The Town Crier, John/Adelaide

We found out about this completely by accident (gasp!) and immediately decided to check this out. Doing some wine deliveries up in Brampton, we were recommended to check this place out for a great pint of Belgian beers on tap (at a very reasonable $5.95/pint mind you). Brampton to downtown in 45 minutes? Check. The place is located within an old townhouse, with some interesting floor configurations, but a smart atmosphere attracting an intellectual crowd. Pleasant for an after-work drink if you're in the area.

They have a lot of beers on tap, I didn't count, but 50 sounds right.  All the proper beers from the proper beer countries are available.  Great selection of British, including an extremely rare Fuller's Honey Dew (not bad at all!) and Boddington's, a bunch of German beers, and of course Belgian as well.  We also tried their Moules Frites and German Meatballs. Great stuff there.  Of course, no Guinness Quest could be complete without a taste of the proper stuff. All beers were fresh and quite good, although a tiny bit of bitterness was detected on the Guinness finish. However, I would say this is a reliable 7 on the Guinness scale.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 7
Atmosphere (/5): 5
Service (/5): 4

Base Score: 16

Bonus:
Boddington's (/2): 2 - great stuff here, definitely recommended!
Food (/2): 1
Fuller's selection: 1

Bonus Score: 4

 

Final Score: 16/20 + 4 Bonus

The Crooked Cue, Etobicoke

We've been going to the Crooked Cue for sometime now as a hangout for billiards. It's one of the better billiards places in Toronto, with decent food and an interesting selection of beers. We decided to do a Guinness Quest review of the venue today, but were unable to give it above an average.

They serve Guinness and Boddington's on tap, and they get a bonus point for that. The Guinness was just below average, landing the venue a solid 5. Otherwise, service is good and atmosphere is... well... pool tables and all. We always get 2lb. of hot wings after a few rounds, and this time we weren't disappointed. An extra bonus point on the standard pub fare as well.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 4

Base Score: 13

Bonus:
Boddington's (/2): 1 - good, but a bit bitter towards the end
Food (/2): 1 
Billiards (/2): 1

Bonus Score: 3

 

Final Score: 13/20 + 3 Bonus

The Feathers, The Beaches

How to best describe the Feathers but to say it's an institution. A true Beaches community center. The locals here fall into two age groups: over 35 and under 10, with practically no one in-between. We had one of the oddest experiences as 20-somethings over a liquid lunch here.

Very unfortunately, the Guinness here was just average. We had to break a cardinal rule and only down one pint. (Of course, the second pint rule is only a verification for those truly amazing pints, but we digress.) An average 6. Service was a decent 3, not too bad, but we kinda felt out of place and as such perhaps the service reflected that. Cannot comment further. Atmosphere was also a solid 3, true pub fare, but maybe a slight update is in order. Granted, this place has been around since 1981. Quick word of advice: avoid the poutine.

One thing must be said though, and this place earns it's bonus points for sheer selection of Single Malts alone:

Ain't that a beaut?


Score:

Guinness (/10): 6
Atmosphere (/5): 3
Service (/5): 3

Base Score: 12

Bonus:
Kilkenny (/4): 2 - better than the Guinness, but not best
Single Malts (/2): 1 - didn't try any this time, definitely in order for a second visit

Bonus Score: 3

 

Final Score: 12/20 + 3 Bonus

The Goose: Newly Renovated

The Goose is a recently renovated Firkin pub in Don Mills. Not exactly the hotspot for pubs, but with a Keg next door, the Goose isn't exactly in poor company. The new interior is pretty swanky, slightly reminiscent of other public house-style pubs like the Queen and Beaver and The Oxley. Lots of nice British pub touches, like the Union Jack couch, which manage to avoid seeming tacky. Overall, a great improvement to the atmosphere. If only the beer had improved as well.

I started out with a Kilkenny, which was pretty disappointing. Fortunately, the Irish nachos soon arrived to help save the afternoon. The nachos were enjoyable deep-fried pub fare. They weren't why I was there, though. Having finished my mediocre Kilkenny, I ordered a pint of Guinness. It was surprisingly better than the Kilkenny, but not by much. Overall, a nice place with good service and poor beer. Unfortunate, especially since it's so close to home.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): .4 

Base Score: 13

Bonus:
Kilkenny (/4): 2
Food (/2): 1 

Bonus Score: 3

Final Score: 13/20 + 3 Bonus

The Solas, Boston

We love Boston. It's got a charm of its own, not like any other city in North America. We've been lucky to be there several times, and were extremely lucky to have discovered this proper Irish pub right in the middle of the city at the Lenox Hotel. What do they do well? Well, definitely the Guinness.

We started with several pints of Guinness accompanied by traditional Boston fare: the Clam Chowder. Nice and creamy, albeit perhaps a little too much cream. Then we sampled the Fish and Chips (OK), and their Cubano sandwich (not bad). But at the end, the Guinness was what made this whole trip worthwhile (driving down, that was the main goal).

Score

Guinness (/10): 8
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 4
Base Score: 16

Bonus:
Food (/2): 1
Bonus Score: 2

Final Score: 16/20 + 1 Bonus