Toronto craft breweries have started unveiling spring offerings, and experimentation is at the forefront of this crop of new beers. From happy accidents over at Burdock to a nod to old school German beer at Collective Arts, these three beers are the perfect excuse to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather.
Burdock Goldtone Grape Ale
To the dismay of the brewers at Burdock, the Montmorency cherries in this sour beer batch never burst. Instead of getting rich cherry flavour, the result was more floral, with a light pink colour to match. Rather than wallow about what could have been, they doubled down and made this beer even more floral-focused, macerating the batch on fresh-pressed Gewürztraminer grape skins. Notes of pink lychee lemonade, peach petals and dry white wine round out this blush beer.
Toronto. $6.64/375 ml. Get it at Burdock Brewery (1184 Bloor West, burdockbrewery.com). Toronto-wide shipping available.
Avling Orpheus Barrel Aged Blend
Made from hundreds of marigolds from Avling’s Queen East rooftop garden and orange wine from Trail Estate in Prince Edward County, this tart and refreshing beer has been 16 months in the making. Delicate florals tickle the nose and tangerine and marmalade envelop the palate as the peppery heart sneaks up on you.
Toronto. $9/375 ml. Get it at Avling Brewery (1042 Queen East, shop.avling.ca). Toronto-wide shipping available.
Collective Arts Tweezer Altbier
This beer is the brainchild of Zach Vernon, who has been brewing at Collective Arts for five years. First brewed in Dusseldorf, Altbier is one of Germany’s oldest styles of beer. With Tweezer, Vernon switched up the classic, malty brew by adding Ariana hops (a new German variety introduced in 2019) with juicy berry, smooth oak, tobacco and vanilla notes.
Toronto. $5.95/355 ml. Get it at Collective Arts Brewery (777 Dundas West, collectiveartsontario.com). Toronto-wide shipping available.
