So you can’t be in Dunedin with the Blue Jays for spring training? There’s always the next best thing.

Beer.

Whether it’s mourning the loss of Edwin Encarnacion or waxing poetic about the prospects of a 2017 World Series win, nothing fuels a conversation better than a little something from a brew­master with a pair of passions, beer and baseball.

The brewmaster is Mark Murphy, who with his wife Mandie owns Left Field Brewery in ­Toronto.

With brands such as the flagship Eephus, an oatmeal brown ale available at the LCBO, Left Field makes a strong pitch to knowledgeable fans of both craft beer and baseball. Kudos if you knew that an eephus is a pitch that throws the batter off guard. Eephus (the beer, not the pitch) was developed by Mark on his homebrew system. Flavour nuances include toasted nuts.

In his pre-brewery life, Mark was a chartered accountant before enrolling in the inaugural brewing program at Niagara College. Mandie was in sales and marketing for national cooler, cider and spirit brands.

“We love baseball,” Mandie told me. “(We) have always travelled to many ballparks throughout the U.S. Mark played growing up and you can usually find me in the stands of Jays games, keeping score in my scorebook. Baseball is a game with a rich tradition, history and many characters over the years. It gives us never-ending inspiration for beer names.”

Hence, we’ve got Maris, a pale ale tribute to the smooth-­swinging Roger Maris who broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1961. It, along with Eephus, is the only beer ­always being brewed, while the rest are rotations.

There’s 6-4-3 Double IPA, the name being a reference to a common double play. Wrigley Oat Pale Ale, a gold medal winner at the Canadian Brewing Awards, honours both the famous Chicago park and Left Field’s basset hound and head of customer relations and ­security.

While getting your mitts on the full roster of Left Field beers usually requires a swing to east-end Toronto, there’s a handier way for one night only.

Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium in London is helping Left Field mark its fourth anniversary with a tap takeover featuring 11 of its beers Wednesday, Feb. 22. These include Eephus, naturally, as well as Sweet Jesus Mocha Marshmallow Stout, Magnus Force Belgian Golden Strong Ale, and Prospect Citra Single Hop IPA.

If you’re thinking of making a trip to the Left Field brewery, hold up. It’s shutting down for a bit as an expansion team gets to work.

“We’re actually going through a shutdown for a few weeks as we prepare to expand with new tanks, which will allow us to make more beer,” Mandie said. “Following the shutdown, we’ll be launching a new sour one-off brew and will bring back Laser Show, our Vermont-style double IPA.”

Things will be back better than ever by opening day, but brewery visitors should know that parking at Left Field (36 Wagstaff Dr., Toronto) and neighbouring streets is tight, so they urge you to bicycle, take transit or hire a ride. Brewery tours ($10) are Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

wayne.newton@bell.net

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