Ottawa and area help

[Provost Drunk]

EDIT: Updating below

BDT does a giant flight they call the "horloge", I assume you get 12 tasters? Yeah, looking at the site that's what's going on. If you order the horloge flight you must get those 12 beer.

The hors-horloges ones I assume mean they are ones you don't get in their standard horloge (clock) flight.

I have no idea how up to date their website is. Half the time I'm in there I don't think the stupid board is even up to date!!! Oh, and if you can't see the board, they have these insane flip cards to tell you what beers are on. Not only are they not practical at all for figuring out what is on tap, I also can't vouch for how up to date they are.

My suggestion when you get there is to ask the server if the board is up to date. I've had times where they slip me a piece of paper with updates, but that's been awhile. Last few times the board was all they had, or at least according to the server.

Thanks for the insight. The horloge sounds cool and even if what's pouring varies from what's online or on the board, it will all be new and exciting to me. Add in a stop at Gainsbourg and I may have to stumble my way back across the bridge!

[biegaman]

The best spots for craft beer in Ottawa include...
-Cheshire Cat (in Carp)
-Central Bierhaus (in Kanata)
-Brothers Bistro
-Wellington Gastropub
-Pub Italia
-Union 613
-Arrow and Loon

Honorable mentions to Hintonburg Public House and Black Tomato (all local), Vineyards (extensive private order bottles), Manx Pub, Lieutenant's Pump and Sir John A's (both with a good selection but much of it macro). There's also the Bier Markt.

Set to open in a couple weeks is Craft - over 120 draft lines! Same chain from out West, for those who know it.

[cratez]

The best spots for craft beer in Ottawa include...
-Pub Italia

Honorable mentions to Hintonburg Public House and Black Tomato (all local)...

I personally found Pub Italia to be a waste of time, and given their superior local focus I'd recommend Hintonburg and Tomato over Italia. My impression was that Pub Italia was probably a "great" bar ten years ago, but they still seem to be clinging to the same tired "beers of the world" theme that has arguably run its course in 2016. The draft list was also very uninspiring. They definitely have a few worthy and in some cases rare bottles available, but after spending a good amount of time there last spring, I couldn't think of any reason why I'd want to return.

[cfrancis]

The best spots for craft beer in Ottawa include...
-Cheshire Cat (in Carp)
-Central Bierhaus (in Kanata)
-Brothers Bistro
-Wellington Gastropub
-Pub Italia
-Union 613
-Arrow and Loon

Honorable mentions to Hintonburg Public House and Black Tomato (all local), Vineyards (extensive private order bottles), Manx Pub, Lieutenant's Pump and Sir John A's (both with a good selection but much of it macro). There's also the Bier Markt.

Set to open in a couple weeks is Craft - over 120 draft lines! Same chain from out West, for those who know it.

I would drop Central Bierhaus from this list. Basically everything that the LCBO offers just more expensive and I'd add Big Rig on Greenbank and Ogilvie.

[Provost Drunk]

Many thanks to everyone who weighed in with suggestions on where to visit on my recent trip to Ottawa - it was a resounding success!

I snuck in a quick pre-dinner excursion to Brothers Bistro late in the afternoon on Friday when I arrived. I really liked the vibe there and it's a nice, bright space with large windows facing out to the Byward market (really made me realize how dimly lit and devoid of natural light most of the beer bars in Toronto are). The taplist did feature a lot of GTA brews, but also some more local offerings and I had success finding some interesting imports (Hacker-Pschorr Maibock and New Holland The Poet).

After dinner, I visited Tooth & Nail and Hintonburg. Always nice to go straight to the source and a visit a brew pub and all T & N brews were solid if unspectacular. Hintonburg was ok - full points for a well curated, local taplist and well worth a visit for a casual pint or two, but naturally not as much variety as a dedicated beer bar. I wish Beyond the Pale was open later - I would have definitely stopped by there if so.

The highlight was probably my Saturday afternoon "beergrimmage" over to Hull where both Gainsbourg and BDT delivered. The "hors-horloge" beers at BDT are indeed beers that are typically not included in their 12-beer "around the clock" sampling tray. I inquired about subbing in the 4 hors-horloge beers into the clock and was told it could be done but would be slightly more expensive. Part way through my efforts to explain which 12 beers I wanted to try, the bartender said he'd just give me all 16 (for the price of 12, as it turned out ) I picked up a bottle of BDT's tripel (which was not among the taplist offerings) from their bottle shop on my way out. Their bottle shop offerings included DumDuminator - a weizenbock that is apparently aged in cognac barrels. I was tempted to give it a go, but got scared off by the $22 price tag (I'm already feeling a bit of regret). Instead, I stopped at Marche Monette on my way back to Ottawa and picked up a random sampling of beers from various Quebec microbrews that looked interesting.

I posted a complete list of the beers I tried in the "What you're drinking right now" thread.

[jeremyg]

beyond the pale is obscenely overrated, you didn't miss much

[Kekumba]

How so? I skip the majority of their beers now simply because there's "too many", but they have some real gems like the Aromatherapy stuff, Saison Tropicale and Rye Guy cans, Angry Orchid was fantastic imo. I mean I get it, they'd likely get a bit lost in the mix if they were in Toronto, but "obscenely overrated" is a strong statement.

[rejtable]

Agree. Nothing I go too far out of my way to seek out, but they do make lots of good beer, and their good:shit ratio is pretty solid, especially for Ottawa. For me personally, they are one of only two or three breweries in or around the Ottawa area who I would order a beer blind (not knowing anything about it). The odds that it is bad are reasonably low. Can't say the same at all for most of the newcomers the last few years.

And I don't know how they really could be overrated? It's not like a see a ton of frothing masses going insane for everything they do. There is almost no buzz on this site about them. Maybe I run in the wrong circles?

[cfrancis]

BTP is my favourite Ottawa brewery.

[jeremyg]

said it was overrated because i didn't particularly like any of the half dozen brews by them i tried

tooth and nail on the other hand, now there's a brewery making fantastic stuff

[jeremyg]

but hey, it's all subjective. just imho!

[El Pinguino]

Looking to do a quick stop over in Gatineau soon. One night only....then driving home to Toronto. Wondering what is new and interesting out there.

Haven't been in a long time, used to go to Jovi and Broue Haha. Any advice would be appreciated on how to efficiently do the following:

- upon arrival - hit a few shops for beer and cheese (any special cheese shops there?)
- a place to eat/drink for the evening around Gatineau
- a few best spots to stop in Ottawa to pick up bottles/cans on the way to Toronto the next day? haven't hit ANY breweries there in years....

I expect to arrive on a Friday, then do the drive home on the Saturday.

[rejtable]

I'm not a cheese geek. In gatineau there are a few Trappe à Fromage spots around Gatineau. They also used to have a small selection of craft beer. There's one not far from Broue Haha.

Depends on what kind of night out with food you are looking for. Pub? Brasseurs du Temps, Gainsboug and if you are mobile the Chelsea Pub is kind of fun. But if you are looking higher end that's a different discussion.

For cans/bottles on the Ottawa side, best hits are likely Beyond the Pale and Tooth and Nail. Some good stuff out of Dominion City on occasion. Tons of new places have popped up the last few years, but generally more hit than miss overall.

[El Pinguino]

Thanks rejtable....
Not looking for anything crazy at night, somewhere wit ha decent bar and some good food and beers that doesn't close too early!

[rejtable]

I rarely make it to closing time now so no comment here on that!

My personal faves around town...

Autre oeuil (Aylmer)... not much for food, no idea about bar;
Brasseurs du temps ... food can be hit and miss, service can be fine or you may end up wanting to stab them in the neck;
Gainsbourg... beer is ok, service usually fine, food pubby nothing super special;

On the Ottawa side...

Wellington Gastro Pub: higher end food, solid beer list, no comment on bar;
Brothers Beer Bistro: higher end food, solid beer list, no comment on bar;
Cheshire Cat: by far my personal fave, but far away... solid beer, solid food, beautiful spot, especially if you can sit downstairs. I think the bar is quite extensive??
Black Tomato: a tier below wellington in terms of food prices, ok beer list, I think the bar is quite extensive?
Pub Italia: ok beer list, ok food, cool spot.

There are also a ton of solid food/beer options around town.. Hintonburg Public House, Union 613, Manx...lots like that. There are also lots of big "chain-y" places out at Landsdowne now including a few with decent beer focus (Local Landsdowne, Crate and Craft (is that the name??), and of course the big Craft Beer Market. Arrow and Loon is out there as well, it's not really worth the trek out for that place anymore, but an institution if you feel the need.