Fermentations

I came across Fermentations when I was canvassing the neighbourhood. First impression, the place had this unique, fresh smell which I love.
Since I’ve had experience with purchasing bulk wine, the owner went right into wine tasting with us (which I appreciated as a similar store in Ossington doesn’t have the service). We picked our wine and at under $ 5 per bottle, we left the store excited yet disappointed as it was a 3 month wait!
Beer wait = 2 weeks
Wine wait = 3 months
3 months later (aka yesterday), my friend and I received a call and our wine was finally ready. Charles was very accommodating as we asked for a last minute slot and he trusted us that we were going to be done early and told us to head over. The bottling process was very straight forward. They had a machine which filled up the bottles for you and you cork it yourself. If you want your wine bottle to be fancier, you can shrink wrap the top of your bottle.
Staff was very friendly and the space was big but, we had two other people who were bottling at the same time as well as customers coming through the door so it got a little bit hectic.
I will definitely be back to try out the different beers that they can customize for you as well as their Ice wine!

A lot of fun and good beer!
Have made over 8 kinds of beer here, both straight off the list and with custom recipes/​staff recommendations. I like that the staff are knowledgeable about the process and really welcoming.
I’ve split 3 or 4 batches of different varieties with friends which is a great way to do it. Everyone goes home with a couple cases of mixed types.
I get asked often if it’s cheaper than buying. Well, depends on what you’re buying I suppose. It is a cost saving for getting a quality product. But really I like going to get a unique beer in a fun environment.

This place is a great resource for anyone looking to make their own beer. 2^nd batch now and couldn’t be happier. The staff are knowledgable and helpful, and helped us find the recipe that would suit us.
This isn’t your dad’s homemade plonk — this is worthy of a decent microbrew.

This is the worst brewing experience anyone can have. This is a shame to the brewing industry…
All they do is open a 23L of wort that they buy from some brewing company and pour it in the bin. And than your job is to open the packet of yeast and mix it in the bin.
My suggestions to ppl who want to learn how to brew beer, this place is a waste of time and a shame to beer industry.

I’ve been to a few brew-​your-​own places over the years, but Fermentations is by far the best and I now refuse to go anywhere else. Charles and his staff are true aficionados of good booze and love to share their knowledge.
My husband and I have made many varieties of red and white wine, ice wine, cider and beer, and all have been excellent. What I really love about Fermentations is Charles’ openness to suggestions about additions to the recipes, like the time we added blackcurrant to the organic cider. Heaven!

If you like beer, and want to try something new, this is the perfect place to come and get some. Make a batch of your own beer ($~60) /​wine/​cider and you have a good supply for at least 6 months to a year depending on your drinking habits.
We came here already knowing what to expect, as a friend already prepped us. They have a list of recipes, that was made to taste your commercial beers, but you can also customize the beer to your tastes. Dark, Amber, sweet, fruity, after taste.
For us, we got off the menu, but I wish they encouraged us to add a bit more uniqueness to the beer.
You go to the back, where they begin to fill a huge keg with your mixed beer. You have to add the yeast, that makes the beer active. There’s a reason for this — as it differs from them actually selling you beer, you’re making it yourself.
Wait 2 weeks.
Come back, and you go through the bottling process. You can buy the bottles from them at 0.50 cents each .5 L each, and you get 23L of beer. (you do the math)
You can also bring your own bottles, we used perrier bottles and they work nicely.
The initial tasting the beer was a bit flat, but increase in CO2 in a about week.
The staff there is friendly, and they know a lot about beer.
You wash them, rinse and dry. Then they hook up the keg to a spout and then you pour, while tasting.
I think it’s ironic that’s its beside the LCBO on Danforth. Nonetheless, It’s a great place for a gift for a beer lover, or to make beer yourself.

I’ve had some pretty aweful homebrew beer, so when a friend suggested that we split a batch of beer, I was hesitant. After considering that my friend is German and he likes beer as much as I do, I agreed.
Process was brainless, we choose to make a pale ale, waited 5 minutes, and then we dropped a package of yeast in a plastic container and came back 2 weeks later to bottle. I was eager to taste, and indeed the pale ale was great tasting, very fresh, nice and hoppy, and full flavoured. As it is a natural product, it should be refrigerated, so my wife is complaining about fridge space, but some friends quickly helped with that. They too honestly enjoyed it. These were longtime friends, so no need to be polite. I’m converted.