Announcing Monthly Stand Up Comedy at Daft Brewing

Are you tired of looking for something to do every first Thursday of the month? 

Well, look no further! Daft Brewing is stoked to announce our Stand-Up Comedy events that befall every first Thursday of the month! You’re welcome. 

The always funny Ryan Dennee hosts and brings with him a rotating group of talented comedians, featuring everyone from stand-up comedy pros to local up and coming talent. Daft has had the privilege to feature comedians that are in comedy circuits across Canada and USA, written or starred in T.V shows, and have their very own Netflix specials.

Host Ryan began his comedy career in 2007. He is a natural storyteller and uses his ability to confidently ad lib and work with the crowd to create a hysterical night of entertainment and fun. Ryan’s comedy is for everyone. Students, seniors, and beer lovers alike. 

If you want to learn more about Ryan, check out his website and Social Medias below!

Website

Facebook 

Sounds awesome, right? If you would like to reserve a spot, please give us a call, or shoot us a message. If you are interested in hitting the stage, message us or Ryan! 

Mark down the first Thursday of the month on your calendars because you now have plans! You’re welcome! Again. 

Daft Brewing x Frontenac Cycle Collaboration

We at Daft Brewing are proud of the success of Pedal Pedal Pedal Push, our 2nd annual collaboration with Frontenac Cycle. This collab allowed us to donate $1071 to support Cycle Kingston. We already can’t wait for the 3rd edition in June 2023.

This collab has grown each year, with Pedal Pedal Pedal Push, a delightfully balanced pale ale, being dreamed up by our brewer Addie on our pilot system. The beer proved to be an instant hit and we knew immediately we would be doing the next batch in our big tanks! 

“Pedal Pedal Pedal Push is really good,” said Graeme of Frontenac Cycle, “I don’t know if you can write that on your own blog, but it’s a delicious beer.”

Just try and stop me from writing it on our own blog. There are no rules to hold me back here.

The collaboration between Frontenac and Daft extends beyond just making a really really really ridiculously great beer. Every year the fine folks at FC organize a big group bike ride and we work together to design limited edition Daft Brewing x Frontenac Cycle swag as part of the festivities.

“One of the partners at Daft, Greg, is hugely into biking,” Daft Brewing CEO Adam Rondeau explained about the origins of this collaboration, “It’s safe to say that over the years his ass has taken quite the pounding… from his bike seat.”

Proceeds from sales of Pedal Pedal Pedal Push went to support Cycle Kingston, a registered charity that promotes and encourages cycling in Kingston, Ontario through education and public outreach. You can learn more about their organization here.

“I would like to thank both Daft Brewing and Frontenac Cycling for their support,” said Neal Scott of Cycle Kingston. “With their help we were about to raise just over $1000 to support cycling right here in Kingston.”

Circle the first week of June on your calendars so you are ready for our 3rd annual Daft x Frontenac Cycle collab!

“Over the Top” – Double IPA

“Stop critiquing me, okay? I’m a human being! I’m not a piece of art!”
Terry, The Other Guys

Introducing Over the Top, a Double IPA made in collaboration with Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre. 

Modern Fuel is a long running cultural non-profit facilitating the presentation, interpretation, and production of contemporary visual, time-based and interdisciplinary arts. For this release, Modern Fuel created what are sure to be the best looking labels that you will ever see come out of Daft. A portion of all proceeds from sales of Over the Top will go directly to Modern Fuel. You can learn more about them here.

“Over the Top is the perfect name for this release,” explained CEO Adam Rondeau, “because it captures the essence of what a Double IPA is all about. This beer is a piece of art that welcomes critique, unlike our brewer Ryan who, although not a piece of art, needs to be critiqued. Many refer to him as a piece of something, and it aint art.”

Made with a financially irresponsible amount of Southern Passion and Idaho-7 hops, this juice bomb is very citrusy and tropical fruit forward with hints of passion fruit, guava, coconut, and zesty tangerine. Over the Top gives off a sunny and floral fragrance that will help transport you from our current dreary, rainy days and impending winter back to the nice warm summer. You’ll still be physically stuck in the cold dreary days, but you’ll forget that for a bit at least. 

“This DIPA, or Double IPA, has a heavy malt bill and clocks in at 8% ABV, which gives Over the Top a large body,” explained Daft Art Connoisseur, Nathan, “To balance that out our brewing team pumped up the IBUs. The bitterness and high alcohol balance each other well, creating a juicy and not overly bitter beer with a hazy appearance.”

Over the Top is available now on tap and in to go bottles from Daft Brewing. Grab it now and have yourself an over the top experience. 

“True Level” – Fiesta Gose

“What are you doing?” – Rick
“Do you want your shelf level or not?” – Morty
“And if I say yes, you’re gonna provide that for me with that?” – Rick
“Yes. See the bubble?” – Morty
“I’m familiar with the bubble Morty. I also dabble in precision, and if you think you can even approach it with your sad, naked, caveman eyeball and a bubble of sh*t air, you’re the reason this species is a failure, and it makes me angry!” – Rick
“You’re drunk.” – Morty
“You want to put up a shelf, put up a shelf. You want to experience true level? Do you?” – Rick

Morty’s Mind Blowers, Rick and Morty

It’s back! True Level, our Fiesta Gose and one of our original releases, is returning..

The True Level recipe is one of Head Brewer Ryan’s pride and joys, and one of the few beers CEO Adam Rondeau acknowledges he can be proud of.

“True Level is the perfect name for this beer, because similar to how Morty experienced true level for the first time and felt like the rest of the world was now crooked, after I drank this for the first time I wondered how I could ever go back to drinking the rest of the swill Ryan produces.” Adam explained in regards to the inspiration for the name.

True Level, the first beer in Ryan’s Umami Series (followed by Slow Ramp and Keep Summer Safe), is a sour wheat beer made with Aji Amarillo Pepper, pink Himalayan sea salt, tequila oak, and fresh lime peel. 

The result is amazingly delicious and refreshingly tart beer with deep complexities that allow you to experience the full range of the five basic flavours- sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and umami. 

“You get a nice burst of limey citrus on the front-end that quickly transitions into subtle notes of pepper and oak and finishes with a hint of saltiness and mild spice.” Daft Sommelier Nathan explained, “The wide spectrum of flavours are surprisingly very well balanced and don’t overpower each other. This sour has a nice complex body and a crisp finish.” 

Whether you have experienced True Level before and are amped that it is back, or have never tried it and wondering what the nonsense you just read means– come on down to Daft Brewing and level out with a pint. Also available in our bottleshop or for home delivery at https://daftbrewingstore.square.site/s/shop  

“Middle Out” – British Mild

“We’re going to win even if I personally have to go in the auditorium and jerk off every person in the audience”
“That’s a lot of jerking”
“And we only have ten minutes to present
“So we’re f*cked aren’t we?”
“Yeah even if he’s jerking 2 at a time there’s what? 800 guys in the room? So that’s 400 times whatever the mean jerk time is.”
Silicon Valley

The scene gets even more ridiculous from there. Watch it in its entirety here

Introducing Middle Out, a British Mild and the winning beer from Daft’s first annual Thirsty Games homebrewing competition that was judged all the way back in September. Because at Daft, we believe in doing things efficiently and fast.

Middle Out was created by Trevor Armstrong, a member of the Durham Homebrewers Club, and now officially the most competent brewer to ever brew here at Daft.

“I would just like to apologize to Trevor for subjecting himself to a day of brewing with Ryan”, CEO Adam Rondeau had to say. “He really is doing God’s work by putting up with someone so much less skilled than he is.”

Middle Out is a traditional British Dark Mild, with a glorious brown hue. It is malt forward but finishes light and easy. Clocking in at 3.5% ABV, this beer is very sessionable meaning that you can easily crush pints on our patio all summer long.

“The first thing you will notice with Middle out is that it’s not as sweet as most dark beers.” explained Daft Sommelier Nathan, “On your first sip you will get a lot of malt character upfront, followed by subtle notes of plum and dried fruit and a hint of tobacco. Those flavours don’t linger long as it finishes with a nice crisp finish.”

Middle out is available now in the Daft Brewing taproom. We are also offering it to go from the Daft bottle shop or available for free local delivery at https://daftbrewingstore.square.site/s/shop 

“Keep Summer Safe” – Thai Gose

“Be right back Summer. Stay put, don’t touch any buttons, and ignore all random thoughts that feel….spidery.” – Rick
“Wait you can’t leave me here” – Summer
“Ship, keep Summer safe.” – Rick
“Keep. Summer. Safe.”- Ship
“Ah wonderful.” – Summer
Man walks up to ship “Excuse me, hello?”
Summer turns away in fear
“What? You think you’re better than me? Nobody’s better than me! …Hey!? Hey!” – Man
Ship lasers man into meat cubes
“Keep. Summer. Safe.” – Ship
– Rick and Morty

Available now at Daft Brewing – Keep Summer Safe, our Thai Gose

“There are a few beers that accurately showcase Ryan’s abilities as a brewer,” explained CEO Adam Rondeau, “And this is one of them. Say what you will about Ryan’s personality, but the guy knows how to balance flavours to create a truly special beer. Garbage personality though.”

Keep Summer Safe is the latest beer in our Umami series, following True Level and Slow Ramp. Each beer in this series is made using a gose as the base beer. A gose is a traditional sour German wheat beer that was historically brewed in a region where the water is slightly saline, giving it a mild saltiness while being light and easy drinking. This makes the gose a perfect starting point for our Umami series where the objective is to balance each of the five flavours that we can perceive (sour, salty, sweet, bitter, umami).

This edition of our Umami series has an asian fusion theme. It’s made with a healthy addition of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, a blend of thai chilies and other peppers, sea salt, and is aged on sake oak. 

“When brewing a beer with so many ingredients, I am worried about it being cloying or overwhelming in one element” Head Brewer Ryan Dhillon explained, “but I take special care with this beer. With every drink, your palette will transition from tart to salty to deep umami with subtle sweetness in the background and then finish with a hint of spice.”

Overall, Keep Summer Safe is a fairly unique beer. It is very light and refreshing yet complex and feels like a full bodied beer. As Ryan would like everyone to know, it can be difficult to make such a beer, so please be impressed by him.

“The first thing you will notice with this beer is the citrusy aroma with a hint of spice” explained Nathan, Head Protector of Summer. “The flavour is upfront with tart citrus and quickly transitions into mild spiciness. It has a pleasant mouthfeel and finishes dry and refreshing.”

Keep Summer Safe is available now on tap and to go bottles from Daft Brewing, and also available for home delivery. Let us keep you as safe as Summer in your home and bring the beer to you. Click here to place an order now.

“Sandy Claws” – Pumpkin Porter

Kidnap the Sandy Claws
Beat him with a stick
Lock him up for ninety years, see what
Makes him tick
Kidnap the Sandy Claws
Chop him into bits
Mr. Oogie Boogie
Is sure to get his kicks
Kidnap the Sandy Claws
See what we will see
Lock him in a cage
And then throw away the key
– The Nightmare Before Christmas

Available now at Daft Brewing – Sandy Claws, our Pumpkin Porter.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas is definitely on my list of ‘must watch movies’,” CEO Adam Rondeau explained in regards to the name of this latest release, “It is the perfect name for our new Pumpkin Porter, which I’d say, is definitely on my list of ‘must try beers. I’m usually pretty neutral on pumpkin beers, (and Ryan’s beers), but every once and awhile I’m surprised with a good one. Sandy Claws is hands down the best pumpkin beer I’ve ever had.”

Sandy Claws is an American style porter made with dark roasted barley, crates of pie pumpkins smoked in house, a healthy dose of roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh madagascar vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. The pie pumpkins add a creaminess to the beer and give a hint of smokiness that blends well with the roasted malt. The result is a bold roasty beer with balanced spice and a nice persistent creamy head.

When asked to describe his latest release, Ryan shrugged and said “If pumpkins and spice are basic then strap me into Uggs and sign me up for a “Live, Laugh, Love” tattoo.” Then he broke into chants of “Pump-Kin Porter!” to drown out any further questions.

Turning to Addie, the Assistant to the Regional Brewer, for help did not produce better results as all she yelled was “It’s roasty toasty!”

Head of In House Pumpkin Carving, Nathan, stepped up with useful notes, saying “In the aroma, you will get chocolate, coffee, and a splash of spice that will make you think of Grandma’s fresh pumpkin pie. The flavour starts with chocolatey roastiness that blends nicely with the well-balanced spices. It’s the first time I’ve had a pumpkin beer that was so dark and I can easily say it’s the best pumpkin beer I’ve ever had.”

Sandy Claws is available now flowing from the taps of Daft Brewing and in to go bottles from our bottleshop. Grab it now, because just like Sandy Claws in the movie, once it is gone, the recipe will be locked up for ninety years (or just till next year).

“The Beast” – Scotch Old Ale

   “My grandpa, Squidman Palledorous, was police chief back then. He ordered Mr. Mertle to turn his backyard into a fortress and chain up The Beast and put him under the house  where he could never get out to eat children and stuff. That’s where he’s been for years. And that’s where he’ll be for the rest of his life. Because Mr. Mertle asked the cops how long he had to keep The Beast chained up like a slave, they said until forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. And so, The Beast sits there under that lean-to, dreaming of the time when he can break the chain and get out, dreaming of the time he can chase and kill again.”
– The Sandlot

Available now at Daft Brewing, The Beast, our Scotch Old Ale.

“The Beast was the perfect name for our latest release” explained CEO Adam Rondeau, “because much like the Beast in the film Sandlot, our brewer Ryan needs to be chained up in a backyard somewhere and never let out to protect the world from his terrible beer.”

The Beast, made in collaboration with the Kingston Single Malt Society, is a British-style Old Ale aged on Islay scotch oak.

Old Ales are a style of strong beer that used to be aged in casks. They are strong and malty and have been referred to as “winter warmers” or “keeping ales.” Historically Old Ales are cellared in barrels or casks for a year or more.

“The Beast is a complex beer leaning on the malty side with notes of a caramel and a lot of oak character. The beer has picked up tannins from the oak, while also picking up some peatiness and a hint of iodine from the scotch. You will notice a warming in the back of your mouth, and the beer finishes with notes of tobacco that linger gently. This is not a beer for the faint of heart.” explained Master Scotch Taster, Nathan.

This full bodied beer is perfect for aging as explained by Head Brewer, Ryan. “You can drink it today, it’s going to be pretty good. But if you buy six, drink one today and then one on the anniversary of today for the next five years. The beer will smooth out and develop complex notes of dried fruits and vanilla. Time adds a lot of character to a beer like this.” 

“Letting time age out Ryan’s mistakes is probably the only way to drink any of his swill.” Adam added after hearing Ryan’s recommendation.

The Beast is available now in the Daft taproom and in to-go bottles. Buy it before it’s gone forever. Forever. Forever. Forever.

“Don’t Hassle the Hoff” – Oktoberfest

I don’t even have a quote for you this time. Just watch this video

Now on tap and available in to go bottles from Daft, Don’t Hassle the Hoff, our Oktoberfest.

“Naming a beer after a legend such as David Hasslehoff was an easy call for us,” CEO Adam Rondeau explained, “because he’s everything I wish our brewer Ryan could be, and I like to find ways to remind him of that everyday.”

We like to think the history of Oktoberfest mirrors the history of Daft in a way. All the way back in 1810, Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese and invited the town to party with them. The party lasted for days with food and beer flowing through the city, and ended with a horse race. The party was so legendary they decided to repeat it every year. Our brewery started with an epic brewery crawl where we wanted to keep the party going by starting our own brewery. When you start a business with others, you are essentially marrying them, so like we said, pretty much started the same way. We even ended our crawl with our own horse race…. Well, more of a piggy-back race.

Don’t Hassle the Hoff is the Daft version of an Oktoberfest beer – a hybrid between a traditional German Marzen and a Festbier. 

“A Marzen is a more traditional German Oktoberfest beer. It’s amber-copper in appearance, very bready in flavour, and sometimes has a malty-sweetness to it,” explained Head Brewer Ryan Dhillon, “while a Festbier is what you see being drunk out of the giant boot-shaped glass steins at Oktoberfest festivals. It’s super light, crisp, has a big fluffy head, and it’s easy to drink litres and litres of it. And what we did was BAM” Ryan clapped his hands aggressively (editors note: he yelled BAM along with the clap), “mushed them together.”

The resulting beer was made using German Munich and Pilsner malt and traditional Saaz hops. It is golden in colour and has fluffy clouds of white head that lingers on top of your beer. This beer is highly drinkable with mild malty and bready flavours and a nice crisp finish.

“There is something alluring to this beer. You think it’s going to be quite bold when you take that first sip, but then it quickly dries out to create a crisp and very drinkable beer.” Our very own Prince of Oktoberfest, Nathan, explained.

Don’t Hassle the Hoff is available now at Daft pouring from our taps and available in to go bottles. Now if only we could advertise this with a picture of the Hoff pouring beer over his bare chest…

“Ninja Loan” – New England IPA

“Well, you guys seem like a great family. We have to be realistic. I’m in the real estate business. It’s 2006. That’s all good enough for me. We’re gonna put you in a NINJA loan. No income, no job, no assets. And you don’t have to pay a penny for two years.” – James
“Oh NINJA please! So we’ll take something cozy and intimate. A one bedroom.” – Tobias
“Or bigger.” – Lindsay
“Yeah, how about something nice? A three bedroom?” – James
“Oh, it definitely is.” – Tobias
“You have to remember that this was a time when banks were eager to create as much debt as possible.” – Narrator
Arrested Development

Now available at Daft Brewing – Ninja Loan, our latest New England IPA

“We decided to call this beer Ninja Loan, because much like the banks in the early 2000s that offered subprime mortgages,” CEO Adam Rondeau said reflecting on the name choice, “our head brewer, Ryan, continues to provide us with subprime beer.”

Ninja Loan is made with a combination of three big, juicy, new world hops: Lemondrop, Belma, and Idaho #7. These create a super juicy beer full of tropical and citrus flavors. At 6% ABV there is a nice smooth body (oOoo! mouthfeel :P) to balance out the hop bitterness. A huge addition of oats and wheat create a persistent haze that is essential for this style, since the delicate hop compounds attach themselves to the haze and deliver those tasty tropical fruit notes to your dome. This is why Ryan is a self-proclaimed “hazy-boi.”

“Ninja Loan has a smooth and creamy mouthfeel, with lots of citrus flavour,” explained Head of Describing Things, Nathan, “You will notice heavy apricot and grapefruit flavors. These flavors come straight from the hops, as there are no fruit additions to this beer.”

Ninja Loan is now pouring on draft and available to-go in the bottleshop at Daft Brewing.