Steel Toad is an interesting brewery located on E 2nd Ave, just on the edge of Olympic Village. You can walk there within 5 minutes of Red Truck Beer and the other breweries of Mt. Pleasant are also within a short walk of Steel Toad. It may not be on the waterfront at Olympic Village, but it is still a good location in a building with a wonderful heritage.
Steel Toad Brewery
The first time I visited Steel Toad, I was along on a walking brewery tour. I was a little hesitant to enter at first as the place was empty, and rightfully so as it was a weekday afternoon. The building was very inviting but I was a little hesitant to enter right away. Inside, the style of the brewery is more of a lounge than a brewery. They had a lot of mixed signals when it came to what they were doing. The building is a gorgeous heritage building that they rebuilt and the bar is really well done. You can easily see the brewery in one corner of the brewpub thanks to the floor to ceiling glass. Of the staff, the hostess and host were dressed really well and looked very attractive. The other staff seemed to have a more girl next door look as they wore jeans and a cowboy like shirt. It didn’t really gel together as the servers looked too average compared to the high end look of everything else. The service was not on par for the image that they were trying to project and things seemed out of place. The management either needs a little work on training or they need to work on their image to be more consistent; they can’t be posh and casual at the same time.
Steel Toad Brewery
On my first visit, I was at the bar, alone, and talked to the bartenders a little. I just got the typical information about what happens at the bar but nothing special. I did enjoy the beers and they had a nice selection when I visited. For a brewpub of that size, I did expect more variety but from what I heard from others, I heard mixed reviews. The quality was good and they had a nice selection of beers but I could see myself getting bored with them after a few visits. On my second visit, it was the same situation but this time I went with a friend. My friend B is not a typical customer for Steel Toad and felt it was expensive, but then again he is a Molson Canadian type of guy. I felt the prices were average but felt out of place inside.
Steel Toad Brewery: Westcoast IPA
Steel Toad Brewery: Oatmeal Stout
If you enjoy Steel Toad beers and the atmosphere, you should definitely go there over and over again. I personally need more variety when it comes to beer and I do prefer a more rustic feel for a watering hole. If I need to impress someone on a business meeting, I might take them to Steel Toad, but without trying the food, I can’t really say whether I would return or not. I really hope I am wrong in the short time I visited as they have a really good place.
Steel Toad Brewery
Information
- Steel Toad Brewery (Official Site)
- Steel Toad Brewery (Official Facebook Page)
- Steel Toad Brewery (Official Twitter)
- Steel Toad Brewery (Official Instagram)