Summer has arrived and Canada Day is fast approaching. If you are like me and tend to make last minute plans, here are a few ideas of Ale Trails and Beer Tours to discover across Ontario this long weekend.
Alongside Craft Breweries is the tourism, Ale Trails, Brewery Discovery Routes, Beer Passports and the concept of a Beercation are ever growing. We have evolved from the "bar crawl" days to brewery hopping and now to exploring Ale Trails that also include other destinations to eat, sleep and explore!
Pack the car, grab a hotel and drink local.
1) Go West! A recent trip to Windsor-Essex had me stoked about how much is happening in Western Ontario. All styles of beer and spirits are available across a variety of breweries, pubs and boutique hotels. If you feel like heading west check out my latest blog post on the Barrels, Bottles and Brews Trail here
2) Just south of there is Sarnia–Lambton and just as much happening along that stretch too. Here’s a video that sums up some of the breweries and activities you can discover! I highly suggest axe throwing if you’ve yet to try it!
3) North of Toronto is The Saints & Sinners route, a part of a larger Brewery Discovery Route Map which has 9 self-guided routes. The Saints & Sinners Route which explores Barrie and the surrounding area offers a variety of stops for the adults as well as the whole family. This post here shows the variety and even one place to earn your beer!
4) Though the next Guelph Beer Bus isn’t scheduled until Saturday July 20th Guelph is the perfect place to hit up for a day trip. With 6 breweries to visit there is no shortage of beer, take home beer and food trucks! You can read about the stops and my experience on the bus here.
5) The nations capital, Ottawa, is quickly becoming the capital of breweries as well. There is a lot going on in Ottawa and the surrounding area and some damn fine beer is coming from there. It also is the home to Brew Donkey Tours. They're a great way to leave the driving up to someone else and choose a route of 3-4 breweries to discover. Check out there site here and plan your trip east
6) I first attended Funkfest a few years back for Canada Day and it was a blast! Hosted at Sawdust City in Gravenhurst the Canada Day Music and Sour beer festival is a must. This year it is on June 29th and there are hotels and cottages to book to enjoy the night or weekend. It includes great live music and even better beer, and yes there is some regular styles inside the brewery to enjoy if you are still working on your appreciation for sours! Check out the deets here.
Hope this helps plan your long weekend or any weekend this summer and feel free to share with me your favourite stop along the way!