Crafted in the Capital

If you know me at all, you know that I love coffee. If you know me really well, you know that I also love craft beer. So when I heard that there was a place in Ottawa where I could get both, I obviously had to check it out.

The Ministry of Coffee, a staple in Ottawa’s downtown coffee scene, recently opened up the doors to its newest location in Hintonburg. If you’ve ever had the Ministry’s coffee, you’ll know why this is a big deal… but there’s more!

When the sun starts to go down, the Hintonburg location serves beer, wine and cocktails. Many coffee shops are slowly starting to adopt this model. But unlike most coffee shops, the Ministry of Coffee serves strictly local craft beer (and a decent selection of local wines).

A handful of breweries throughout the Ottawa area can be found on tap. That means if you’re meeting a friend for “coffee” after work, you can both stop kidding yourselves and get the beer you’ve been thinking about all day. That means when certain bloggers want to head to their local coffee shop to write while drinking coffee, they can take a step up and write while drinking beer or wine. Let’s be honest, the last time you did work at a coffee shop, you were probably thinking how much better it would be if you were drinking beer instead.

In my first trip there, I tried the Bicycle Brewery’s Velocipede India Pale Ale, which was delicious. You can also find Beau’s Lug-Tread, Dominion City’s Earnscliffe ESB and Broadhead’s Longshot White Ale. If wine is more your thing, you can find a number of Niagara wines on the menu as well.

Sitting in this intimate space, you are surrounded by old wooden tables and (most likely) a sizeable crowd. The restaurant is well decorated with artwork that will surely satisfy any movie fan. Jack Nicholson, Uma Therman and Samuel L. Jackson watch over you as you enjoy your wine or beer with good company. Honestly, what more could you want?

So next time your friend asks you to meet for coffee, why not grab a delicious local craft beer instead at the Minstry of Coffee. Because the only thing that’s better than fair-trade coffee is local beer. That’s just science.