Drinking in Toronto

I have not had a single Molson on either of my trips to Toronto. Some might say I am falling behind on the Canadian experience. I beg to differ. I'm officially here for work, but wanted to check in on some of the more important finds of this trip -- namely a few local brews.

For added flavor, here is a small anecdote for how my trip started... I had a quick layover in Houston International and upon touching down in Toronto I realized I had left my outer Gortex shell in the Houston Terminal. That first night I layered long sleeves, cardigan and fleece and headed out to meet some friends for a drink and dinner. That night was well below zero on both the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. The kind of cold where breathing makes you cough and speech gets slightly slurred from numb lips and face. (I swear the slurring was the cold...) I found my friends at a pub, Hemingways, seated next to heat lamps. I defrosted as I sipped my first beer of the trip a Mills St. Original Organic. Very smooth German Pilsner. Yum.

Thankfully, my pitiful coatless state inspired a taxi to dinner. I got another recommendation for a local beer; this time the winner was Sleemans Honey Brown. This lager is described as having "clover honey notes," I just know it was deliciosa! Sleemans is actually brewed in a small town outside of Toronto called Guelph, but that still counts as "local" to me.

Tomorrow night we are having our office party at the Steam Whistle Brewery, so I may have another addition to Drinking in Toronto. On my last trip here, I discovered one more local - the blonde by Amersterdam Brewing. There are plenty of brews out there that I am not crazy about, but so far all the Canadian beer has been excellent.

For the worry prone: Never fear, the coat was 15 years old and though I am still hopeful that it will turn up and make its way back to me...I definitely got my money's worth out! Also, my boss has leant me one of her extra down coats and I am far warmer in her loaner, than my wayward Goretex. It all works out.