A Brief History Of A Place For Homebrewers and Craft Beer Lovers
It started as a collective; an inclusive one that was focused on homebrewed beers made by passionate homebrewers. These beers, and the brewers that made them, were then featured at small batch events around the city of Toronto. That collective was what was known as The People's Pint and the gentlemen behind that collective were Doug Appledoorn and Pietro Ciara.
That was 2016.
By 2017 Doug and Pietro were searching for a permanent space for their collective and events but also to brew their own beers.
By mid 2018 an opportunity presented itself. Junction Craft Brewing were moving out of their space on Cawthra Ave and Doug and Pietro had found a permanent home for People's Pint.
They continued to host events that focused on, and supported, the homebrew community, and GTA Brews in particular, including:
- A homebrew tap takeover for Toronto Beer Week
- Learn2Brew days
- Off Flavour Tasting sessions
- Being a sponsor for BrewSlam (GTA Brews Premier National Homebrew Competition)
- A rotating GTA Brews guest tap serving GTA Brews members homebrew to the public
- Hosting Club Meetings, the Club Barrel (fills and empties), and Hop Buy Pick Ups / Sorting
They also were active in the industry by ensuring their brewery was a space that was safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all who wanted to partake, learn and enjoy craft beer regardless of creed, colour or sexuality.
They were also one of the first breweries in Toronto to "employ" a brewery cat via the SPCA; Maris was quite unique for some time!
On top of all of that Doug and Pietro and all others who worked with them were friends, homebrewers and individuals to be admired.
So, now that they have closed their doors, Peoples Pint, the brewery space, will be missed but Peoples Pint, the ideal, will live on.
Thank you to Pietro, Doug, Angie, Chris, Chris, Adam, Alex, Deaglan, Jeff, and everyone else that welcomed us as GTA Brews members, fellow homebrewers and cherished friends into the warm space you built.
That space, of course, will be missed.
(To interact with homebrewers and for photos of People's Pint, please visit our Facebook page)