The Toronto Granite may be the offspring of the original and pioneering Halifax Granite, but it has made up in influence what it lacks in age. Owner/brewer Ron Keefe took his big brother Kevin’s good idea in the Maritimes and made it even better, serving the Best Bitter in dry-hopped and cask-conditioned form, adding in his own excellent India pale ale and developing a roasty, invigorating stout to round out the lineup.

While the 16-year-old brew pub admittedly doesn’t exude the same high-end atmosphere of some of its tonier neighbours in the Yonge and Eglinton district (owing, in part, to its rambling floor plan), the quality ale and genial, welcoming staff keep the Granite’s regulars happy and the visitors coming back.

granitebrewery.ca

Photo: Andre Charland