Top-Pick
R-100 IPA — Muddy York Brewing Co.
Wow, I just looked, and I haven't done a full blog review since June. Did I mention I got a job? I'm not sure how real people manage it.... Regardless, I still get beers to review, and I still want to add content here, …
Ernest Cider — Faris Farms
Hey! It's Cider Week here in Ontario, and I'm stoked to have been passed a few cans of a new cider to try out. It's called Ernest Cider from Faris Farms, which is in Newmarket. The ingredients list apple juice (first), …
Anniversary No. 3 — Left Field Brewery
Sigh. Left Field. What can I say? Like watching a friend's child grow from cute quirky kindergartner into a mature confident adult (I'm looking at you, Taylor Jackson), I have been so very lucky to have been witness to …
Kapow! IPA — Rainhard Brewing Co.
A few years ago, I co-hosted a homebrew contest with Fred, from Edge 102. We put out a call to the homebrewers of Toronto, to send us their best brews, and we judged them in a head-to-head knock-out, with the best 5 (if …
Piperales — Garden Brewers
Brewing unique craft beer in Hamilton sounds like a Herculean task. And yet, I think I know the people who could pull it off. Meet Victor and Sonja North, the couple behind Garden Brewers. They were recently pitted …
Autumn Hop Harvest Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Eat fresh; eat local. Right? How about drinking a beer made with hops picked the day it was brewed? Amsterdam's Autumn Hop Harvest Ale is exactly that, a "wet-hopped" pale ale. Wet-hopping is a term you may well have …
Canuck Pale Ale — Great Lakes Brewery
I think this is a Toronto Beer Blog first: I'm re-reviewing a beer. And it's much needed. The beer in this case, Canuck Pale Ale from Great Lakes, deserves it. For one thing, my old review is, well, not awesome. I have …
Sunlight Park Saison — Left Field Brewery
I know I sometimes seem to kind of gush on and on about certain breweries. [cough]Amsterdam[cough]. But you might have noticed I also have something of a crush on Mark and Mandie from Left Field. Heck, I worked their …
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 …
Springbock — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Despite the fact that we are again in the throes of a polar vortex (which I suppose is better than a Peruvian Sharknado), spring is just around the corner. Hiding like a sadistic child wearing a planet of the apes mask, …
Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Well, despite assertions from major beer-writers in Toronto (I'm looking at you, Ben), this is the perfect beer for Valentines Day. Even if it doesn't hit shelves till tomorrow It's at the retail stores now! Get it on …
Barrel Aged Double Tempest — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
You know those imperial stouts, that are like, double imperial stouts?....... So lots and lots of people really like Amsterdam's tempest Imperial Stout. Like, it's pretty normal to hear descriptions like "Best Imperial …
Bellwods 3 Minutes to Midnight vs Amsterdam Sour Cherry Imperial Stout
Despite to much evidence to the contrary, I love it when somebody proves me totally wrong. Such was the case with this pairing. I know Bellwoods' 3 Minutes to Midnight well. We got the first ever cask of it at Castro's …
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 …
Bellwoods Hellwoods vs Amsterdam Tempest
Day two of the battle royale. Today it's a shaolin vs grasshopper kind of day, with Bellwoods Hellwoods Russian Imperial Stout matched against Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout. You should probably know that both Luke and …
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 …
Nama Cho — Ontario Spring Water Sake Company
Wait a second, why are you reading a review about a rice wine on TorontoBeerBlog.com? Right? I mean, come on, it's WINE. Well friend, let me take a moment to defend myself: What is wine? It's a fermented drink made from …
Barrel-aged Saison — Black Oak Brewery
One of my favourite perennial beers is Black Oak's Summer Saison. A wicked good saison, with lots of bright citrus notes and classic Belgian spices from the yeast, it's a heck of a beer. So I was obviously pretty excited …
The Wayward Son — Radical Road Brewing Co.
There was a time when I would have said that this beer had one of the most attractive and interesting packages. I mean, a real champagne bottle, very minimally labelled, in a beautiful stained-glass motif box? Just …
Shawinigan Handshake — Le Trou du Diable
Probably the best label in the beer world, Shawinigan Handshake pays homage to the choke-slamming PM from PQ. The last in my mini-series on hopfenweisse beers, following Miami Weisse by Great Lakes and Hopfenweisse by …