Pursuit of Hoppiness: best breweries in the Entertainment District

 

Don’t let the damp, windy weather fool you, the Blue Jays just opened the 2018 baseball season and Instagram feeds will soon be filled with High Park cherry blossom photos. This all means patio season is fast approaching! What better way to come out of this winter’s long hibernation than a local lager from one of the breweries located in the Entertainment District!

Mascot Brewery – 31 Mercer St.

A rustic-industrial Brewpub with a rooftop beer garden and first-floor restaurant is the perfect spot to chill and enjoy approachable classics with a high level of technical finesse. The Mascot Brewery bottle shop is open every day and is always brewing new flavours to add to its ongoing roster of unique drinks. We suggest stopping by the patio, or even better, grab a bottle to-go and have casual balcony beers in the privacy of your own digs. Get the freshness upfront with Mascot Blondie, which uses refreshing Azacca, Triskel and Huell Melon hops for a slightly sweet melon-y flavour.

Bar Hop Brewco – 137 Peter St.

The narrow, three-story tavern has a wide selection of 36 craft beers on tap sourced from Ontario breweries like Ottawa’s Dominion City and Toronto’s own Godspeed Brewery. Draught selections are updated weekly and often feature Bar Hop’s own concoctions, like the Miracle Cure Saison, a pale ale offering bright pear and citrus notes to remedy your winter blues. We recommend stopping by the haunt after work for Session Mondays on the rooftop patio to try any pour for $5.

Steam Whistle Brewery – 255 Bremner Blvd.

When Steam Whistle was founded in 1998 its three founders aimed to create an easy-drinking Canadian pilsner that could be enjoyed at most bars and restaurants throughout the country. Previously let go from a premier microbrewery, they achieved just that with their renowned green-bottled pilsner.

The brewery focuses on traditional brewing techniques and natural ingredients like spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast to solely produce one refreshing beer Canadians can be proud of. Book a half-hour tour before or after a Jays game for a deep dive on all things Steam Whistle.