It's getting significantly harder to be a beer nerd in this city. Every other bearded flannel enthusiast in the city fancies himself a connoisseur and you can't swing a tulip glass in this town without hitting a lady training for her next level of Cicerone certification.

In an effort to keep you one step ahead of the untapped-addicted masses, here's a list of five Toronto breweries you might not have heard of so that you might drop a little beery knowledge next time you're at the bar.

Sweetgrass Brewing Co.
Owned by the husband and wife team that owns the The Auld Spot, Sweetgrass Brewing Co. contract brews Sweetgrass Golden Ale, a 4.9% unfiltered Belgian-style ale, at Wellington Brewery in Guelph. Find it on tap at The Auld Spot (obviously) and a handful of other local bars.

Shacklands Brewing Co.
Brewed and packaged at Junction Craft Brewing on Cawthra Avenue, Shacklands' brewmaster Jason Tremblay makes some downright decent beers including a pale ale, a belgian dubbel, a farmhouse saison, and a series of IPAs. You can find Shacklands beers pouring at a handful of Toronto bars.

Woodhouse Brewing Co.
A contract brewery that makes just one beer, Woodhouse Brewing Co. is named after its founder, Graham Woodhouse. A former Labbatt employee, Woodhouse saw the craft beer light and now peddles his decent and easy to drink Amber Lager to an ever-growing number of Toronto's bars.

Muddy York Brewing
Brand-spanking-new Muddy York is an honest-to-goodness brewery (i.e. head brewer and founder Jeff Manol actually has a physical location where he brews his own beer) and the company just released their first beverage, the 4.7% Muddy York Porter. Find it on tap at The Wren, The Mugshot Tavern, and more.

Amber Brewing
The big selling point for Amer Brewing is that they offer the cheapest kegs of beer in the city, and that's probably all that needs to be said. At $155 per 58L keg, Amber's "Toronto House" is significantly cheaper than the competition. Their website even offers a helpful breakdown of potential profit margins for bar owners. You know if you're in a place serving Amber Beer, it's a place that seeks out quality first (of course, it probably won't be called Toronto House).

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. Follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson.

Photo via Sweetgrass Brewing Co.