One day in Toronto

Hi all! Reviving an old thread here!
I'm coming to Toronto from Atlanta for work on 10/23-10/24, and am hoping to bring a few beers home with me. I might stop by the Bellwoods bottle shop to grab a couple bottles...I see they have Gotham and Jelly King available. Are there any other particular beers currently at the LCBO (or anywhere else) that you'd highly recommend I try and track down? I'd also be up for an IP trade if anyone is interested...would be happy to smuggle up a couple tasty Georgia beers (or anything else you guys can't get in distribution) for a couple bottles of good Canadian stuff.

 

Now that this has been revived (sort of), I need an opinion on breweries to visit over a couple days.
Bellwoods and Indie Ale House, plus Bar Hop are on the list.
Is Blood Brothers worth a go? How about Her Father's Cider Bar?

 

What's your goal for visiting? Brewery tour? Great pub atmosphere? Epic beers?

 

Don't need brewery tours - they blend together for the wife. Bellwoods has the atmosphere, so yeah, I guess something epic would be nice. Something I probably won't see again but was worth trying.

 

Birreria Volo might be a nice option in addition to Bar Hop. http://www.birreriavolo.com/

For breweries/ brewpubs, Folly: http://www.follybrewing.com/ , Left Field: http://www.leftfieldbrewery.ca/ , and maybe Halo: http://halobrewery.com/ might be good additions to Bellwoods and Indie. Definitely visit Bellwoods though.

 

Ok, ya Bellwoods is great. They have their own reserve bottles which are nice dip into the past and I'll second Birreria Volo. It's the newest and probably the most impressive selection or rarities and hard to get beers in Toronto specializing in lambics, sours and BA beers.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Volo looks interesting, and Folly, given we'll be primarily in Ossington/College area.

Thoughts on Blood Brothers? I've heard so little, is there a reason for that, or are they just off the beaten path?

 

Nothing wrong with Blood Brothers. I enjoy their beers. Especially their Paradise Lost series of sours. Only thing is they don't have a huge tasting room and their beer selection is highly variable. Right now there are only 4 beers to sample, 3 IPAs and a sour. Enjoy your visit.

 

Reporting back:
- Bellwoods is great, and the food makes it even more of a draw.
- Blood Brothers actually had 5 main taps going, plus 6 variations on Guilty Remnant on new taps. We had time to kill to make the hike, and I'd say it was worth it.
- Got half way through that huge list before tapping out. Perfect place to try some of everything.
- Folly was...fine.
- Popped into Amsterdam while waiting for our flight. Fracture was okay, but it feels like a glorified Applebees.

 

Correction: Got half way through the huge list at Bar Hop. That thing would take a couple more days

 

Thought I would leverage this thread. I will be in one night in early January (a Wednesday if that matters). I will be staying somewhere near First Canadian Place. Don't have my flight booked yet, but I'm guessing I won't be in downtown until around 8. Any of the above places better or worse in terms of. Chances are that I will not have eaten so looking for dinner / beer combo.

I'd love to check our Birreiria Volo but I am definitely not a sour guy so it seems like I should pass on that and look for something with a greater variety in the IPA/Stout realm.

Thanks!

 

Bar Hop has some pretty good food and drink combos which is close to where you'll be. If you want to adventure/cab, bellwoods will be good.

 

Fantastic sausages and duck fat fries go well with the extensive tap and bottle list at WVRST on King, which is walking distance for you.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the suggestions. My flight ended up being significantly delayed so I limited myself to Bar Hop due to proximity to the hotel where I was staying. Great little place with a large selection though all of the double IPAs were kicked (last Wednesday). Just found that odd, but I had no problem enjoying from the remaining taps. Atmosphere was great, food was fine. Thanks again!

 

In my past visits, I've always really enjoyed Barhop and Bellwoods, so they're must-visits this time around.

Is Birreria Volo the best bet to add to my stops? Any other breweries/bars I should make an effort to get to?

I've done WVRST once before and found it pretty meh...but that was several years ago and I'm sure it's changed.

 

Yes, definitely (to Volo). I'm there with my girlfriend probably once a week spending way more money than I should. So much good stuff, on tap and by the bottle.

As far as other breweries go, Rainhard is a good one to check out (tap room too, just chips for a snack if you're hungry) that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere above. It's kinda off the beaten path, so make sure to have a car or take an Uber there. Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke is worth a visit too and is easily accessible (right off the Gardiner Expressway).

 

Take the Airport express. it will take you to Kipling station. get a transfer from the driver.
From there, you can take an uber to Great Lakes and get some stuff from the source.
You can then take the subway downtown. As said above, not a zillion options as far as what's open during the day