I'll be honest - I personally like the LCBO system - you know you're getting the best (albeit not good) price, and it brings millions and millions of dollars into the economy and public programs every year. That said - sometimes I don't want to get gouged just because I want a drink.

I've been making beer at home for a few years now - I bought the Mr. Beer kit a few Christmases ago, and brewed my self-named, 'not-so-famous' Red Beard brew a few times.

My first ever home-brewed beer. It was...okay

Changed the name this time

This year though has already started off bigger and more grandiose. I have both a batch of French Pinot Noir on the go at "The Wine Butler" and a batch of Canadian Ale already bottled in our dining room. We might just become alcoholics in 2013, and by we, I mean me, because Michelle doesn't drink wine or beer.








So how much do you save by brewing yourself? Well, I consider it significant.



The wine making was a gift, but groupons and other group deal websites pop up all the time in the 70 dollar range (in fact here's one that's available now). A batch makes about 30 bottles - so you're looking at under $2.50 per bottle. You're not getting anything vintage or fancy, but if you enjoy wine, and want something more personal - the cost is just an added bonus.

The beer is a bit more of a process - I won't get into it in this post, but lets assume you have all of the (inexpensive) equipment. A quick brew kit (which is pretty much the hops and barley already malted together), will run you about $20 at any given store. This batch makes you about 20-23 litres depending on how you brew it. Do the math with me now - a standard beer bottle holds 341 mL - so you'll take away approximately 60 bottles of your own beer. That's under 50 cents per beer.

So, is it worth it for you?

Maybe, maybe not. But the next time you're at my house, remember to not feel too special when I serve you a fancy looking glass of wine or beer.

If you're interested more in the process of wine or beer making - check out my guide on homebrewing and the best places to go in Toronto to get everything you'll need to start (to be added soon). For more on the wine, I'll post a review  when it's done in six more weeks.

Also - if you don't recall - I also tried to distill my own rum with my buddy Ben a while back - to see how that went, check out my post here

Cheers

Deric

The Royal York then...

Growing up in the GTA - we've all (or most of us) walked out of Union Station's Front Street doors to look at the Royal York. Almost a throwback to what you see in movies about old hotels, like 1408, or the 13th Floor - with the bellhops in red, and the doors trimmed in gold - a current photo resembles those of the early 1900's in Toronto.

...and now...no difference right? Well except, there's no blimp now...

So imagine me, admiring it from afar, having the chance to stay there for a company offsite conference. Add in the fact that I could grab a quick subway home if I forgot something, and I completely forgot about the trip to Ottawa I got for the same event last year.

Let me start by saying - as exclusive as it looks - there is literally open access to the hotel lobby via the underground PATH, not to mention free-use elevators (meaning no swiping of cards to go up), so I suggest you go in and take a look around.

See those stairs? Yeah, this is dead in the middle of the
lobby and goes down to the PATH. No doors, or staff...

Some of the things that stood out to me...

"Is it haunted?", "I heard someone killed themselves on the 19h floor". Sure, I started the circulation of these stories after a quick Google search, but half the fun of an old building is being scared of its history. The people who work at he hotel will be very open with the stories they've heard, so long as you're not asking at he wrong time.

Do these hallways look scary to you? They're so long that
it looks like there COULD be something at the end, but you're
not sure, so you just piss yourself anyway...

The room...nothing special, which
somehow made it more special

The rooms are what you should expect from a century old hotel. You're not getting the brand new design of the Trump tower, it's all about the experience. It kind of reminded me of going to a really expensive restaurant and getting the tiniest portion. It's all about saying "yeah, I ate there".

The lobby bar was like a scene out of madmen - a bunch of old white dudes wearing what I called smoking jackets ordering scotch and reading the stock portion of the globe - at 11 o'clock at night. I felt uncomfortable, but how could I say no to company paid for gin and Tonic, where the gin was from England and the tonic from India (seriously)

I think I had that server...

Overall, what the experience made me realize is that you really can have a vacation close to home. The whole week I forgot that I was in Toronto - and even walking to the streetcar to go home on Thursday, I felt like a tourist. Well worth the lost feeling though, because the Royal York? "Yeah, I ate there"

Cheers,

Deric