Greetings, Going to be in Toronto for a day for business. Unfortunately, not going to have a chance to hit any breweries or craft bars, but would like to find a good bottle shop and get about 8 bottles of locales to take back to Chicago. So, two asks: 1) Good bottle shops near 4 Avenue Road (the Hyatt); 2) things I should look for (along the IPA and stout styles). Any recommendations are much appreciated.
Take a cab, go to bellwoods. Best local beers, and you can buy to take out. Otherwise, only the LCBO sells beer, and the selection is decent but bellwoods stuff is pretty much the best local beer you can get, and it's only available at the brewery.
If you really can't roam too far from the hotel, there is an LCBO underground at Bay and Bloor (short walk from you). You won't find anything earth shattering, but they are likely to have a decent selection as far LCBOs go. You can probably find Collective Arts Rhyme and Reason, Black Oak Ten Bitter Years, Amsterdam Boneshaker which are all pretty decent beers. Unfortunately, you find much from the Canadian BA top 50 at an LCBO... The liquor store situation in Ontario may be the worst on the continent. As Caudalie says though, a cab ride to the Bellwoods bottle shop would be better (assuming they have a few things available when you are in town; their selection changes every few days). Indie Ale House has limited bottles for sale but is also pretty good. Your best bet might be to try to set up a small IP trade with a local who can get you a much better sampling. When are you in town?
I can't speak too much of Toronto but the suggestion of an IP trade or visiting Bellwoods are definitely your best bet. As echoed by others the situation in Ontario isn't the greatest due to the LCBO. You can check the Bellwoods bottle shop and LCBO inventory online. Should you consider a trade @Coronaeus is a fantastic trader and I'm sure he will represent Canadian beers well!
If you want your IPA/APAs to have decent IBU and you want bottles/cans, at LCBO look for these Ontario craft brewery brands ... (and you can search the net via LCBO.com to do brand search) Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale Collective Arts Rhyme & Reason Nickel Brook HeadStock Black Oak 10 Bitter Years (heard good things about it, but not in any LCBOs near me). As for stouts at LCBOs ... Mill Street Cobblestone Stout (easiest to find, very Guinness-like) Wellington Imperial Russian Stout Neustadt 10W30 (not quite the body of a stout ... id'd as Malty Grain Premium Dark Ale ... decent dark ale) After work hours trip to Bellwoods though, is a good piece of advice ... look up on net for details and what's on tap. PS. Don't shop at our Brewers' Retail for what you are after ... cannot find it there.
Go to Bellwoods, and the LCBO either at Queen's Key or Summerhill for the best selections of local craft.
Thanks for all the information. Trying to get my travel times finalized this week and will do my best to align to allow me the chance to get to Bellwoods. Looking forward to getting to try some great new beers.
