Toronto the good
Canada is a major player in the beer revolution that is sweeping North America. Robert Hughey seeks out the beer venues in its largest city.
Toronto, Canada’s largest city with a population just under five million, was once known as ‘Toronto the Good’ because it was a bastion of Victorian morals. Reviving the line with a slight revision might nudge closer to the truth of today: Toronto, the Good Beer Place. Quite a relief, really, after years of the mass-produced lagers and ales churned out by Canada’s two big breweries, Molson and Labatt, now owned and manipulated by foreign concerns.
Too long the domain of dark, grungy taverns with burly men huddled around tiny glasses of icy cold beer covering small round tables, Toronto has steadily seen the rise of a wide variety of distinctive and welcoming places in which to sample and consume beer. Today this cosmopolitan city offers a myriad of beer choices, from fine hoppy cask ales to sparkling Czech-style lagers and robust Imperial stouts, with a full array of seasonals to challenge the palate and delight the beer drinker any time of the year.
Bar Volo, a former Italian restaurant and wine bar, has emerged as one of the city’s main beer attractions thanks to owner, Ralph Morana. At 587 Yonge Street, the longest street in the world, the cozy Volo, with its eclectic furnishings, has a stunning and everchanging lineup of locally brewed beers on tap. Recently on tap: Denison’s Weissbier, a spritzy wheat beer that delivers a fresh banana and cloves aroma and lively citric notes on the palate; Mill Street Tankhouse Ale, a generously hopped American style pale ale; Black Oa.....
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By Robert Hughey
Section : Beer Journeys
Page number : 58
