Yankee Brew News Archive

Los Testigos de Cerveza: Testigos Tour Toronto's Brewpubs

Originally Published: Spr/93

By: Bill Metzger

Looking for a best bitter that will raise a British citizen's eyebrows higher that the latest reports of the royal family? How about a Hefe Weizen that will transport you to its place of origin on "the other side of the pond"?

It's possible to experience both of these beers without even booking a flight. Just go to Toronto, Canada's largest, most ethnically diverse metropolis, which now has five brewpubs catering to a wide range of beer tastes. What follows is a list of the brewpubs, a brief description of each, and the beers Los Testigos de Cerveza found most outstanding there.

Amsterdam Brasserie and Brewpub--133 John Street, 416/595-8201. Brews pure ales and lagers and a non-alcoholic draught. Restaurant serves dinners and casual fare. Open 7 days a week. A very popular place, as there was a line of people waiting for tables. Bar was accessible. The Wheat Beer was light to medium-bodied and served cold. The Lager was clean, with a grainy aftertaste. The Nut Brown Ale was our favorite; light to medium-bodied, with a roasted aroma and flavor. All three were highly carbonated.

Denison's Brewing Company--75 Victoria Street, 416/360-5877. Denison's Brewery sits in a basement and is adjoined by Growler's Restaurant. It brews under the Reinheitsgebot German Purity Law. Beers include a Weizen, a fruity, medium-bodied, cloudy, yeasty beer that was very good. The Filtered Lager was medium-bodied and sweet at the front, with a bitter aftertaste; a tasteful lager. The Royal Dunkel was malty, fruity, medium-bodied, with a darker grain flavor. The bar is accessible and you can order several specialty foods like oysters, then watch them being cooked gourmet style in front of you.

The Granite Brewery--245 Eglington East, 416/322-0723. This brewpub is geared for the serious drinker and conversationalist. With an outdoor section and many indoor tables, the music was low key, and the atmosphere relaxed. They even had a chess set where two contestants battled (not under sanctions). The Best Bitter was a smooth, light to medium-bodied ale with a great, hoppy finish. It was the unanimous favorite and earned "the best bitter on the continent" comment from Capn, Los Testigos de Cerveza's Master Taster. Granite also served a well-balanced, medium-bodied Peculiar, modeled after but not quite as malty as the famed British ale. The stout was watery, one of the weaker stouts tasted. Nuco called it "a light beer drinker's introduction to stout."

Rotterdam Brewing Company--600 King Street West, 416/868-6882. Owned by the same people who own Amsterdam, Rotterdam had a greater diversity of beers, with the same highly carbonated characteristic. The Pilsener was clean and smooth, with a hoppiness to it. The Rotterdam served a Framboise, a Belgian-style lambic that tasted more like raspberry diet soda, "probably to appeal to a less educated palate", according to Nuco. The Scottish ale, was medium-bodied and robust, but not enough to be termed a Scottish ale. Medio thought it tasted like a Pryor's Dark.

Spruce Goose--130 Eglington East, 416/485-4121. The Spruce Goose resembles a disco more than a brewpub, and the one homebrewed beer they served there fit the disco profile. Dry Lager was a sweet, dry beer, more full-bodied than the traditional mass-produced dry products, but light by micro beer drinker standards.

Vinefera Bar & Grille--150 Eglington East, 416/487-9281. Another disco-style brewpub, Vinefera brewed a very good Bavarian Lager. Although served a little too cold for Testigo tastes, the caramel-flavored, light to medium-bodied product was tasty. Nuco thought it closely resembled a Maerzen-style beer.

Bill Metzger is a member of Los Testigos de Cerveza, a group of international beer tasters who will go anywhere for a good beer.