The Bar Towel

I'm sure this has come up before, but I've been reading some things lately that got me thinking about what my favourite Ontario beers would be if I had to pick. For an arbitrarily satisfying number, I'll say pick your top 5 favourite beers made in Ontario, OCB or non-OCB, brew pub or whatever, anything made here. If you feel like explaining why go right ahead but it's not required.

1) Grand River Galt Knife: When this stuff is on, it's one of my single favourite beers ever. Just perfect for what it is.

2) Wellington Imperial Stout: Some may argue it's not really an Imperial Stout (at least from an American perspective on the style), but I can think of few other Ontario beers I enjoy so consistently. Such a solid beer in all aspects.

3) True North IPA: I've had this and thought it was more of a British style IPA, but the recent 12 pack I had was much more American-esque. If I could keep this in my house at all times as a session brew, I swear I'd drink a 6er a day at least.

4) Beau's Lugtread: Every time I'm in Ottawa I have to have this beer, and ideally take some back with me. Some day I'm definitely trecking out to the brewery to try their other stuff. This stuff is just simply delicious.

5) Denison's Dunkel: I've actually only had it once when it was at the Castle, but it was so incredibly delicious I still view it as one of the single best dark lagers I've ever had. I can't wait to drink plenty of this one again when I get the chance.

Honourable mention:

F&M Dark Ale
Scotch-Irish Corporal Punishment
Hockley Dark
Mill St. Milk Stout
Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion

And just to add even more to this, the top beers in Ontario I'm looking to try ASAP would be:

Mike Duggan #9 IPA
King Dark Lager
King Pilsbock
The entire Granite Brewery line-up

The King Dark is a very nice beer, and the Denisons Dunkel is extremely fine, nowadays almost eclipsing the Weisse. (Now I find the Hefeweizen is always very citric, which is refreshing but obscures the estery banana fruit and light clove & bubble-gum flavors. Still a great beer, but I do like suggestions of lemon AND bananas in my glass of DW - and those were some of my most memorable Toronto pints, ever.)

top 6:

Denisons Weissbier: Ontario's best beer all around IMO

Scotch Irish John By Imperial Stout: solid stout, Id like to see it availible all year round

Mill Street Tankhouse Ale: best widely distributed beer in the province

Grand River Plowmans Ale: best session beer in the province

Grand River Town Hall Lager: best lager in the province

Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale: best new beer in the province

honourable mention:
Grand River (the rest of their line-up)
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Mill Street Pilsner
Beaus Lug Tread Lagered Ale
Durham Signature Ale
Wellington Iron Duke Strong Ale
Wellington Arkell Best Bitter
Better Bitters Nickel Brook Cuvée 08
Better Bitters Nickel Brook Organic Lager
Black Oak Pale Ale
Black Oak Summer Saison
King Pilsner
Gold Crown Kings Pilsner
Muskoka Premium Lager

Grand River Plowmans Ale - If I was told I could only have one beer for the rest of my life, this is the one I would pick.

Mill Street Tankhouse Ale

Black Oak Nutcracker (do seasonals count?)

Hockley Dark

Wellington Imperial Stout

Interesting Category!

Mine are (In no particular order. Depends on my mood)

Black Oak Pale Ale
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Hoptical Illusion
King Pilsner
Scotch Irish Sgt. Major IPA

Best seasonal -Black Oak Summer Saison

My all-time top 5 would be:

1) Scotch Irish Santa Claws Christmas Cake Porter
2) Black Oak Nutcracker
3) Grand River Ploegers Vlaams Rood
4) Mike Duggan Number 9 IPA
5) Denison's Weissbier

Seeing as a few of these are seasonals or one-offs never to be seen again, my readily available, year-round top 5 is:

1) Mike Duggan Number 9 IPA
2) Denison's Weissbier
3) Wellington RIS
4) Publican House Square Nail Pale Ale
5) Granite Keefe's Irish Stout

1) Mill Street Tankhouse - I take it for granted because it's so easy to find lately, but every time I have it in a bottle or on tap I'm reminded of just what a well made, well balanced beer this is.

2) Beau's IPEh - For my money the best and closest an Ontario brewer has come to an American style IPA.

3) Denison's Weissbier - this beer is a legend. I'm dying to see it in bottles.

4) John By Stout - a smooth stout with a lot of depth and coffee flavour. It totally sucks that it's discontinued at the LCBO.

5) Publican House Square Nail Pale Ale - it could just be on my list because it's the best beer I have had recently. I had it at Volo on Friday and I was sad that I only had time for one.

I'm on the fence with #9. I had two pints on Sunday at Reposado on Ossington, and I think it's a really excellent beer. I just don't think it's an IPA. Too much caramel, not enough hops. The tap handle was pretty nifty though.

I'm going to cheat a bit (all in no particular order):

Top 5 year round:
Tankhouse
Hoptical Illusion
Mike Duggan #9
Church Key West Coast
Durham Hop Addict

Top 5 seasonals/one-offs:
Black Oak Saison
Black Oak Nutcracker
Great Lakes Pumpkin
Beau's Beaver River IP Eh
Mill St. Milk Stout

Top 5 casks:
Cheshire Valley IPA
Durham Hop Head
Granite Hopping Mad
Cheshire Valley Dry Stout
Black Oak Hop Bomb

Top 5 in no particular order (this list could also change as there were about 10-15 beers I was considering):

- Mike Duggan #9 IPA
- Durham Hop Addict
- Denison's Weissbier
- Mill Street Cobblestone Stout
- C'est What Hazelnut Chocolate Ale

This list makes me wish we had some double IPA's or imperial stouts from Ontario breweries (that make it to TBS/Control Board at least) as these seem to be my favourite styles.

Black Oak Nutcracker
Denison's Weissebier
Mill St Milk Stout
Church Key Cranberry Maple
Nicklebrook Green Apple Pilsner

Honourable Mentions:
Scotch Irish Vanilla Bean
Church Key Mead
Denison's Dunkel
Mill St Tankhouse
Great Lakes Orange Peel & Pumpkin
Grand River Bumbleberry Wheat & Hannenburg Pils
Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion
Muskoka Premium Lager

Favourite one-offs:
Great Lakes Peach & Pepper Ale
Hockley Valley Black Forest Stout

A couple of winters ago when the Nutcracker and Vanilla Bean were on cask at Volo, it was magical.

No particular order:

Tankhouse
Duggan No. 9
Wellington Russian Imperial Stout
F&M Dark Ale (On cask this is beautiful)
Durham Hop Addict

Honorable mention:
Densions Weissbier (I love this beer, I just don't drink it a lot)
Mill St. Cobblestone Stout
Cheshire Valley ESB
Flying Monkeys Hoptical
Black Oak Pale Ale and Saison
Beau's Lug Tread
Neustadt Big Dog Porter
Durham Hop Head

It's hard to decide as there is a beer for every mood.

Solid choices guys. Makes me feel like our beer scene isn't as bad as I sometimes think it is.

And just to clarify, you can choose any beer brewed in Ontario, retired or current, one-off or widely available, anything, any beer.

I find it hard to argue with the lists given here. I'm going to have to go out this weekend and drink them all back to back so I can narrow it down a little.

The day after I posted my top 5 list I tried the Wellington RIS at Volo. I think that could crack my top 5, although I'm not sure which one I'd want to take off.

While I think we have way too few breweries in Ontario given that we have 13 million people, I think the ones we do have are producing some great beers.

My top 5

Grand River Plowman's-I'm with carguy and Matt. This is my desert island beer.
Black Oak Summer Saison
Grand River Ploegers Vlaams Rood
Neustadt Big Dog Porter
Densions Weissbier

My honourable 5

Grand River Executioner's Ale- Rob, please tell me this will see the light of day again?
Granite Hopping Mad
Chruch Key West Coast PA
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Creemore Kellerbier