Greetings, Canadian BAs. My name is Chris and I just relocated to Toronto from Cleveland to start a new job. So far I'm in on a trial basis but in a month's time I may be here for good. I've been exploring the Ontario beer scene on my own so far but yesterday I was thinking "This would be a lot more fun with other people" so here I am. I never posted much on BA in the past but I look forward to joining in on the discussion here, meeting some new people and drinking some good beer. Cheers!
Welcome. What area of Toronto are you in? The craft beer scene here is not nearly as advanced as Cleveland's but it is getting better by the day. We actually have our own Great Lakes Brewery too! If you live downtown, your best bet will be beer bars - Volo, Beer Bistro, C'est What?, Bellwoods (brewery/beer bar) and Smokeless Joes are all good spots. As far as bottle shops go, out beer and liquor is all government controlled here. There is The Beer Store but selection (in terms of craft) isn't great and you have to buy in 6/12/24 packs. The LCBO is where you buy liquor and wine and it also has the best craft beer selection. Lots sold individually too so you can try new things. There is a web site (www.lcbo.ca) so you can find the closest store to you. There is also on line inventory but if you don't know what you are looking for, that won't be too helpful to you yet. I am not sure which styles you like, but in terms of the LCBO, look for Flying Monkeys, Great Lakes, Amsterdam, Grand River, Beau's and Black Oak. I can be more specific is you mention which styles you prefer. But one thing about the Ontario beer scene is that there are some styles that are VERY difficult to find (imperial stouts, Belgian Ales, barley wines) but can be found in seasonal releases at the LCBO. Cheers.
Thanks a lot for the info, man. I'm in North York, not too close to the interesting spots, but I live within walking distance of Finch Station so Volo and Beer Bistro are dangerously easy to get to. Those are the only two places I've checked out so far and I can say that if I had the money I would be raiding Beer Bistro's cellar list every chance I got. In two visits Volo has yet to disappoint either and I'm pretty sure I'll never go wrong with one of their House ales. I'm learning more and more about the LCBO thanks in large part to The Bar Towel keeping a watchful eye on their release schedule. I can't say I think I'll ever use the Beer Store, though. Thus far I've just been doing my research, figuring out what to try and how to find it. It seems there's plenty of high quality product in the area, you just need to know where to look for it. As far as my styles of choice, I'm a huge fan of big beers a la imperial stouts, barleywines, DIPAs, etc.. and you'er right, those definitely appear to be in short supply, so I am turning my attention more toward the local IPAs, pale ales, belgians (particularly anything coming in from QC) and whatever else looks good. I was very pleasantly surprised by Boneshaker last night and I fully intend to run through that list of your's, particularly Flying Monkeys and Beau's. I've read quite a bit about Smash Bomb. Beyond that, I'm looking forward to several upcoming events in and around the city like Session 99. More immediately my girlfriend and I plan to attend the Le Trou du Diable tasting at Wvrst next weekend. If anyone else may be there feel free to say hello. I'll be the tall, awkward fellow looking like Jesus.
It sure sounds like you have done your research! If I was on the subway line I would buy you a pint downtown, but I am stuck in suburbia. Not much around here but the bottles in my fridge. That said, like many Toronto area BAs, I make regular trips to Buffalo and Michigan to stock up on great US craft beer, so I have no shortage of beer in my fridge. I'm like you - I prefer the "big" beers and those can be few and far between at the LCBO. The biggest area of improvement in Ontario over the past year has been the IPAs. Hopefully the other styles start to show up with more regularity soon.
Believe me, I'll be stocking up whenever I go down to Ohio and visit my family plus, if my job doesn't fall through, I'll have to ferry up everything I have stashed for aging back in Ohio. When I came up here two months ago I brought a mixed case from the US to keep myself busy. All gone now, so it's time to start sampling more of the local fare and I think that will go pretty well. It's a very different market up here so the focus is going to be on different styles from what may be popular in the states, but from what I can tell there are a lot of brewers up here with their heads in the right place. I think they'll keep the scene moving forward and that's a good thing.
Camerons in Oakville have some pretty good offerings as well. They run a cask night at the end of the month and more info. can be found here as well as sign up for their newsletter: www.cameronsbrewing.com Also welcome to our area, things will be different but sometimes a change is good. Just think of it as being on the ground floor when things take off.
As soon as your job becomes permanent, you might want to slowly bring your cellar from Ohio to Toronto. I am not sure how the customs people will treat you if you try to bring cases of beer across the border. I know that typically they let American citizens bring one case of beer in to Canada (per trip) duty free Depending on how much you have you might want to split it up or get your family to bring some when they come to visit you in Toronto.
7Duffs gave you good suggestions. not sure why people still recommend Smokeless Joe's. Its not easily TTC accessible and its tap list never wowwed me. my top 2 tap bars are Volo with The Only Cafe being #2. and its right on the subway line, albeit its a 45 min communte for you. and i don't like how the bar side of The Only smells like homeless old man, but you can drink outside or at the coffee shop side. my wife and I will be at WRST next week. look for a girl with white blonde hair and very fair skin. then look for a guy that has black hair and dark skin. i'm the dude. i'll let you buy us a round or 2. oh, and if you had a car, which you don't, but visiting Great Lakes once in a while is a good thing. they have one-off beer in their fridge and it varies. yesterday, they had some barrel-aged anniversary porter.
Smokeless Joes has good mussels and oysters, and some other interesting food items that set it apart from your typical beer bar. The tap list is never as good or as variable as, say, Volo or the Only, but there's always something worth drinking, as well as a new cask every Sunday. And it's a nice place to hang out, since it's never as loud or busy as Volo can get sometimes. I will also likely be at the Trou du Diable event, probably right at the start. So I'll try to remember to say hello to you folks. Also, if you're planning to go to Volo, you're more likely to get a table if you show up before 5 or after 10. It's usually pretty nuts from 5-10.
I think barVolo, The Only Cafe, and perhaps even beerbistro have better draught lineups, but I find that Smokeless is one of the few T.O. beer bars where truly great service and conversation can be had. The barkeep and patrons are always up for a chat, the tap list is very good (Mad Tom, Black Katt, Spearhead, La Trappe Tripel), and the mussels are fantastic. If I'm out for a few pints by myself, Smokeless is usually my first choice.
Smokeless Joes is quiet enough and has enough seats at the bar to be good for that. Volo and the other bars you mentioned just aren't set up for that. Too busy, no seats at the bar, etc.
I will agree that Volo is kind of a bust if there aren't any available tables and rather uncomfortable for grabbing a quick pint on one's own but every time I see one of their nanos on tap I'm seriously tempted to go. I make a point of trying at least one whenever I'm there. Though, for trying more widely available locals perhaps I should take a look at smokeless joe.
That's the one downfall with Volo. They have outgrown their current location and need something bigger. That's the only complaint though (although some like to complain about slow service there, I don't).
It really is a shame. Beyond that one gripe I really like the space they have. It's cozy. It has character. If they move to a location with more room I would hope they could bring some of that with them.
I highly doubt they will be moving anytime soon. Just try not to go at peak times, like Fridays or Saturdays in the evening. Go early or go late.
