Hey all, Can someone care to catch me up with Bellwoods? I've been off the forums for quite some time, but as I returned I see a lot of their beers in the Top 50 of Canada. Their artwork and beer names are nice, they are in Toronto which is close, yet I've seen nothing in the LCBO. Are they only selling via their brewery? Next time I'm in town, I'll have to try it out.
Haven't tasted anything by them yet, but I consistently hear good things about them and each of their releases. To my knowledge, their beer is only available at their brewery bottle shop (http://bellwoodsbrewery.com/product-category/bottleshop/)
They have a limited bottle distribution. Mostly in Toronto and some spots within an hour or so of Toronto. They are not in the LCBO. Right now they are relatively small production, but they bought some room to expand just north of their current retail and bar space. I just drove 2.5hrs round trip this afternoon to catch thier Hellwoods and the Take out your dead. Thier beer has always been close to stellar. Not always fantastic, but they aren't afraid to play. IMHO thier Hellwoods is thier best brew. Grizzly bear is a solid go to and the Wizard Wolf is my go to session.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in the city. They do a great job on a variety of styles. They take interesting chances that seem to pay off. i have yet to meet someone who likes beer and does not like what Bellwoods offers. Two other things about Bellwoods that keep them at the top of my list of local breweries, aside from the beer itself. 1. They are fantastic at letting the public know what is available when. Every day they update their web-site with bottle shop availability, and tweet out when a limited release sells out. I wish every brewery did this in such a simple and easy to access way. 2. They bottle in 500ml bottles. As someone who tends to often drink a bottle on my own (wife tends to prefer wine most nights), and also tends to like variety when drinking more than one bottle in a sitting, the 500ml bottle is perfect. I am getting more and more turned off of big beers in 750ml bottles. I just can't always do drink one of those on my own.
Great brewpub, it's definitely worth visiting if you're in Toronto. I think they're hoping to open a second location downtown but there are some problems. They're always making new and interesting beers, but have a few permanent ones that are usually on tap (I wish they'd bring back bimini twist). Plus after having a good beer the food is a great follow up (I like the fries).
Of the 13 I've had I've rated 10 of them 4 or higher, one of the best breweries Canada has going at the moment IMO.
One of the Bar Towel folks probably could answer this better, but I heard it was a production brewery they were working on.
FYI. According to the site blog, Grandma's Boy 2014 is to be released Wednesday morning at 11 AM. ~1700 bottles.
The line-up for the release of Grandma's Boy was a little lighter than BOYD and Skeleton Key. Limit of 6 bottles this time. I'm guessing the weather and a mid-week release mean this one may last a couple more days the the others, even though fewer bottles were capped.
