From April 3rd to 7th, wine and craft beer lovers can take part in the 4th annual Riverside Wine & Craft Beer Fest, to delight in tasting new and established Ontario wines and locally brewed craft beers, while getting to know Riverside shops, eateries and community spaces better. It’s essentially an Ontario wine and craft beer tour – right here in Riverside!
This year’s festival is hosted by the Riverside BIA, co-sponsored by Team Sheppard RE/MAX and Jason Friesen Mortgage, and supported by festival partners Eastbound Brewing Co., Toronto Food Tours, the Ralph Thornton Community Centre and All Wrapped Up Events.
The 2018 festival is made up of over 20 events and specials, including complimentary tastings, prix fixe dinners & specials, talks & demos, and the Expo – all in local Riverside venues along Queen St East from the DVP to Empire Avenue.
To kick off the first night on Tuesday April 3rd, the Queen/Saulter Library is hosting a FREE* beer talk and tasting at the Ralph Thornton Community Centre with amazing speaker Robin LeBlanc. Beer lovers will learn from LeBlanc, co-author of the Ontario Craft Beer Guide and blogger behind thethirstywench.com, while putting their knowledge to the test when tasting local beers with reps from Eastbound Brewing Co. and Saulter Street Brewery!
Author and craft beer blogger Robin LeBlanc
More About Speaker, Robin LeBlanc….
Anyone who drinks craft beer in Ontario owes LeBlanc a pint for her excellent job of cataloging, profiling and rating the hundreds of brands in Ontario’s dynamic and expanding beer industry 🙂 LeBlanc began writing about beer in 2011, shortly after being captivated with the complexities of the beverage.
Her website, The Thirsty Wench, has won multiple awards, including the Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Award in the Best Wine or Beer Blog category (the first Canadian-based site to do so). She also writes two regular beer columns; the bi-weekly ‘Inherent Weisse’ for Torontoist and the syndicated ‘On Tap’ for Metroland North Media. She has appeared regularly as a beer expert on various media outlets such as Rogers Daytime Toronto and 680 News Radio.
*This Beer Tasting & Talk is a FREE event, however, $5-$10 donations are being encouraged at the event toward Riverside Wine & Craft Beer Fest charitable partner – the Ralph Thornton Community Centre’s children’s programs.
This popular event is filling up fast so RSVP to reserve your spot now!