Beer, Bread, and Belonging
Borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbour is commonplace. But it’s rare when a neighbour comes knocking for a sourdough starter to add to a batch of beer.
It’s happened in Winnipeg’s West End, on the block of Wall Street that’s home to Barn Hammer Brewing and Sleepy Owl Bread.
The neighbourly collaborations have made for a feast with yeast. This past summer, Barn Hammer brewed up a Barn Owl Kvass made with bread from Sleepy Owl and aged with the bakery’s sourdough starter. And every Thursday, loaves of rustic garlic and onion potato bread made with Barn Hammer Grandpa’s Sweater Oatmeal Stout emerge from the bakery ovens.
“The stout adds flavour, texture and colour,” said Sleepy Owl’s Joanne Toupin, who owns the bakery with her husband, Beau Burton. The yeast in beer also helps the dough rise, one of the scientific – and some would say magical – qualities of a sourdough starter.
Sourdough starters are a bacteria culture made from combining flour and water. The mixture becomes a home for wild yeast enzymes from bakers’ hands and even the air that surrounds it, said Toupin. The same starter taken from one place to another wouldn’t be the same within a few weeks, she said, so the starter used in the bakery and brewery are truly a product of their Wall Street environment.
The Kvass brewed by Barn Hammer had an apple cider aroma, and was a mild, clean, dry beer, said Sable Birch, whose co-owns the brewery and taproom with her husband, Tyler. Head Brewer Brian Westcott also noted a funkiness from the sourdough – that’s “a good funk,” said Birch.
When Tyler found the building that would become Barn Hammer, being so close to the bakery they loved was a “happy, crazy circumstance,” said Birch.
Both businesses share a commitment to community, from sourcing local ingredients to Barn Hammer’s monthly Barn Raising nights in support of local non-profit organizations.
“We were here for about a year before [Barn Hammer] opened, and it was pretty desolate,” said Toupin. “People were surprised to see a walk-in on a business strip. Now it’s common to see people walk in with their growlers and it’s awesome.”
