One of Ontario's best craft beer bars has announced a few details of a second, much larger location downtown.

Rob Pingitore and James MacDonald, the owners of Bar Hop, have officially announced they'll be expanding their craft beer dominance of the Entertainment District when they open up Bar Hop Brewco at 137 Peter Street later this year.

While their intention was to keep the news a secret until details were ironed out, the exciting development already made some small waves on the internet recently when some astute folks noticed the item "Bar Hop Brewco" among the businesses awaiting AGCO approval for a liquor license.

Toronto nightlife enthusiasts will recognize the address as the former home of OhSo, Reign, and before that Budo, and if you've ever been to any of these establishments, first, sorry, and second, you're likely aware that this space formerly housed two floors of cologne-drenched clubbing action and a rooftop patio, which makes the space considerably larger than Bar Hops current digs.

While licensing details haven't yet been ironed out enough to announce the official capacity (or the fate of said rooftop patio), Pingitore tells me that the second installment of Bar Hop is being built in direct response to the overwhelming support and loyalty that the-almost-always-crammed original location has built up in the two and a half years since its inauguration.

"We really just needed more space," he says. "And with an increased capacity we'll be able to accommodate more of the group requests we get and we'll have a more comfortable space for hosting beer events."

While Pingitore was hesitant to get into too many details on-the-record owing to the often fickle and delicate process involved with licensing a new establishment, Ontario craft beer fans can likely draw some of their own conclusions based on the size of the new space and the fact that the establishment will be called "Bar Hop Brewco."

We'll have more details as soon as Pinigitore and MacDonald are prepared to talk more candidly, but what is certain is that, as has always been the case at their original location, the focus will be on local, independent, and craft beer offerings and you can likely expect a regular rotation of unique and seasonal offerings, making it a pretty safe bet that Bar Hop 2.0 will be a hit with the city's growing scourge of craft beer enthusiasts.

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

Photo by Jesse Milns