May 20th, 2012
 Thursday night, 33 brewers from across Ontario gathered at the Six Pints Beer Academy (75 Victoria St.) for the 9th Annual Ontario Brewing Awards. The brewers were vying for top prizes in 24 different categories, including Beer of The Year and Newcomer of The Year.
As co-organizer and host Roger Mittag of Thirst for Knowledge Inc pointed out, the evening wasn’t about “micro vs. macro,” but rather about people who love beer being recognized for their talents.
In addition to the plethora of beer on hand for sampling, the highlights of the evening included big wins for Hogsback Brewing Company, a brand new brewery based in Ottawa. They won Gold for their Hogsback Vintage Lager in the North American Lager category and also took home the Newcomer of The Year award.
 Hogsback was joined by a few other big winners from the Ottawa area including Kichesippi Beer Co. and Clocktower Brew Pub, but Toronto’s own Mill Street Brewery took home the Beer of The Year award with their Mill Street Coffee Porter.
The awards ceremony marked the first public event to be held at The Beer Academy at 75 Victoria Street, which was formerly the home of Duggan’s Brewpub and is now owned by Molson Coors’ craft beer division, Six Pints Specialty Beer Company.
 Under Six Pints, the space has become–as their Trade Brewer Todd Fowler noted–”a mecca to beer.” In addition to the impressive brewing facilities there, the walls are lined with a historic timeline detailing the progress of beer production and all manner of beer memorabilia (or Breweriana, if you must) is on display in glass cases.
 Some of the local brewers who submitted beer for consideration at last night’s awards ceremony included Black Creek Brewing, Double Trouble Brewing Company, Junction Craft Brewing, Kensington Brewing Company, Magnotta, Spearhead Brewery, Black Oak Brewing, Cameron’s Brewing Company, Cool Beer Brewing Company, Flying Monkey’s Craft Brewery, Great Lakes Brewery, Mill Street Brewery, and Steam Whistle Brewing
 Each category featured a Gold and Silver winner and the entrants were judged based on decisions from the skilled paletes of BJCP-certified judges. Each category also featured a People’s Choice award, which was weighed by recent graduates of the Prud’homme Beer Certification program.
 Apparently, the task of choosing the best among all these great beers was not an easy one. As Peter Campagna, one of the People’s Choice judges told me, simply picking their favourite among the 15 lagers vying for top spot was a gruelling task that took almost three hours.
Yeah. Sounds really rough…
The winners in each category were as follows:
North American Light Lager
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing – Stonewall Light
Silver: Labatt Breweries of Canada – Rolling Rock Extra Pale
People’s Choice: Labatt Breweries of Canada – Rolling Rock Extra Pale
North American Lager
Gold: Hogsback Brewing – Hogsback Vintage Lager
Silver: Labatt Breweries of Canada – Labatt Blue
People’s Choice: Hogsback Brewing – Hogsback Vintage Lager
European Style Lager
Gold: King Brewery – King Pilsner
Silver: Kichesippi Beer Co. – Kichesippi Natural Blonde
People’s Choice: Kichesippi Beer Co. – Kichesippi Natural Blonde
Amber Lager
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Company – Millennium Buzz
Silver: Great Lakes Brewery – Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager
People’s Choice: Nickel Brook Brewery – Nickel Brook Märzenbier Bavarian Style Red
Dark Lager
Gold: Cameron’s Brewing – Cameron’s Dark 266
Silver: King Brewery – King Dark Lager
People’s Choice: Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street Rauchbier
Bock
Gold: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Spring Bock
Silver: Cameron’s Brewing – Cameron’s Deviator Doppelbock
People’s Choice: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Spring Bock
Honey/Maple Beer
Gold: F&M Brewery – Stone Hammer Maple Red Ale
Silver: Railway City Brewing Company – Railway City Honey Elixir
People’s Choice: F&M Brewery – Stone Hammer Maple Red Ale
German Style Wheat Beer
Gold: Denison’s Brewery – Denison’s Hefeweizen
Silver: Magnotta Brewery – True North Wonder Weisse
People’s Choice: Denison’s Brewery – Denison’s Hefeweizen
Belgian Style Wheat Beer
Gold: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Orange Weisse
Silver: Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street Belgian Wit
People’s Choice: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Orange Weisse
Cream Ale
Gold: Muskoka Brewery – Muskoka Cream Ale
Silver: Grand River Brewing – 1913 Traditional
People’s Choice: Muskoka Brewery – Muskoka Cream Ale
British Pale Ale
Gold: Black Oak Brewery – Black Oak Pale Ale
Silver: Grand River Brewing – Plowman’s Ale
People’s Choice: Grand River Brewing – Plowman’s Ale
North American Pale Ale
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewery – Naughty Neighbour Pale Ale
Silver: Great Lakes Brewery – Crazy Canuck Pale Ale
People’s Choice: Black Creek Historic Brewery – Black Creek Pale Ale
British India Pale Ale
Gold: Grand River Brewing – Curmudgeon IPA
Silver: Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street IPA
People’s Choice: Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street IPA
North American India Pale Ale
Gold: Cameron’s Brewing – Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale
Silver: Muskoka Brewery – Mad Tom IPA
People’s Choice: Cameron’s Brewing – Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale
Amber Ale
Gold: Amsterdam Brewery – Big Wheel Deluxe Amber
Silver: Clocktower Brew Pub – Clocktower Red
People’s Choice: Amsterdam Brewery – Big Wheel Deluxe Amber
Dark Ale
Gold: Muskoka Brewery – Muskoka Dark Ale
Silver: Black Oak Brewery – Nut Brown Ale
People’s Choice: Black Oak Brewery – Nut Brown Ale
Porter
Gold: Mill Street Brewery – Coffee Porter
Silver: Black Oak Brewery – Nutcracker Porter
People’s Choice: Mill Street Brewery – Coffee Porter
Stout
Gold: F & M Brewery – Stone Hammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout
Silver: Railway City Brewing Company – Black Coal Stout
People’s Choice: F & M Brewery – Stone Hammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout
Imperial Stout
Gold: Wellington Brewery – Wellington Imperial Russian Stout
Silver: Nickel Brook Brewery – Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout
People’s Choice: Wellington Brewery – Wellington Imperial Russian Stout
Fruit or Vegetable Flavoured Beer
Gold: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Framboise
Silver: Clocktower Brew Pub – Clocktower Raspberry Wheat
People’s Choice: Amsterdam Brewery – Amsterdam Framboise
Flavoured Beer
Gold: Grand River Brewing – Highballer Pumpkin Ale
Silver: Sawdust City Brewing – Skinny Dipping Stout
People’s Choice: Cameron’s Brewing – Cameron’s American Whiskey Barrel
Strong Beer
Gold: Niagara College Teaching Brewery – Rudolph’s Red Nose Ale
Silver: Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street Ambre de la Chaudière
People’s Choice: Niagara College Teaching Brewery – Rudolph’s Red Nose Ale
Beer of the Year (decided by the beer with highest overall score)
Mill Street Brewery – Mill Street Coffee Porter
Newcomer of the Year (decided by the new brewery with the highest overall scores)
Hogsback Brewing
Check out more local breweries on our Toronto Beers Pinterest Board.
Photos by Mark Sivilia
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May 20th, 2012
Set designers are vital to the play creation process and must be fully involved—space is not separate from anything else in the process. … Read more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 on the Theatre Ontario website …
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May 17th, 2012
By Mallory Clarkson/London Community News/Twitter: @MalloryClarkson
Around 1,300 youth could be seen wandering around the Western Fair Agriplex Wednesday morning (May 16). Rather than attending the facility for its typical agricultural-oriented events — like livestock shows or rodeos — the kids were there for a career exploration day called SLOME 2012.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like, they come out and they try different interactive activities with exhibitors with different careers,” said Chad Callander, communications project co-ordinator with the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board, the organization behind the SLOME.
Between the morning and afternoon sessions, Callander said around 2,500 Grade 7-12 students from Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford counties attended the event. In total, there were around 40 booths that were run by more than 30 exhibitors.
Everything from working as a welder or hairdresser, to virtual researchers and jobs with the local police department or the London Transit Commission, were showcased at the event. Callander said that could help students choose a career path.
“I think students are, particularly in high school, having to make decisions when they’re younger,” he said. “Coming here today and asking some questions may point them in the right direction of finding out what courses to take, what programs in university they need for certain careers.”
“We think it gives them an early start, but it also maybe gives them a glimpse of careers they didn’t know was possible or they didn’t know existed.”
With tonnes of kids milling about, anyone would be hard-pressed to find a student whose interests weren’t piqued by at least one booth.
While she flirted with the idea of becoming a marine biologist before, Andrea said Western University’s space exhibit has her thinking of taking a different career path.
“They were talking about astrobiology,” she said. “I said I want to be a marine biologist and I liked space, so, the lady was telling me about that (astrobiology).
“I think I’ll definitely want to look into that.”
On the other hand, Riley, a Grade 7 student at Thamesford’s St. Joseph’s Catholic School, said he found parts of the London Police Service exhibit intriguing.
“They’re talking about working with the police dog unit. I think that would be cool to have a dog as your pet and your co-worker,” he said.
Riley’s friend, Jason, who is a Grade 8 student at the same school, added the police also explained what a day is like on the job.
“It would be pretty cool,” he said. “This whole event, it’s opened my eyes to different careers.”
Some exhibits attracted more attention than others, however. Booths where students could try their hand at plumbing, climb scaffolding or event get a massage had long lineups of kids.
One stall that had a steady stream of interested youth was the Ontario Dental Education Institute, which had real and fake teeth on display.
While walking away from that demonstration, Erik, a Grade 10 student at Catholic Central High School, said a career in a medical field sounded appealing.
“For me, it’s more about broadening my horizon, like looking at different career paths,” he said when asked about what he thought of the event. “I was looking at the engineering stuff, or the science and technology, like the robotics and stuff like that.
“Definitely medical looks interesting.”
Since 2000, more than 25,000 students have attended the annual SLOME event. For more information, visit www.slome.org.
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May 17th, 2012
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May 14th, 2012
Ontario Adventure / Part # 2
Boldt Castle / Aerial View
(Photo Credit / Ontario Tourism Bureau)
I was on a week long fishing trip with my college roommate Jim Locke, his father, and friends for some coveted man-time in Ontario, Canada. We were in the middle of a day cruise along the Thousands Islands area of the Saint Lawrence River and seaway. We had checked out a lot of amazing sites on our way toward Boldt Castle, located on Heart Island, at which our boat was about to arrive. More famous than the castle is the story behind it. The castle mansion was the brainchild of successful hotelier George C. Boldt, who was owner and manager of the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and the grand Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. The family amassed a huge fortune catering to the super wealthy class known as the robber barons, who demanded the best and were willing to pay to get it. George Boldt soon became a millionaire himself and the family began to vacation in the Thousand Islands, where they purchased an estate house on Hart Island, which they later renamed Heart Island. In 1900 the family planned to construct a mammoth six story stone masonry castle on the island, where it would join the ranks of one of the largest private homes in the United States.
No expense was spared as the structure began to rise in 1900 from its foundation near the center of the island. George Boldt was building the structure as a monument of his love for his wife Louise Kehrer Boldt, his spouse of 23 years. The construction project involved several additional sites on the island, including a power house, yacht house, children’s play house, ornate Italian garden, and a service dock that was connected to the main house by a long underground stone walled tunnel. The six stories of the 120 room main house were connected by a state-of-the-art elevator system, a new technology at the turn of the last century. Within a four year time period 2.5 million dollars had been invested into the construction of the skeleton walls of several structures on the island, including the castle-like main mansion. As his dream began to take shape, George Boldt planned to present the castle as a gift to his beloved wife on a future Valentines Day. However, tragedy suddenly struck the Boldt family as Louise fell ill and died at the age of 42, leaving her grieving husband and two children devastated.
Shortly following the death of his wife, George Boldt wired the construction site instructing all the work on Boldt Castle to cease immediately. He also demanded all workers to leave Heart Island and not to return. In fact, George Boldt himself never returned to the site either and he never resumed construction of the project. He intended the unfinished castle to be a monument to symbolize his pain from the loss of his constant companion and soul mate Louise. The abandoned castle and accompanying support buildings remained empty and exposed to the wrath of nature and man. Water leaked through the roof damaging plaster, thieves carried away everything of value, fire broke out several times, and scrap iron and steel was even extracted from the building to meet the need for scarce metals during WWII. The structural integrity of the castle’s remaining shell was in jeopardy and flirting with collapse. However, seventy-three years later the Thousand Bridge Authority stepped in determined to save the castle and purchased the property for one dollar in 1977. The castle was stabilized and soon opened for tours with all profits going into a trust to help restore the structure.
Reception Room After Restoration
We had been fishing throughout the week, concentrating our efforts with the rising and setting of the sun. So far Jim and I had mixed results, catching only a few fish worthy of keeping and cooking over our open fire… Although discouraged, we both were determined to keep our hope alive of landing the big fish worthy of bragging rights. It was fun just to navigate our boat through the obstacle course of wood that broke through the water’s surface without pattern. There was always a new section of the large lake to explore and the hope for the illusive fishing hole that would end in a story that could be told and retold for eternity. One evening we had rain and had to abandon our evening hunt and were forced to retreat early into our man cave tent for the night. A few hours later, I awoke all wet and discovered a small creek running right down the middle of our tent, channeled by our parallel sleeping bags. Apparently, we had pitched our tent within a slight gully, one of several that collected rainwater runoff from the surrounding landscape and fed directly into the lake. Can you say Epic Fail? But what did we know? We were just a couple of dumb college kids in a foreign country!
We suffered through a long wet cold night and were both beginning to miss the comforts of home such as adequate shelter and indoor plumbing. We moved our tent and tried to dry ourselves and our gear the next day in the warm summer breeze that had followed the storm. We were running out of time as the weekend approached, our last day of the trip. We were now fishing full-time and thankfully began to land some fish worthy of the camera. On our final full day at the camp Jim and I both caught some respectable fish. I landed a decent large mouth bass and northern Canadian pike that gave me quite a fight. Our prized catch may not have impressed extreme fisherman Jeremy Wade of the popular show River Monsters on Animal Planet but Jim and I were both satisfied. There is something special about eating food that you harvested yourself from nature. We were just like pioneers in the Yukon wilderness… sort of… maybe? We got a picture of my bass and northern pike, which was even bigger. Sadly the picture of my pike has been lost, so you will just have to take my word for it. Besides, have you ever known a fisherman to lie or stretch the truth? I thought not! It was this big….
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May 14th, 2012
Words about gardening, place, and whatever else seems relevant to my little life now being lived in the metropolis of Tokyo.
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May 11th, 2012
 Years ago, I remember hearing about an entrepreneur who ran a multi-million dollar construction company from her studio apartment, using a small closet as an office. Of course this was only the administrative headquarters, the heavy equipment was kept elsewhere.
I was impressed by this thrifty home business owner who said she had no plans to rent space and increase her operating costs as her company grew: she loved her little closet office and made it work.
My fellow Xocai Powerhouse Cookie home based business owners enjoy the benefits of operating their own business from their Georgetown home: unlimited income potential, flexibility, and being their own boss. Some new team members recruited from the corporate world are initially skeptical about being able to run their business from a small home or apartment. Today’s article is about working in a small home office.
Think of yourself as an astronaut in a cockpit with all the controls at your fingertips. How is a cockpit organized? There are buttons and switches on every level, but all accessible.
- Get a desk that fits your space. Corner desks can free up space not ordinarily used.
- Office chairs with rollers let you easily access items within arm’s reach without having to stand up.
- Shelves, shelves, shelves! Use all that prime vertical real estate on your walls.
- Get a paper shredder and use it.
A paper shredder takes up some room but frees up space previously populated by papers you don’t need anymore. For example, invoices or sales orders that have been entered electronically. Some super-organized Xocai Powerhouse Cookie team members regular schedule paper-shredding into their weekly agenda.
One drawback of home offices is the difficulty of holding meetings. It is hard to remain professional when inviting a client to your home office that doubles as a laundry room. You can solve this by holding large business meetings in rented Georgetown conference rooms. Small meetings can be held over lunch or breakfast in business-friendly Georgetown restaurants. (Check for internet access before scheduling.)
Before you head out to your nearest Georgetown Office Max to buy a rolling chair, desk, or shelf unit, take measurements of your space. This may save you a trip to return an item that doesn’t fit.
I am Probiotic Chocolate Manager Adam Paul Green. Working at home running my Xocai Sipping Chocolate online business lets me work and play everyday. If you are stuck in the 9-5 lifestyle, let’s talk. My Xocai Sipping Chocolate team is currently seeking serious Georgetown entrepreneurs. -
Probiotic Chocolate Manager Adam Paul Green
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 3H3
801.437.5994 795adampaulgreen@adampaulgreen.com
Xocai Sipping Chocolate Xocai Powerhouse Cookie
Join Winner’s Circle International today!
I am Adam Paul Green, and I am a Georgetown-based Xocai artisan chocolate distributor. I joined Xocai in March 2008. I sell the industry-leading Xocai Sipping Chocolate and Xocai Powerhouse Cookie online and in Georgetown, Georgetown, Georgetown, and Georgetown. Our valued Georgetown customers recommend Xocai Powerhouse Cookie because Xocai Powerhouse Cookie chocolate covered fruit by Xocai is healthy!.
Winner’s Circle International is also a fantastic Xocai Sipping Chocolate home-based business within 45 miles of the Georgetown area. Ontario entrepreneurs can supplement their income by cashing in on a high-demand Ontario healthy artisan chocolate market. To learn more about Winner’s Circle International, visit http://adampaulgreen.com/product/.
Call me at 801.437.5994 to own your own Xocai Sipping Chocolate business in Georgetown, Georgetown, Georgetown, or Georgetown.
The URL for my personal Georgetown Xocai chocolate web page in Georgetown, Ontario L7G 3H3 is http://adampaulgreen.com/product/. The URL for another one of my 45 Ontario Xocai artisan chocolate web pages is http://adampaulgreen.com/about/. I also have a Ontario healthy chocolate page at http://adampaulgreen.com/.
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May 11th, 2012
OFFICE/STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE IN WATERLOO, ON
Two affordable office/studio spaces available at The Button Factory heritage building on Regina Street. It is located in the heart of UpTown Waterloo, parallel to King Street. It is home to the Waterloo Community Arts Centre and its resident partner, Pat the Dog Playwright Centre. We have two office/studio spaces available on the upper floor of the building open to arts organizations or individuals (visual, performance or music). Approximately 13′ x 8′ with a large window and furnished with a filing cabinet and desk. Join our unique team for a chance to collaborate, grow your arts business and support arts in the Region.
Contact ed@buttonfactoryarts.ca for more information, or call 519-886-4577.
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May 8th, 2012
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May 8th, 2012
By Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News
Residents of Creekside Drive condominiums had a reasonable expectation that an empty lot across the street would be developed as 2,000 square feet of open space, with a possible two-storey recreational building.
City councillor Lloyd Ferguson elicited that response from municipal planner Cam Thomas after last week’s presentation of a staff report supporting rezoning and official plan amendments to permit a 7-storey, 67-unit residential condominium on 2555 Creekside – currently zoned parks and recreation.
“So someone buying a unit, and doing their due diligence, would expect that not to change, would they not,” Ferguson asked.
“I understand your comment,” Thomas replied. “…yes, that would be an expectation.”
Several hours later, the eight member planning committee unanimously rejected the staff recommendation and denied the application. The committee decision must be ratified by the full city council Wednesday night.
Despite arguments from Rob Cooper, president of planning applicant Alterra, that there was never any intention to develop 2555 Creekside as open space or recreational, planning committee members accepted that residents were given that impression.
The site remained zoned for parks and recreation – not residential – even after alterations to the official plan in 2005.
Population density already exceeds Dundas official plan targets, and even exceeds the city’s intensification goals for downtown Hamilton.
When it was suggested by planning staff that the application meets provincial goals for residential intensification, councillor Terry Whitehead asked if planning policy states this specific area should absorb a disproportionate number of units to achieve the city-wide goal, or if those units should be spread among other parts of Hamilton – noting himself intenisfication is supposed to spread across the city.
“Is this driven by economics or good planning,” he wondered out loud.
The mountain councillor suggested there are similarities between this proposal and a previous development application at St. Joseph’s Estates.
In that case, the Ontario Municipal Board rejected one of two buildings – the second of which would have been built on top of well-used green space.
“(Creekside residents) have a stronger case than St. Joseph’s Estates,” Whitehead said.
Alterra lawyer Lyn Townsend, who suggested there was a misunderstanding about plans for the empty lot and also argued the Villa case set no precedent, confused the zoning for the site – mistakenly calling it “Clubhouse”.
Townsend argued the already exceeded density limits should be raised because of the province’s support for residential intensification.
But Ferguson said a builder with a good reputation like Alterra would probably stick to their word – to develop the site as open space under an agreement with the Town of Dundas in the 1990s. Town council agreed to allow higher population density limits in buildings that exceeded the town’s height bylaws.
“We’re already far exceeding what we allow in downtown Hamilton,” Ferguson said. “You’re not doing what you said you were going to do.”
He said the application made him uncomfortable.
Alterra president Rob Cooper fielded questions from the committee and argued the company never really knew if it would build all four buildings. He said there was never a plan to build a clubhouse on the site.
“That property was not, in our minds, going to be developed as it was zoned,” Cooper said.
Though there was some disagreement over whether 2555 Creekside should be described as open space, clubhouse, parkland, or recreational, councillor Chad Collins cut through the confusion.
“There’s been a lot of words to describe it. Nobody thought residential was an option,” he said, adding he believed such a future was not presented to prospective buyers. “How do we have so many people believing the project was going to be something different than what you represent today?”
Dundas councillor Russ Powers, who was on Dudnas town council when the development was originally approved, told planning committee he has always anticipated the site will be developed under its existing parks and recreation zoning – and he still expects it will.
“The nine storeys that are there is because of the give and take of compromise,” Powers said. “I can’t support intensification. At what point does intensification become too intense?”
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