It's no secret we've seen a beer explosion over the last few years with multiple breweries, brewpubs and bottle shops setting up in Toronto's east end.

Now, 10 local brick-and-mortar breweries are coming together to form the Toronto East Brewery Collective. There's strength in numbers and the idea is that the unification will help organize events and initiatives benefiting the east end brewery scene as well as the community at large.

“There are so many great breweries in the east end,” says Eastbound Brewing’s Dave Watson, "and while we're competitors individually, we're all friendly with each other and share similar goals and values. The idea of banding together to accomplish things we couldn’t otherwise do on our own seemed like a good idea.”

The collective is home to Brunswick Bierworks, Common Good Brewing, Eastbound Brewing Co., Godspeed Brewery, Left Field Brewery, Louis Cifer Brew Works, Muddy York Brewing Co., Radical Road Brewing Co., Rorschach Brewing Co., and Saulter Street Brewery.

“We want to showcase not only the great beers coming from all of the collective’s members but also to shine a light on the spectacular craft beer bars in the east end,” says Muddy York’s David Wallace.

The Toronto East Brewery Collective’s first event will be a multi-location tap takeover on June 14. Billed as Brewed in the East, the event will take place at The Wren, The Only, and Bar Hop Danforth and will feature new, exclusive, and rare beers from each brewery.

“Each of us brings something unique to the group" says Mandie Murphy of Left Field. "Our facilities and our products reflect the strengths, styles, and aesthetics we have each developed over time. The opportunity to partner-up was appealing, and we feel that as a collective we can reinforce the notion that Toronto’s east end is an incredible destination for craft beer.”

Future events will include a collaborative series of brewery tours, collaboration brews, and a TEBC festival. “We’re just getting started,” says Godspeed’s Luc “Bim” LaFontaine. “We’re going to keep making great beer and creating interesting avenues for fans of our breweries to experience them.”

The TEBC will continue to add members when new brick and mortar breweries open in the east end. “We expect new breweries to open and we will definitely welcome them into the collective,” says Aimee Pellegrino of Saulter Street. “We're looking to support our craft brewery community, and look forward to working with local BIAs and officials to leverage that support in our own neighbourhoods.”

Follow along @BrewedInTheEast on Instagram.