I hope nobody minds me expressing a few cherished memories of a long gone pub, Foster's, which sort of went mams-up about a half-decade ago.
The Foster's of which I glowingly remember was situate on a street directly behind Toronto's City Hall, and served the most wonderful cask-condition ale that I have ever had the priviledge of tasting.
On tap they had Wellington County Arkell Best Bitter and County Ale, delivered at cellar temperature into the pint glass via hand-pulled pump. The best beer I've ever had! Warm, fresh, flowery and bitter, and unlike anything else I'd ever had.
Foster's moved up to Elm near Yonge, but it's not the same. The barmaid explained to me that a special setup was required for the cask-conditioned ales that they found too pricey at their new location. I still pop in for a way-too-cold Creemore every now and then, but it's not the same.
I go to C'est What every once in a while; great selection, but to my mind they do not do cask-conditioned ale as well as they could - I believe it is an artform, and that a schooled cellarman makes a big difference in the customer experience.
I've been to the Granite Brewery several times, and their yummy brews come closest to reviving the memory of the old Foster's. But it's kinda off the beaten path for me.
I am hoping that the ladies and gentlemen who make that wonderful Scotch-Irish dry-hopped ale that I had at Fork York last year become (more?) available in downtown T.O. And I'd like Wellington to get their act together and get their beers in real ale format into more pubs.
Not much to ask, is it?
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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Ode to a late-great pub
Ah, Fosters! I can remember going there in the late 80's and enjoying Wellington cask ales. The owners, true Brits, were accustomed to the vagaries and work involved with this kind of ale and served it beautifully. Every time I travelled to Toronto from Ottawa I would stop in. Haven't been since they moved though. Just behind City Hall, a bit of heaven...
I tried Arkell's Best Bitter at The Bow and Arrow last Wednesday for the first time. I was really impressed with this brew.
Not sure why it's called a bitter as there was no bitterness to it at all. It has no distinguishing smell but tastes very similar to McAuslan's Apricot Wheat but not as fruity.
A very enjoyable beer that I'll definitely have again.
Not sure why it's called a bitter as there was no bitterness to it at all. It has no distinguishing smell but tastes very similar to McAuslan's Apricot Wheat but not as fruity.
A very enjoyable beer that I'll definitely have again.