Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
From hops? Barley? Dreams?
The Dandy Brewing Company.
Which is how we now arrive at five years for the mighty little local craft brewery, a milestone they’ll mark Saturday, Aug. 10 with Dandyfest, a pair of parties featuring around 30 different beers from 14 breweries, along with food, music and so much more.
Well, much more than the acorn of an idea from which it all grew.
“We sort of had this idea for just a little parking lot party with some buddies,” says Benjamin Leon, co-founder and managing director of the Inglewood brewery, about the idea to celebrate the anniversary of their very first brew. “But it turned into this awesome hangout with all of these rad breweries.”
And so it should be.
The day is split into two sessions, the first being from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the second from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“We did it because we wanted to bring in as many different beers as we can but we needed enough people to drink that many beers,” Leon says. “So we decided to do two and that allowed us to bring in almost twice as many different beers.”
Of those beers, there will of course be Dandy brews including a pair of special ones such as a Quebec style saison as well as the return of sour All the Young Dudes (sadly, they’re not revisiting the one that began it all a half-decade ago, their Golden Brown Dandy).
And the rest of the offerings on tap are a cornucopia of sudscellence from such breweries as locals Cabin, Banded Peak and Establishment, as well Toronto’s Bellwoods, Vancouver’s TwinSails and Four Winds, Edmonton’s Blind Enthusiasm, Nokomis Ales from Nokomis, SK, and Belching Beaver from San Diego, with a handful of them bringing drinkables that have never before been available in this province.
“We were actually really surprised,” says Leon. “I don’t know if ‘humbled’ is the word, but when we started putting out a few invites, not only to our Calgarian and Albertan buddies but also our friends across Canada, all of them were super pumped, super jacked, we couldn’t believe it,”
Making the day that much more memorable is that Dandy’s chef will be serving a special menu, which includes some faves such as the taproom’s hot dog, as well as 100 oysters for free at the beginning of each session.
There will also be a special poster show and sale by local arts collective Burnt Toast and, of course, live entertainment.
The music will be provided by two DJs and a band for each session: the first featuring on the decks Matt Masters and Tim Woolvett, from the CJSW radio show Wooly Bully, which Dandy sponsors, with live tunes from the mighty Lorrie Matheson; and the second, which is “a little more high energy,” has DJs Adam Kamis and Craig Evans, along with rock act Outlaws of Ravenhurst.
Tickets for both sessions are $35 and available from Eventbrite, with some also at the door. Each ticket includes entry, the tunes, a commemorative glass and four drink tokens good for 20oz of beer — servings are in 5oz or 10oz pours — to sample the different brews. There will also be guest distillers, cideries, and craft sodas for non-beer drinkers onsite.
And it being a parking lot party, that also means it’s a rain-or-shine event.
“Probably rain,” Leon says, “but I’m trying to stay optimistic.”
From hope springs eternal?
And beer. Dandy beer and a dandy good time.
Dandyfest takes place Saturday, Aug. 10 at The Dandy Brewing Company And Tasting Room (2003 11th St. S.E.).
