Hops aboard

After the last of the distillery's operations were shut down in the 1990s, the area was ripe for redevelopment. It served a brief stint as an atmospheric set for films and television shows before the first condominium appeared.

Today, the Distillery District is a mixed-use neighborhood with thespians hamming it out at Soulpepper Theater, high-end boutiques including Canadian shoe designer John Fluevog's flagship store, artisan confectioners such as Soma Chocolatemaker, and beer hall and brew house extraordinaire Mill Street Brewery.

I am partial to flavorful craft beer, and Mill Street has it all. When the brewery first opened, it used to make all of its beer on the premises. Soon, it found that it couldn't keep up with demand. In 2006, it moved most of its production to a larger facility in Scarborough. Special batches are still brewed at Mill Street, though, and tours of the premises are still offered.

As I was the only one who showed up for the daily tour and tasting priced at CAD$10, I had Mill Street Brew Pub head brewer Andrew Yonick all to myself.

Andrew's tour was much more technical than Steam Whistle's. In fact, it was a little like grade 12 chemistry all over again. He noted that Mill Street's Coffee Porter is a partnership utilizing Balzac's Coffee, another Distillery District original where Soulpepper groupies like to hang out. My favorite was the Lemon Tea beer, a refreshing drink on a hot day that combines two thirst-quenching summer staples.

After the tour of the brewery, which is behind glass in the center of the brew pub, we proceeded onto the distillery where Mill Street bierschnaps are made. Also set behind glass walls and off-limits to visitors, the distillery nicely brings the district's original function full circle. Andrew was proud to announce that Mill Street is the only distiller in Canada to make bierschnaps, and it follows the classic German method of distilling beer in small copper pots into a clear, colorless spirit. A teeny amount of cane sugar is added to balance the flavor.

I tried the four different bierschnaps available as folks around me chowed down on gigantic burgers and was immediately hooked on the Hopfenschnaps. Unlike the others, which are 45 percent alcohol by volume, a bit sweet, clear, and fruit infused, the Hopfenschnaps was 55 percent alcohol, dry, light amber and very malty. I picked up a bottle to take home from Mill Street's handy on-site shop, and it has been the life of all my parties ever since.

An indulgent hot chocolate at Soma Chocolatemaker was a sobering end to my visit. While I marveled as master chocolatiers perfected their gooey craft, I was sad that Toronto's microbreweries are limited to domestic distribution. On the flip side, they alone provide ample albeit liquid rationale for visiting Ontario's capital city.