[gmac]

I'm heading to Richmond and Oxford area tonight.  I'll let you know what the bars in the area have available.

Edit:  I thought of this place after I put on my first reply.  It's probably at most a 5 minute cab ride from where you're staying and if you have a nice evening, it would be an easy walk from the area you're in.
Check out this beer menu and then you can decide if there's no good beer options in Canada.  2nd page is all Canadian beers and I've had about 1/3 of them so I have some living to do...  May stop in there tonight and try some.  If you ask for an IPA here and they don't know what you mean, I'll be amazed.

www.GambrinusBistro.com/storage/menus/beer_list.pdf

There's also 17 taps that they keep in rotation with other craft beer and imports. 

[rathjoel]

Hey gmac, I will agree with everything you posted previously.  We have some good beer up here, but definitely not the extreme, or ever assertive beer scene that you will find south of the border.  It almost makes me think we might be so far behind we are ahead - with the trend seeming to be against the big, crazy, extreme brews nowadays. 

That being said, by my standards you have it good in ON, with all the craft breweries out there.  Here is SK, I'd say we have 2 decent breweries.  One a brewpub and one a micro.  And a gov't regulated liquor store that isn't too keen on bringing in anything too 'exotic'. My wife and I took a trip out to Quebec a couple of years ago and had an absolute blast with the beer scene out there.  Way different than what we were used to.

[gmac]

I've got a business trip coming up in a couple of weeks that will bring me to London, ON.  If I have the opportunity, where would you recommend we dine if we want to experience some good local beer?  I'll be staying down around Richmond and Oxford streets.

Since you asked, I decided to go to Gambrinus last night to see what they have on tap.  I had 5 excellent beers

Smashbomb Atomic IPA was very good.  7% AIPA style with assertive hop bitterness and very evident dry hopping.  Very nice AIPA you should try if you get there.  Too assertive for my wife but I liked it.  I should mention that this was cask conditioned as well.

We both also had the Mill Street IPA, not nearly as hoppy and more English in style.  Good beer but I should have had it first before the Smashbomb.  The bitterness was evident but it wasn't as hoppy and I'd say relied more on EKG and Fuggles for flavour and aroma.

My wife had the Summer Weisse from Muskoka Brewery.  Very good weisse with strong clove overtones and nice colour.  Not a style I'm that familiar with so who knows what a weisse purist would think but she liked it. 

I also had Mill Gap Bitter at 3.8%.  Very nicely balanced for a mild style beer.  Obvious English malt character and probably some biscuit malt.  This was the beer that my wife actually liked best for the evening.  It would be a fantastic session beer. 

My friend had some of the same as I did but he got a Tilburg's Dutch Brown from the Netherland and I didn't try it but he commented that it was very smooth and drinkable.

Nice patio and good food (I had braised lamb shanks, my wife had the strip loin, our friends had the grilled salmon and mussels and butter chicken).  Hope you make it to London and if you do, give this place a try. 

[hubie]

@gmac:  Excellent review;  I greatly appreciate it.  You had me sold on real cask ale.  I will see if I can add a trip there to my itinerary.

[gmac]

If you go, I want to hear what you think of the beers.

[gimmeales]

The taxes on alcohlic beverages in Canada are why they cost so much there.

Sadly the death of interesting, characterful beers throughout history.  On one hand, it's great to see how brewers are able to produce full-flavored beers with a minimum of ingredients, but it's a shame that amazing old-timey beers have died out due to taxation.  I feel very fortunate to live where I do, having access to so many great craft beers, and the ability to brew to my own tastes.