How did Left Field come to be?
Left Field Brewery started originally as a hobby home brewery. My partner Mark is a Chartered Accountant turned brewer and a graduate of the the first cohort through the Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program and my background is branding and marketing communications. We started as contract brewers working out of two very small Ontario breweries with the ultimate goal of creating our own community-minded space, which is what we have today in Toronto’s East End Leslieville neighbourhood.
What’s a surprising fact (about Left Field) that most people don’t know?
Left Field Brewery was Ontario’s 100th brewery and today there are over 400! We were also Toronto’s first Living Wage Certified Brewery.
What would you consider the “hidden gem” of your brewery and/or taproom?
The brewery itself is tucked away down a little industrial laneway and embedded right in a residential neighbourhood. We’re not on a main commercial strip or in an area with much through traffic, so just visiting us tends to create some IYKYK vibes.
On any given day, you can usually expect to find at least a couple of brewery team members enjoying a beer at the bar (a great way to learn some insider knowledge about the next release or what’s fermenting in the tanks), families with kids, adorable dogs, and Major League baseball games playing on the TVs with full audio.
“Why” Left Field?
There are so many amazing breweries in Ontario and we’re grateful every time someone chooses our beer. Our team works extremely hard to uphold quality and freshness in our line-up to earn the trust and confidence of Ontario beer drinkers day after day. We actively support our community through Beer For Everybody initiatives and are active in the beer community with the goal of helping to make the Ontario craft beer industry better and stronger over the long term.
What 5 words would you use to describe Left Field?
Quality, community, baseball, approachable, fun
Interview with Mandie Murphy
Co-Founder, Left Field Brewery
36 Wagstaff Drive, Toronto
