Now in its fourth year, Brewfest has fast become a Toronto winter festival favourite and the sense of occasion is increased in its new home which comes complete with fairy lights, an ice rink and a speak easy, if you can find it, that is.

With 19 brewers on sight and a beer list of hundreds more, there is so much to try across the festival. This year, I am very happy to say, I feel like the price point was finally spot on. Entry to the festival will cost you just over $20, or $30 if you want ten tokens to spend on tasters. This year there are tasters available from exhibiting brewers for as little as $1 which is a massive bargain. My insider tip is that the exhibiting brewers tend to be more cost efficient and gung-ho with their pours.

There are so many lagers, ales, stouts, IPAs, all of it, that it seems almost pointless to tell you my favourites, but I will anyway. I absolutely adored both festival offerings (a coco nib stout and a fruity spiced sour) from Black Lab Brewery, an East End darling. I also very much enjoyed Nicklebrock’s blood orange table beer and Oast House’s chestnut ale. The winner of the evening though was Muskoka Brewery as a whole. Their prices were great and their beers delicious. I loved the Black  Raspberry Thunder, a 6% Milkshake IPA and the Ginger Brewed Man, which was a surprise to me as it wasn’t on the original beer list.

Brewfest offers an Ecocup tasting glass with entry, but for those who want something a bit more commemorative there are glass tankards available for purchase, or as part of VIP entry.

Brewfest is obviously a place for beer lovers; there is even an opportunity to talk in depth with an expert onsite, but if you aren’t into beer there are a good number of ciders as well as wines and spirits on offer too.

There are food vendors, although I would have liked a few more as towards the later part of the night the lines were getting pretty long and there weren’t many areas to actually stand and eat your meal. I can recommend the vegan hotdog stand, but eating a hotdog with all the garnish whilst yielding a beer in the other hand is a pretty hard task and I think perhaps more tables were needed.

I wish Brewfest was offering Sunday day sessions as well as Saturday as I imagine the day session would be a slightly more chill affair. The evenings are a lot of fun with a pumping DJ and some impromptu dancing, but I can’t help but think many people in the city may enjoy a slow amble with their stout so I would recommend more day options to the festival in future!

All in all I spent roughly $25 after admission and managed to taste 8 different beers and eat a hotdog, which I think is pretty great. Plus also supporting local brewers and a cool festival? Well that’s priceless in my opinion.

Get your Brewfest tickets now.

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Annually taking place at the Enercare Centre, Brewfest featured over 150 beers from Canadian Brewers, specifically from Ontario and Quebec. The great thing about the festival is that, sure, you’ll find a few of your already established favourite local beers, but you’ll also discover some new up and coming breweries with some delicious craft beer on offer. My favourite thing about the festival, however, was the special limited edition beers being offered by my favourite brewers. I have an enduring love for Oast House’s Barn Raiser, so it was a delight to try their chestnut brown ale, which for me was my favourite craft of the festival.

There was something for all beer lovers here, including a delightful array of sours, stouts and porters. A classic Left Field Sour won my tart vote of the evening.  Of course it isn’t all beer, either. I tried a sweet and delicious Blood Orange Cider by Thornbury Village, and that was just one of many ciders on offer. Of course there were harder drinks available too, although really, who goes to a beer festival to drink Jack and coke? I guess we all have that one friend…

I came across the Cowbell Brewing Company when finding a home for my last few beer tokens, and I have to say, I wish I had saved more for them! Their Blueberry Box was a summery treat on a cold winter’s night, and if I ever find myself in Blyth, Ontario, I’d be sure to pop in and grab a few cans and see what else they have on offer!

I very much enjoyed rounding off the night with a Coconut Porter from the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies as well as learning about their group and the event nights they run in the city. Honestly, that is one of the nicest things about Brewfest; it is more than just beer on offer; there is starting to become a sense of community amongst the beer lovers of Ontario. Brewfest doesn’t need disco lights, DJs and pumping music; honestly in that respect it could afford to tone it down a little. All it needs is brewers who are passionate about their work and drinkers who are passionate about craft.

So what of the issues posed by previous years festivals? Well, this year I was pleased to see the prices for samples were much more affordable, allowing people to try more craft offerings, which really is what it is all about. The food truck game, in my opinion, still has a little way to go. $13 for vegetarian poutine is a bit much, and there were just 5 vendors to choose from, none of which I would describe as “gourmet”, but peddling reasonably gourmet prices. I did enjoy a much more reasonably priced veggie hotdog from Sausage Party and my friend had a seemingly tasty meat pie from the North Shore Pie Company.

So, Brewfest? Good! Getting better by the year! Hopefully next year the growing sense of community will be even stronger!

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Whether you are a craft beer connoisseur or just some dude who likes getting a little loose from time to time, Toronto Brewfest is for you.

Supporting local never tasted so delightful!

Cowbell makes a Stout that could cause a tick-infested billy-goat to purr like a kitten. Beau’s Lugtread should have it’s own church. Creemore Springs Lager was the first beer I ever ripped-off my dad so heck YES, I’m going to Brewfest.

As I type the following sentence, half-a-mouthful of drool is draining into my beard. 150 local craft breweries will be there! 150! I plan on drinking one from every brewer until I either explode or get arrested. Just kidding, drink and eat responsibly!

Ever had a darkened chestnut ale, with hints of chocolate of course, while snacking on some naan bread from the fan-favourite food-truck ‘Naan Sense’? Now that is a combo worth striving towards. It’s magical.

I’m a Stout guy. It’s a fantasy of mine to sip a dark hickory brew while nibbling on Greek-style souvlaki skewers like the king I’m not and never will be. King for a weekend sounds pretty radical, however. Although you won’t have the service of being hand-fed your food and beer with your admission voucher, maybe you can talk to the crew at ‘Pappas Greek’ food-truck and see what you can work out. I know I will be. Maybe Greek dressing would make a good massage oil? Let’s bathe in the experience. Shall we?

Sometimes you just have to ‘Spearhead’ a ‘Flying Monkey’ and go with the flow. Get on out to Exhibition Place on the 2nd and 3rd to celebrate good beer, great food and T.O. culture.

Brewfest will have DJ’s beginning at 6pm on Friday and Saturday to entertain you as you munch and crunch late into evening. If you see a bearded guy with lots of tattoos cutting-the-rug with a dark beer and a skewer in hand, come say hello.

Volunteers will receive a $40 Brewbuck and a bunch of swag. If you want to volunteer your time, visit Brewfest.ca and get in contact with the director directly.

See you all there!

March 2-3, Exhibition Place.
brewfest.ca (Buy Your Tickets Here)

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Still in its infancy, Brewfest was back for its second year and the festival seemed to take attendee feedback on board to bring an enjoyable couple of beer-fuelled nights at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place.

More than 150 beers were on tap, situated at stalls across the hall and set to the sounds of a DJ who blasted pumping tunes through loud speakers. I would say a live band would have been a nice mix, alongside the DJ and for next year I would suggest something softer for the earlier evening hours.

The beers were much more reasonably priced this year, with 2 brew bucks allowing you a taste of the good stuff. Some personal highlights were the High Park Across the Pond English style ale and Beau’s special Lock Monster English-style Pale Ale. Of course, as is mandatory at a beer festival, there were some delightfully named brews, such as the Harry Porter, a delightful American style porter with some malty chocolate tones from Great Lakes Brewery.

Beers light, dark, hoppy, malty, on tap and on cask; there were a lot to choose from and I did my best to sample as many as I could…it was a matter of duty, after all! Of course there were some that were not to taste, but screwing up your face at a wine barrel aged beer is all part of the fun!

Food options were reasonably limited and reasonably pricey, something that could be developed upon next year. That said, what I did eat (6 vegetarian samosas for $8) was very tasty and the line up totally manageable, unlike similar events I have been to.

Most importantly, all of the volunteers and breweries were so friendly and very happy to chat beer with all that pass by, making for a friendly beer community vibe that I hope to see further expanded upon next year!

Well done Brewfest for upping your game!

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