Follow beer writer, Troy Burtch, as he explores the wonderful world of craft beer and the pubs that serve it. Great Canadian Beer is a place to come to catch up on beer news, read tasting notes, check out event listings, and for pub previews and reviews.

PLANNING AN EVENT? GOT A NEWS TIP? INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? SEND A MESSAGE TO troy (at)greatcanadianbeerblog(dot)com

Monday, March 22, 2010

Toronto Pub Crawl - Stops Along the Bloor Subway Route

Part 6 - Stops Along the Bloor Subway Route
Part 6 of the Toronto Pub Crawl involves riding the red rocket, so a day pass will be in order.  Each pub listed is right near a stop along the Bloor subway route and there isn't a whole lot of walking to be done.
We'll start the crawl at the famous Madison Avenue Pub.   Take the Bloor train to Spadina, get off, and walk east to Madison and then proceed to walk north to the huge seven floor establishment.  I put this first on the list because I recommend getting there early before the large crowds show up.  Sit at the bar on the second floor or in one of the cozy booths and have a pint or two.  There is some local beers on tap, but most belong to the big boys.
Head back to the Spadina subway station and get back on the west-bound train to Bathurst Street.  The next stop on the list belongs to Kilgours Bar Meets Grill, a Montreal Canadians supporter's bar right on Bloor street, just east of Bathurst.  Sit out on the patio during the nice weather or take a seat inside and enjoy a solid pint of Black Oak's Pale Ale.
The next stop does not involve using the subway, as our third stop takes us back west on Bloor to Markham Street and down to the Victory Cafe in Mirvish Village.  The Victory features a number of local craft beers, cask ale, and a solid food menu that will completely satisfy your hunger.  I recommend a pint of cask with the Victory's pulled pork sandwich.  They also have a great street side wrap-around patio with a fair bit of shade to ward off the heat from the sun.
Back to the Bathurst subway station and head west for a number of stops until Dundas West.  Get off and walk west on Bloor until you get to the Irish pub, Whelan's Gate.  Head upstairs to the bar and order a McAuslan Pale Ale and mingle with people who call the Whelan's Gate their local.  This pub caters to all societies of drinkers, young and old, white collar - blue collar, which makes for a good drinking environment.
And the last stop - Bryden's at Jane and Bloor.  Take the subway from Dundas West to Jane and Bryden's is right there on the corner.  The draught menu has gone through major changes in the last year as they've taken off the bland lagers and national products in favour of local beers like Duggan's No.9 IPA, Denison's Weissbier, Great Lakes Devil's Pale Ale, and more.  Bryden's owner has also recently welcomed real ale into his pub, tapping a new cask each Thursday.  And try the quesadill-EH.  Fantastic.
*The Madison House - 14 Madison Avenue
*Kilgours Bar Meets Grill - 509 Bloor Street West
*Victory Cafe - 581 Markham Avenue
*Whelan's Gate - 1663 Bloor Street West
*Bryden's - 2455 Bloor Street West

1 comment:

Teena in Toronto said...

We'll do this ... but will split it up into two parts.

Web Analytics

Winter Ale