The Brewery Market commenced its summer-long Ontario micro-brew tasting experience at the Wychwood Barns on Sunday, the first in a series of events that aim to spread the merits of quality beer while benefiting the less fortunate.

Skipping a few weekends for holidays and other major events in the city, the Brewery Market is scheduled for a total of 11 Sundays before the final event on September 28th.

"We sort of took inspiration from a farmers market. In a farmers market producers come in and kind of show off their products right to consumers. We wanted to do the same thing, hence the Brewers Market," explained one of the events organizers, Cass Enright, founder of the Bar Towel. "Sundays at the barns are a great compliment to Saturdays, which is their farmers market."

The historic Wychwood Barns, formerly used for streetcar repairs for the TTC, now houses a variety of tenants, including a non-profit organization called The Stop Food Community Centre. Among other projects , The Stop features a sustainable food production and education centre that produces fresh vegetables and herbs in a state-of-the-art on-site greenhouse.

The fresh produce, which is grown at the Wychwood Barns, is used as toppings for the individual pizzas that were oven-baked during the event and sold for $5 each, with all proceeds going to The Stop.

"There will be pizza every week, but the pizza will differ, and most likely the pizza will be paired with the beers that are available so they make a good match," added Enright.

The first event featured the unique blends of Flying Monkey's Craft Brewery from Barrie ON, who's slogan "normal is weird" is evident in their unique beer flavors, such as bubble-gum and birthday cake. A sample cup of the beer also costs $5, with all proceeds going to The Stop as well.

Additional photos

Writing Jared Lindzon. Photos by Christian Bobak.