THE STEAM WHISTLE BREWERY

It may be Depression architecture, but the old Roundhouse (a.k.a. Steam Whistle Brewing) is not a depressing building.

Submitted by Joan Moses

It was a cold day in January when a large group of CTGA members met at the Steam Whistle Brewery in the historic John Street Roundhouse for a tour and “tasting” – what would you expect when free beer was offered?  Our ebullient host, Jonathan, taught us a lot about how beer was made in general and how this micro-brewery does it in particular.

 Steam Whistle follows the Bavarian Purity Beer Act in that it only uses four ingredients in its beer – hops from Germany, barley from Saskatchewan, yeast from Switzerland, and spring water from Ontario.  The hops are from the cannabis flower and are made into pellets for ease of transport and to save the pungent and somewhat bitter flavour.  The sweetness in beer comes from the barley, which we tasted – it was nutty and nice!  Beer making is all about balance and the different flavours come from the different ratio between sweet barley and bitter hops.

This brewery uses bottles that are made of 30% more glass than most beers come in and do not have twist off tops.  This helps to keep air and light from deteriorating the product and so this beer stays fresher longer even though no preservatives are used.  They also do all their own deliveries to assure gentle handling.

 They mill their own barley, which is then turned into mash.  One-third of the mash needed for a brew is boiled at a higher temperature in a ‘lauter ton’, which creates more sugar for a creamy head of beer with golden bubbles – the Pilsner type.  The mash filters down through a strainer and sweet water is pumped through it.  The leftover mash is put into a large bin and farmers pick it up to use for feed.  Oh, those lucky animals!

 Sweet water is actually introduced four times during the brewing process and the flavour is balanced with hops.  The last time is in a whirlpool where everything is spun around; the residue falls to the bottom and is pumped out.  Cool spring water is pumped into a heat exchanger.  It is heated by the ‘wort’ and cools the wort at the same time, thus saving energy.  The brew is then transferred to large unit tanks where yeast is introduced to cause fermentation over an eight hour period and then aging takes place over three to four weeks.  The yeast eats sugar and releases carbon dioxide and alcohol.  When it rests it is pumped out and can be reused three or four times.  So the beer is naturally carbonated and stays carbonated for a long time as it is doubly fermented.  Finally it is filtered twice through diatomaceous earth and then goes into a ‘bright beer tank’.  Steel lined kegs and bottles are filled from this tank with a great deal of hands on supervision.  We saw the bottle-cleaning machine called “Maggie” and the process for filling them.  The bottles are dated, as are the cartons, which are closed by hand.  Before packing, filled bottles are checked three times by workers on 10 to 20 minute shifts so they do not get eyestrain.  At five o’clock, the steam whistle is heard announcing the end to that working day!

Not only do we have to thank Doreen Smith for arranging such a tasty tour, but also for introducing us to such an interesting old building.  The John Street Roundhouse was built in 1929 and has been designated as both a Toronto and a National Historic Site in the last decade.  It was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway to service steam locomotives   used   with   passenger   trains out of nearby Union Station and wasn’t decommissioned until 1986.

The 32-stall roundhouse is the best remaining example of a large roundhouse structure in Canada.  When first built it incorporated leading edge technology.  Taking advantage of an external steam source made available by a local district steam plant, locomotives could for the first time drop their smoky fires outside the Roundhouse building and power into the building under their remaining steam.  Once inside, the locomotive could connect to a district steam pipe that kept their boilers charged while repairs were being made.  This direct steaming operation was the first of its kind in Canada.  It allowed for a faster repair turn around time, was more economical (it reduced coal consumption by about two thirds) and provided a smokeless environment for the workers inside the facility.

Bays 1 – 11 were torn down to allow for the construction of the Metro Toronto South Convention Centre, which is a multistory (below grade) structure running from the north side of Bremner Blvd. to the Gardiner Expressway.  Once construction was complete, bays 1 – 11 were reconstructed and the interior was adapted for use as a micro-brewery.  Bays 12 – 32 remain original and the building envelope of the rest of the exterior was repaired.

Challenges remain to see the structure fully restored and utilized as a museum of railway history or whatever – it has so much potential.