A pilsner and a stout walk into a bar…
On Thursday, April 28, StoneHammer won two medals at the 2016 Ontario Brewing Awards in Toronto: their Pilsner won the Gold Medal in the German Pilsner category, while their Oatmeal Coffee Stout won a Bronze Medal in the Stout category.
“They actually gave us the original judging notes from all the beers, which is fantastic feedback to have, to make us better, to know what may or may not be up to par. […] And I think there are four to five judges per category,” said co-owner and managing director of StoneHammer, Phil Woodhouse, about the competition.
Over the Victoria Day long-weekend, The Ontarion took a tour of StoneHammer Brewing to learn about these award-winning beers and the brewery that produced them. When you first drive into the plaza and see the sign for StoneHammer’s beer store and tours, you’ll probably wonder how a whole brewery could fit inside that tiny store. While StoneHammer Brewing may look small on the outside, the size of the beer equipment inside will definitely make you feel small and impressed.
Woodhouse, who led the tour, was modest about his beer expertise but effortlessly rattled off more interesting information about beer than those on the tour could hope for. Yeast, grains, hops, and water: the four ingredients used to make beer. Yeast can only feed on sugar, not starch, so it’s important that the grains used can be converted to sugar. The amount of grain determines the amount of starch, which then determines the amount of sugar produced. More sugar production means that the beer will have greater alcohol content.
Woodhouse also introduced the group to StoneHammer’s head brewer, Andrew Henry, who has been in the industry for over twenty years. For the duration of the tour Henry could be seen working away as he wiped off keg after keg. Woodhouse explained that a huge part of brewing is cleaning and sanitizing because the only thing that should be alive and growing should be the yeast.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…the only thing that should be alive and growing should be the yeast.[/pullquote]While the yeast and grains are essential to the fermentation process, hops produces flavour and acts as a preservative. Woodhouse explained the addition of hops into a large copper brew kettle is an authentic way to brew beer. Copper is not frequently used because of the cost of maintenance but is excellent because it transfers heat quickly and evenly. Hops added into the kettle and boiled for one hour is for bittering, hops added in the last 15 minutes is for flavour, and hops added at the end is for aroma.
Woodhouse also talked about the difference hard and soft water can play in brewing. Adding that since Guelph’s water is so hard, it made more sense to follow the recipe for a German Pilsner than a Czech Pilsner even though the water still needs to be carefully controlled. Finally, after three to five days of fermentation, beer requires one week to age in order for the flavours to be cleaned up.
During the tour Woodhouse poured samples for StoneHammer: light, pale, pilsner, dark, and stout. Jenny and Dale Quinn enjoyed their tasting tour at StoneHammer, thanks to a recommendation from their daughter.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“There’s no better time to be a beer drinker in Ontario.”[/pullquote]“I’m not a beer drinker, I drink more wine, and I actually really like the light one,” said Jenny.
“[The stout has] a very clean finish but it’s got a very bold coffee flavour and a sweetness to it,” said Dale.
The Oatmeal Coffee Stout is definitely a Guelph coffee drinker’s beer as it uses a single origin roast called Café Femenino from Planet Bean. Of course, the pilsner itself was enjoyed by everyone.
“There’s no better time to be a beer drinker in Ontario. There’s so many new breweries out there, so many fantastic beers,” said Woodhouse.
Guelph is home to four breweries: Sleeman Brewery, Royal City Brewing Company, Wellington Brewery, and StoneHammer Brewing. While it may seem that this would foster a great deal of competition, Woodhouse spoke of the other breweries very positively: “Even though there are four breweries in town […] we all get along well as breweries and help each other out all the time.”