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.
Highway 6, on the Bruce Peninsula, is a straight stretch for kilometres on end. The only obstacles to passing slower traffic on the single-lane stretches are the oncoming cars and the blind spots in the rises and falls off the gently rolling landscape. It's less than an hour from Wiarton to Tobermory, driving through cattle farmland and both provincial and national parks.
The entire population of the residents of the Northern Bruce is only slightly more than the number of students and faculty at my kids' school. Driving along this stretch of road, you have a sense of isolation.
Highway 6 ends in Tobermory and yet, it doesn't really end. The road stops at a ramp: you can either drive into Georgian Bay or onto a ferry to South Baymouth, on Manitoulin Island, and then onward, all the way up to Espanola, in Norther Ontario. But Tobermory is where my family and I stopped, and it's where I discovered a new brewery.
At only a year old, Tobermory Brewing Company is situated with a commanding view of the tour boats that come and go from Little Tub Harbour, across the street from the trailhead of the Bruce Trail. The brewery has a cozy bar room in the front of the converted house, with tables at the back that provide a view of the fermentation tanks. But on a warm, sunny day, you'll want to take your brew out to the veranda, which wraps around to the west side of the brewery.
My wife and I sat right out front, where we watched the tourists wander Bay Street and the boats come and go. We also chatted with two other couples, who had a cottage nearby and were visiting the brew pub for the first time.
Tobermory Brewing has two ales, both of which are polar opposites: a blonde and a porter. My wife ordered the former; I, the latter. We exchanged sips and shared our opinions.
The Bruce Trail Blonde is clean and refreshing, and goes down well. It was a well-balanced, traditional blonde. And while blonde ales aren't my thing, I appreciated it for what it was and would recommend it.
Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5
I loved the Fathom Five Porter. Rich, solid malt flavours in this medium-bodied dark ale. And though this ale is darker by appearance, its 4.2% ABV made it a lighter brew than the blonde, which weighs in at 5%. If we had the day to kill, I would have stayed on the veranda and consumed this porter all day. If it had been available in cans or returnable bottles, I would have stocked up. And thought it's available in growlers, I wasn't willing to drive the eight hours to bring the empty back.
I should have stopped at the brewery on my first day and taken a growler then, rather than my last day on the Bruce Peninsula. My loss.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Driving south of Owen Sound, Highway 6 joins with Hwy. 10, before the two split at Chatsworth. Before they do, you come to Regional Road 8. At this intersection, you will find a non-descript, warehouse-like building that houses another Ontario craft brewery, Kilannan.
I discovered this brewery in Tobermory, when my family and I dined at the Ancient Cedars Café, where I had the best smoked-meat sandwich in my life. The beef was locally raised, the meat was smoked only hours before it was served, and it was cut thick and piled high. My family and I dined twice at this establishment and I can't recommend the place enough. The owners are friendly and show that they care. I'm sad that we live so far, but if we needed another reason to return to the area, the Ancient Cedars is one.
The café offered two ales from Kilannan: a kölsch and an altbier. While the kölsch was nice (Beer O'Clock rating: 2), I preferred the altbier (Beer O'Clock rating: 3), which had nice malt flavours. The brewery also makes a delicious oatmeal stout, The Men Who Stare At Oats (Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5), which I enjoyed on the rooftop patio at The Crowsnest Pub, also in Tobermory (served in a Tobermory Brewing glass), but when I stopped in at Kilannan Brewery, they were sold out.
I picked up more of the altbier directly from Kilannan, so you can expect a full review in the weeks to come. The same goes for a bourbon-barrel-aged Imperial stout, but look to winter for that review.
Travelling further south, along the 6, toward the town of Guelph, you can take a little jog, west, from the even smaller town of Fergus (or is it a village?), you come upon the pretty town (or village) of Elora, and one of Ontario's newest breweries.
The Elora Brewing Company, situated in the heart of Elora and just north of the shops that back onto the Grand River, opened as a brew pub that offers good food that you can wash down with great beer. I visited the brewery just before the dinner rush, when the hostess was forced to turn guests away because every table was full, and tried a sample of four ales.
Three Fields Triple Grain Lager has a fancy name but it's a basic lager. Clear straw in colour and clean tasting, it's what you'd expect from a lager (Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5).
Straw Hat Matt is a flavourful Hefeweizen, perfect for late-summer patios. I bought more and will give it a full review in the weeks to come (Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5).
A La Mode is an apple flavoured ale that tastes like liquid apple pie. I was initially nervous about drinking this beer, because of my allergy to apples and apple juice, but I took the risk and it paid off. I liked this beer better than I thought I would, and again, I'll pay full respects to it in an upcoming review (Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5).
The Ladyfriend IPA seems to be their flagship ale and was my overall favourite. It's a big-flavoured IPA with good hops in the mouth but not overpoweringly bitter. I would have loved to bring some home for a proper review, but came away with a growler that I polished off, later that evening, with friends in Guelph. It didn't last very long (Beer O'Clock rating: 4).
I had planned to visit a couple of the breweries in Guelph, but my prime reason for being in that agricultural and university town was to spend quality time with my old friends, and that's what my family and I did. All that means is I'm going to have to return to that town again, on my next beer road trip.
Cheers!
Yesterday, one of my Twitter followers, Lori, asked me if I knew the best beer patio in Ottawa. I was about to respond with "Mine," but I knew that wouldn't be helpful. Instead, I told her I would answer her question with a blog post of my favourite pubs with outdoor patios.
In truth, I spend very little time during the summer on patios. In the spring, when flowers bloom and trees open up, the pollen kills me. If I'm going to be outside, I don't want bees or other pests bothering me. And if there's a wind, I prefer not to hold down my glass.
But on warm sunny days when the weather is right and the bugs are at bay, nothing beats enjoying a cold one outdoors. So, in no particular order, here are my top 10 patio picks for Ottawa.
Mill Street Brew Pub (555 Wellington St. at the Portage Bridge): You must have known I'd bring up this place off the top. It's my favourite pub in the city, and they have two great patios. And with the historic mill as a view, it's a cozy spot to drink a wide assortment of craft beer, some of which is made on the premises. During Bluesfest, you can sit on the patio and hear some of the performers, depending on the stage. The acoustics are such that the sound echos off Mill Street's parking garage: I was there last summer and could hear the live music perfectly.
Earl of Sussex (Byward Market, 431 Sussex Drive): This pub has been around forever and has a great patio on the corner that is shaded with trees. Right near the National Gallery, the patio offers views of Major's Hill Park and Nepean Point.
D'arcy Mcgee's Pub (44 Sparks Street, at Elgin): Another great patio with a view, D'arcy's outdoor space wraps around Sparks and Elgin, offering a great view of the War Memorial and the Chateau Laurier. There are great beers on tap, with many seasonals and featured beer changing all the time. This is one of my favourite places, year 'round.
Arrow & Loon (99 Fifth Avenue, at Bank Street, in the Glebe): This is the first Ottawa pub that featured local craft beer. My friend's brewery, Scotch-Irish Brewing Company, first offered his beers on tap at this pub, and many local craft beers can still be found here. While the patio doesn't have the greatest view, you are very close to Lansdowne, Ottawa South, and downtown. I go for the fabulous beer.
Sir John A (284 Elgin Street, at MacLaren): In the heart of Centretown, you are guaranteed to see lots of night life from the patio of this pub. There is great beer to be had here, including local craft beer and fine imported ales.
Heart & Crown (Byward Market, 67 Clarence Street): This pub is part of five interconnected pubs, known as the Irish Village, with patios both outside and within inner courtyards. For me, the best place to sit is at the corner of Clarence and Parent Avenue, where you have the best view of the heart of the Byward Market. If you prefer a more private setting, the inner courtyard patio is also great.
Heart & Crown (353 B Preston Street): Owned by the same folks as the Byward Market location, the Little Italy H&C is close to Dow's Lake. Don't be surprised to see the occasional Ferrari drive by.
Highlander Pub (115 Rideau Street): I tend to go to the Highlander for its outstanding and unmatched selection of single-malt whiskies, but the beer selection isn't bad either. Situated between the Rideau Centre and the Byward Market, the Highlander is close to many attractions.
The Clocktower Pub (418 Richmond Road, Westboro): The beer and food is hit and miss at this brew pub, but the patio is large and gets plenty of sunshine, and the pub is located in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the city.
The Lieutenant's Pump (361 Elgin Street, Centretown): Again, in the heart of Centretown, this pub has great Ontario craft beer on tap and the food is pretty good. The patio isn't huge but it does offer a great view of one of the city's great streets.
Those are my picks. If you go to any of these pubs you can't go wrong. (Good luck, Lori!)
If you have a favourite patio pub in Ottawa, please share it by leaving a comment.
Cheers!
Ottawa has a new brew pub in town, and after giving them a chance to settle in, I paid them a visit.
The new pub is not a new brewery. Founded in 1986 in France, les 3 Brasseurs has expanded in Europe and has made its way to Québec and Ontario. It's newest location is at Bank and Sparks, in the 240 Sparks building.
My first experience with The 3 Brewers, as they are known to les anglophones, was last summer in Old Montreal. And, I have to admit, I left the brew pub less than satisfied. The beer was okay, the food was so-so, and the service was downright awful. I left the Rue St.Paul location thinking I would never try them again.
But here we are in Ottawa, and I decided to give them another chance. The location is great, with large, floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the pub, with some glass looking into the mall. The pub is spacious, clean, and takes up two floors. Copper kettles and fermentation tanks are in several locations and are exposed to the patrons. The main-floor bar, where I sat, is huge and offers 12 taps.
Although, when I was there, only six brews were available.
When I visited the Montreal brew pub, I tried only the brown. I remember it being good, but not extraordinary. It was on tap at the Ottawa pub, so I ordered the six samplers. I wanted to refresh my memory of the brown and compare it with the remaining five ales.
The sampler consisted of four regular beers: the Blond, Amber, White, and Brown. A beer of the month, a special brew for the new pub, a Wit-style ale aptly called 240 Sparks was the fifth offering, and the final beer was a seasonal called The Winter Warmer.
Each of the beers offered a unique taste to its style, but when it came down to it I found that I only liked one of the beers. Most of them rated a 2 on my scale. They weren't to my liking, but if you like that style you should try them out for yourself.
I didn't like the seasonal at all. The colour was a deep copper with hints of red. The nose was closed and offered little more than traces of wood. On first sip, I was immediately hit with the 9-percent alcohol, and then I detected what I could only describe as pine resin. The Winter Warmer finishes like medicine. My rating: 1.
But there was one ale that I truly enjoyed and even ordered a full pint, and then another half-pint.
The winner of the evening was the beer of the month, the 240 Sparks.
I enjoy unusual ales, and this one was definitely not your ordinary brew. With creamy orange, murky colour and a white head, you could look at my glass and believe I was drinking orange juice. Seriously. But this was not orange juice. The nose presented distinct notes of grapefruit and intense spruce. Grapefruit carried through in the mouth and blended with a good balance of hops and a nice, lingering finish. The alcohol (6% ABV) did not come through in the flavours, which makes me think that this would be a dangerous beverage on a hot summer day. It made me long for patio season (especially since I was there on a frigid winter's night).
My rating for 240 Sparks: 4 out of 5. I hope they bring this beer back, because January is almost over.
While I didn't eat during my stay, my friend ordered the fish and chips, which smelled great and was endorsed by my buddy. Another gentleman ordered a cheeseburger with crispy, fried onions, and it made my mouth drool. The unnamed eater gave it his thumbs up.
And apart from the manager, who was initially surly with me (I asked permission before I came behind the bar to photograph the taps!), the service was prompt and friendly.
So I will return to The 3 Brewers. Check them out for yourselves, and make sure you get some of the beer of the month before it's gone.
