Come see why the west end is the best end, one microbrewery at a time.
Look west on Dufferin and Bloor! It’s a concert venue, it’s a restaurant, it’s a microbrewery! No, it’s Burdock: a beautiful space, outdoor patio, delicious food, solid beer and sweet live shows – need we say more? But before we head to our next destination, I should probably state that they also have a bottle shop for those of you who’ve already given up on the tour and would rather drink on your stoops.
We continue our journey at small but mighty Halo Brewery. Located just north of Lansdowne and Bloor, this newly opened hidden gem sprung from two dudes brewing beer in their basements. Now an intimate sit-down location with a bottle shop attached, it’s perfect for those who value experimentation. With adjuncts like lime, ginger, lemon and apricot, you may have just found your new go-to. Better yet, if you’re the do-it-yourself type, all of their brew recipes are available on their website.
Heading down Lansdowne Avenue just south of College, you’ll arrive at Lansdowne Brewery, which hosts a series of local taps as they work on setting up their own brewery and serves everything from pickled eggs to house-made pasta. If you get to this point and decide pacing yourself might be a good idea, try their non-alcoholic home-brewed ginger ale and root beer.
Wander down Sterling Road just north of Dundas Street West and you’ll find yourself at Henderson Brewing Company. Head over for great beer, a lovely atmosphere and even catch an hour-long brewery tour. If biking is more your thing, you can hop over right off the rail-path and, if monogamy is your thing, sign up for a year-long beer subscription, which gives you access to private launch parties and branded items.
Continuing west on Dundas right to Roncesvalle, you’ll come upon newly opened Bandit Brewery. Committed to keeping the good times rolling, they strive to be a place for people to meet up and chill out, which is exactly what we suggest you do. They have a simple but delicious menu and a mix of their own brews and taps from other local breweries. Plus, that little raccoon logo? Adorable.
Heading north on Dundas just west of Keele brings you right to Indie Ale House, the cozy brewery with a perfectly Canadiana menu and atmosphere. Please don’t come here expecting to find anything alcoholic that isn’t beer. Never fear, if there’s a non-beer drinker among you (but why would there be, we’re on a brewery tour here, people), what they lack in varieties of alcohol they make up for in what is probably the best burger you’ll have in the city.
Heading north on Keele just before you hit St. Clair, you’ll first wonder where the heck we’ve taken you and then realize you’ve stumbled upon the very home of Junction Craft Brewing. Down-to-earth brews, staff and ambiance, you’d be able to find their beer at the LCBO, but we think it’s worth the trek to check out their low-key brew shop.
For our last stop, you’ll head west on St. Clair and just north on Symes Road to finish our tour at Rainhard Brewing. We know this seems very remote to anyone east of Ossington, but nothing worth having comes easy (or so we tell ourselves). A ‘labour of love’ for master brewer Jordan Rainhard, this beautiful, industrial bottle shop and tap room won the 2015 Golden Tap Award for ‘Best Newcomer to the Beer Scene!” And for good reason.
At this point, if you’ve actually managed to make it through the entire list, you’re probably drunk and confused as to what weird, wasteland industrial zone you’ve ended up in. Never fear, you still get phone service this far west. Please Uber responsibly, friends.
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