Steam Whistle Brewing is an independent

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It was founded in 2000 by three former employees of

Upper Canada Brewing Company Upper Canada Brewing Company is a division of Sleeman Breweries in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Founded by Frank Heaps and Larry Sherwood (of Granville Island Brewery) in Toronto, it started brewing beer in 1985 and grew to become one of the largest ...

after that company was bought out. The company celebrates

Beer in Canada Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until pro ...

and produces only one style of its own beer, a Premium

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewe ...

holding true to their motto "Do one thing really, really, well". The company also produces

New Belgium Brewing Company New Belgium Brewing Company is a nationally distributed brewery in the United States. The brand produces Fat Tire Amber Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza, and La Folie Sour Brown Ale, among other regular and seasonal beer varietie ...

brands for the Canadian market. The brewery occupies Bays 1–14 in the John Street Roundhouse building at

Roundhouse Park Roundhouse Park is a 17 acre (6.9 ha) park in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the former Railway Lands. It features the John Street Roundhouse, a preserved locomotive roundhouse which is home to the Toronto Railway Mus ...

. Built in 1929, it was previously the home of a

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

steam locomotive repair facility and operated as such until May 13, 1988. The John Street Roundhouse is designated a National Historic Site and is owned by the

City of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. The company operates the annual Steam Whistle's Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Festival (RHCBF). The brewery was the first customer of

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

project, the Deep Lake Water Cooling System.

Awards

Steam Whistle has won several awards, including Canada's Best Managed Companies. In 2004, Steam Whistle Pilsner was voted best beer in the Greater Toronto Area at the

Golden Tap Awards The Golden Tap Awards (GTAs) is an annual beer awards event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The awards are sponsored and presented by The Bar Towel, a website and forum dedicated to the discussion and promotion of Toronto's craft and microbrew b ...

. Awards for product quality include a Silver for Steam Whistle Pilsner in the 2016 Ontario Brewing Awards, and a Gold medal at the 2012 Canadian Brewing Awards for their Steam Whistle Pilsner.

References

External links

* {{coord, 43.641095, N, 79.385265, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark, display=title Beer brewing companies based in Ontario Food and drink companies based in Toronto Manufacturing companies based in Toronto Canadian companies established in 2000 Canadian beer brands