As every Canadian knows, the Monday before May 25 is set aside to celebrate Queen Victoria’s proclamation, in 1867, that all cases of beer in British North America will have exactly 24 bottles. The little-known second part of the 151-year-old decree is that craft breweries may stay open even as their government- or foreign-owned monopolist competitors are forced to close. Great news, right?

To make your planning easier, I’ve put together a list of breweries who will be open on Monday, May 21. There are probably more, but these are the ones who replied to my email. And there are also their comments about any special plans for food or entertainment.

Toronto craft breweries open for Victoria Day:

• Bandit: 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
• Batch: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. bottle shop only, the restaurant is closed that day.
• Bellwoods (Ossington): 2 p.m. – 12 a.m. “Between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. we will serve our snack menu followed by dinner between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.”
• Bellwoods (Hafis): 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Big Rock (Liberty Commons): 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Etobicoke location closed for Victoria Day.)
• Black Oak: Closed for Victoria Day.
• Blood Brothers: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Burdock: 2 p.m. – 12 a.m.
• Eastbound: 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Folly: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. bottle shop, 4 p.m. – 12 a.m. brewpub; “Velvet Dreams – Fruited Sour with Black raspberry & Vanilla will once again be in our bottle shop.”
• Godspeed: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Goose Island: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. “Some exciting news, our first-ever barrel aged beer made in the Brewhouse is going to be available in our retail shop over the long weekend (release is May 17th). The product is called Mature Situations – it’s a barrel-aged Belgian Tripel!”
• Granite: 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Great Lakes: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. “Patio will be open. Free popcorn.”
• Halo: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. bottleshop and taproom. “We will have Glory Hole Doughnuts, until supplies last!”
• Indie: 12 p.m. – 11 p.m. and they’ll “have some lunch specials on and a new beer released that week.”
• Junction: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Kensington: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
• Left Field: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. “Friday: Chau Pop-up, Sunday: Revere Sandwich Pop-up. Tours run Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.”
• Muddy York: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. “We will have a food pop-up on Saturday May 19th. Chau will be here with baos and other yummy things. You can check out the details here. We will also be releasing a new collaboration beer on Saturday we did with the folks at 5 Paddles. Old Sticks In The Mud Pale Ale.”
• Lot30: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Louis Cifer: 11:30 a.m. – 12 a.m.;
• Mill Street: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. “We will also have a feature menu in the restaurant over the weekend.”
• Northern Maverick: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m. restaurant, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. bottle shop.
• Old Credit: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• People’s Pint: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• Radical Road: 12 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• Rorschach: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. “We will be releasing our Pineapple Hedonism (Sorbet Sour IPA) this week as well as our Truth Serum IPA in cans.”
• Saulter Street: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• The Six: 1 a.m. – 12 a.m. “We will offer our brunch service from 11-3 on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.”

East and north GTA:

• Brock Street: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Magnotta: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Market: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Second Wedge: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. “Band Karaoke – Friday 7-9 pm (sign up to sing with a live band). Opening of the 2018 Uxbridge Farmers’ Market (they operate every Sunday May 20-October 28 in our south parking lot) – Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Lots of great food vendors, including Heritage Gourmet Pizza, Mike’s BBQ, Crown & Anchor; outside food is welcome in our tasting room and beer garden! Sunday live music: Jimmy Pearson performs Sunday 3-5 pm – no cover! Our tree-lined beer garden is open, with seating for 70+ people, kids, dogs.”

West GTA and Hamilton:

• 5 West: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• All or Nothing: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. “We have beer, meads and spirits for sale.”
• Clifford: 12 p.m. – 5 pm. “New product only available at our retail are the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Porter in 500mL bottles $8.95 and Devil’s Punchbowl ISL in 500mL bottles $4.95.” Also, for the new Thursday 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. summer time, they “are offering $4 for a 12oz pour on Thursdays for the month of May/June.”
• Collective Arts: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. “We will have a musician in the taproom from 5 – 7 p.m. on Sunday, the 20th.”
• Fairweather: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Merit: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m. taproom; 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. bottle shop.
• Nickel Brook: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. “We’ll have flights available for 8 bucks. (4x5oz). Plus we’ll have the new Pineapple Uber available in the shop by then.”
• Shawn & Ed: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Niagara craft breweries open for Victoria Day:

• Bench: Not opening until June, then 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily.
• Brimstone: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. bottle shop only.
• Exchange: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. “We will be having a Culinary Pop-up on Monday: 12 p.m. -8 p.m., with the chefs from Willow Branch. (The menu will be posted on our social media on Friday).”
• Niagara College Teaching Brewery: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (all long weekend)
• Oast House: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. “We have our annual Patio Kickoff party planned for the long weekend, with the Shane Murphy band from Montreal live on the federal stage. Most importantly though, we are also very excited to officially launch our first in-house restaurant, Brushfire Smoke BBQ & Backcountry Cooking.”

And, of course, if going out and finding beer isn’t your thing on a holiday, heading to Evergreen Brick Works and seeing what the breweries bring to you for Brewer’s Backyard is always an option.