A little over five years ago, Mike “Smoothie Master” Clark and Luke “Bureaucracy Wrangler” Pestl founded the Bellwoods Brewery and pub in downtown Toronto. From day one they battled demand that exceeded the production capabilities of their small facility and attempted to consistently deliver the “most delicious beers that ever existed” to local beer lovers. Patrons lined up around the corner along Ossington Avenue, sometimes for hours, to taste the latest Bellwoods creation. Pairing simple, delicious food with surprising and unique brews, the brew pub quickly became locally and internationally famous.

As Bellwoods amassed dozens of brewing awards, including Most Innovative Brewery at the 2016 Golden Tap Awards, a second brewery was opened in late 2016 in North York at 20 Hafis Road, near Lawrence and Keele. The new brewery’s modern equipment has allowed more regular brewing of the full range of delicious beers that Bellwoods has created over the years. Its adjoining bottle shop and tasting room allows locals to sample delicious flavour combinations that they may never have encountered in a beer! The available selection of taps and bottles is updated daily on the website (http://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com) so patrons can drop by to snag their favourite brew as soon as it hits the shelves. Two of my favourite brews Bellwoods brews that you absolutely have to try are Ghost Orchid and Wizard Wolf.