The Magical Mystery Craft Beer Tour

That Tiffers Beer Bus looks a little tipsy, just as I suspect we will be on
November 26 when the inaugural We Take You To Beer bus tour kicks
off at Rib Eye Jack's Ale house before heading to Great Lake Brewing,
the Indie Alehouse and finally, Steam Whistle where we'll be getting a
full brewery tour. It's a lot of beery fun jammed into one day on wheels!

I suspect readers of this space may recognize the name Tiffany, the social media maven and beloved-by-all server at Rib Eye Jack's Ale House in Burlington.

If not, perhaps the name Tiffers is more familiar to you? Yes? Okay, regardless (because there is no such word as irregardless, people) here's a pretty big question. How does a devout Jameson Irish Whiskey drinker end up organizing a beer bus tour? I mean, Tiffany is the first to admit she knows jack-squat about beer, despite working at the very restaurant with the best craft beer selection in the city.

Well, like all good superheroes, it seems that Tiffany lives a double-life. On one hand, she is a key cog in the Rib Eye Jack's wheel. But given her background in public relations and event promotion, she is an valued asset in the area business Concept Solutions.

Tiffany holds up a Side Launch Pale Ale at Rib Eye
Jack's Ale House even though she would be the first
to admit, she hasn't the faintest idea how good it is.
Hint: very good. But Tiff know what beer drinkers
like and that is to be chauffeured to new breweries.

And what does the business, owned by Deirdra Watson, specialize in? Public relations and event management. In dated TV terminology, I believe we have a love connection or more accurately, a great business connection.

So when it came time to organize an event for Concept Solutions, Tiffany decided it was high time to take her two businesses, meld their unique specialties into one and came up with the "We Take You To Beer" bus trip, slated for November 26 from 11 am to 5 pm. The event, which costs $80, will start at Rib Eye Jack's where craft beer lovers will enjoy a pint before jetting down the QEW to Great Lakes Brewing in Etobicoke, the Indie Alehouse in west Toronto's Junction neighbourhood (my old stomping grounds) and finally landing at perennial favourite, Steam Whistle Brewing nestled between the SkyDome and Lake Ontario, where the entire group will be getting a full brewery tour.

I checked quickly with my Beer Writing Buddy, Drunk Polkaroo, to see how that pricing fared as he has gone on a couple of similar craft beer brewery bus trips in the past and he said the price was usually in the $90-$100 range. So there you go. Once again, in TV vernacular, The Price Is Right.

Come on into Great Lake Brewery, folks. My name
is Don and I'll be your host. No, not really. I'll just
be a happy patron like everyone else and probably
wearing this same Nickel Brook t-shirt, hopefully
washed by then, because I'm a shop-locally dude.

So how did Tiffany decided on a craft brewery bus trip? I'll let her explain. "The craft beer market is exploding at an insane rate. Knowing this, many craft beer lovers I have spoken to... have never gone to a brewery or toured (one.)" She added that there are literally dozens of similar tours for wine lovers but precious few for beer drinkers. "Having the relationship I do with Rib Eye Jack's (and its patrons) and the love of having a bus do all he driving, I thought this would be an amazing adventure for all craft beer lovers." She added the proximity of dozens of great breweries in the Toronto area made this a no-brainer.

Rather than go with a full-coach bus, she opted instead for a mini-coach with a 30-person capacity. For starters, it's easier for breweries to accommodate a group that size. And though she may not realize it yet, it's easier for her as the organizer. My Beer Bro Stevil St Evil has been on a number of full-coach brewery tours in New Zealand and says that keeping a group of 50-60 beer-swilling drinkers in line, much less together as a group "is like trying to corral feral cats. It's funny... but damn near impossible." 

So how did she end up picking these three breweries in particular?

The Indie Alehouse is an excellent choice as the middle
stop on the bus tour for a few reasons. It has incredibly
friendly and knowledgeable staff (as do they all) and a
huge restaurant-bar component as part of the brewery.

Turns out GLB was a gimme. "Great Lakes Brewey is always a favourite at Rib Eye Jack's. Sometimes guests don't even care what it is on tap because as soon as they see the (GLB) handle, they are sold. Craft beer lovers are known to be very particular with their tastes but when it's Great Lakes, that seems to be all it takes." Very true as I am one of those patrons. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, GLB is likely to be among your Top-Three Favourite Brewers, if not number one. Since GLB doesn't do brewery tours, "we can be expected to be greeted by their amazing staff and taken on a 'tasting tour.' We will be educated on their beers and the process (involved in brewing them)."

The pit-stop at the Indie Alehouse will simply be relaxing time, she added. "This is free time. The brewery doesn't offer tours. They just know we are coming (as part of the tour.) This is the time to wander, learn and sample a variety of different brews."

For the brewery-tour-minded in the crowd, the last stop, Steam Whistle, will be the real highlight of the day. I've been on this tour and it's fun, informative and frankly, the folks there just love to rock it out. I've been to many great parties there.

If you live anywhere in the GTA and even beyond, you know
what this is. The Tower at Steam Whistle is a landmark that
tells you some serious fun is about to begin for beer-lovers.
It will be the final stop on the We Take You To Beer Bus
Tour on November 26. And believe me, it's a great final act

When the group lands at Steam Whistle, Tiffany noted, "We will be greeted with samples and then split into two groups of 15 to be taken on the amazing tour they offer. (You'll come out of the tour) completely amazed, impressed and knowing far more than you did before entering." 

Indeed, Steam Whistle is an anomaly in the Ontario craft beer circles as they brew only their one Czech-style Pilsner and yet remain hugely popular with drinkers. People line up to go there for fun and hey, being across the street from the SkyDome doesn't hurt. I remember once heading there before a Blue Jays game with a group of four. We were having so much fun that we skipped the game, kept partying and watched it on their big screen. One of the guys walked across the street, sold our tickets for face value and we drank for free all afternoon. Best ball game ever as the atmosphere at Steam Whistle is second to none.

The box lunch for the day will be provided by the talented kitchen staff ar Rib Eye Jack's and Tiffany noted bus adventurers will be gifted with swag from Creative Solutions and merchandiser Brand Blvd. She said there are tickets left but keep in mind once they hit 30 people, it's done. But there will be more on the horizon, she promises. "I would love to do this every three to four months if this one takes off."

Tickets are available at this link: We Take You To Beer Bus Tour! or from Tiffany any time at Rib Eye Jack's. I advance-scouted both GLB and the Indie Alehouse on a recent trip into Toronto and these are both great stops. But guys and dolls, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. I'll be back real soon with the beers coworker Jay-Dawg brought me from Stone City Ales in Kingston. Until next time, I remain...