Steam Whistle Brewery

Toronto, ON

Their slogan, "Do one thing really, really well", falls a little short of what visitors will find at the Steam Whistle Brewery. For Steam Whistle does pretty much everything they do "really, really well".

Located just south of the CN Tower in the Roundhouse, a historic locomotive yard, the Steam Whistle Brewery allows visitors to peek behind the curtains and see the magical beer making in action. It was reminiscent of Willie Wonka's factory without the chocolate and Umpa Lumpas. The building is magical. Everything is polished. And for a manufacturing plant, the attention to detail is impeccable.

After visitors enter the Brewery, they are greeted with a free beer to get a quick sample of the good time they are about to have over the next hour or so. An art gallery, free for local artists to show their talents, adorns the walls while visitors stroll around and enjoy their beer as they wait for their tour to begin. It is clear, even before the tour begins, something special is going on here in this building.

The story of Steam Whistle is quite fantastic as told by the tour guides. The three owners seemed to have done just about everything right over the past 9 or 10 years of Steam Whistle. But as the educational tour continues, visitors may find that Steam Whistle is about more than just beer. This company cares about the environment, the community, and of course, the excellence of their product. And that is as refreshing as their beer.

The tour was great and so was the beer. If you have a chance to do a day time tour at Steam Whistle, you will not be disappointed. It is an excellent outing.