Hi all - haven’t seen a recent Toronto point so … will be in Toronto with the family for 3 days to catch a Jays game and do all the touristy things in that neck of the woods. We are staying in that general area (with a car that’s we’d probably prefer to just leave parked but may use). Any suggestions for breweries, beer/food that is family friendly? It’s been since pre-Covid that I’ve been. Will be back about a month later for work so I can hit other stuff then.
I’m assuming you were here this past weekend. Sorry I missed this until now. But, for your next trip… There really aren’t any good breweries right around the Rogers Centre. Great beer bars like Bar Hop and C’est What aren’t too far away though. https://www.barhopbar.com/ https://cestwhat.com/ when you are back and can move around a bit better, my favourite Toronto breweries are: Godspeed (excellent lagers and Japanese inspired food) https://godspeedbrewery.com/ Bellwoods (good at all styles. Rand new expanded space at Ossington with I’m assuming still great food) https://bellwoodsbrewery.com/ Blood Brothers (good variety. Good food when I’ve eaten). https://www.bloodbrothersbrewing.com/ Burdock. (Excellent wine/beer hybrids and small beers. Good food, nice spot). https://burdockbrewery.com/ Other breweries to consider: Left Field, Bandit, Rohrshach, Indie Alehouse. I’d also recommend Birreria Volo or Bar Volo. They are the best beer bars in the city: https://birreriavolo.com/ Also, if you find yourself with an unwanted case of Nebco, Fox Farm, Beer’d in your car when you are up again, I’m more than happy to make space in my fridge for it.
If you are driving in from Connecticut via Niagara Falls I would recommend a brief pit stop at Clifford Brewing in Hamilton when you come back for work as it's not far off the highway and they have some great Porters. Sadly not much more I could recommend as my stints in Toronto are usually just to go in and back from BMO Field and hitting up the Rhino Bar post game out of necessity which is quite far from the Rogers Centre.
This isn’t a bad recent article on the beer scene in Toronto: https://www.ft.com/content/be80d47e-0495-46f4-b519-c99d1feb8b7e
Are there many Toronto breweries that will have barrel aged stouts on draft? I’m guessing bellwoods, collective arts, maybe blood brothers? Any others?
You rarely find more than one at most unless there is an event of some sort. Bellwoods as you say. Perhaps Blood Brothers. Depending on when you come, Amsterdam may have Double Tempest. If you have a rough date in mind I might be able to ask around. If you are willing to drive a bit, Third Moon in Milton would likely have something on tap. If you like BA pastry stouts, they are about as good as they come in these parts. Bar Hop and Birreria Volo will sometimes have one if you want to go to a good beer bar.
. I had a peak at few other spots and I’m not seeing much of anything. Godspeed, Left Field, Indie, Bandit, Halo, Rainhard. Do t seem to have anything at the moment.
Getting this going again, any additions to the above recommendations? Bonus question: best place for ales on cask?
My favourite spots: Godspeed for world class lagers. Bellwoods is good for a broad assortment of styles all done well. Burdock for their beer/wine hybrids if you like that kind of thing. Other breweries with good quality beer: Left Field, Rohrshach, Great Lakes. Good beer bars: Bar Volo, Birreria Volo, Bar Hop. If you are thinking of any other spots, let me know and I can give you some thoughts. There really aren’t any terrible breweries here anymore. The new place I’d suggest if you will be nearby is True History Brewing, if you like lagers. They opened earlier this year and I finally made it over. I really liked what I had. For cask, I’d say either Granite Brewery which is a little uptown, or C’est What? Granite always has 2-3 of their beers in cask. Usually a bitter, English pale ale and then one other. Looks like their American IPA at the moment. The Granite is an elder statesman among Ontario breweries and their beer harkens back to the styles and tastes of craft beer in the 90s. The original brewer studied with Peter Austin and Alan Pugsley. His daughter took over the brewery a number of years ago. It’s a Ringwood system. I really like them. https://granitebrewery.ca/beer/ C’est What recently bought County Durham Brewing who had been making their house beers for years. Again, an old stalwart of the craft beer scene. They always have 3-4 in cask. It looks like they have one of their own on (bitter), one from Granite (IPA) and a Porter. https://cestwhat.com/beer If you are driving up from the US, I can suggest a couple good spots on your drive in, especially if you are looking for top shelf NEIPAs. Cheers and enjoy your trip.
I wanted to add, if you end up at one of the beer bars, or find yourself in one of the few decent bottle shops, and see anything from Barncat Artisan Ales, don’t hesitate to try, especially if there is a big stout or Barleywine. They are the best brewery in Ontario for both (and for hazy IPAs in my opinion) but are sadly closing the brewery very soon (they just released a beer called ‘The Last IPA….’) You can find their stuff at 4th and 7 bottle shop. It isn’t cheap, but worth it (plus, with the exchange, it isn’t too bad for US visitors). https://4thand7.com/search?q=barncat&options[prefix]=last If you have an affinity for Barleywine, make sure you stop in to get a bottle of this gem of a BBA English barleywine: Also, Seven is an amazing blended BA Barleywine/BA stout that has a UT rating if 4.5 which is unheard of for Canadian beer. Both still available at 4th and 7. Cheers.
If they are still around when we are visiting in the fall I will give them a try. ALWAYS down for a barleywine
Figured I could just add onto this thread: I am going to Toronto (Yorkville) in a couple days and I have fairly specific needs: - brewpub (must have food, preferably a kids menu) - on the yellow or green metro lines (<10 min walk to metro) - open for lunch on Thursday or Friday Nothing seems to obviously fit my criteria but maybe I’m missing something? Any help is appreciated
There are a couple places along the subway lines that might work for you. The Granite is about a 10 minute walk from Eglinton station. Classic brew-pub with a kids menu. They always have a couple of their beers in cask of that is your thing, and a great courtyard patio in the summer. They make some very good to my taste classic English styles. https://granitebrewery.ca/ Burdock is a few minutes walk from Dufferin station. They make some great beer/wine hybrids and several nice low ABV table beers. No kids menu, but a nice spot. https://burdockbrewery.com/?gclid=C...3-U4Lup9sqkA3J8L0FMLbjSalQUF4I6caAmYAEALw_wcB Most of the better spots in the city are a little further walk from a subway station. Bellwoods, Godspeed, Blood Brothers, Left Field. All worth a visit if you find yourself able to venture further afield. Cheers and enjoy the city!
