With the weather becoming slightly colder and the nights noticeably encroaching on the day, Toronto’s breweries are working on the cusp of a seasonal shift toward darker beers that will see us surrounded by porters and stouts by Christmas. The good news is that there’s still time for autumnal specialties and projects that have taken years to pay off.
Halo Wild Construct: Prelude
One of Halo’s operating principles is that all of their recipes should be open source. For the first time, they’ve abandoned that concept with their Wild Construct series – possibly based on the assumption that you don’t own a French oak puncheon and are unwilling to spend two years on a batch of homebrew. Prelude is a golden ale blended from three different barrels and refermented on fresh Niagara Peaches. Expect a moussy, champagne-like carbonation, vibrant stone fruit aromas and a delicate barnyard character atop a rounded oaky body.
$15/500 ml. Get it at Halo Brewery (247 Wallace, halobrewery.com) Free Ontario delivery for orders of $80 or more.
Left Field Outstanding Pub Ale
While Left Field’s offerings have diversified substantially into seltzers, foeder-aged saisons and hazy IPAs, they still make time for basic styles. When they do, they tend to excel at them. Outstanding Pub Ale is brewed to commemorate the 2021 class of inductees to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. At 4.1 per cent, it’s something like a traditional English golden ale with notes of biscuit, marmalade and caramel. You may not know BABIP from bibimbap, but you’ll almost certainly find this lives up to its name.
$9.73/4 x 355 ml. Get it at Left Field Brewery (36 Wagstaff, fanshop.leftfieldbrewery.ca) Free delivery for orders over $45.
Granite Brewery Darkside IPA
Stylistic trends come and go in craft beer, but the best versions of a particular style tend to stick around. Such is the case with the recently reintroduced Darkside IPA from the Granite Brewery. Back in 2011 when Cascadian Dark Ales roamed the earth, people were attempting to find balance between hop bitterness and malt roast. Brewer Mary Beth Keefe has long since attained that balance. Approachable despite its 7 per cent ABV and 70 IBU, you’ll be converted to the Darkside in no time.
$4.75/473 ml. Get it at Granite Brewery (245 Eglinton East, granitebrewery.ca/shop) Free delivery over $50 within certain Toronto postal codes.
Blood Brothers Werecat
The extreme diversity of the product range at Blood Brothers Brewing sometimes results in oddities. Take Werecat as an example. A Belgian-style sour Brown Ale or Roodbruin made with a generous amount of caramel malt and aged in bourbon barrels. What could be profoundly sour is redeemed by oaky vanilla and rich caramel and tobacco in the mid palate. The most important thing to say about Werecat is that it’s an 8.7 per cent beer that drinks as though it’s about 4.5 per cent. Trick AND treat.
$14/500 ml. Get it at Blood Brothers Brewing (165 Geary, bloodbrothersbrewing.com) Local same/next day delivery free over $50.
People’s Pint El Chupacabra
Inspired by the cuisine of Oaxaca and cryptozoological research in equal measure, People’s Pint has brought back El Chupacabra for another season of goat-sucking goodness. With all the rich dried fruit, roast chocolate and coffee notes you’d expect from a Porter, brewer Pietro Caira has built out the flavour profile with the warmth of cinnamon and the gentle fruitiness and smoke of ancho chilies. El Chupacabra will have your senses tingling, but keep it away from the livestock.
$4.50/473 ml. Get it at People’s Pint Brewing Company (90 Cawthra, Unit 101. peoplespint.com) Free local delivery over $40.
