Cold Ones: ten craft beers that are brewed right here in the GTA
Cold Ones: ten craft beers that are brewed right here in the GTA
There are more than 30 breweries in the GTA making excellent small-batch beers, which means you can drink with civic pride all summer long. Here, the top 10 made-in-Toronto brews.
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- The Oakville brewery first made this beer as a one-off entry in the annual <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">IPA</a> challenge held at Bar Volo on Yonge Street. It finished second, and it was so popular the LCBO picked it up. A good dose of rye grain gives it a peppery backbone. $7. <em>LCBO 337337. </em>
- (Image: Carlo Mendoza)
- Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale
- Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale
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- The Yonge-and-Eg brewery makes this mildly bitter <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">cask-conditioned ale</a>, which is a nice change from the <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">hop-bombs</a> that are popular right now. At just 4.5 per cent, it’s easy drinking. $8. <em>245 Eglinton Ave. E., 416-322-0723.</em>
- (Image: Carlo Mendoza)
- Granite Brewery Best Bitter Special
- Granite Brewery Best Bitter Special
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- This IIPA hits you with 95 well-balanced <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">IBUs</a> (Molson Canadian has around 20), then tropical fruit aromas, grapefruit and pine flavours, and a final flourish of toffee-malt sweetness. $5.75. <em>124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586.</em>
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- Bellwoods Witchshark Imperial IPA
- Bellwoods Witchshark Imperial IPA
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- One of the world’s best Hefeweizens has been brewed right here in <br /> Toronto for the last 20 years. Bavarian-style yeast gives it classic flavours of banana, clove and vanilla. The 5.3 per cent <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">ABV</a> makes it <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">sessionable.</a> <em>$2.70. LCBO 132480.</em>
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- Denison’s Weissbier
- Denison’s Weissbier
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- The 25-year-old brewery in Etobicoke makes one of the finest IPAs in Canada. It’s made with citra, a Nevada-grown hop that creates huge aromas and juicy tropical flavours. $6. <em>30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd., 416-255-4510.</em>
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- Great Lakes Karma Citra IPA
- Great Lakes Karma Citra IPA
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- We can’t get enough of Bellwoods’ brews. This strong stout is made of nine malts, giving it chocolate and coffee aromas, and a medium hit of bitterness. And at 10 per cent ABV, one pint’ll do ya. $7.25. <em>124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586.</em>
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- Bellwoods Hellwoods Russian Imperial Stout
- Bellwoods Hellwoods Russian Imperial Stout
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- Ralph Morana’s one-barrel nano-brewery in the back of Bar Volo puts out some of the most intriguing beers in the city, like this finely balanced pale ale with a bitter orange bite. In true indie fashion, the bottles are unlabelled and served <br /> in bandanas. $10. <em>587 Yonge St., 416-928-0008.</em>
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- House Ales TuHop
- House Ales TuHop
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- This <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">imperial</a> stout is cellared for three months to develop flavours of coffee, chocolate and a whisper of smoke. Amsterdam is opening a new Queens Quay pub this month, so you can taste it on tap. $6. <em>245 Queens Quay W., <a href="http://amsterdambeer.com/" target="_blank">amsterdambeer.com</a></em>.
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- Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout
- Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout
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- The Junction brewpub added rye grain and Belgian yeast to this IPA for a beer that’s yeasty, fruity and spicy. It’s unusual enough for beer geeks yet easy drinking for novices. Take a <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">growler</a> to the cottage. $16. <em>2876 Dundas St. W., 416-760-9691.</em>
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- Indie Ale House Barnyard
- Indie Ale House Barnyard
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- Brewer Ken Woods of Black Oak in Etobicoke won gold at the 2011 Canadian Brewing Awards for the perfect balance of extreme bitterness (85 IBUs) and malt creaminess in this IIPA. The <a href=" http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/19/beer-101-pocket-beer-glossary/" target="_blank">mouthfeel</a> on the finish is oily. $6.50. <em>75 Horner Ave., 416-252-2739.</em>
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- Black Oak 10 Bitter Years Imperial IPA
- Black Oak 10 Bitter Years Imperial IPA
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Not very helpful – this article included two beers from Bellwoods, while ignoring a multitude of other great breweries. As well, it features two imperial stouts, which are not what most people want to be drinking this time of year. A bunch of excellent local (and season-appropriate) beers can be found at the LCBO from: Hogtown, Steam Whistle, Mill Street, Kensington, Junction, County Durham, Nickel Brook, Duggan’s, Cool and Double Trouble. I’m sure I’m missing a bunch. Go support your local brewer!
I heart Indy
Recently I tried a new craft beer called Maris Pale American Ale from a new brewery, Left Field Brewery. It was available only in draft. It was very good and I’m looking forward to the time when they are selling it and the other two labels in bottles and cans. Website is leftfieldbrewery ca
While I completely agree that high-30s temps aren’t exactly when I want to be drinking an imperial stout, the list was meant to pull together ten of the “best” beers being brewed in the GTA right now…and season aside, I couldn’t not include Hellwoods and Tempest among them. All of the other beers are ones I would reach for in mid-July.
For more seasonal choices, including two saisons, two IPAs, a hoppy hefe, a sour red, and a geuze, you can check out my post here: http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/drinks-dish/2013/06/04/lcbo-summer-beers/
As for the breweries…I debated only including one beer from Bellwoods, but decided on both partly because of how highly I think of them and partly because of how great the brewery has been for the city’s beer scene as a whole. There are so many other GTA beers that could have been mentioned but, alas, the list was limited to ten. The fact that you’ve listed ten more breweries just speaks to how lucky we are to have so much choice!