The Gananoque Riddle???

This building housing Gananoque Brewing is clearly historic and must
be the town's old train station, right? Uhhh, no. Stevil St Evil, sitting in
his Wellington, New Zealand perch, is a Gananoque native and while he
recognized it from his seedy, youthful past, he couldn't remember what
the hell it used to be. A bit of digging, we found out the real story here. 

When Drunk Polkaroo and his lovely wife, Kat, embarked their week-long, 50 breweries, too-many-towns-and-cities-to-name, adventure dubbed Polkapalooza 2, The Electric Boogaloo (I added the last bit for rhyming purposes), I was happy to join them...

Well, I joined them from the creature comforts of my home, viewing their journey after work each night on my laptop. It's the warmer, safer way to travel.

Now Polkapalooza 2 became such a social media thing that the couple were many times greeted personally by the brewery owners themselves and in a couple of cases, given special after-hours privileges. The road-trip was, suffice it to say, a pretty big deal to both the Polks, the many social media friends who caught up to them and the breweries themselves.

This is the actual Gananoque train station... miles out
of town... standing a lonely vigil among the farmers'
fields and whistling winds of north-east Ontario...

But given time restraints and the sheer volume of breweries being visited in a short time, a couple of the stops were, well, quick in-and-outs. Any couple with young children can relate to that concept. ("Geezuz, Bob, make it fast before the damn kids wake up and ask for a glass of water! And take your stupid socks off!" Every married guy who read that just instinctively mouthed the words, "Yes, dear.")

One of those beat-the-clock stops was Gananoque Brewing. For my American readers (Zup, guys?) who are not familiar with native Canadian aboriginal pronunciations, that's Gah-nah-knock-way. According to my Beer Bro Stevil St Evil, who grew up there (well, aged in some manner) and now resides in Wellington, New Zealand, that likely translates as "fly-speck." Not a big place with less than 5,200 people calling it home. "The population of the town is exactly the same as it was when I went to high school there," Stevil laughed. Like other residents, he simply calls his hometown Gan.

But it was Polkaroo's picture of the Gananoque Brewing Company that caught my eye. While most craft breweries the couple visited were in modern stand-alone buildings or plazas, this was an old-school historic building. No doubt about it.

Several years back, Gananoque Brewing
president Bruce Davis stood in the empty
building which would. in two years, house
fermenting vats and all the other cool toys
 a brewery needs to make their final product.
This Wayne Lowrie photo for the Gananoque
Reporter shows in 2012, he had a ways to go.

I was convinced it had to be the old train station. I mean, it had that look of a 200-year-old former train station. (Actually, this kinda makes it sound like I have come across many of those is my life. Nope, less than 200.) So I went to the Man From Gan himself.

No, it was definitely not their train station, Stevil noted, as he sent me the above picture of their actual train station. "It's way the hell out of town. Nothing else near it." In fact, the actual Gananoque Train Station is a bit of an oddity in town folklore, he added. "As you know, usually you build a town around the train station as in olden days, that's how people got there! But no! Train tracks came through and they built the town 10 miles away!!" Oh and one more thing, he said, "It's not even a regular stop! If you want to catch (a train), you have to be out on that platform, waving your arms!" Okay, that's some Petticoat Junction small-town shit right there.

So this cool-looking building was not the train station. Well, what was it? "I cannot recall what that building is. It's been so long," he noted. "I think it might be an old electrical building... maybe even a waterworks or sewage thing? There's a fair few old-timey buildings like that in Gan, even to this day."

And it was time to dig. Took about a half-hour or so but eventually we discovered it was the town's historic Bell Tower building. The photo at the top has the bell's spire cropped out but once upon a time, that's where the bell rang for Sunday church and other, you know, bell-related events. No word on whether it could be heard from the miles-away train station.

As you can see, only the ridiculously-photogenic drinkers pop
into Gananoque Brewing to enjoy some tasty craft beer in their
town. Don't get me wrong. People who look like, well, me are
also welcome. We just don't end up in pictures. A smart policy...

But the brewery didn't open overnight. It took owner Bruce Davis more than two years to bring investors onboard, not to mention, more than a little elbow grease to turn the 18th-Century Bell Tower (still complete with bell - yes!) into a functioning brewery. Finally, on Friday, June 27, 2014, the doors opened and the word is it's been a local hit and a tourist hot-spot since that day.

In a 2012 press release when he locked the structure in, Davis said, "The Bell Tower building is a Gananoque landmark with a deep history, a special character and real charm. We will preserve and restore this important property to honour its legacy and create a space that showcases our locally-sourced products and supports an onsite brewing operation that will be a great new attraction to town."  The brewery's flagship beer, Naughty Otter Lager, has a huge following and is readily available in LCBOs around the Province. And Davis, true to his word, is using as many local ingredients as his brewery can secure. Great little success story that really rings my bell. Yeah, I just went there.

At long last! I finally got my filthy ape paws on a
Sawdust City Twin Pines Double IPA. Was it worth
the long wait? Oh, you bet your ass it was! This was
like getting hit in the face with dozens of pine trees!

And ain't that just the way life works? Polkaroo went into long descriptions of many of the breweries on their stops, adding at length the kindness of the brewery owners and the comradery of the many craft beer friends with whom they connected. Gananoque got a passing mention as a quick stop... and guess which one actually piqued my curiosity to the point of researching it? Yup. The hold old-time architecture has over me! (I still say it should have been a train station.)

But it's Beer Time at Donny's Bar and Grill and before their departure, even knowing their many stops, I ask Polk for one beer and one beer alone. Sawdust City's Brewing's Twin Pine Double IPA. Well, Mr and Mrs Polk brought me 10 beers, not one, so decimal places got scrambled a little but we've all been out of school so long that Math is no longer a strong suit with any of us. (Pretty sure it wasn't then, either.)

And the Twin Pines? This one's Crazy-Eights, my friends - 8.8% and 88 IBUs (international bitterness units) of pine forest in yer face! Massive pine on the nose, so much so I double-checked to make sure all those pine needles I was snorting the previous night weren't still lodged in there. (What? That's not illegal. It's seriously messed up... but not illegal.)

What is an Accelerated Stall? Oh, that's a bad thing. It
means a plane is flying full-tilt and suddenly, the engines
cut out. So what happens? Gravity happens. In a bad way.

There was a warm touch of the high-ABV on the tongue but just a mild flickering as more pine, much juiciness and tropical fruits all came out to play. Was it good? Let's just say that The Indie Alehouse's Cockpuncher Imperial IPA now has serious competition for the Best Double IPA of the Year. Yes, that good. Well done, Gravenhurst gang, well done, indeed.

But the Polks weren't done pummeling me with top-notch IPAs just yet. No sirree, Bob, more landed on my patio. Just last Summer, after a trip to Hunstville and a four-brewery pit-stop along the way, former coworker Jay-Dawg and his sweetie navigator Cara steered a Barnstormer Brewing's Accelerated Stall Maverick's Imperial IPA into my hands. (Oddly, my chronicle of their journey has become one of my highest-read blogs, leading me to believe that Cara re-reads it every night. Sometimes twice.) And courtesy of the Polks, another one hit the runway here. And dammit, it was every bit as good as I remembered. Using Ella and Summer hops from Australia, Cashmere hops from the USA and Aramis hops from France, the Barrie brewery (there is another Barnstormer Brewing in Carson, Washington) has a winner with this 8.4%, 80-plus IBU skywriter.

Okay, look at the gorgeous copper-red colour of this
Dominion Brewing's Two Flags IPA. The can's
design is simple and plain. And I so don't care. It's a
vessel that brings joy to me. That's all that matters...

Lots of citrus and fruit on the nose but bitter and strongly-malted on the tail end (pun intended.) My only qualm with this beer is that the brewery's website claims "Maverick Killed Goose" in the movie, Top Gun. I disagree. Because Iceman wouldn't get out of the goddamn way even though Maverick had a clear shot, Mav's plane spun out in Iceman's jetwash. I say Iceman is responsible for Goose's death. Fortunately, my son and I will be visiting Barnstormer this coming weekend when we head up to Beer Buddy Hago's locale for a three-brewery visit. I was planning on wearing a styling "Shut up! Iceman Actually Killed Goose" T-shirt for this event. And then, let the debate begin... over delicious beers! But apparently, a stunt pilot died during the filming of Top Gun for the same reason - his plane fatally spun out - so maybe I'll keep my mouth shut and just stick to beer. And checking up on how that Goose's Gose I suggested to the brewery is coming along. Should be ready by now. No pressure.

Next up is a little beauty from Polkapalooza Day 1, Stop 4 in Ottawa - Dominion Brewing. Touted by many of their area friends as a "must-visit" stop for Polk and his lady, I suspect they were glad to land there.

Here's a lovely little find from Day 1, Stop 2 from the
Polkapalooza stop in Ottawa - Tooth and Nail Brewing.
Stop #1 was Beyond The Pale Brewing so Stop #1 and
Stop #2 rhymed. Am I the only one who noticed this?
Does it keep others up at night wondering? Just me?

From what I read, there was an East Coast-style IPA on hand at Dominion that would curl my toes with delight. But sadly, it was only on tap. However, the Polks were gracious enough to make sure a Two Flags IPA landed on my patio table. (You can see the aforementioned table in all my pics and yes, I recognize it's not very clean. I gave it a courtesy wipe for the pics. Please try to concentrate on the beer, rather than my shoddy housekeeping, okay?)

Okay, the Two Flags IPA is one I would put in the British-Style IPA category as its malt base is prominent. Which is totally cool because I enjoy exposure to this milder style as much as the hoppier west coast style. At 7% and 63 IBUs (both numbers are deliciously on the high side for the Brit style), there was some dark fruit and a wee bit of pine on the nose while the tongue was all caramel, a bit more pine and thick maltiness. I have noticed lately that a lot of the new Double and Imperial IPAs are hiking the malt levels on the tongue, as well, and I believe it's for the sake of balancing the taste. Old Dominion did exactly that with this one. The best of this style I've had this year.

I suspect I got the next one for its name alone - Tooth and Nail Brewing's Rabble Rouser IPA. I'm not saying Polk looked at it and thought, "Definitely one for Donny."

Gonna do the Oscar Red Carpet Fashion Call
here: "As you can see, Mrs Polk is looking quite
resplendent in her fashionable poppy red jacket
while The Polk has the layered look of the black
T-Shirt with an eye-catching colourful logo under
a traditional open Hawaiian shirt. Truly a power
couple here in Hollywood." Okay, people get paid
to make those observations? What an easy job...

That's just a strong suspicion. But from Stop #2 on Day 1 of their adventure, this brewery was called the city's best by many of Polk's pals and as you can see, they've reverted to the popular 355-ml (12 ounce) cans for their offerings. While the Rabble Rouser was not a power player up against the aforementioned beers, it was also not without its own charms. At 6.8% and (roughly) 70 IBUs, this had some really prominent peach and mango on the nose (love that combo) while the tongue was pine and citrus. I did notice faint traces of caramel on the back end but nothing remotely close to the Two Flags IPA. This was a tasty little wobbly-pop.

It's funny because the same day I read their Day 1 Ottawa portion of Polkapalooza, I also saw that tickets were available for the Canadian Brewing Awards this summer in Ottawa and thought, "Hey, that'd be fun. Visit Big Rig, Dominion, Tooth and Nail, Beyond The Pale Brewing and a few others at the same time." Pulling up the ticket site, I saw they were $299 each. So then I thought, "Hey, Hago's place in Barrie sounds more way fun. Camping adventure on his downstairs couches for me and my boy. Reasonable rates. Good company." Whoa, $300 to watch other people win awards? That's a lot of craft beer money in that sum.

So you know what? I'll live vicariously through the Polks' Ongoing Adventures and save my dough for beer. And please understand I'm not comparing anyone else's Married Life Adventures to Mr and Mrs Polk's fun here.

Final Gananoque Brewing note: all of the fermenting
vats within the brewery are named after the wives of the
brewery's Board of Directors. Which sounds fun. Until
one of them asks: "Does this shiny silver make my vat
look fat?" Gentlemen, three words... duck and cover!

It's not a contest, people. Which is fortunate because if it was, yours would seriously suck by comparison. Just sayin'. What a fun partner-in-crime Polk has found himself in Mrs Polk. (Legal Disclaimer: They are not actual criminals. They just play them on TV.)

Okay, yesterday (April 1st) Polkaroo did one of his funniest reviews, looking at an Anheuser-Busch product called Natty Daddy and I will include that at the end. But did anyone else notice this? April Fool's Day seems to be the only day that people actually check facts on the Internet. I mean, they critically evaluate and research what they read to determine if it's true or false. For one day! How is the craziest, prank-filled day of the year actually the one most marked by sanity?

To that end, all you Americans who said they wanted to move to Canada because of your present political situation? You can't. Canada isn't even a real place. We just made the country up one day, put it on the Internet and no one bothered to fact-check it. We are literally just an extension of North Dakota. They annexed us in 1827. Sorry. (We say "sorry" a lot up here in Northern North Dakota.) Okay, here's Polkaroo's hilarious review of that macro mess from yesterday, a beer that could only be drank from a boot in a link I can only call: Who's Your Natty Daddy? But guys and doll, that's it, that's all and I am outta here!! Until next time, I remain...