![]() When talking about all the great beers out there in Ontario I feel one brewery gets overlooked a little bit and it’s funny because the story of this brewery has roots going back to 1993. All or Nothing Brewhouse started as a contract brewery in 2014 by brothers Jeff and Eric Dornan in Oshawa, Ontario. Originally All or Nothing was going to be named Underdog’s Brewhouse but there was a trademark dispute with another craft brewer and the name was changed. In June 2016 All or Nothing, who was still looking for their own home, purchased Trafalgar Ales & Meads, Trafalgar Artisanal Distillery and, Pioneer Black Creek Brewery. Trafalgar was one of the oldest breweries in Ontario, having their roots going back to 1993. This purchase included Trafalger’s brewing facility in Oakville, On. Announced at the beginning of November, 2018; All or Nothing is moving back to Oshawa, Ontario. The company has purchased a 20,000 square foot facility that used to be a beer store and plan on opening the facility early in 2019. The current facility in Oakville will be closing at the end of November. That seems to be this weekend but I have not been able to find an official date. My visit to All or Nothing actually happened by coincidence last winter. I was doing a Hamilton beer run and decided to search on google and breweries that I may pass on my way to Brampton. This one came up. Prior to my visit I had tried a few of their products but I was not aware that All or Nothing and Trafalger were brands owned by the same company. I actually almost drove right past the facility as, besides for a small sign out front saying “buy beer here” there’s not much that makes it obvious that there is a brewery in this industrial area. When I walked inside, that was a whole different story. The bottle shop is very nicely finished with the yellow theme for the fridge and wood everywhere. The gentleman working that day and I had a long chat (only 1 other couple came through while I was there and I think he was happy to have some company) but I learned that they host courses, spend a lot of time making beer and spirit recipes and, I even sampled some apple pie shine. I didn’t buy any spirits though they do have a large selection of unique flavours. I bought some beer and mead and headed out. For me, the styles of beer that the Black Creek and All or Nothing brands make aren’t my go-to styles but this is one of those breweries that take so much pride in their craft that you taste the difference. That’s why Jer’s picks for this company features 1 beverage from each brand. Black Creek Historic Brewery’s Canada 150: It’s an English Bitter Ale and is very malty. It’s got the toffee and caramel notes and is actually very drinkable. All or Nothing’s Hopfenweisse: Pale Wheat Ales are not in my wheelhouse generally speaking. This one is very lightly hopped and had a sweet note to it that really differentiated it from anything that I’ve had that comparable. Trafalgar’s Niagara Peach Mead: Ok, so mead isn’t beer. If fact, though most meads today have grains or hops, originally meads were essentially fermented honey and water. Granted, we’re talking about the medieval times. As a beer fan you might find that mead smell a little weird and is not nearly as carbonated. That said, this one is light and fruity. It’s a delicious drink that is a nice change of pace from a typical beer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2019
Categories |