With one Drake-sized exception, Toronto doesn’t exactly excel at self-promotion. It comes as no surprise, then, that Toronto’s young yet booming beer scene remains mostly off the radar. Modesty aside, a tough regulatory system has made it difficult to import international beers, which made quality brews hard to come by for many years. But rather than contenting themselves with suitcases stuffed with cans and bottles from trips abroad, the city’s beer obsessives started brewing their own.
The archaic liquor laws have stimulated a new drinking culture, says Tomas Morana, the owner of Birreria Volo, which boasts one of the best beer lists in the city. “We can make beer here that we like, and sell it in our own beer stores.”
Just like Toronto’s restaurants are a sampling of tastes from around the world, its craft beer scene is a reflection of brewing traditions from all over, from tart Flemish sours to juicy New England-style IPAs. Most of these producers have only been around since about 2012, which makes for an industry defined by innovation and experimentation. Out-of-towners might not recognize many names on a Toronto beer list. But that’s okay. For newbies, there are two ways to get a taste of what local brewers are up to: Embark on a west-to-east brewpub crawl, or grab a stool and sample from the tap list at one of the city’s best bars. Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t order a Labatt Blue.
The Brewpubs: Bellwoods Brewery
Bellwoods's flagship location on trendy Ossington Street and constantly changing lineup of left-of-center creations (not to mention wicked label art) inspired a cult following. The outdoor patio is the place to be on a pleasant day, and you can snack on pierogies, falafel, or even ceviche to go with your beer.
Order the: Jelly King, a dry-hopped sour brewed with seasonal fruit; or Witchshark, a hazy 9 percent IPA that is one of the brewery’s hallmarks.
Burdock
Toronto sits just about an hour away from Ontario wine country, and some of the most forward-thinking brewers are getting into the wine-beer hybrid game. Burdock is one of them, collaborating with Niagara winemaker Pearl Morissette to produce a series of small-batch brews that both oenophiles and beer geeks can rave about, as well as more traditional hop-heavy offerings.
Order the: BUMO, a (very) limited pinot noir-saison blend that’s as hard to find as it is to stop sipping; or one of the latest in the brewery’s aromatic American Pale Ale series.
Left Field Brewery
Few places rock more Toronto pride than this baseball-themed brewery hidden down a residential road. The taproom shows every Blue Jays game during the season. And during the offseason, the power-hitting lineup of brews named for America’s (and Canada’s, kinda) Pastime—there’s Friendly Confines, Squeeze Play, Eephus, and more—serve as a reminder that spring training is never that far away.
Order the: Sunlight Park grapefruit saison, a summery sipper named for the first baseball stadium in Toronto; or Laser Show, an impeccable, juicy-as-can-be rendition of a Vermont-style IPA.
Godspeed Brewery
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Luc “Bim” Lafontaine is one of Canada’s most recognized brewers from his time at Montreal’s Dieu du Ciel! brewery, and his foray into Toronto was a long time in the making. He’s brewing beers that sound simple, but have a lot happening under the hood. The thing nobody saw coming: He’s paired his east-end brewery with a straight-up Japanese comfort food concept from chef Ryusuke Yamanaka, serving snackable chicken karaage and pork katsu sandwiches that make for some of the city’s most inspired beer pairings.
Order the: Transatlantic Pale Ale, made with hops, water, yeast and grains from England, Canada, France and the U.S. or the OCHAME (Green Tea IPA), which combines fragrant grass & citrus aromas with a delicate green tea bitterness.
The craft beer haunts: Birreria Volo
With 26 taps—yep, one for each letter of the alphabet—and a deep cellar list, there’s plenty to enjoy here from Toronto and beyond. It’s one of the few places in town that regularly stocks sought-after beers from niche stateside producers like Other Half (Brooklyn), Stillwater (Baltimore), and Oxbow (Maine). And yet, owner Tomas Morana is increasingly filling his draught lines with stuff from the neighborhood, something he couldn’t have anticipated even a few years ago. “All of these breweries are within a 15-minute walk of my bar,” he says. Local draft beers are just $5 each every Tuesday, and most of the pours are served in classy wine flutes.
Wvrst
Don’t let the sausage-heavy motif fool you: this place on the buzzing King West strip is as much about the beer as the encased meats and duck-fat fries. Look for names like Rainhard, Halo, Blood Brothers, and Folly Brewing, and sample the depth of Toronto’s beer bench without leaving your barstool. It’s also a great place to taste Ontario’s homegrown cider.