Ides 58: Rollers Scotch Ale
It might be hard to imagine right now, but one of the larger gatherings in Toronto history took place 45 years ago, when Scottish sensations the Bay City Rollers came to town.
More than 65,000 young people, many decked out in tartan capri pants and scarves, jammed into Nathan Phillips Square to see the teen heartthrobs, who were riding high on their #1 hit single, “Saturday Night”. Heralded as the biggest group since The Beatles, the five lads from Edinburgh whipped the Toronto crowd into a frenzy with their radio-friendly brand of bubblegum. It could be argued that their free performance at City Hall marked the high point of their career which, by the time they released a follow-up LP later that year (with the song “Yesterday’s Hero” featuring live material recorded in Toronto) had already begun its precipitous decline.
In anticipation of more gatherings like this (minus the tartan pants, maybe), and to toast the flash-in-the-pan that was the Bay City Rollers, we offer this rich and malty Scotch “Wee Heavy,” aged on maple wood, that will have you feeling like any night is S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night!
