Rather than trying to taste-test every brewery in Canada in the name of research (again), I touched base with expert boozehounds across the country for their top tips on where to sup – starting with Joe Wiebe, author of Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries.
“Victoria’s been B.C.’s craft-beer capital since Canada’s first brewpub,Spinnakers, opened here in 1984. Five more brewpubs and six breweries have opened in Greater Victoria since – including Driftwood, which always comes up in conversations about Canada’s best breweries.”
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Then there’s Vancouver. “Right now, there’s no more exciting place to drink craft beer in B.C. – and possibly all of Canada. Since 2012, 13 new breweries and one brewpub have opened within the city limits plus a dozen or so nearby,” says Wiebe, whose book profiles favourites fromBrassneck to Powell Street Craft Brewery.
But while he also points to pilgrimage-worthy Sunshine Coast producers Townsite Brewing andPersephone Brewing, plus Vancouver Island’sGladstone Brewing and Forbidden Brewing, Wiebe suggests checking into October’s B.C. Craft Beer Month events – and sampling his fall-season favourite: Driftwood’s Sartori Harvest IPA.
Alternatively, haul your beer belly out East. “Halifax has nine breweries and brewpubs plus another 10 within a couple of hours’ drive,” says Maritimes beer blogger Chris McDonald (acbeerblog.ca), who recommends trying Granite Brewery and Unfiltered Brewing.
Co-blogger Shawn Meek has his own suggestions. “With a respectable number of breweries – four beer, one cider and one mead – Fredericton’s becoming a great beer destination,” he says, recommending TrailWay Brewing and Grimross Brewing.
It’s also worth sampling Prince Edward Island’s grassroots scene. “PEI Brewing Co.’s Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale uses local honey while Upstreet Craft Brewing uses local rhubarb and strawberries for its Rhuby Social Witbier,” says McDonald who, with Meek, suggests fall regional events from Port Hawkesbury’s Celtic Oktoberfest to the beer-forward Fredericton Poutine Festival.
But while their fall favourite libation is New Brunswick-made Imperial Vanilla Porter from Hammond River Brewing, you might be tempted instead to tilt your glass toward Quebec.
“Among Montreal’s many great beer neighbourhoods, the connecting boroughs of Mile End and Rosemont [are] my favourite part of town,” says beer blogger Noah Forrest (beerism.ca). “Vices et Versa and Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! serve exceptional Quebec-brewed beer – including the latter’s Péché Mortel imperial stout.”
But there’s more than Montreal to Quebec’s froth-tastic beer list. “Among Shawinigan’s many options, don’t miss Le Trou du Diable Broue Pub. Their Dulcis Succubus is a wine-barrel-aged Belgian farmhouse ale that changes the way you think about beer.”
Then there’s the Eastern Townships. “Among the great breweries and brewpubs here are Boquébière and Auberge Sutton Brouërie, while Brasserie Dunham’s Saison Rustique is heaven in a bottle.”
Over in Ontario, bar crawling on foot (or all fours) is a key benefit of Toronto tippling, says beer writer Ben Johnson (bensbeerblog.com). “I really like the Junction neighbourhood. Its great small breweries include Junction Craft Brewing, the Indie Alehouse, Rainhard Brewing and soon-to-open Henderson Brewing.”
Ontario also offers wider options. “The Ottawa area’s remarkable craft beer scene is growing exponentially, with Broadhead Brewing, Covered Bridge Brewing, Bicycle Craft Brewery and many more.”
And don’t dismiss Hamilton. “It’s becoming a craft-beer hub with Garden Brewers, Hamilton Brewery and the small-but-excellent Clifford Brewing,” he says, adding Toronto-bound visitors shouldn’t miss the city’s late-October Cask Days (caskdays.com).
If your timing falls flat, console yourself with Johnson’s fall-season beer choice: Farmageddon Brett Saison from Bellwoods Brewery. “They just announced a limited-release version made with Niagara Montmorency cherries. If you get your hands on one, save some for me – it’s going to be ridiculously good.”
發表於 2015-10-5 22:13
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