Listen up, beer aficionados! Toronto has gotten an influx of new breweries with the good stuff on tap. Vv Magazine’s Ama Scriver give us the scoop on three new craft breweries opening in Toronto’s west end.
We all know the city has an insatiable taste for all things craft beer, so it was only time that other shops started opening up. Mainly taking up space in the Roncesvalles and Junction neighbourhoods, where other craft brewers and makers have rooted, you can only imagine the delight of folks when not one, two but three shops opened up in the city’s west end for consumption and delight.
Keep reading for the skinny on the newcomers coming to the market and which brewers you need to check out:
Henderson Brewing
128A Sterling Road
The vibe: If you’re the type of person that likes sitting down with your pint and exploring the taste, this place is for you. Henderson Brewing is spread out over 9,000-square-feet including a view of how the action happens from the bottle shop and tap room. General manager Steve Himel and head brewer Mark Benzaquen are usually on-site and are always ready, willing and able to answer questions about what is going into your pint.
The beer: The flagship beer is called the Henderson’s Best ($5/pint), which is a take on the classic ESB (or for those who aren’t hip to the craft beer lingo, a bitter style of beer). Also on the taps, you’ll find the Union Pearson Ale ($5.50/pint) and the Food Truck Beer ($4.50/pint) which can be described as a light beer.
Bandit Brewery
2125 Dundas Street West
The vibe: If you’re looking for a new summer beer garden, Bandit Brewery may be the place for you. Taking over the space of a former auto body shop, they have converted every inch of space to include their tanks alongside beautiful and thoughtful communal tables, strings of lights, roll-up garage doors and an outdoor beer garden. The space is light, airy and accommodating with a huge food menu. This place does not look (or feel) like your typical craft beer joint.
The beer: Head brewer Ben Morris has eight beers on taps right now including the Smoke on the Porter (5%, American Porter), Ringtail (3.4%, Session Ale), Farmed & Dangerous (5.25% saison), the Cone Ranger (5.5%, IPA) and the Weizen Up (3.8%, Berliner Weisse). Bandit’s goal is to have 15 taps open at a time. You can enjoy the beer in a tasting flight or a pint, for optimal drinking pleasure. Also, the mugs are too cute Instagrammable to resist!
Halo Brewery
247 Wallace Avenue
The vibe: If you’re the type of person who likes tasting different craft beers, looking for a new local hangout where everyone will know your name or a space to learn a thing or two about craft beer – this might just be the brewery for you. Halo gives off a very warm and welcoming feel, as soon as you step in the door. With bright pops of red and geometric wooden panels (for tasting flights) – the space is also beautifully designed.
The beer: Founders and co-owners Eric Portelance and Callum Hay started as homebrewers and now they make everything in-house at Halo. On-tap, they have 5 different beers (with another 5 on the go,) for ten beers total including the Day Star (Tart Saison with Apricot and Lemon), Ion Cannon (Gose with Strawberry and Kiwi) and the Wit or Without (Wit with Lime and Ginger). One of the more unique things about Halo is that they will be operating as Canada’s first open-source brewery.
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Did we miss any of your favourite west end craft brewers? Let Vv Magazine know in the comments below, or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.