2025: A Beer in Review
My favorite three Ontario breweries for 2025.
This year culminated in a lot, but likely not enough, visits to breweries and tap rooms. While I could probably list on fewer than three fingers the number of non-positive experiences, I could also regale you with all the lovely experiences in the Pacific Northwest, La Belle Provence, or New England, but I’ll stick with Ontario for now. I could probably write a 500,000 word article on wonderful breweries our province has to offer as well, but that would be a frustratingly arduous read to say the least. Besides, I might risk expiring before I finish. It should be noted that I have no affiliations with any of these breweries, nor did I even tell them I was coming, nor do a few even know I was there. I’m like a covert beer operative. Whether this is smart or not I do not know. Why did I pick three instead of five? No idea, but here they are, in alphabetical order for fairness.
Bickford Brewing Co.
292a Harbord St., Toronto Ontario
It’s no secret that I have a love affair with Bickford’s beers. I’ll concede that the brewery is close to where I live, but so are many others. All of which are good by the way. Bickford also has a crazy looking postal code as a little side note. The location is small and intimate, with the fermentation tanks right there, behind the bar. The establishment is bright, but still manages to be cozy and welcoming. It is also very clear that they have put a lot of thought into their glassware, which they diligently wash by hand. No offensive dishwasher exhaust to contend with is a godsend in the world of beer tasting. In fact their branded Teku holds court as my go-to for home consumption of almost every beer, with mild apologies to all the other fine breweries out there. And while Toronto is awash with excellent breweries, Bickford brings something really special to the table. Small batch brewing means they can continuously produce new offerings, with no governor on creativity. Most recently a Canadian version of a Kentucky Common, just before that an Oatmeal Brown Ale in collaboration with Babe Brews, and I believe they still have some excellent Saison left. It also means that the core offerings don’t have time to degrade, and all their beer is ever fresh and lively. Beer, especially the hoppiest styles like IPA, hold a common affliction with seafood. They arguably get worse starting the minute after they are packaged. I concede this decay is slow and largely unnoticeable until it is, but fresh is still best.
The core offerings range from Pilsner, which they pour via sidepull thank you, through a Pale Ale, available at the LCBO, to an Oatmeal Stout, which is good all year round no matter what you say. And while interesting is interesting, like the Cherry Eclipse, a dark sour with cocoa nibs and cherry. And while bitter is bitter, like the Harbord IPA, which they call a mid-coast IPA and which has the breath of an East Coast and the bite of a West Coast. And while refreshing is refreshing, like the Goses they brew, tart and lactic, and often split between two flavour additions. Sometimes, you just want a good classic pint. Something drinkable, something sessionable, something that reminds you why you love beer. Something you can sit with while you read, or contemplate life, or finish your magnum opus. Or start it for that matter. Beatrice’s English Amber Ale is such a beer. It’s available both on nitro tap, and in the can, both vastly different experiences, both massively satisfying. If you are lucky, you’ll arrive on a day they have it on cask, and you won’t want to leave.
Brothers Brewing Co.
15 Wyndham St N, Guelph Ontario
I walked into Brothers Brewing on a sweltering April Guelph afternoon. Seriously. The lights were slightly dim, a very inviting feature in a bar, and the decor was eclectic, centered around old wood and brick and chalkboards, with the tandem bike straight from their logo hanging on the wall. Fermenter tanks in full view, as is done. There is plenty of room at the bar, which is where I feel most at home anyways, but there are also plenty of tables, if that’s your thing. The location is convenient too being right downtown. The rotating menu is up on the wall behind the bar, all handwritten on the chalkboard, and it is doozy. Balancing creativity with comfort, the tap list ranged from Helles Lager to Pale Ale to Hazy IPA, all the way to Dark Lager with chocolate and pistachio and a Berliner Weiss. Thank goodness for flights. As of my last check via their socials, there is a Lactose Golden Ale, a Belgian Abbey style ale, more Berliner Weiss and a Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Stout. Oh, and of course a couple IPAs. This type of curation is of overlooked importance in the progressively narrowly focused beer world. As the majority seem to be riding the haze craze, those bright stars in the diverse universe of beer get lost in the fray. Brothers brewing is helping to maintain the balance. The wall of bottles, a museum of sorts of previous offerings give a further glimpse into a world of creativity. A fresh lager, a juicy tropical IPA, or something interesting and sour, or something dark and flavoured, all crafted with care, with no palate left behind. I challenge you to walk out of Brothers Brewing unsatisfied.
Flora Hall Brewing
37 Flora St, Ottawa Ontario
I first learned of Flora Hall when they did a collab English IPA with Bickford, and I then visited as part of a two day tour of Ottawa’s finest. First off, even if the beer were mediocre, you’d still want to visit just for the ambience. Conversely, if the establishment were less than appealing, you’d still want the beer. Luckily, it’s a double home run. The building is beautiful, classy, and inviting with black accented warm wood and glass, complete with a giant glass garage door. I originally mistook it for a restored firehall actually. Like the Ghostbusters HQ. Flora Hall however, resides in a restored 20th century building that I’ve learned hosted various mechanical endeavours over the decades, but neither the fire brigade nor the hunters of the supernatural. The horseshoe wood top bar is complete with a foot rail, one of the most overlooked features in modern locales. There is plenty of room here too, along with a large upstairs area. My focus however was on the beer. The offerings were announced in large letters on a board just above my line of sight, so all I needed to do was pry my nose out of my glass to see what I might want next. Easier said than done. Oh the choices. Their Bohemian Style Pilsner is poured via the sidepull tap, a feature which is rising in popularity across the craft beer world. The result of which, when operated with care, is a glass of golden and brilliantly clear beer topped with a thick layer of wet foam. Yes, wet and dry foams are a thing. I was lucky enough to visit at the height of wet hopping season too, and got a fresh sample of their XPA. They serve an ordinary bitter, a classic English style whose nomenclature may border on inappropriate. It’s a sessionable bitter, it’s delicious. It’s the kind of beer one could make an evening of, and it’s anything but ordinary. Flora serves their samples in a full sized Teku glass. A style of stemmed glass with some aggressive lines and a lip that angles outwards. Look it up for a visual. This won me over. First off, all beer should be served in a stemmed glass. That’s just my opinion, but I’m right. Secondly, this practice of serving a sample in a full glass allows for a ton of headspace. A place for aromas to gather and mingle, and assemble into the complete picture for the taster to take in and enjoy. But back to the beer. Their Oat Pale Ale is a glass full of sunshine and frankly should be called the Spirit Lifter, although that sounds suspiciously evil, like a necromancer of sorts, so let’s not suggest that. Risking sensory overload, I ended my visit with the foeder aged imperial chocolate stout. I still have a bottle in my fridge and have been unable to find a special enough evening to open it. It’s that good. The beer is so complex it’s almost a crime to try and articulate it. I dare say I will never visit the nation’s capital without popping into Flora Hall, and I kinda wish I were there right now..