A convivial lesson at Bench Brewing Company
Do you remember your elementary school? I do. I can clearly picture the L-shaped brick building from the 1960s, the classrooms with draughty windows, the raised stage at one end of the gymnasium (with its brown stage curtain), the circular trough-like sink in the washroom. While the building I have described now houses an elementary school under a different School Board, it will always be Woodside School to me.
Even if years, and years, and years pass, my guess is most of us remember our elementary school. Those were six formative years: memorizing the times table, perfecting cursive writing, sitting diligently for story time….
….learning about hops, malt and ales. What’s that now?! That’s the curriculum at the taproom at Maple Grove public school in Beamsville. Before you try to enrol, let me clarify. It was formerly a K-6 school. The building has been gutted and extensively renovated and is now home to the Bench Brewing Company.
There is a still chalkboard in the taproom.
But otherwise you can relax. You don’t need to do math at the board. The only marked-up text is to indicate a sold out beer. Chatter is encouraged. There are no teachers telling you to sit still. The bar is bustling with energetic young servers, learned in the ways of beer.
I visited Bench Brewing for the first time with my husband earlier this month. The welcoming atmosphere started with a pleasant smokiness from the fire pit outside. It is fully equipped with cozy blankets. (Electrical charging stations in the parking lot welcomed our Bolt EV.) Stopping at the fire pit, we got a glimpse of the tall stainless steel fermentation tanks through the large windows of the modern brewhouse.
The sleek brewhouse merges with the old red brick two story schoolhouse. The taproom is upstairs, where we were greeted by our friendly host Darian. When I said it was our first visit, he gave us a nice overview of the brewery and its Belgium style ales. I always appreciate a quick orientation arriving at a new place.
This is how we learned about the building’s schoolhouse origins and the owner’s desire to preserve this piece of Beamsville history.
Bench Brewing is the only brewery in an otherwise wine focused region. The brew team creatively use local fruits, grape skins and wine barrels to add unique flavours to the beers. This sense of place is also apparent in the local names chosen for the beers. I was curious to sample the results of this beer-wine collaboration. I choose two sour beers for my tasting, which I learned from Darian are a focus of Bench Brewing. The Rosé Wildwood smelled like a wine cellar with a breathe of fresh strawberries (it is fermented with strawberries in addition to Pinot Noir grape skins). Any fruity notes in the dark Folklore on Pinot Noir were subtle, with the maltiness more prominent.
I enjoyed both sours. My favourite beer however, was a suggestion from Darian to round out the tasting – the Tart and Hazy.
He provided an evocative description, “Imagine the first day of summer. The air is warm and hazy. The beer is like that.”
Maybe I was craving that feeling in the middle of winter, but honestly, the smell of that beer was somehow like a summer breeze.
My mango loving husband preferred the Short Hills IPA. Its tropical fruit aromas will transport you to your favourite tropical island (close your eyes and go there).
The Twenty Mile beer was sold out (according to the cross on the black board). But as we drained our glasses, a thoughtful server poured the last bit of a can into a glass for us to taste. One of the advantages of sitting at the bar.
The 4 oz beer samples are served in what looks like small stemless wine glasses. They fit snugly in a wooden tasting box, complete with information cards about each beer. The cards are a nice touch. I have been told the best way to learn is to read your lesson materials in advance and to review the materials immediately afterwards. If you want to be studious in the taproom, you are well equipped with the aid of the little cards. Your lesson in between is simply to relax and sip. Taking notes is optional.
The airy room has a modern black and white decor. Big windows frame the view of the lovely vineyards outside. The atmosphere was lively and fun, with good music and very attentive servers. The food from the Kitchen was also really good. My Italian wedding soup was delicious with a really flavourful broth, fresh vegetables and a nice fennel kick from the sausage.
What did I learn in the taproom?
✔ There are four ingredients in all beers – water, yeast, malt and hops. It’s a basic recipe.
✔ A coolship is a large shallow pan used to naturally cool the malty sludge before fermentation. It’s a Belgium thing.
✔ Beer and wine can be good friends. It’s a Bench thing.
