The Bar Towel

Kish84 wrote:As for Beer Town, some friends and I are heading there sometime on Friday, most likely for lunch, but if anyone wants to have an impromptu meetup we can plan around that.

I'll most likely also be there on friday at lunch with some co-workers. should be there about 12 or shortly after.

i went to beer town for the first time yesterday. just an expensive sports bar to hang out in and drink beer you can get at the LCBO.

matt7215 wrote:i went to beer town for the first time yesterday. just an expensive sports bar to hang out in and drink beer you can get at the LCBO.

And yet it is still the only place in K-W/ Cambridge to go to get most of these beer.

My wife and I go once a week or so. The food is good, if a bit pricey, but I like that I can finally order beer with dinner again.

KwaiLo wrote:

matt7215 wrote:i went to beer town for the first time yesterday. just an expensive sports bar to hang out in and drink beer you can get at the LCBO.

And yet it is still the only place in K-W/ Cambridge to go to get most of these beer.

My wife and I go once a week or so. The food is good, if a bit pricey, but I like that I can finally order beer with dinner again.

agreed, it currently is the best in cambridge
id say Borealis in Kitchener is the top spot in KW, The Kick Off is the second best place (beer only) in KW and BeerTown currently 3rd

youd think we'd have it better then that with 1/2 million people but at least it is improving

oh and it sucks that none the the 3 best places in all of KW are nearly as good as the Castle on King and Golden Kiwi were

matt7215 wrote:
agreed, it currently is the best in cambridge
id say Borealis in Kitchener is the top spot in KW, The Kick Off is the second best place (beer only) in KW and BeerTown currently 3rd

youd think we'd have it better then that with 1 million people but at least it is improving

oh and it sucks that none the the 3 best places in all of KW are nearly as good as the Castle on King and Golden Kiwi were

I've only been to Borealis and Kick Off once each. Borealis had a great Ontario beer selection, but not too much else if I remember correctly. Kick Off, well, I wish that it was there when I lived at WCRI on Phillip St. 18 years ago, but I feel like an old, old man there now.

I miss the Castle, and the Kiwi to a lesser extent. I have kids, smallish when the Castle was around, and they loved to go there. Makes it very easy to arrange when the kids love it too.

matt7215 wrote: you'd think we'd have it better then that with 1 million people but at least it is improving

The pop. of K-W and surrounding areas is less than half of that, just over 477,000 people. But I agree with your point - considering the growth and wealth in the area and the fact that many of the new residents are nerdy/techy/well-educated types, you'd figure there'd be more beer spots. Same can be said of several other Ontario cities, though: ~715,000 people in Mississauga with only two beer-focused pubs and ~455,000 in Brampton with nothing in sight.

cratez wrote:

matt7215 wrote: you'd think we'd have it better then that with 1 million people but at least it is improving

The pop. of K-W and surrounding areas is less than half of that, just over 477,000 people. But I agree with your point - considering the growth and wealth in the area and the fact that many of the new residents are nerdy/techy/well-educated types, you'd figure there'd be more beer spots. Same can be said of several other Ontario cities, though: ~715,000 people in Mississauga with only two beer-focused pubs and ~455,000 in Brampton with nothing in sight.

i must have been counting jsprime as 523 000 people

ive edited my post in admendment

Kiwi has one or two interesting things on tap... Fuller's Bangal Lancer being the one I can think of off the top of my head. I know they're one of only 3 or so bars getting the Beau's Belgium Pale Ale (don't remember the name) in the next couple of weeks.

Beertown Cambridge doesn't have Grand River, the hometown brewery, on tap. I think that's ridiculous for a place with that many draught taps!

MatttthewGeorge wrote:Kiwi has one or two interesting things on tap... Fuller's Bangal Lancer being the one I can think of off the top of my head. I know they're one of only 3 or so bars getting the Beau's Belgium Pale Ale (don't remember the name) in the next couple of weeks.

Beertown Cambridge doesn't have Grand River, the hometown brewery, on tap. I think that's ridiculous for a place with that many draught taps!

you gotta pay to play

oh I know, trust me, I know.

But I know of one company on there that didn't (so I was told), and another that negotiated and got on for half the price (so I was told).

And let's not forget that it's totally illegal, so kudos to Grand River.

MatttthewGeorge wrote:oh I know, trust me, I know.

But I know of one company on there that didn't (so I was told), and another that negotiated and got on for half the price (so I was told).

And let's not forget that it's totally illegal, so kudos to Grand River.

I am not defending their lack of a GRB tap and I too applaud GRB for sticking to their guns, but for a place that is in one of the least pedestrian friendly locations in the region, I am glad they have GRB Mill Race Mild in a bottle, (a rarity in itself. BTW anyone know of other places that have MRM in a bottle or one tap?...I have had it at the Judge and the UW Grad Club and maybe the Wooly? but other than that???) and something I can have a couple or 3 of and still drive out of there, vs a $50 cab ride or a 1 hour 15 min bus ride.

NRman wrote: BTW anyone know of other places that have MRM in a bottle or one tap?...I have had it at the Judge and the UW Grad Club and maybe the Wooly? but other than that???

Lancaster Smokehouse has it in bottles, Hog Tails may as well as its the same owner but not sure. That being said, the bottles at Lancaster Smokehouse were pretty old. Maybe something GRB should look into??

Don't mean to hijack this thread but looking at the beer list at LS, its mostly OCB.

cratez wrote:

matt7215 wrote: you'd think we'd have it better then that with 1 million people but at least it is improving

The pop. of K-W and surrounding areas is less than half of that, just over 477,000 people. But I agree with your point - considering the growth and wealth in the area and the fact that many of the new residents are nerdy/techy/well-educated types, you'd figure there'd be more beer spots. Same can be said of several other Ontario cities, though: ~715,000 people in Mississauga with only two beer-focused pubs and ~455,000 in Brampton with nothing in sight.

Brampton cleared the 1/2 million mark last year.

We're currently the 4th largest city in the province, 3rd largest in the GTA.

Not a single OCB tap in the city. Save for a couple places with Barking Squirrel. Georgetown has an infinitely better beer scene with the Crook (they have a cask engine!)

Someone save us.

Interesting side note: There is one Italian place, that is probably the best place to eat in the city.

We went there after the Movies last Friday (we saw Pirates - it was awesome).

This place was busy - it had two taps, Moretti and Barking Squirrel, plus the full range of Molbatt bottle products.

Every single person (all of them) who I saw drinking beer did the same thing: They asked what barking squirrel was ("It's a local beer", was the response), thought it sounded interesting and ordered it.

All of them.

Regardless of whether Barking Squirrel is good or not, regular every day 905 folks wanted something different and "local", which I think suggests that many people are ready for that "shift" to good locally made beer.

Point is - someone come and open a good pub in this town...

NRman wrote:

MatttthewGeorge wrote:oh I know, trust me, I know.

But I know of one company on there that didn't (so I was told), and another that negotiated and got on for half the price (so I was told).

And let's not forget that it's totally illegal, so kudos to Grand River.

I am not defending their lack of a GRB tap and I too applaud GRB for sticking to their guns, but for a place that is in one of the least pedestrian friendly locations in the region, I am glad they have GRB Mill Race Mild in a bottle, (a rarity in itself. BTW anyone know of other places that have MRM in a bottle or one tap?...I have had it at the Judge and the UW Grad Club and maybe the Wooly? but other than that???) and something I can have a couple or 3 of and still drive out of there, vs a $50 cab ride or a 1 hour 15 min bus ride.

Cafe 13 in Cambridge has MRM on tap, or did when I was with GRB

Kiwi has Mill Race on tap. As for the Lancaster Smokehouse, they told me the Mill Race isn't selling and they most likely won't be reordering. Actually they are eventually getting rid of all their bottles and will be draught only, with around 20 taps. Hog Tails doesn't have it either (they don't have many bottles/cans at all).

Mill Race is easily my fav. GR beer and I agree a great beer when you plan on having a couple but still need to drive. Saldy, Mild's are a misunderstood and under-appreciated style.