As the gents of the Sip Syndicate gathered for some beers while our ladies pampered themselves with massages (hey, we have our own way of relaxing), we discovered that Faculty Brewing had finally opened their doors to the public. That meant an addition to the itinerary.

Once there, the Sip Advisor tried their two beers on tap, which included the 710 Oaked Stout. The Sip Advisor loves his smoky beers and this was a good serving, thanks to the oak, which provided flavours of vanilla and roasted coffee. The beer comes with stats of 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, so everything was in the right ranges for me.

Founded by a husband and wife team, each beer comes with a class number, borrowing from the head brewer’s experience as a professor. One member of the Syndicate thought that was the price of the beer, but thankfully, I was in the know and was able to explain. I find it neat that Faculty is sharing their complete recipes and processes for each beer, as they hope to educate and inform beer drinkers of all levels.

While the brewery only had two selections available, I look forward to more from Faculty in the future. Their 241 Minzeweizen (a hef brewed with peppermint tea) has me particularly intrigued, as I’ve never tried a brew like that.

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