Anyone know where to get decent beer near Niagara Falls, ON? Seems like a bunch of garbage the last couple times I've been up, but I might just not have gone to the right places.
There are 2 new breweries that opened up in Niagara-on-the-lake, http://oasthousebrewers.ca/ http://www.silversmithbrewing.com/ email them, they are brand new so I`m not sure if they have bottle or growler offerings yet.
You could visit the Niagara College Teaching Brewery - located at the campus that is at the QEW and Glendale. I have never been but I plan to stop by there soon. Seems like they always have something interesting available for growler fills...
Oast House is good. I was there a few weeks ago and they had an American IPA called Barn Raiser by growler and a Farmhouse Saison by 24oz bottle. Both were worth buying but the saison was really nice.
Taps has some nice offerings although I have found that it's sometimes lacking. Oasthouse Saison was good but I found it slightly pricey...but it was definitely good. Merchant Ale House is fantastic. I've tried the Niagara College Teaching Brewery and it's good as well...a friend of mine will grab growlers for me occasionally when she is teaching at that campus.
Ditto on what a lot of people have said. I was down that way last summer (driving around family who wanted wine), so I tried out some beer in the area. Hit up Ousthouse (2017 Niagara Stone Road) and Silversmith (1523 Niagara Stone Road) if you're up as far as the St. Catharines/Niagara on the Lake/Virgil area. Silversmith black lager is awesome. I'd also check out the Garrison House (111C, Unit 2 Garrison Village Drive) if you're near, they have Niagara College Beers and other locals (Oust + Silversmith) on tap there + amazing food. Cannot recommend the Garrison House enough for their beer and amazing food. Niagara College Teaching Brewery (135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake) is a must. Their beers are hit-and-miss, but if they hit they are incredible. Good place to get growlers and talk beer with whoever (student) is working at the shop. They show off class experiments, so if you find one that works it's a great experience and story. You can try before you buy! I had a great time visiting there. If you're stuck in Niagara Falls proper, Taps (4680 Queen St, Niagara Falls) is the best option. They are a decent brewpub. Bottle shops don't exist, so they are the best source of local flavour you've got. Their "mild" won some awards recently, but it tasted really apple-y to me! Again, they offer Growlers, so if you need to bring something back with a story, you can try before you buy. As for anything available down there outside the region, I don't know what the LCBOs carry!
