Introducing: The Craft Brasserie, Liberty Village’s new 120-tap beer bar

Introducing: The Craft Brasserie, Liberty Village’s new 120-tap beer bar

(Image: Gabby Frank)

Name: The Craft Brasserie and Grille
Neighbourhood: Liberty Village
Contact: 107 Atlantic Ave., 416-535-2337, thecraftbrasserie.com, @thecraftliberty
Owners: Chris Pagonis and Dean Tzembelicos
Chef: Adrian Andaya

The Food: Salty, spicy and cheesy pub grub: sliders, sandwiches, decked-out fries and various handheld apps. There are some heartier mains as well (mushroom steak frites, cider-glazed pork chops), but for those who are just here for the beer, there’s a small snack menu (plantain chips, house-made pork rinds, guac with wonton crisps) to help soak up the suds.

The Drinks: Draught beer. Lots of it. The 120-beer-long list is divided into categories (refreshing and crushable; smooth; fruit and cider; roasted and rich; the big bold and bitter; complex and thirst-provoking) to help the uninformed and the indecisive. Matt Sieradzki, the bar’s own Prud’homme beer sommelier, put together the massive menu. Over 80 of the taps pour Ontario brews.

The Place: A cavernous space that can seat 296 pint-drinking people. The bar occupies the lower level of a 110-year-old building in Liberty Village, and any modifications made along the way were carefully monitored and approved by the city’s Heritage Preservation Services. Later this summer, the bar’s capacity will increase by 50 when a street-side patio is added.