where jess ate

Last weekend, Steam Whistle Brewing hosted the Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival for the second year in a row. During the event, attendees were able to sample some of Ontario’s great craft brews and food truck eats.

The event took place in Roundhouse Park, next to the CN Tower and the Steam Whistle brewery. The event had a very chill and laidback atmosphere which I really enjoyed. There were picnic tables sprinkled throughout the park and participants were encouraged to bring blankets to sit on the grass. The festival also included live music featuring local indie bands which added to the relaxing atmosphere.

As the name suggests, this festival was focused on promoting Ontario’s craft breweries – those who are independently owned and produce smaller batches of natural beers.

There were a large number of participating brewers which included Black Oak Brewing, Great Lakes Brewery, Beaus Brewing and Black Oak Brewing, to name a few. Some brewers also had seasonal and experimental beers to sample.

Sampling glasses had to be purchased in order to sample any of the beers at the festival. These small glasses cost $10 if purchased in advance and were $15 at the door. Sampling tokens were an additional $1 each (which usually got you a full glass at most brewers).

I don’t know about you, but I always need food with my beer. The festival had a number of food trucks at the event including the Dirty South Truck, Localista and Dobro Jesti.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the Hogtown Smoke (@hogtownsmoke) truck. I’ve been meaning to check their food out for quite some time so this was the perfect opportunity. Their menu sounded amazing so we couldn’t resist ordering more than one thing at their truck.

The first thing we tried was the 2 Pounds of Poutine – 3 cheese & curds, pulled pork and homemade gravy ($10). Take a look at this beauty! The cheesy poutine had a delicious gravy which wasn’t oversalted and was topped with tender pieces of pulled pork.

Mike and I told ourselves we’d only eat half but at the halfway point, we couldn’t stop and ended up wolfing down the whole 2 pounds.

From the Hogtown Smoke, we also ordered the Brisket Po Boy – cow soaked in au jus, 3 cheese, onions & horseradish aioli on a French baguette ($12). I’ve had my fair share of brisket sandwiches and I often find them too dry for my liking. This was one of the fattiest briskets I’ve eaten…which is probably why I loved this sandwich so much. It might be a little too fatty for some people but it was to my liking. With the melty cheese, onions and horseradish aioli, it was a damn good sandwich.

Our next stop was the Rome ‘n Chariot (@RomenChariot), a food truck that serves up Italian comfort food.

We decided to try some of their Toasted Ravioli – stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach (3 for $5) which came with a side of tomato and pesto dipping sauce. The ravioli were crisp and had a tasty filling. They make for a great snack!

Our final food stop of the day was the Food Dudes (@TheFoodDudesTO) food truck. I couldn’t leave the festival without getting some of their ridiculously good Nutella Bombs – banana bread with a cornflake batter and topped with a bourbon caramel sauce & whipped cream ($5). I was first introduced to them at the Field Trip music festival and have been hooked ever since.

C’mon, they’re pieces of deep fried banana bread stuffed with nutella. How can you say no to these?

With some great craft brewers, food trucks and live music, the Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival is a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Look out for the festival again next summer!