Opening up in late 2015, this small bar is the addition to Unfiltered Brewing's North Street…read morefacilities where they brew some of the city's hoppiest batches of beer.
I popped in early one evening while in the neighbourhood getting a haircut. It was fairly quiet, with just a few people at the bar. The minimalist shelving is offset with a draft system covered in the stickers of breweries and general randomness, and a hand written "F*** Trump" sign (minus the censorship) sits amongst the curvaceous beer glasses. A few tables and booths flesh out the small space, which has a wide open view of North Street, for better or for worse.
The sign is well in step with their MO of being unfiltered, a term they apply to their beer and marketing. I'm fine with off colour, I've thrived on it most of my life, but here it seems forced and painfully juvenile when used ad nauseum in a business' tweets and marketing materials. There's much to be said for timing.
That said, I was keen on seeing the space for myself and trying out their food and more of their beer. I had forgotten that they have a limited menu, and much of it brought in from outside due to the lack of a kitchen. A small convection oven and slow cooked on the counter above a couple small fridges was the totality of their food prep area, and the lone bartender seemed to be doing double duty putting food orders together. The menu is mostly very cheap, snacks items, many under $3, that would be good for one person to munch on while imbibing one of Unfiltered's hoppy wonders - olives, chips (bagged, and hop-seasoned kettle chips), and non-processed string cheese fall into this category. For slightly heartier fare there was a beef dip sandwich and steak and cheese pie, and a couple vegetarian friendly dishes that didn't hold my gaze too long.
I ordered a pint of Hops and Dreams, and a steak and cheese pie, which was supplied by North Mountain. While it re-heated in the oven, I sipped on my beer and stuck my face in my phone, occasionally chipping in with the friendly conversations flowing at the bar. The beer was well balanced with fruity tones and a smoother finish than many of its hopped-up brethren. At a hearty 8%, it packed twice the punch of a Coors Light, but with exponentially more flavour.
The pie soon arrived, and served as a teaser for a place that's also on my list of places to try out. It was tasty and filling, although fully reviewing another business's reheated food seems odd, so I won't get into it. I'm sure Unfiltered's owners are eagerly awaiting the day when the Jessy's pizza next door folds so that they can have a full kitchen and additional seating. Paired up with the coming Portuguese chicken joint in the former Robin's space two doors down, this unassuming strip mall could be quite the food and drink destination. And there's even some parking for you suburb schmucks.
Needing a bit more to eat, I ordered the hop-seasoned kettle chips and the string cheese, which I was informed was definitely not the flaccid processed tubes that are stuffed in kids' lunches, but rather a salty, Greek-ish cheese.
Again, while these are cheap, if you're hungry and looking to share, you're going to need multiple orders. Luckily, I was sadly alone, so the portioning was fine. The kettle chips were crunchy and flecked with bits of green hops, which added a slight earthy herbiness for a unique taste, although I actually would have preferred a heavier hand with this unique seasoning. The bowl of cheese was equally perfect for snacking on while having a pint, with the salty threads of cheese begging to picked at.
Service was unassuming, friendly and informative.
Without a dedicated kitchen, it's hard for Charm School to be anything more than a pit stop rather than a destination for a full night out, but I look forward to what those surly f***s have in store for the future.
