The Trews

What a weekend! As we clean off our white sneakers and look back, a few things come to mind. Here’s a list of takeaways from a glorious weekend that included a little Saturday sun, a little Sunday rain and whole lotta cottage vibes…

The Trews Are Incredible: Seriously, Colin’s voice hitting those high notes in Highway of Heroes made me shed a tear.  And that encore. No words. Too good.

Rain Can’t Stop The Pouring: We had 18 brewers and thousands of attendees who powered through some serious sunshine on Saturday and some serious rain on Sunday.

Elliott Brood Are Cottage Vibes: These guys just have the perfect sound for a long weekend. I mean, the vibe on Saturday with the sun and the food and the brews and the people was unreal.

Roasting Marshmallows Is An Art: A 4pm each day, we sparked the fire pits and broke out the marshmallows. Roasting a marshmallow is a simple pleasure. Impossible not to smile when you crush a perfectly golden brown roast.

Soccer Darts Is Hard: We are thankful for Toronto Sport & Social Club for bringing some sporting activities to Spring Sessions. It was super cool to try soccer darts, but it also exposed a weakness in our footy game. Gotta get practicing. See you next year.

Bocce Is Perfect: There is no greater past time on earth. You can hold a brew in one hand and toss some bocce balls in the the other. It’s like there is balance in the force.

Pairs With Beer: Funny how things just pair so well with beer. Tiny Toms Donuts. Chimney Stax Mac n Cheese (with the beer cheese sauce), Smoke’s Poutine… we could go on.

All in all, a pretty solid May 2-4 Long Weekend. We hope you enjoyed yourself. Yes, we are doing it all again next year. Same time, same place.

Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer happens THIS weekend at Fort York Garrison Common!

Location: Fort York: Garrison Common. HERE is a map.

Hours: Noon to 7pm on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21.

We will have plenty of activities for you and your mates this weekend. We created a Top 5 list to highlight what is going on at Spring Sessions … and because people tell us ‘You’ll get more clicks on the article if it’s a Top 6 list”:

1) See Live Music

Juno award-winning outfit Elliott Brood are playing a live acoustic Campfire Session on Saturday, May 20. Then, the very next day, Canadian Rockers The Trews will play their very own Campfire Session on Sunday, May 21. Pick your day and use code SAVEFIVE to take $5 off your tickets.

Get SATURDAY Spring Sessions Tickets!

Get SUNDAY Spring Sessions Tickets!

Use code SAVEFIVE to save $5 off Tickets!

2) Become a Legend at Soccer Darts

THIS IS BREAKING NEWS… The Toronto Sport & Social Club are bringing Soccer darts to Spring Sessions. We’re hearing that this may be the biggest thing to hit Toronto since the invention of the beautiful game! Haha. We totally can’t wait to try it!

3) Own The Bocce Court

Some reports stat that Bocce is the most played activity in the world. Thankfully Track & Field Bar has picked up on the trend and will be at Spring Sessions to host all your bocce needs. Bocce Standards Association rules apply. (Totally just made that rules part up. Apologies to those who are actually a part of the BSA. No disrespect homies.)

4) Roast A Marshmallow, or ten!

Hanging around a fire pit is pretty much mandatory. It’s like Rule 1 of the cottage: “If your clothes don’t smell like camp fire, were you actually even at the cottage, bro?” We have confirmed approval from the executives that marshmallow decisions…. THERE WILL BE MARSHMALLOWS!

5) Taste A Brew

18 brewers will showcase their wares this weekend at Fort York: Garrison Common. HERE’s the list of who is coming.  Our recommendation is to take your time. Sample it, don’t just drank it all down. Brewers work super hard to craft each brew. This is their life work. Enjoy it… and as always, please sample responsibly.

6) Eat Some Food

We hand selected and curated our favourite food purveyors and here’s a quick list of who will be there: Mustache Burger, Chimney Stax Baking Co, Ontario Corn Roasters, Oyster Boy, Tiny Toms, and Smoke’s Poutinerie. HERE’S the list.

There you go. Some tips from us to you. Here’s a video to get a taste from last year…

Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer happens on the May 2-4 Long Weekend at Fort York Garrison Common

Years ago I lost touch with my friend Mike. He had an awesome cottage in Muskoka that we crashed at every long weekend. It slept about 15 people, had a hot tub on the deck, a boat on a nice lake. Mike, I miss you man.

Every since we lost contact I’ve been trying to find a cure for my long weekend cottage needs. I can assume there are more people like me searching for that cottagey fix. That’s why we (the gang behind the legendary summer festival, Toronto’s Festival of Beer) created Spring Sessions. May Two Four Weekend, in the city.

Here are your 5 Best Bets (plus one bonus) for enjoying the Sesh’:

1) Live Music

I heard a friend of mine referred to Elliott Brood as Death Country music. That is so bad ass. The gents in Elliott Brood playing a live acoustic session right next to the campfire sounds like a perfect way to spend Saturday May 20. Then, the very next day, our pals in The Trews will play their very own Campfire Session on Sunday, May 21. This is like the absolute best-case scenario for a campfire cottage party, but instead of your one friend who picks up a guitar and only knows ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ – we hired pros: Elliott Brood and The Trews. Pick your day and use code SAVEFIVE to take $5 off your tickets.

Get SATURDAY Spring Sessions Tickets!

Get SUNDAY Spring Sessions Tickets!

Use code SAVEFIVE to save $5 off Tickets!

2) Bocce

Some reports stat that Bocce is the most played activity in the world. Thankfully Track & Field Bar has picked up on the trend and will be at Spring Sessions to host all your bocce needs. Bocce Standards Association rules apply. (Totally just made that rules part up. Apologies to those who are actually a part of the BSA. No disrespect homies.)

3) Let There Be Fire!

Hanging around a fire pit is pretty much mandatory. It’s like Rule 1 of the cottage: “If your clothes don’t smell like camp fire, were you actually even at the cottage, bro?” There may be marshmallows. Currently seeking approval from the people who make those marshmallow decisions. UPDATE: We have confirmed marshmallows. THERE WILL BE MARSHMALLOWS!

4) Cottage Vibes

Expect all the fixings of a cottage inside Fort York Garrison Common. Great beer, tasty food, your BFFs, and loads of games; like Giant Jenga. You see, it’s just like Jenga, but bigger, so be warned: if you decide to go ‘open toe’ with your footwear then a falling Jenga tower may be a hazard. Seriously.

5) Good Food

We hand selected and curated our favourite food purveyors and here’s a quick list of who will be there: Mustache Burger, Chimney Stax Baking Co, Ontario Corn Roasters, Oyster Boy, Tiny Toms, and Smoke’s Poutinerie. HERE’S the list.

BONUS BET: 6) Great Beer

Yes, there are only awesome Brewers at the ‘sesh. See the complete list HERE. Our recommendation is to take your time. Sample it, don’t just drank it all down. Brewers work super hard to craft each brew. This is their life work. Enjoy it… and as always, please sample responsibly.

There you go. Some tips from us to you. Here’s a video to get a taste from last year…

Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer returns to Fork York: Garrison Common on May Two Four Weekend

Toronto, ON – The fourth annual Spring Sessions of Toronto’s most iconic beer festival, Toronto’s Festival of Beer, comes home to its roots on the May long weekend, Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, at the historic Fort York: Garrison Common (250 Fort York Boulevard). New for this year, the festival is introducing Campfire Sessions, which features live acoustic performances by the Juno award winning trio, Elliott Brood on May 20 and east-coast bred, Toronto-based rockers The Trews, on May 21.

“Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer is going to be an incredible time to stay in the city,” said Les Murray, President of Beerlicious Inc., “We have Canadian rockers Elliott Brood and The Trews headlining our festival, along with a fantastic selection of brews to sample and a great roster of local restaurants and food trucks for people to enjoy. We’re also bringing back the cottage in the city theme this year, with fire pits, outdoor games and lawn chairs to tie the theme together – you don’t want to miss it!”

Get Spring Sessions Tickets Now! (and use code SAVEFIVE to save $5 off your tickets)

Building on last year’s success, Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer will celebrate the cottage theme again this May long weekend: with more games, entertainment, BBQ and beer than ever before. To add to the excitement, the festival will have fire pits on site that are scheduled to ignite during the Campfire Sessions while marshmallows will be handed out to attendees to create an unforgettable and delicious experience.

Tickets to Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer are on sale now. Earlybird tickets start at $30, while regular price tickets start at $35. All tickets include a commemorative festival sampling mug and five sampling tokens.

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About Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer:

Spring Sessions of Toronto’s Festival of Beer is a 19+ sampling event that is hosted by the same company that powers Canada’s largest beer festival, Toronto’s Festival of Beer.

The 2017 edition of Spring Sessions takes place on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 during the Victoria Day long-weekend at Fort York: Garrison Common (250 Fort York Boulevard).

The event celebrates Canada’s rich brewing history with experts of the brewing craft from around Ontario and a wide selection of restaurateurs, food trucks and performances for people to enjoy, all within a cottage theme. Featuring 30+ brands onsite, this is Canada’s premier celebration of the golden beverage and cottage in the city!

About Elliott Brood:

Elliott BROOD’s brand of fuzzed-up roots music makes for captivating, frenetic performances, which also translates on the band’s acclaimed records. Elliott BROOD has won a Juno, been nominated for Genie Award and hit the Polaris Short List. Their style has been called everything from ‘blackgrass’ to ‘death country,’ but those descriptions don’t capture the transcendent heights of their unique approach to roots music. Work and Love, their most recent and most personal album to date, is the sound of a grown-up band searching their hearts for all they’ve lost and gained. They are presently in studio working on the follow up  album Ghost Gardens which is set for release in the Fall of 2017.

About The Trews:

The Trews are a Canadian hard rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Gavin Maguire. The band is currently based in Toronto, Ontario.

The band started their career with the name One I’d Trouser, a line taken from a song in Monty Python’s “The Meaning Of Life”. They changed their name to Trouser, and eventually The Trews. They released an EP as One I’d Trouser, and a second EP under the name The Trews.

In the early summer of 2002 the band entered Rocksearch, a high-profile contest that is held annually by CHTZ-FM, a St. Catharines (Southern Ontario) rock radio station. Winning the contest would prove to be their big break as they soon landed a recording contract with Bumstead Productions Ltd.

Since then, the band has released five studio albums, three live albums, one compilation album, and five EPs. The Trews have also won a number of awards for their work, including: Seven East Coast Music Awards (ECMA), Three Independant Music Awards (US), and Five Juno Award nominations.