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| - The Junction is admittedly a cool area, but not one that I venture into frequently. In the name of craft beer, a mission was made and the Indie Ale House was the destination of choice. And the mission was all in all a great success.
We arrived on a Thursday night and found the place bustling with activity, so we saddled up at the bar. The restaurant is very much the standard brew pub vibe - brick and beam interior, reclaimed wood tables, and a bright but comfortable environment surrounding it. Bartender was friendly and informative and didn't make us feel rushed when asking questions of beers or food.
On tap they have what I would estimate to be around 10 or so of their own beers including a cask, and 2 then guest taps (occupied by Toronto's Blood Brothers and US craft brand Sierra Nevada on my visit). Glass size can vary from 20oz to 16oz to 10oz depending on the beer of choice, but they also do flights which were actually decent sized samples, which is always nice for that tasting vibe if you don't want to commit to a single beer or drinking too many pints of various things in the name of trying them all.
I tried a bunch of things and really enjoyed all of them, but my favourite was their 11% IPA with the ever so fun name of "Cockpuncher". A couple of these to round out the night and even the coldest winter chill will be tolerable upon leaving.
On the food front, my friend raved about their mac n cheese, and the person beside me had an epic looking plate of fried chicken, but I was feeling the burger vibe so went with the Bison and Belly Burger which had a bison patty and some nice fatty porkbelly within. Admittedly this was one of the messiest burgers I've had in a while as they also slather the sandwich in coleslaw. It was quite good though despite the dripping and oozing mess that it left my hands, plate, and general area in front of me. Fries on the side were a bit meh, and in full disclosure I really wasn't impressed by the aioli dipping sauce or their house made ketchup. But it was still a good and satisfying plate of food.
Last point of mention, is the bottle shop. $5 - $7 for 500ml bottles of their fine brews to take home is a steal. I'm happy to know that there is another Cockpuncher experience waiting for me at home tonight, however weird that may sound.
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