Good beer in Canada?

Just came back from a business trip in Oakville (just outside of Toronto). At meals or a bar, I had a "Canadian", which is just Molson, some form of IPA that tasted like a "Canadian" (NO hops at all!), and a honey brown made by (you guessed it) Molson.

I'll be back in a month or so, and so wanted some advice on good, local craft beers I could find in the Oakville/Toronto area. Anybody have ideas???

Funny side story: I was at the bar drinking the IPA (that was basically a "Canadian"), when some locals came up and ordered a "Canadian." The bartender said, "Need a glass?", and they responded, "Yeah, with ice, just like the Americans drink it!" followed by laughter. It appears that the American image for these guys is a BMC drinker that needs ice in their beer glass. Sure hope that the best Canada can do is not a "Canadian" with no ice...

Find some McAuslan/St. Ambroise or Unibroue beers. They should be available at better beer stores.

If you're in Oakville, check out Trafalgar Brewing on Speers Road. That IPA was probably Alexander Keiths which is not an IPA really, more of a pale ale (and not a very good one).

Unfortunately the craft market up here isn't what it is down south so you'll not find a lot of micros, especially on tap. If you want a nice pub experience, The Coach and Four in Bronte (which is on the lake in Oakville, Lakeshore Road and Bronte Road) is nice but it's the standard 'import' drafts (Guiness, Harp, etc).

There used to be a nice Irish bar on Speers Road called Finnegahns Wake but they turned into more of a family joint 5 or 6 years ago. That's when I moved away from there so my knowledge is a little out of date.

Anyway definitely hit up Trafalgar Brewing, they have a Tied House on premises too (a pub) with all their ales and meads on tap.

Oh and speaking of craft beers, if you hit a Beer Store or LCBO, find yourself some Wellington Brewery Arkell Best Bitter if you like english beers, I get that as real ale at my local pub and it's fantastic.

As mr x suggested, definitely find some McAuslan/St Ambroise beer, especially the oatmeal stout.

Some Canuck translation: Molson, Labbats, Keiths, Sleemans are the Canadian versions of American brews like Budweiser, Miller, Coors. If you enjoy BMC beer, you should enjoy these Canadian equivalents. If you don't enjoy BMC, well....

As Brad said above, you gotta dig a bit for craft brews here in Canada. If in Toronto, Mill St. is pretty widely available. They have a great porter and witbier. There are lots of others. British Columbia has the best diversity and some of the best brews, if you can find them. Quebec has some outstanding ones, too.

One thing to watch out for in Canada, though, are the 'commercial-craft' beers. There are a bunch of small breweries who probably started as craft breweries, but went big and commercial and their beers have suffered. Examples are Sleemans, Big Rock, Rickards, etc. They claim to make beers like porters or stouts or IPAs, but a homebrewer wouldn't recognize them as such.

If you can get to Toronto, be sure to check out Granite Brewery as well.

Possibly the best beers in Canada...Unibroue!

http://www.unibroue.com/english.cfm



From the website:

"
In November 1992 Maudite (the damned one), was the first strong beer to be distributed in Quebec grocery stores. It contains 8 % alcohol and is also the first beer brewed in America that improves with age. When served young, it is very smooth, but when served after several years of storage, its flavour is reminiscent of port. Maudite is a mahogany-colored, rich-tasting premium beer that has a distinctive, complex taste. Because of the warmth it releases, this strong character beer must be served cool but not cold. Perfect with pasta, red meats, stews and spicy dishes, it also makes a good aperitif and after-dinner drink.
Maudite has a typically Quebecois name that is reminiscent of the legend of the Chasse-Galerie (the legend of the Flying Canoe). Legend has it that a group of lumberjacks struck a deal with the devil to fly home in their canoes, guided by Satan himself, to make it home in time for Christmas."

as everyone else said unibroue is amazing, fin du monde is my favorite from there line up, also Boreal is a really nice brew

There's a small brewery out of Winnipeg called Half Pints that's pretty good. They hand label and hand bottle in 610 ml bottles so I'm not sure if they sell any product outside the province. I'll also give a thumbs up to the Mill St. Brewery suggested stated earlier. Try the Tankhouse Ale. Very hoppy.

McAuslan/St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is excellent. I loved drinking that when I lived back in Vancouver... wish I could get it up here.