{"id":5091,"date":"2024-07-26T01:31:17","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T01:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/?p=5091"},"modified":"2024-07-26T01:31:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T01:31:18","slug":"the-wooly-guelphs-front-porch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/2024\/07\/26\/the-wooly-guelphs-front-porch\/","title":{"rendered":"THE WOOLY: GUELPH\u2019S FRONT PORCH\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THE WOOLY: GUELPH\u2019S FRONT PORCH\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I\u2019ll grab another \u2018Purple\u2019,\u2019 I tell Kat when she moseys onto the covered front porch to check on us. \u2018Me too,\u2019 Cai pipes in, \u2018and we\u2019ll split an order of nachos.\u2019 Good call. \u2018With blackened chicken?\u2019, Kat asks \u2013 noting an omission to our regular order. \u2018You know us too well,\u2019 I laugh \u2013 nodding at the suggestion. Indeed she does. After all, we\u2019ve been posting up here \u2013 at The Wooly in downtown Guelph \u2013 since long before Kat came on board as General Manager of this fabled Royal City pub. And, at least in recent times, we\u2019ve been ordering pretty much the same items when we\u2019re here together: Willibald\u2019s \u2018Purple\u2019 seltzers (which The Wooly has on tap \u2013 a huge win for the seltzer set) and The Wooly\u2019s nachos (which are among the best in the region). Our go-to afternoon \u2018TOQUE meeting\u2019 necessities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once Kat heads back inside (after checking on the other folks also enjoying The Wooly\u2019s front porch) I lean back in my chair and soak in this June afternoon. From our perch \u2013 the large table at the very end of the portico \u2013 Cai and I have clear views out onto the busy intersection of Yarmouth, Suffolk, and Woolwich Streets. Perfect for people watching. Indeed, on any given afternoon this bit of downtown \u2013 framed by porch railings, pillars, and overhang \u2013 is a living tableau, a theatre of dog walkers, cyclists, and friendly meet-ups (many of which will end up here). On this particular afternoon a troupe of geese with their goslings parade across Woolwich St \u2013 stopping traffic along the way like they own the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the theatre isn\u2019t limited to the streets and sidewalks outside. Inside The Wooly you\u2019re sure to find a rogues\u2019 gallery of characters \u2013 either seated at the cozy bar (located in a small back room of the century-home-turned-pub), or in one of three dining rooms (each featuring an original fireplace mantle or a bay window), on the back patio (an expansive all-season veranda), or on the front porch \u2013 with us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Characters like acclaimed illustrator Jay Stephens, the creative genius behind The Wooly\u2019s spectacular event posters. Or Josh Gabriel, a local musician with an acclaimed history in the beer industry, who hosts a holiday revue at The Wooly each year. Or \u2018Steamwhistle Harry\u2019 Fallon, a brewery rep (for, you guessed it, Steamwhistle) who \u2013 when he\u2019s not visiting the Wooly in an official capacity \u2013 has been known to croon his way into people\u2019s hearts during The Wooly’s raucous live music nights. Or Mike Schreiner, Guelph\u2019s Green Member of Provincial Parliament who counts on The Wooly as a stronghold of green support. Because, in many ways, The Wooly has played a central role in the \u2018greening\u2019 of Guelph. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the pub\u2019s solar hot water generation to its waste diversion and menu engineering initiatives (that have seen individual diners\u2019 waste reduced from 1.3 to 0.7 pounds), from its role as heavy-lifting fundraiser for Grand River Conservation Foundation watershed projects (resulting in well over one hundred thousand dollars raised) to the environmental initiatives of The Wooly\u2019s parent company, The Neighbourhood Group (a certified B-Corporation that also owns Park Eatery, Miijidaa, and two Borealis locations), The Wooly continues to trailblaze sustainability in the restaurant industry. And its sustainability- forward mission extends to the pub\u2019s suppliers, deliberately chosen for their environmental stewardship efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Suppliers like YU Ranch, an industry leader in sustainable agriculture that supplies The Wooly with grassfed longhorn cattle for its fantastic \u2018Smokey BBQ Burger\u2019 (double smoked bacon, aged cheddar, bbq sauce, shredded lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle), its \u2018Beef Dip Sandwich\u2019 (house roast beef, swiss cheese, horseradish aioli, au jus, baguette), and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Vision Greens, a regenerative farm in Simcoe that supplies The Wooly with greens year round for its salads. And 3Gen Organics, an organic farm in Wallenstein that supplies the pub with pork. And Barrie\u2019s Asparagus Farm, whose tortilla chips are staples of the \u2018Whipped Feta Dip\u2019 (whipped feta & summer squash dip, sundried tomato & parsley pesto, naan), and the \u2018Nachos\u2019 (three cheese blend, bell peppers, roasted corn, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, pico de gallo \u2013 and sometimes blackened chicken). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speak of the devil \u2013 here they come. While Gordon Ramsey has been known to gauge the talents of a chef by their ability to make scrambled eggs, I have begun to assess the capacity of any pub by gauging the quality of its nachos. Too many toppings and things get soggy. Too little cheese and it\u2019s a total disaster. The Wooly\u2019s nachos are delightfully balanced and deliver fantastic taste without fail. Especially with the blackened chicken. (Chef\u2019s kiss.) And they pair perfectly with our pints of \u2018Purple\u2019 \u2013 which remind me of grape freezies from my childhood while offering pops of cool nostalgic refreshment on this hot June afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But, truth be told, it’s not seltzers but rather its selection of Ontario craft beers for which The Wooly is best known. After all, since the pub opened in 1990, it\u2019s been serving Ontario craft on tap \u2013 long before there was even a \u2018scene\u2019. And Ontario cask, too, from taps that were designed, built, and still maintained by legendary Ontario brewer Charles Maclean. Today The Wooly\u2019s extensive, rotating beer menus (listed on chalkboards throughout the place) feature about ninety percent Ontario beers: from Belwoods, Badlands, Godspeed, Cowbell, and Great Lakes, alongside local favourites like Wellington \u2013 which crafts a signature \u2018Harvest Lager\u2019 and \u2018Harvest Ale\u2019 for the pub. And we\u2019re here for these brews. And have been known to frequent The Wooly\u2019s tap-takeovers whenever they occur (which is, actually, quite often). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, though, it\u2019s all about the \u2018Purples\u2019. And the nachos. And this front oasis at The Wooly \u2013 a most entertaining perch. Guelph\u2019s front porch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE WOOLY PUB\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
176 WOOLWICH ST, GUELPH\u00a0<\/em>
thewoolypub.ca\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE WOOLY: GUELPH\u2019S FRONT PORCH\u00a0 WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN \u2018I\u2019ll grab another \u2018Purple\u2019,\u2019 I tell Kat when she moseys onto the covered front porch to check on us. \u2018Me too,\u2019 Cai pipes in, \u2018and we\u2019ll split an order of nachos.\u2019 Good call. \u2018With blackened chicken?\u2019, Kat asks \u2013 noting an omission to our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[93,2,53,94,7,141],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-community","category-food-drink","category-guelph","category-lifestyle","category-toque-24"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1DSC_3702-scaled.jpg?fit=1705%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KDF5-1k7","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5091"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5120,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5091\/revisions\/5120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}