Beer Academy

What better place to spend Thanksgiving at while in Toronto on business?
I spent the previous evening searching for some places that had good craft/​micro brews with moderate luck so on the second night I decided to explore a bit more.
After trying to locate another place which was full & had no seating, I decided to walk back to my hotel and on the way I spotted some sandwich boards outside of BA that listed some beer specials!
Upon walking in, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Beer Academy was an actual brewery with a tap room and not a brewing school or rental facility. What could be even better? It was literally across the street and around the corner from my hotel!
So after grabbing a stool at the bar, spent some time pursuing the menu to see they carried about 6 different house beers with around 8 additional brews from other local breweries on tap.
After having some tasters of each house brew, I started with their IPA which was tasty, strong malt character but with a nice subtle floral hop finish and not too bitter (nice blend of Canadian beer with West Coast hoppines).
Then I moved onto the Kolsch, lite, crisp, refreshing, a little hop flavor and a clean mild peppery finish … this is what I continued to drink for the rest of the night.
The Kelsch paired nicely with their meat and cheese platters which contained some excellent samples of local products.
Staff was great, friendly and certainly willing to talk beer.
Next time I am in Toronto I will be spending more time at the Beer Academy for sure and recommend it highly for any fellow beer lovers who plan to visit.

Had my wedding there and although the venue itself is cool, management and service is brutal. I’d advise against booking any sort of major event there.

I usually get just bottles so it might not be proper experience here. But in general I like micro breweries and this is one of my favorite places. Staff are really kind and knowledgeable. Black Lager is my favorite.

Very good beer, some nice snacks, but not really a dining establishment. Try the sampler flights, they’re a good deal, but don’t expect a meal. The brewery has some fun facts and the décor ads are interesting reads, but the beer selection needs to be expanded. Currently there are only 10 beers on tap.

Came for some drinks after seeing a movie at Yonge-​Dundas. Really enjoyed the beer samples and the staff were very friendly. Wish they dimmed the lights a bit, it was very bright inside for that time of day. Unfortunately we weren’t able to stay long enough because last call was 11 on a Saturday night. Hard to understand, because the place was packed and they only needed one or two staff members to keep it going. May consider this place for daytime drinks in the future, would love to come at night since I live in the neighbourhood but unfortunately they’re not open to that type of business.

The atmosphere is lacking here — we dropped in for a beer and the bartender barely had any suggestions or info on the beer. Then they provided complimentary tastings with chocolate as a Valentines day promo — and when we asked about the beer they were serving they had no details — they just said «i dont really know — I just serve it». The atmosphere is empty and lacking personality — we were sitting on the far-​side, but maybe if we had been in the more intimate up-​front bar we would have felt differently. I think this is a place for large parties and events — the beer tasting experience is definitely poor.

Came here for an event, so I probably didn’t get the proper experience of the place, but what I did see was really nice. Food was excellent and plentiful, service was prompt and friendly, and I was charmed by the holiday decorations – the tree in the corner of the room is adorned with glass balls filled with the four essential beer ingredients (water, hops, grain, and yeast). Nice place.

The in house brews were great. Try the Kolsch or a 3 beer flight for some variety. They also serve other brewers beers as well.
The atmosphere is quaint and warm. The fermenting tanks can be seen through the glass behind the bar.
I was a little confused when i walked in because I wasn’t sure if i should seat myself or wait. Apparently you seat yourself. After the server walked by a few times ignoring us we managed to flag her down and ask what the deal was. Apparently you seat yourself and the bartenders will serve you at a table but only if they’re not busy… so once there’s a crowd at the bar you’ll have to order drinks at the bar and bring them back to your table. Staff just seamed a bit confused as well.
Other than that the experience was good. I’ll return for more.

Nice rotating selection of homemade beers. No food but really great beer. Worth a stop. The Dunkelweiss is nice and the Kolch is a good summer beer. Service is also pretty good.

This is one of my favorite beer bars in Toronto, of which there are many! I’ve been there three times, and while the hours are fairly limited, it’s a great place to have a beer on a weekend afternoon. It has been quiet and not crowded at all. Each time I’ve shared a pair of beer flights, and every beer has been above average, even the beer styles that usually tend to flop for me (pale ale, pilsner…). They seem to keep 10 or 11 beers on tap, with about half brewed at Beer Academy.
The seasonal Strawberry blonde is the best fruit-​flavored beer that I’ve had. It’s not sweet or sugary, and the strawberry flavor is «brewed-​in», meaning it doesn’t taste like many fruit-​flavored beers which taste as though the flavoring was added at the end of the brewing process, leading to two distinct flavors. It’s a blonde, but envision a hefeweizen with hints of strawberry. Delicious!

You can get a flight of three beers or a 12 ounce of beer for about $ 5.75. Kinda steep. They have about 4 beers they brew in house and 4 from Creemore (I believe).
My favorite beer was the Black Lager. Delicious. I found their IPA to be fine but forgettable. HOPeweizen was nice. The citrus saison was also enjoyable.
Overall, pretty good service but the price was a little steep.

It is a pretty cool spot to drink during the day (since they close early). If you want to learn more about beer, this place is kinda perfect since it is low key and not that crowded and you can grab the attention of the bar tender. It is a bit sterile and more focused on the learning than the fun. The beers were all pretty tasty, though nothing really jumped out at me. I think the hefeweizen was my favorite.

Writing this review a little late. I hope they finally serve food here. When I went, it was in the works.
They have some nice beers here — but the problem is it’s more of an after work scene. They close too early. We closed the place down at 10pm. Not a soul in the place except us by 8:30.
Once the food is in place and they keep the doors open later, i’ll come back — though i wouldn’t go out of my way.

They really know their beer. If you want an intelligent, fun conversation about beer, this i the place to go. You’ll learn so much about beer, it truly is an academy!

The SMH ER staff found this little gem several months ago and are there couple times a week. 1) They are close 2) The atmosphere allows for peaceful unwinding with appropriate music levels 3) With friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Within time, they will hopefully increase their hours, space, and services…, Enjoy!!!

It bugs me that Beer Academy is owned by Molson but, thankfully, the beer brewed here isn’t watered-​down filth.
Beer Academy has a great rotation of beers that you can knock back in the tasting room or take home (625 ml bottles or growlers that are just under 2 litres).
Depending on what’s available, I usually go with the special/​seasonal beer (lately it’s been chocolate cream stout), black lager or kolsch, which sadly is not as crisp as the stuff in Cologne but is still a solid option.
The beers here are very nice and the staff are very helpful and friendly.
There is no kitchen but occasionally they have a special event (like a beer launch or St. Patrick’s Day party) where they have food brought in.
Check the website to see what’s on tap or available in bottles or growlers, or what’s brewing.

— seemingly hidden between queen and richmond on victoria street, beer academy is a sweet joint.
— very friendly staff who knows their beer
— tastings are great as they’re backed by creemore.
— get their growler (imagine giant jug that you always picture moonshine in). such a phenomenal deal

I love trying beers that are brewed in small batches and Beer Academy conveniently located near the Yonge/​Queen Subway is a prefect place for me to just have a flight!
Though Beer Academy is really owned by Molson and promoting mainly Creemore beer (which is readily available at your neighbhourhood LCBO outlets), they though carries some microbrewed in house beers that you able to get it as a sampler, pint and even a growler to go.
What they are on taps are change regularly so depends on the season, you might able to sample different style of beers. Check their website or their twitter feeds to see what they have to offer.
The staffs here are super friendly and able to give you recommendations. Love those tasting card that have the full description of ingredients, styles and characters. Definitely enhanced the whole tasting experience.
Beer Academy is a great place to hang out with your beer loving friends to have a pint or 2 or even come for a time out alone!

The Beer Academy and their crew have a good thing going at the corner of Victoria and Lombard. Creemore has completely gutted the previously musty space inhabited by Duggan’s Brewery. The space is now crisp, clean and tasty, just like the fermented flavours they brew on site.
I really like their mission; it’s all about education. They’re basically trying to do for beer what has happened for wine in the past decade or so. They’re trying to elevate people’s appreciation for what is arguably Canada’s national beverage. Any one of their knowledgeable staff will be happy to talk hops with you, tell you about the brewing process, what makes each beer different and draw your attention to different notes and subtleties that you might not have noticed. Beers are available in flights for sampling, just as you would for wine. They also comes with cards that give you the bullet points for each type you taste.
A selection of Creemore beers are available for purchase in tall boy cans as well as a special selection of beers brewed onsite in growlers. Creemore merch, pint glasses, t-​shirts, etc. is also available.
Worth a try folks. You just might learn something.
Note to the ladies: the men tending bar are almost as delicious the pints being poured ;)

The Six Pints Beer Academy has finally opened, occupying the old Duggan’s Brewery space at the corner of Victoria & Richmond. It is a microbrewery, events space and beer academy all under one roof.
It is important to note that while the retail side is there (they need to generate income to pay rent after all), that the primary focus of the Beer Academy is to educate the people.
I was lucky enough to have gotten a tour and also a tutored tasting with Director of Entertainment, Justin Lamontagne during their grand opening yesterday.
I must first make a disclaimer that I am a girly girl when it comes to drinks, and beers really aren’t my thing — but with yesterday’s crash course in the history of beer in all its grandeur, I may be a convert — maybe.
Everyone at Beer Academy are friendly, and high-​energy and of course beer enthusiasts at heart. The environment is fun, and Justin, with his one-​line analogies of beer, makes things less boring and more fun. If only my university professors could’ve related our boring textbooks with phrases like «This beer is like a group of frat boys, they’ll tear through and leave a mess…»
Justin also mentioned that they will have voting/​feedback cards to provide suggestions as to what flavour profiles customers are looking to have, which Todd Fowler (head of brewing) will then take to the test.
The only downer is that they are not a brewpub which means that you will have to go elsewhere for a nosh. For those of you who learn better via books, they have started a beer library with a small collection of books about yours truly.
I loved the interior décor of the Beer Academy, with a wall of grains and a marble counter top made completely of recycled beer bottles.
A great place to grab a drink — or maybe even for a bachelor party? You’ll have to bring your own strippers though!