Toronto is a craft beer-loving city rife with microbreweries tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many of them show their love for the city by naming beers after landmarks and neighbourhoods. Some of them are city-wide inside jokes or odes to beloved places. Here are a few beers from breweries in different corners of the city:
Great Lakes Hanlan’s Point Coconut Coffee Porter
A cheeky nod to the infamous nude beach on the Toronto islands, the label of this beer features a scantily clad figure in a red toque and Speedo combo, catching some rays by the frigid lake. The porter inside is rich and dark with aromas of toasted coconut, dark chocolate and espresso. It’s guaranteed to warm you up enough to brave the cold in your birthday suit.
Great Lakes Brewery. $4 per 473 ml can. Get it at the LCBO (lcbo.com) or at Great Lakes (30 Queen Elizabeth, greatlakesbeer.com).
Black Lab Berczy Kolsch-Inspired Ale
This beer is named after the canine-inspired Berczy Park. Black Lab’s resident pooch, Snoopy, loves the Berczy fountain, an ode to dog lovers all over the city adorned with 27 dog (and one cat) sculptures. The Leslieville brewery is known for being very dog-friendly and their kolsch, with its crisp and clean finish, is perfect for gathering with friends (canine and otherwise).
Black Lab Brewing. $6.75 per 500 ml bottle. Get it at Black Lab (818 Eastern, blacklab.beer).
Henderson Pearson Express IPA
Every six-and-a-half minutes (give or take) the Union Pearson Express train rolls past the Henderson brewery on Sterling. To mark the omnipresence of the chugging on railway tracks, the brewery named their IPA after the express that leads out of the city. It’s a classic and refreshing with herbal and citrus notes.
Henderson Brewing Co.. $3.45 per 473 ml can. Get it at the LCBO (lcbo.com) or at Henderson (128A Sterling, hendersonbrewing.com).
