This year, the 2024 SRED Unlimited Brewery Tour visited some of our clients, new and old, in Toronto. Food, fun, and a fabulous Friday… it was a fantastic way to connect with clients and learn more about how the SR&ED program has helped their businesses innovate. Be sure to catch Part 1 and Part 2 on our blog!
Part 3: Indie Ale House
We ended the 2024 SRED Unlimited Brewery Tour at Indie Ale House. If you’ve been to the Junction, you’ve probably heard of them. Owner Jason Fisher took us to tour the small on-site brewing system they use. Like our other brewery visits, they’ve expanded into a larger production facility but are still operating the original location.
Their focus at the brewpub, besides serving amazing food and drink, is to pursue the wild and the weird. The brew team is constantly experimenting, pushing boundaries and figuring out how to do things well outside the norm. Some people like to colour outside the lines, but Indie Ale House doesn’t even believe in lines.
While this can result in many batches that the brewers have to drink themselves, it also means they can hit some right out of the park. With multiple gold medals and some unique approaches to beer making, there’s always something different to discover. Jason provided us with a few samples and our resident Beer-gineer gleefully indulged in several flights.
But beer isn’t their only story. The food at Indie Ale House is also part of the appeal. The Burger of the Month (salmon) was excellent and the fried chicken is always good.
What people may not realize, though, is that Indie Ale House’s pizzas are not your normal pizza. John tried it and could not stop raving. Sicilian or “grandma-style” are two of the options. And while the menu may only say “mushrooms,” there’s a lot more going on. Do yourself a favour and do the ‘za.
“Amazing crust, made to order, crunchy, with toasted sesame seeds on the bottom, hot and chewy in the middle. Fresh.” – John W.
As to the new and different? A Toronto lambic-style beer has been in the works for over 12 years so far … and counting. It’s constantly getting better and their latest batches (Dream a Little Dream and Fates and Furies) surprised many of us with their juicy, citrus flavour and cider-like qualities. This beer will literally “taste like Toronto” as it’s wild-fermented from locations across the city. How’s that for innovative?
Jason explains:
The core of our business is continuous improvement in what we do, so R&D is very tied in to our way of being. New ingredients, processes, flavours are always part of the plan. And the SR&ED funds allow us to plan new projects and conceptualize our work differently.
Innovative beers, created by innovative companies, using funds from an innovation program. That’s definitely SRED Unlimited.
As we wrap up our 2024 Brewery Road Trip, it’s clear that the craft beer industry in Ontario is thriving on innovation, fueled by creativity and a relentless pursuit of their passion for beer and other beverages.
SRED Unlimited is proud to support these pioneers of brewing science by helping them reclaim a portion of their R&D investments. By helping to ease some of the financial burden of innovation, SRED Unlimited helps to empower breweries to continue experimenting, creating, and pushing the boundaries of what beer can be.
Cheers to the next wave of groundbreaking brews—and to the innovative minds behind them!
