From the outside, Toronado looks no different from any of the bars that dot lower Haight in San Francisco. If anything, it may look slightly worse. The split front door is showing its age as are the floors and, really, just about everything else inside. There’s a certain aroma that permeates the bar, far from pleasant, it seems to disappear aided by the passage of time and beer. To call Toronado a dive bar would not be inappropriate, yet, any beer connoisseur worth his (or her) weight in Pliny the Elder would be remiss to not pay Toronado a visit at least once. Despite its looks Toronado is arguably the epicenter of great craft beer in San Francisco.

Toronado first opened its doors in 1987. At the time, they only had 2 beers on tap. Current owner Dave Keene ended up buying out the owners of the bar just two years later. Fast forward another 20 years and Toronado now has upwards of 50 taps. Bay area favorite such as Russian River, 21st Amendment and Anchor Steam are represented as well as Belgian breweries Moortgat, des Geants and Dupont.

Despite a love of Belgian ales and San Francisco Bay Area beers, I am at Toronado for a little, central California brewery you may have heard of: Firestone Walker. Wednesday night marked the introduction of Firestone Walker’s Double Jack Imperial IPA. Just how special is Toronado? Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson made a personal appearance.

In fact, he wasn’t the only brewmaster there as Arne Johnson (Marin Brewing Company) and Shaun O’Sullivan, (21st Amendment) dropped in for a few pints as well. Renowned beer chef Bruce Paton was there talking to Matt about a future beer and food pairing event as were a host of local beer bloggers, podcasters and locals.

In addition to having a very good and continually rotating beer list, Toronado’s pricing is surprisingly inexpensive. Many beers on their menu sell between $4-$6 a glass while the most expensive of Belgian imports sell for $9.50 a glass. No food is sold at Toronado but it is not uncommon for customers to bring in sausages or pizza from the surrounding eateries. They’re cool like that, as long as you clean up after yourself.

As beautiful as a rose growing from the concrete, Toronado is not without its share of thorns. The biggest criticism, the most levied complaint against the bar is its service. Most places will do their best to treat the customer well. For whatever reason, the bartenders don't really subscribe to that train of thought. It is not uncommon to have to wait as long as 15 minutes to catch a bartender’s eye, maybe even longer. Even then, any hesitation on your part and they will move onto the next customer or whatever else it was they were doing before you interrupted them. God forbid they get your order wrong and you point it out. It’s not like the customers are responsible for keeping the bar open or anything with their continued patronage. For some, this con has far outweighed any plusses they may have had.

Personally, I had to wait nearly 20 minutes to get a beer that night. I've also had beer shoot at me from one of the taps. To his credit, the bartender did apologize and we got over the issue with a "fist bump".

Experiences vary person to person, minute to minute. If know this about them ahead of time, you just might enjoy yourselves at the Toronado over a few beers. Speaking of which, here are some review of the beers I did drink that night.

Double Jack Imperial IPA, Firestone Walker, 10% ABV, 100+ IBU

Essentially the same recipe as their existing Union Jack IPA, Double Jack was made by condensing the beer down to some 30 odd barrels instead of the usual 50+ barrels the normal Union Jack recipe would yield. To watch a video of Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson explain the beer himself, click here.

Double Jack is a well balanced and crafted beer. There's a rich, malt flavor that has caramel notes and some toasted bread character that is tempered by an assertive hop bite that is neither harsh or long lasting. The hop flavor has piney and citrus notes and is pungent on the nose. The aroma is similar in character to the flavor of the beer but more subdued. Double Jack wasn't as aromatic as i thought it would've been. This is a ridiculously smooth and easy drinking beer that hides it's alcohol well. Double Jack is medium/medium-full in body with medium-high carbonation.

Available only on draft at some of the finer beer bars, this beer won't last long and I would recommend you try a pint of this while there are still pints to try.

Pale 31, Firestone Walker, 4.5% ABV (approximately), Cask-Conditioned

While this beer is widely distributed and available at many locations, you'd be hard pressed to find the cask-conditioned version of this beer. Pale 31 has a huge hop nose coming off the beer that is bright, citrusy and piney. Like the Double Jack, this beer is balanced for the style. The malt flavor is sweet with caramel notes while the hops have a piney/citrusy flavor and a smooth, hop bitterness. Pale 31 is a medium-low/medium bodied beer with low carbonation (as is common for the practice).

Duvel Green, Duvel, 6.8% ABV

Duvel Green, also known as Duvel Draft, is essentially the same beer as regular Duvel. The main difference is that Green is not refermented in the bottle, it is filtered and kegged.

Duvel Green is brilliantly clear, gold in color with a dense, foam-like, white head. The aroma is definitely yeast driven; i can smell hints of pears, slight peach, slight apricot with a mild spicy phenolic note as well. The flavor is malty sweet, pils-like with a low/medium-low hop bitterness. The fruit esters in the aroma are echoed in the flavor albeit subtly. Green is medium-bodied with high carbonation. The beer has a slight crispness to it.

If you're a big fan of Duvel, you'll definitely enjoy Duvel Green. As with all the beers I will review, I encourage you to drink them and come to your own conclusions.

All in all, my wife and I had a great time at Toronado. We got a chance to meet up with some old friends, make some new ones and drink exceptional beer. There are very few places that can boast the history or hip qualities of the Toronado but don't let its gruff exterior fool you. This bar is a diamond in the rough with a brilliant selection of beers worthy of the most adventurous palettes and discriminating beer connoisseurs.

Cheers!

Peter

pestaniel@beerconnoisseur.com

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