Another Craft Watering Hole

Ottawa is not a place that has run out of craft brewers, which means that we're far from over when it comes to places in which to enjoy them.

CRAFT Beer Market finally opened its doors this week, much to the pleasure of the thirsty crowds. They announced a soft opening for lunch on Tuesday and held an invitation-only grand opening last night, opening the doors to the public after 7.

Today, she's fully open for business.

Located at Lansdowne, between Whole Foods and the Bank Street Bridge, the pub boasts more than 100 brews on tap, including many local craft breweries and hard-to-get ales from around the world. I saw Ashton Craft Brewery, Bicycle Craft Brewery, Broadhead, Calabogie, Covered Bridge, and Whiprsnapr, among others. I even was able to enjoy a California rarity, Arrogant Bastard, which I had a few weeks ago, in San Diego.

CRAFT founder, PJ L’Heureux, was on hand to welcome visitors and declare the pub officially open. Hors d'oeuvres were served (the chicken waffles were delicious) and the place was packed. While the servers were still getting their groove and bar tenders still figuring out the taps, I felt the pub was off to a great start and I look forward to returning, in a few weeks, when all of the kinks are ironed out.

Give them a try the next time you want to head out for an evening or find yourself in the Glebe.

A big thanks goes to my Twitter/Untappd buddy, John McNab, for bringing me along to last night's opening. It was nice to share some brews together, chat, and get to know each other better. Without you, this post wouldn't have happened.