Toronto Brew Pass: How to Enjoy a Craft Beer Crawl the Easy Way

Say cheers to craft beer! Here’s how to create a 1-day, 3-day or 7-day Toronto Brew Pass brewery crawl.

One great pass, 23 amazing craft breweries: come to Toronto thirsty, and we’ll make sure you leave sated! The new Toronto Brew Pass comes in 1-day, 3-day and 7-day versions, all of which provide for one tasting or flight at up to four different breweries per day.

Stop 1: Blood Brothers Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: one draft beverage

With its occult branding, you might not expect Blood Brothers to be kid-friendly, but you’ll see strollers in the taproom during the day. 

Although Shumei IPA is most likely to be on tap when you visit, fans of sour or fruited beers might opt for beers under the Autopop or Paradise Lost series.

Blood Brothers has a food menu that changes seasonally, although options abound on Geary Avenue as you head toward Dufferin Street.

Standout beer: Shumei India Pale Ale
 

Stop 2: Burdock Brewery

Included in your Brew Pass: 16 oz draft

Over time, Burdock Brewery has become known for session-strength beers, sophisticated fruited sours and for their clever take on bistro fare.

With the addition of a production brewery, they’re excelling at classic lager styles and IPAs. Their Bloordale restaurant is a welcoming space with friendly staff and a relaxed vibe, perfect for lounging in the midafternoon.

Standout beer: Deluxe Lager

Stop 3: Bellwoods Brewery

Included in your Brew Pass: 16 oz draft

Bellwoods Brewery makes a tremendous number of different beers every year, making it difficult to recommend a single IPA.

For that reason, you’re going to want to keep an eye out for Jelly King, which is Ontario’s reigning monarch in the sour category. The fruited variants change frequently, so make sure to ask what the flavour of the moment is before ordering.

Their Ossington Village brewpub offers great views of the brewhouse as well as elevated lunch and dinner menus.

Standout beer: Jelly King Dry Hopped Sour Ale
 

Stop 4: Something in the Water

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Your last stop is in youthful and energetic Liberty Village at Something in the Water. 

It’s hard to know exactly what to recommend when a brewery offers a tasting flight. My best advice is to talk to your server and see what they recommend.

Personally, I recommend their Farm to Glass Lager, which is made with Ontario ingredients including a hop variety called Heritage. The rest of the choices are up to you.

Standout beer: Liberty’s Farm to Glass Pilsner
 

Toronto beer crawl #2: explore Toronto’s east-end breweries

There’s more to Toronto than its bustling downtown core. This Eastside crawl will take you along Gerrard and Queen Street East so you can sightsee through Little India, Leslieville and Riverside.

Stop 1: Red Tape Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Red Tape started out as a bespoke brewery, offering brewing services for people who wanted special beers for special events. 

You got a wedding? There’s a beer for that! Wake? Covered! Bar Mitzvah? Sure, but we’re going to need to see some ID. 

Their tasting flight will necessarily include interesting rotating options, but the Pale Ale is standard.

Standout beer: Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants Pale Ale
 

Stop 2: Left Field Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: 13 oz draft of Ice Cold Beer

What style of beer is Left Field’s Ice Cold Beer? It’s a 100% Ontario ale made with provincially sourced ingredients.

That’s what’s included in the passport, but since Left Field is one of the city’s best breweries, you may want to supplement that.

The Leslieville location offers small pours at a very reasonable price point, so you should consider making like the locals and trying the Eephus.

Standout beer: Ice Cold Beer

Stop 3: Black Lab Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: 12 oz draft

Do you like dogs? Gosh, I hope you like dogs. Black Lab Brewing specializes in beers named after dogs, whether that’s Santa’s Little Helper, Anubis or Snoopy’s Legacy. 

Sitting Pretty is a Rye Pale Ale with a light spiciness, but no matter what beer you order, you should know that they’re all good boys, er, brews.

And yes, you can bring your own dog into this pub, which offers snacks and pop-up food stands for sustenance.

Standout beer: Sitting Pretty APA

ALSO SEE: 10 Dog-Friendly Patios in Toronto
 

Stop 4: Saulter Street Brewery

Included in your Brew Pass: 16 oz draft

Saulter Street is a community favourite, and most of their business is local to the neighbourhood. 

At first, you might have a little trouble finding it, but follow the signs, and you’ll be rewarded with a cozy wood-accented taproom in a heritage building. Try the Riverside Gold Lager, which has become a top draw at bars around the city.

Standout beer: Riverside Gold Lager
 

Toronto beer crawl #3: sip from the mouth of the Don River

When the City of York (now Toronto) was established over two hundred years ago, most of the breweries were set along creeks that flowed toward Lake Ontario. 

So, it should come as no surprise that a number of them are in Old Town and other areas near the Don River.

Note: this beer crawl leans toward tasting flights, and by its completion, you’ll have tried 13 beers, making it perfect for those who crave variety.

Stop 1: Steam Whistle Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: 20 oz draft

Located in the John Street Roundhouse next to the Toronto Railway Museum in the South Core, Steam Whistle Brewing is branded as Canada’s Premium Pilsner. 

But that’s not what you want. You want the unfiltered version. The brewery tap is the only place that you can get it. It’s fuller in mouthfeel, body and flavour.

Standout beer: Unfiltered Steam Whistle Pilsner
 

Stop 2: Old Flame Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Located in the restored Victorian-era Distillery Historic District, Old Flame is the newest addition to the neighbourhood’s craft brewing and distilling scene. 

The tasting flight at this location is a set menu, so you’ll get to sample all of the brewery’s flagship lagers, ranging from blonde to black.

Be sure to make the time to explore the Distillery District, home to an eclectic array of art galleries, boutiques and public art installations.

Standout beer: Raven Black Lager

Stop 3: Longslice Brewery

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

One of the city’s newest neighbourhoods, the Canary District is home to Aviary Brewpub, which hosts Longslice Brewery. 

While young, Longslice is an important part of the Toronto brewing scene, having collaborated with the long-running detective show, Murdoch Mysteries. 

The tasting flight here allows you to choose anything you want, but I always include Sky Bison. It’s a fun throwback Pale Ale.

Standout beer: Sky Bison APA
 

Stop 4: Eastbound Brewing Co

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Eastbound is an underrated gem with terrific beer and exciting goods located adjacent to the beautifully refurbished Broadview Hotel (which has an excellent rooftop lounge with live entertainment, including DJs and dancing). 

Eastbound’s staple IPA is Let’s Go Exploring, which leans a little hazy. I would also recommend the Tasti Kolsch as a sort of sorbet to cleanse the palate.

Standout beer: Let’s Go Exploring DDH IPA
 

Toronto beer crawl #4: explore Toronto’s western horizons

Up-and-coming and eclectic, the west end’s Junction, Stockyards and High Park neighbourhoods are funky and iconoclastic. (It’s almost as though the craft breweries that moved in had something to do with that.)

Stop 1: Lost Craft

Included in your Brew Pass: 16 oz draft

Lost Craft is a short walk from verdant High Park, which draws thousands of Torontonians annually to see the cherry blossoms in spring.

Knowing that you might not be visiting in spring, I can help preserve that experience for you by recommending the Cherry Blossom Lager. It’s elegant and refined but approachable.

Standout beer: Under the Sakura Cherry Blossom Lager
 

Stop 2: Junction Craft Beverage Co.

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Located in the 1930s Art Deco Destructor building, Junction Craft Beverage has helped give new life to an old landmark.

Incorporating the Junction and Woodhouse brands, your tasting flight here will have several options, including occasional small-batch flourishes.

Standout beer: Junction Craft Pilsner

Stop 3: Rainhard Brewing

Included in your Brew Pass: 12 oz draft

A literal stone’s throw down the street from Junction Craft Beverage, Rainhard has a small number of year-round options—of which the Armed ‘N Citra is the best. 

They also make a number of excellent seasonal products. Ask what the newest flavour is before ordering to take full advantage of the possibilities.

Standout beer: Armed 'N Citra Dry Hopped Pale Ale
 

Stop 4: Indie Ale House

Included in your Brew Pass: tasting flight

Indie Ale House is known as much for its fantastic food menu as its selection of beers on tap, and for that reason, it’s the anchor of this itinerary.

The Marco Polo is a beautifully floral Italian Pilsner with a crisp bitterness, but if you’re in the mood for an IPA, Instigator has been holding it down for twelve years. 

Don’t forget to check if there’s a cask offering. You might get a special British treat.

Standout beer: Marco Polo Italian Pilsner
 

Get your Toronto Brew Pass

Ready to start planning your own self-guided beer tour of Toronto? Order your 1-day, 3-day or 7-day Toronto Brew Pass to sip the best IPAs, saisons, lagers and more. Click the “Learn More” tab to see the full list of participating breweries.