrook Barley Wine, Nickelbrook Maple Porter, Nickelbrook Organic Belgian White, King Un-filtered Dark Lager, McAuslan Raspberry Ale, and Scotch Irish Zwickelbier (cask).

Of course, we will be showing off our own new brews: Hazelnut Chocolate Ale and Caraway Rye Beer.

19th Annual Festival Of Craft Brewers

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 20:22:44 -0500

Our annual event to kick off "Pub" season will feature fifty brews from Upper and Lower Canada's leading Craft brewers. From Pale Ales to Peppermint Porters there will be something new for all palates and preferences. Details will be posted as they are finalized.

The event runs from 5:00 to 10:00 on Friday September 28. There is no admission charge, samples are a loonie apiece.

Cheers, George

Quote Contest

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:37:13 -0500

We're always looking for a well-turned phrase extolling the virtues of what has been referred to throughout the ages as the "Water Of Life". Share your favourite quote(s) with us and we'll enter you in a contest (one entry per quote) to win a pool party for you and a dozen of your closest friends (two hours of billiards at two tables with appetizers). Entries must be received by Friday August 3 to qualify for the draw.

Lindsay Veh

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:33:05 -0500

Lindsay was born in Toronto and studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). She paints watercolours, pen and ink, acrylics, colour markers, dried flowers and greeting cards.

She will be displaying her watercolour and acrylic works at SHOW Gallery for July, FAIRVIEW Library for August and C�est What Restaurant until end of September.

She has not given up her day job.

Summer Menu

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:25:50 -0500

In our quest to offer the ultimate in Toronto comfort food, Maurice and Laverne have whipped up a few new treats for our menu.

A couple of Asian influenced noodle dishes in the Red Curried Noodles and the Green Curry Broth Noodles (vegetarian or with chicken) will raise the temperature a little in our air-conditioned oasis. Breakfast is now possible all day long when you order the St. Lawrence Peameal (Market peameal bacon with a fried egg and melted cheddar on a toasted bun).

Our California Greens salad has come a little closer to home with the addition of some seasonal crunchy vegetables as a Garden Salad. Salad dressing choices have improved with the addition of Sesame Ginger and Raspberry Orange vinaigrettes. After a nineteen year run, the Sex-In-A-Pan, Safe Sex, ...Better Than Chocolate pudding is replaced with the Cookie Monster, a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate drizzle and shards of homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. The Calamari is now saut�ed in KLB Raspberry Wheat Beer and herbs.

The picture of our Moroccan Stew (above) is taken from a review on blogto.com

Mid-Summer new brews

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:20:54 -0500

You can't offer over one hundred draught beer choices annually on thirty-five taps without embracing change. New in the coming weeks are the Grand River Ploughman's Ale and a couple of special C'est What brews: Hazelnut Chocolate Ale and a re-vamped Rye Beer with a hint of caraway.

Springfest Results

Tue, 5 Jun 2007 19:38:17 -0500

With a dozen brews new to our establishment on tap that evening we reached the "century" for featuring over one hundred different draught beers in the last year. As it turns out, we had representation from twenty-three different brewers at the Festival in the form of three dozen beers.

In all 1810 samples were purchased and about one-third were rated. Perhaps it was the warm weather, but the shear number of tasters that didn't have the energy or inclination to fill in a tasting sheet was notable. At last year's Springfest 45% of samples were rated. It seems that we hosted a particularly critical bunch this time around with the average score coming in at 34 out of 50, a full three points below last year.

* For the second Festival in a row, Hop Addict from Durham Brewing finished at the head of the pack with a median score of 42, the only brew to break forty. Durham's Hop Head and Hockley Valley Stout finished with scores of 38.5 and 38 respectively.
* Only sixteen of the thirty-six beers were rated by enough Festival goers to qualify for "Best Of The Fest".
* The Most Curious award for the most tasted beer, goes to Church-Key for Catch Her In The Rye. Close behind was Black Oak's Lemon Pepper Cask Ale.

You can find the full table of results at http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/springfest2007.asp

Spring Festival Of Craft Brewers

Thu, 17 May 2007 09:51:39 -0500

It's spring, when everyones fancy turns to... beer. We are happy to reciprocate these feelings with another installment of our semi-annual homage to fermented barley on Friday May 25 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Over the past year we have served eighty-nine different fine Canadian brews on our thirty-five taps so why not find a few more and reach a "century"?

Twenty-two different brewers will be represented at the festival. Some of the notable newcomers to our taps include: Church-Key Rye, Mill Street Wheat and Stout, Magnotta Wonder Weiss, Muskoka Hefe Weiss, Nickelbrook Maple Porter and Green Apple Pilsner, Durham Hop Head (cask), Neustadt Scottish Ale (cask), Barley Days Dark Lager, Niagara Honey Brown, Heritage Maple Lager and Organic Best Bitter, and Hockley Valley Stout. As well, on tap for the event are recent additions: King Pilsbock, Griffon Rousse, Walkerville Lager, Amsterdam Spring Bock, Granite Summer Ale, Blanche de Chambly, and Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale. As is this isn't enough, fourteen of our regular favourites such as C'est What Coffee Porter, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, and Denison's Weiss Beer will be available for sampling.

Three ounce samples will be availble for a loonie each, admision is free.

New Brews In April

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:11:19 -0500

New to our draught beer list are: Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale, King Pilsbock, Nickelbrook Apple Pilsner, and Walkerville Lager. Neustadt 10W30 and F&M Stonehammer Dark (cask) have returned to our taps.

Menu renovations

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:15:33 -0500

Every autumn we try to take a long look at our food offerings to make sure they continue to match our stellar selection of beer, wine, and spirits. Well, it's a bit past autumn (we've been busy with the physical renovations) but we have come up with one of our most exciting menu changes in years.

Our theme of great value multi-cultural comfort food will be enhanced by the addition of a heart stopping Poutine, tasty vegetarian and Jerk Chicken Roti, authentic Tourti�re, exotically spiced Moroccan Stew, a Spicy Coconut Stir-Fry, and Shrimp Spring Rolls. The long-time stalwart Chicken Satay moves over to the appetizer menu and the Calamari goes from the deep fryer to the saut�e pan in garlic, white wine, and herbs.

Give the new items a try and let us know what you think - we think that you will be as pleased as we are with these new twists.

March beer list additions

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:41:48 -0500

New to our draught beer list this month are: Tilted Kilt Scotch Ale (Amsterdam Brewing), Granite Bitter (cask), Wellington County Ale (cask), and Big Dog Porter (Neustadt).

Latest additions to beer menu

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:09:39 -0500

New to our draught beer list are: Eisbock (Niagara Brewing) and Great Eastern Pale Ale (Ste. Andr�). During the coming weeks we expect to see Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout (our first shipment will include a casked version, the remainder will be filtered and kegged), a cask of Durham's Blak Katt Stout, and the casked version of F&M's Stonehammer Dark.

We have re-formulated our Mild Brown Ale so that it has a more traditional alcohol level (3.4%) while retaining it's full roasted flavour.

George

19th Anniversary, February 13

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:04:55 -0500

There are not a lot of nineteen year olds that can claim to have changed the world. Not in the Joan of Arc epic kind of way but in the making a difference in your community kind of way. C'est What and it's loyal customers can lay claim to that kind status. Before we throw out an arm slapping ourselves on the back let us explain by using some examples:

Craft Brewed Beer. There are now over thirty craft brewers in Ontario and dozens of friendly purveyors of their products in Toronto. When we started out there were a handful of brewers and not a single micro-friendly pub.

VQA Wine. When our local vintners formed the VQA, there was an entire generation of wine drinkers who wouldn't touch anything but French wines. We were the first establishment to embrace Niagara wineries by serving their products exclusively. Now the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in Toronto all serve VQA wines.

Food. In 1988 pub food was almost exclusively burgers, wings, and nachos. While there are still more than few of those kind of places around there many notable places that have followed C'est What's lead to offer great meals inspired by our multi-cultural city.

Music. We have always supported local musical talent. This is not an effort that would be considered on any corporate business plan but has a value that far exceeds the bottom line. Thousands of performers have been treated with respect and been given a professional helping hand while showcasing their talents here. More than a few have turned into international success stories, but the best news is that the local music scene is thriving.

Major cultural contributions or just one big string of coincidences? We'll let others pass the judgement but we'll make the claim.

George

18th Annual Festival Of Small Breweries

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:18:49 -0500

Our 18th Annual Festival Of Small Breweries on Friday September 29, 2006 put a special emphasis on the hop. With twelve of the thirty-seven brews showcased of the Pale Ale style. Used to add bitterness and preserve beer, hops are also known to have a pacifying effect. It was with the advent of hop use in beer that the expression "brewers droop" appeared in the English lexicon. It was a relaxed evening where conversation trumped most efforts at applying scientific rigor to the proceedings - 707 samples were rated out of the 2028 served.

� The very hoppy, Hop Addict from Durham Brewing finished at the head of the pack with a median score of 42.5 out of 50. McAuslan's Raspberry Ale and C'est What's Hazelnut Coffee Porter (brewed by Bruce Halstead at Durham) were runners-up with scores of forty.
� Of the dozen brews that finished with a higher than average score of 36 or more, five were of the pale ale style.
� The Most Curious award for the most tasted beer goes to the perennially interesting breweries Black Oak and Scotch Irish with their Wet-Hopped Cask Pale Ale and Casked Tsarina Katarina Imperial Stout respectively.

Complete details are available online. http://www.cestwhat.com/tasteresult/festival2006.asp

George

Cask Ale Dispensing System

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:16:08 -0500

One of our renovation projects over the summer was a completely new cellaring system for the five cask ales that we offer. Our "real" ales are refrigerated at a cool cellar temperature of about eight degrees from cask to tap including the piston of each "beer engine". We have also installed an aspirating valve (also known as a "cask breather") so that the space at the top of each cask that is evacuated when beer is dispensed is filled with a mixture of 75% nitrogen and 25% carbon dioxide (the same mixture that pushes "nitro" tap beers like Coffee Porter and St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout). This prevents the beer from coming into contact with air and oxidizing. The 75/25 gas mix has a low enough carbon dioxide level to prevent it from carbonating the beer. By comparison, the mixture that is used for our more conventionally dispensed brews is 40% nitrogen and 60% carbon dioxide. These products need more carbon dioxide to maintain their higher level of "fizz".

Aside from the technical improvements to the beer conveyance systems, the display on the bar is worthy of "kid-in-a-candy-store" status.

George

Rising From The Ashes

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:14:43 -0500

What was our smoking room (until it was outlawed by legislation put forward by our own M.P.P.) has been transformed into more customer space. We've added another fireplace to this cozy room and a 42 inch high definition flat-screen plasma TV which is great for the big game or maybe your next business meeting or presentation.

George