To kick off the summer, Mandrea Bike and friends spent an afternoon walking through Toronto’s west end for a day of beer tasting. We started at Bellwoods Brewery, and from there we walked to Kensington Market where we washed down some tacos with some Kensington Brewery suds. We headed south to Dundas to Collective arts new Toronto location. We then jumped in Ubers and made our way north to Halo Brewery which is located just north of Dufferin and Bloor. We were back on our feet and walked south to Henderson Brewery followed by Bandit where we concluded the crawl. As patios were closed when we partook on the crawl we took advantage of the bottle shops which are available at each of the breweries. We are excited to partake on another West End Brewery Crawl once patios start to open up.

Bellwoods Brewery – 124 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z5
Seating: Good sized indoor and outdoor seating, plus bottle shop and kitchen.
The high: The location and the patio are incredible, plus the Jelly King line of beer is the way to go for the sour lovers in the house! 
The low: Lack of interest in sharing the beer flavours, and in normal times, the line up to get a seat on the patio can be two hours or more. 

Kensington Brewing Company  – 299 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2M2
Seating: Small interior with a good amount of seating, small patio out front.
The high: This place is intimate while still in the middle of all the action of Kensington Market. The staff treat the customers like friends and are willing to talk about the qualities in each beer to assist in making the best decision for each drinker. Heads up, the classic Watermelon Wheat now has hibiscus added to it, and it’s epic. 
The low: There isn’t a great deal of seating, pandemic or not, so it’s strongly recommended to arrive early. 

Collective Arts Toronto  – 777 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1V2
Seating: Still new to the game they have a fully stocked bottle shop with plans of opening a good sized full service patio located on the side of the building.
The high: Hamilton’s unique artistic cans have made their way to the big city with a satellite brewery. There’s no denying that this will be a drink and patio hotspot in the summer. See you there! 
The low: There are some corporate vibes… But we still adore it. 

Halo Brewery – 247 Wallace Ave, Toronto, ON M6H 1V5
Seating: Very small interior with small patio with only a few tables. Very much a neighbourhood brewery vibe.
The high: In a quaint and quiet street, this brewery has a residential and local feel. The main female employee knows her beer and her recommendations are on point. It’s easy to lose track of time at Halo and stay all afternoon. 
The low: A little out of the way from the other breweries, but the perfect place to post up for a couple of cold ones when there isn’t a schedule. 

Henderson Brewery Co. – 128A Sterling Rd, Toronto, ON M6R 2B7
Seating: Lot’s of indoor and outdoor seating, and pups are welcome. Often host food trucks or pop ups.
The high: A West End classic. When the brewery is open, it’s dog friendly and there are pop-up food trucks on weekends, otherwise you can order your own meals to enjoy with the beer. Check out the creamsicle flavoured beer for summer 2021! 
The low: There’s less patio seating than there is indoor seating, but that may shift this year. 

Bandit Brewery – 2125 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1X1
Seating: Big indoor and outdoor seating, equipped with heat lamps.
The high: An excellent patio to meet friends for drinks, and a bite to eat. It gives the impression of being at a barbecue, and the close proximity to Roncesvalles allows for more options like ice cream, bars, restaurants, shops and parks to spend a several hours in the neighbourhood. 
The low: They’re undergoing a construction project so it’s loud, messy and chaotic at the moment but this will hopefully change as the weather improves. 

Each brewery has a number of beers to try, and staying at each for a few rounds or a sample tray is encouraged. Hopefully beers will be flowing in the Toronto sunshine soon enough. 

Drink with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)