Canadians love beer. According to the
Food Network, Canadians spent $9.14 billion on beer in 2013 ($324 per adult), which equals to 2.27 billion litres of beer. Beer is also the most popular alcoholic beverage. It makes up more than 45 percent of all alcoholic beverage sales in Canada. Since the weather is getting warmer, the best way to cool down is with an ice cold beer. So whether you’re a native Canadian or just visiting, here are the top five breweries you need to visit.
Muskoka Brewery
Located in Ontario, Muskoka Brewery was founded in 1996. Their beers don’t have any additives, preservatives, or adjuncts. They also never pasteurize. They offer tours Wednesday through Sunday. Some of their beers include:
- Cream Ale
- Craft Lager
- Mad Tom IPA
- Twice as Mad Tom
- Harvest Ale
- Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout
- Winterweiss
- Summerweiss
Beau’s All Natural Brewing
This brewery is also located in Ontario. They have earned the reputation for quality and clean taste. In its debut year, 2006, the brewery won “
Best Beer of the Fest” at the 2006 Golden Tap Awards in Toronto. They only use organic ingredients and are certified as an organic brewery by Pro-Cert Inc. They also try to use local ingredients and are currently developing local hops. Some of their beers include:
- Beaver River I.P. Eh?
- Festivale
- Farmtable: Marzen
- Bogwater
Quidi Vidi Brewing
Quidi Vidi is located in the heart of St. John’s. They have been around for fifteen years and currently brew eight brands of beer. Their latest beer has a very unique ingredient--iceberg water harvested from icebergs that drift off the coast. The Iceberg Beer is also sold in a cobalt blue bottle. Their other beers include:
- 1892 Traditional Ale
- Eric’s Cream Ale
- Honey Brown Ale
- Light Lager
- Premium Lager
Boreale Brewing
This brewing company was named after the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. Their mission is to create tasty, all-natural, and high-quality beer. They were founded in 1987 and were the first to offer all-natural beers. The brewery recycles or reuses almost 96 percent of its waste and by-products. They choose to use brown bottles because they can be reused and refilled up to fifteen times in their four-year life cycle. Here are some of their beers:
- Rousse
- Blonde
- Doree
- Blanche
- Noire
- IPA
- Lager
- Cuivree
Tofino Brewing Company
For inspiration for their beers, Tofino looks around at the nature around them. There are beers inspired by cougars, eagles, trees, and ocean life. They brew small batches and use high-quality malted barley and
pacific northwest hops. Their tasting rooms are open seven days a week. Some beers include:
- Blonde ale
- Hoppin’ Cretin IPA
- Kelp Stout
- Spruce Tree Ale
- Hunt & Gather
- Dawn Patrol Coffee Porter