Your Beer Guide to St. Patty’s Day in Toronto

I believe there’s an old Celtic song that goes something like, “Drink beer, love life. Drink beer, love life. Drink beer, love life. Drink beer!” It’s an enchanting tune that will put just about anyone in the mood to indulge in a pint of pale ale or a schooner of stout. And if for some reason you need more motivation than that, just remember that St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner and there’s a host of beer deals around Toronto. From local breweries to the LCBO, break out your wallet and book off your next morning as here’s your St. Patty’s Day beer guide…

Steam Whistle
Steam Whistle lovers will strike a pot of gold with the brewery’s annual St. Paddy’s Day Bash held at their brewery. Tickets are only available at the door, but you can enter online to win a pair plus hotel accommodations for yourself and a pal. They’ve also got a Steam Whistle Leprechaun Boot gift pack available in the LCBO for $14.95.

Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street Brew Pub’s annual Brew Master’s Dinner with Joel Manning will feature a 5-course meal with beer pairings including their Valley Irish Red. I guess you can’t call everything green just for the sake of it. Friday, March 14th, at 6pm, $59.99/person.

Granite Brewery
Midtown’s Granite Brewery will be busting out the casks starting on Sunday, March 16th. Their cask days will run from 2pm to 6pm and feature 5 different cask seasoned stouts for $6.50 each. Also, hop on over on March 17th where the stout lineup will be back along with live music.

Indie Ale House
If you’re looking for emerald tinged libations or funny green hats then don’t bother pulling up a bar stool at Indie Ale House. The boys here believe that any day is a good day for a brew and they’ll be featuring five to six stouts on tap in honour of this occasion. From a dry Irish stout to bourbon barrel aged and sour stouts, these pours will get up to 10% to 12% ABV ($5.50 to $6.50) – no gimmicks.

Carlsberg
Though the Danes undoubtedly don’t match the Irish when it comes to pint pounding, Carlsberg does put on a hell of a St. Patty’s Day party. Their annual Carlsberg St. Party’s Day runs all weekend long, from March 14th to 15th.

Black Oak Brewing Co.
The folks at Black Oak Brewing Co. are decisively opposed to green beer, though they do offer their Triple Chocolate Cherry Stout at this time of year. You’ll find this sweet offering at a variety of bars and events around town.

Bellwoods Brewery
Bellwoods Brewery hasn’t decided on whether they’ll be doing anything particularly special to celebrate this hoppy occasion, however their light, sessionable Grognard Session Stout pairs well with Lucky Charms according to their website. Check back with the Ossington brewpub and retail shop to see what they’ll be pouring on the 17th.

Amsterdam Brewhouse
The Amsterdam Brewhouse is being a big secretive about what they’ll be featuring for their March 15th and 17th St. Patty’s Day parties, but expect something “special” from the brewmaster.

Honourable Mentions
For those that prefer to stay at home for St. Patrick’s Day, the LCBO is putting a plethora of premium beers on special. Guinness Black Lager is selling for $2.00 off the price of a 6-pack. Irish Beer Discovery Packs can be snagged up for $15.95. New York’s Brooklyn Brewery is also promoting their Dry Irish Stout for $13.95. Single bottles and cans of Trafalger Irish Ale, Beau’s The Tom Green Beer, Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 Years Old, and Trafalger Smoked Oatmeal Stout will have you singing Irish until the clovers come.

Happy (and safe) drinking, and happy St. Patty’s Day!

If you have a go-to beer for St. Patrick’s Day let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.