Toronto Beer Tour

Now a few days after being in Vancouver I found myself in Toronto where I had mapped out a beer tour to go on with my cousins. After reasearch I had settled on:

Beer Academy
Beer Bistro
Steamwhistle Brewery
Amsterdam Brewhouse
Bar Hop
WVRST
Bellwoods Brewery
Bar Volo

This is doable in a day but after getting some more advice and missing Bar Hop in our drunken ramble it wound up being:

LCBO Yonge & Summerhill (their flagship store)
Beer Academy
Beer Bistro
Steamwhitsle Brewery
Amsterdam Brewhouse
WVRST
Bellwoods Brewery
Bar Volo

So one beer store, 4 breweries/brewpubs and 3 bars/restaurants. Here's a google map of my beer tour:



View Larger Map

 Again it is a totally doable in a long day of drinking and touring. From the LCBO to Beer Academy we took the subway and then walked but from Bellwoods to bar Volo we took a bus and then walked.

the start of my tour Summerhill station

LCBO Yonge & Summerhill

This is the LCBO's (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) flagship store for the Toronto area and so get's the widest selection of beer and all the rarities but it also gets the most customers so may sell out faster than less popular branches. Conveniently located by the Summerhill subway stop it is easy to visit.

It is a large brightly lit space with quite an extensive beer selection. Most of the beer is in the front section on the left but some can be found scattered higgledy-piggledy all over the place. 

The staff were fairly curt and disinterested, when I asked if they had Central City Red Racer the guy was like no but didn’t make much of an effort to check. It's a nice looking outlet but while the selection is nice the service was just too hit and miss. Prices were decent value in my opinion but then again I live in Japan land of sky high taxes on beer.

After leaving the LCBO, we hopped back on the subway and went down to Dundas Station so I could check out the BMV bookstore.

A short walk down Yonge St. soaking up the sights of downtown Toronto brought us to our next destination.

Beer Academy

The Beer Academy is owned by the macrobrewer Molson and in their on-site bottle shop you can find their "crafty" brews Creemore Springs and Granville Island as well as beers made at the brewpub. The shop also has some nice glassware, t-shirts & associated swag. Plus they carry the Canadian beer magazine TAPS which was a nice surprise. 

When I went something was brewing and the smell of a brewhouse permeated the bar. It's a nice looking brewpub in the heart of downtown with friendly staff who know their beers plus well-priced tasters that make it a good place to pop in for some ticks. As they have deep pockets the decor is great with all kinds of beer quotes along the walls and the tasters come with little glossy info cards with tons of information about what you are drinking. Unfortunately, when I went the beers were just so so though which means you can skip it if you don't have that much time.

the tasting set

the brewhouse

Norm!

beerbistro

Located more or less around the corner from the generic Beer Academy is the classy beerbistro which is a favorite of downtown business men. I was expecting a larger place but in actually the floor space is quite small but the high vaulted ceilings make it seem much bigger. 

The interior is quite posh, with the bar area being quite large and the smaller restaurant being a separate quarter circle. I didn't have time to eat but the food is supposed to be quite good.

It's location in the heart of downtown make it an easy stop for anyone visiting Toronto and the attractive interior makes it a nice place to splurge for a meal with your significant other. The friendly informed staff and an extensive tap/bottle list will keep you both happy. A nice place where I’d love to go back to try the food and have a few more tasting sets.

our tasters!

bar area

terrace

Back on the road with a walk to Steamwhistle Brewery taking us right past the base of the famous CN Tower. We then glimpsed the brewery over a green hill...

there it is I've spotted the brewery!

Steamwhistle Brewery

Located amid some kind of park containing historic train memorabilia the area is perfect for densha otakus (train geeks) visiting from Japan. This is due to the fact the brewery is located in the historic  John St. Roundhouse which was a Canadian Pacific Rail steam locomotive repair facility built in 1929!

In Toronto, Steamwhistle is famous for their tours of the brewery and that they are happy to offer small samples of their Steamwhistle Pilsner. The brewery is also the only place (barring some festivals) where you can try the superior unfiltered version. 

Their slogan is "Do one thing really, really well" and so they focus on just brewing one style of beer. The taproom is spacious with high ceilings and a party fun vibe. A great stop if you are sightseeing nearby. Bonus: I was finally able to pick up a bar mat, even better it is in electric green rather than boring black!

I now have one of these in my home in Japan - 10$!

It has an exceptionally popular taproom, especially on days when the Blue Jays play. In Toronto it is almost a tradition to see a ballgame then hit the Steamwhistle Brewery. Having visited I can see why. What could be better than a cold refreshing crisp easy drinking pils on a hot day?

the bar

the brewery

 

the gift shop

Amsterdam Brewhouse

Amsterdam Brewhouse is a brewpub located in a cavernous hangar right on the waterfront, a beautiful location. It is probably the biggest beer place I've been to in Canada, with seating for 500 people plus-possibly up to 1000? Seriously this place is huge.

the 2nd floor

the big screens inside give it a sports bar feel

We sat at the outdoor terrace to enjoy the sunny summer weather. The atmosphere inside is a bit sterile - think sports bar and the staff were kind of standoffish. This is more of Cage aux Sports type bar than a beer geek spot with prices for food high for the portion size/price though it tasted alright. 

The beers were decently priced though fairly average with nothing wowing or disappointing me here. They had a selection of tasting sets, I grabbed the hoppy set.

It's a short walk from Steamwhistle so an easy 1-2 punch when visiting Toronto.

bottle shop

It also has a small bottle shop where you can pick up their beers + merchandise.

WVRST

This place is famous for their wide variety of sausages more than the beer. Located on the 2nd floor of a building on King St. W. was this huge concrete beer hall with long wooden tables, a sausage deli counter in the back and a long bar along one wall. 

While not exactly a craft bar they have a solid tap list and had a set 6 beer tasting set for 12$, I also grabbed a danger dog curry wurst which was pretty good. I really loved the red tiled wall with WVRST written on it in the style of the Toronto subway stations. Very Stylish.

One negative - in my taster all the beers were in the wrong slots, I figured it out but it lowers the service mark and for beer newbies would be confusing - kind of unprofessional. The music was quite loud too, focusing on being hip rather than the beer/food. Prices are a bit high but it is fun & a good place for sausages. 

the tasting set in a funky metal milk bottle tray

Bellwoods Brewery

By this point we had lost track of time and realized we had to hurry to make it to Bellwoods before their bottle shop closed. So a quick walk brought us to what became my favorite brewery in Toronto and easily one of the best in Canada. 

They were really busy on Thursday night and we had to wait to get seats on the great outdoor terrace. The friendly staff at both the bar and bottle shop helped guide my choices and all the beers tasted great. 

tasters!

Their tasters were 3$ a pop and their bottles to go were priced at just 5-6$ including tax. 

bottle shop

The interior featured a nice stripped down aesthetic and you could pass by the brewery in the back on the way to the restrooms. I will be back.

barVolo

The last stop of my Toronto beer tour, we got here at about 1am on a Thursday night and it wasn’t so busy. Smaller than most places I went in town but with a nice large outdoor terrace. The interior is dark wood with a huge chalkboard with the best tap list in town. They had a wicked taplist with tons of saisons on tap which was a style underrepresented at other places I went to in Toronto. Two different tasting sizes at good prices had me ordering a bunch of stuff. Friendly staff who put up with us in our drunken state while still willing to be informative with their expert knowledge. It is truly a world class place.

great tap list!