Great Lakes
Reading The Sign
Man, writing attention grabbing openings for these is getting harder! I'm raising funds to have my head shaved in support of St. Baldrick's next Wednesday. You can read all the details here. If you're already in the …
Thrust, an IPA — Great Lakes Brewery
There are many excellent brewers in Toronto, but most would agree Mike Lackey at Great Lakes has a dab hand with the hops. Uncanny, you might say. He's more than capable when it comes to barrels and sours and weird …
Great Lakes Etobichoker vs Indie Alehouse Instigator IPA
Okay, I'm the first to admit it: today's match-up is a totally uneven bout. Indie Alehouse's awesome Instigator IPA is a rock-solid American-style IPA, and a constant crowd-pleaser at the brewpub. Etobichoker is a new …
Great Lakes Lake Effect vs Bellwoods Cat Lady
So here starts the head-to-head battles between beers. Before I address the two contenders, let me make something clear: The four breweries involved are absolutely top brewers in Toronto. None of these matches are likely …
Miami Weiss — Great Lakes Brewery, 2013
The nature of the growth of the brewing scene, means that new styles are created, and variations on styles become their own. This is why we now have pales ales, and American pale ales. Brewers play with things, blend …
Lawnmower Arm Saison — Great Lakes Brewery
I think I had Lawnmower Arm Saison before. I'm not really sure, but it sounded familiar. But when I was at the Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke this week, and I saw it, as a barrel-aged, on sour cherries, incarnation, I …
Saison de la Canneberg — Great Lakes Brewery x Cassel Brewing
I love this. Here is what I know about this beer: Nothing. I haven't even texted Lackey for any insight. I'm pretty sure Saison de la Canneberg translates to "Cranberry Saison", but that's all I've got. I know Great …
Orange Peel Ale — Great Lakes Brewery
One of my earliest craft-beer memories from my journey into better beer, was seeing a tap handle that was an orange. I don't know why I was so enamoured by it, but I was. It was, of course, the tap handle for Great Lakes …
Maverick and Gose
It's official: the LCBO will see it's first collaborative-brew from Ontario brewers (having had Brooklyn/Schneider's Hopfenweisse), with the release of Amsterdam/Great Lakes Maverick and Gose. What's extra crazy, is it's …
25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout — Great Lakes Brewery
I like celebrating my birthday for like, at least a week. Between dinners with family, drinks with friends, drinking crazy and rare bottles of beer, and indulging myself, I find I need at least 5 days, though 9 is …
Snowy Friday
Yes, it's true, here in Toronto, it's snowing like we're in Canada or something. Shut the place down! The good news is, we still have beer. And in case you don't — despite predictions to the contrary — the world is not …
Monday Wrap-up, November 12th 2012, Great Lakes and The Only Cafe
The silicone chip inside her head/ gets flipped to overload. Hey, how was your weekend? Mine was great thanks. Pretty full, but we'll deal with that in a moment. I know it seems strange, given that November is normally a …
No Pants With Miranda — Great Lakes Brewery
After reviewing Great Lakes Brewery's excellent 25th Anniversary Belgian Saison, which included lots of references to their No Chance With Miranda Saison, I thought it was the right time to dig into my pile of beers …
Friday Beer Break on Edge 102.1 — August 17, 2012
So Fred was back from holiday, but off next Friday at Fan Expo, so we decided to not do the Beer Pageant today. Instead, we hung up, drank Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Belgian Saison, and cured my grumpy pants. Watch …
25th Anniversary Belgian Saison — Great Lakes Brewery
Many of you will already know that Great Lakes Brewery is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. If you didn't, Great Lakes Brewery is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. Now we all know. With that in …
Green Tea Ale — Great Lakes Brewery
Sometimes you have to revisit things; you don't always "get it" on the first time around, you know? And sometimes, things change, and deserve another go. I'm not sure which of those factors might play into today's review …
Pan-Ontario Whiskey Barrel Aged — Beau's, Flying Monkeys, Grand River, Great Lakes and Wellington
Phew, long enough title? So Pan-Ontario is actually a bottle from OCB Week, and I beer I drank at Session, but I got a bottle of it last time I was by Great Lakes. A blended beer organized and aged by Beau's, to …
Farmhouse Ale - Amsterdam Brewing Co & Great Lakes Brewery
As anybody involved knows, the spirit within any city's craft beer scene is at least friendly, if not downright sexual. In addition to the stories of one brewer giving another a leg-up, the brewery staff have a tendency …
OCB Week - Monday June 18th 2012
Good morning beer fans. It is indeed OCB Week, and we've already had more than a few excellent events over the weekend. I couldn't walk the dogs without having them go haywire because of the smell coming from the Beach …
No Chance With Miranda Saison - Great Lakes Brewing
So this is one of those beers. You can't really buy it. Except when you can. But not just anywhere. In fact, almost nowhere. Let me clarify: When you can buy it, generally it's available in bottles at the brewery (Royal …