Where to go in Ottawa?

[jrenihan]

I'm going to be in Ottawa for the night. What is the best bar or brewery to hit up? I confess that I have not kept up with what the current breweries in Ottawa are, but I'm more interested in trying some Ottawa stuff than a taplist that I could see in Toronto.
Thanks!
Ren

[Wonky]

If you want all Ottawa stuff, The Black Tomatoe in the Byward Market has gone all local with their tap list and it was fairly large....their food however was a serious disappointment last time I was there. Used to be one of my favourites. Brother's Beer Bistro is also in the Market.

The Corner pub in Westboro usually has three rotating taps that are usually local, as well as Beyond the Pale Pink Fuzz on tap as a regular. Wellington Gastropub is nearby if you want upscale food ($$) and a usually decent tap list (haven't been in a bit, so don't know how local it is.

Over in Gatineau, Brasseur du Temp is worth a visit.

The Manx on Elgin is still my favourite beer+food combo...some local stuff, but not much. Was there recently and I still love it.

As for breweries, I live too close to Beyond the Pale and their stuff is too good for me to look into the other breweries that have popped up recently...

[Tapsucker]

These guys are opening in Ottawa soon.

http://ottawa.craftbeermarket.ca/

I wasn't too impressed with the Vancouver location. The beer list is huge, but not well curated. My food was surprisingly good, but I have heard complaints from others. The building is very cool, but they turned in it into a way too loud sports bar and filled it up with boneheads to match. Not the kind of place to go be social, just watch people scream at TVs.

If they get the environment and the beer list right, maybe the Ottawa location will be worth a visit. It's possible that there are just too many good competitors in Vancouver, so they are trying to bash their way into the market. Ottawa, being much less developed on the beer bar scene, might call for them to do something a little more laid back and special. Here's to hoping.

I wonder what their Alberta locations are like.

As for the Manx, I second that. There is usually at least a couple good beers on the limited local list, the food is good and it's just a nice place to hang out.

[spinrsx]

Try 'local' at lansdowne or the arrow and loon.. or both since they are close to each other

[cratez]

http://bit.ly/1RaK9e3

[rejtable]

These guys are opening in Ottawa soon.

http://ottawa.craftbeermarket.ca/

I wasn't too impressed with the Vancouver location. The beer list is huge, but not well curated. My food was surprisingly good, but I have heard complaints from others. The building is very cool, but they turned in it into a way too loud sports bar and filled it up with boneheads to match. Not the kind of place to go be social, just watch people scream at TVs.

If they get the environment and the beer list right, maybe the Ottawa location will be worth a visit. It's possible that there are just too many good competitors in Vancouver, so they are trying to bash their way into the market. Ottawa, being much less developed on the beer bar scene, might call for them to do something a little more laid back and special. Here's to hoping.

I wonder what their Alberta locations are like.

As for the Manx, I second that. There is usually at least a couple good beers on the limited local list, the food is good and it's just a nice place to hang out.

I've been to the Vancouver and the Edmonton locations, very similar inside. Loud, lots of TVs, huge beer list kind of all over the map. No whales, but lots of tasty beer. My worry with Ottawa is that all those Stone, Gigantic, etc taps out West will instead be Broadhead, Bicycle, Whippersnapr, etc. The "local" beer was the least interesting option in both Vancouver and Edmonton. But with the import situation here that could be the reverse.

To the original question about Ottawa, yeah, for local stuff Black Tomato is pretty reliable, but it's more of a food destination. Same as Wellington Gastropub.

Local can be lively with some locals on tap. Feels very "chain" though. Brothers can be so depressing if it's empty.

Arrow and Loon has a pretty solid taplist, but again, can make you want to poke your eye out with a fork with combined bad service or dead atmosphere. I think a night up in that area is likely more promising than anything else. Clocktower is also not that far away.

It sucks that Landsdowne was gobbled up by big chains, but if you get past that, Local, Crate and Barrel are neat spots. With A&L just a few blocks down and A&L not that far it has better options than the market.

[Bytowner]

Go to Hintonburg, hit up BtP and Tooth and nail. Go to Hintonburg Public House for good local taps and snacks. You can find everything else in the guide thread.