Stuff you need to know today – Friday November 5th

Okay, I’m not going to say I’ll do this regularly, because that’s blogger-cide.  Nobody does anything they promise to do regularly.  That being said, I kind of like the vibe on this one.  I get to post some stuff that I think you want to know.  If you don’t, the joke’s on you; you already read it.  So here you go:

McRib

Apparently it’s back.  Apparently people care.  I hate McDonalds and pretty much everything they stand for, so I would say, stay far far away.   If, however, you’ve been waiting with bated breath for the return of the sandwich built with some weird type of reconstituted pork-type product, your day has come.  Rejoice.  That being said, I learned this on twitter, so it might only be in the states.  Which would figure.  Those dudes love stuff that isn’t good for them.  Look no further then the recent midterm elections for proof.

Phillips Brewery

These dudes make yummy beer.  But alas, they are located in Victoria, BC.  Which, if you’re in Ontario, might as well be Mars.  Good news:  HMH Negotiants have brought in a private order through the LCBO.  If you were paying attention a few months ago, you, like me, would have a case or three sitting in your house.  If not, start paying attention.  These dudes (Ralph and Tom at Volo) are bringing in some really exciting beers, and need good folks like you to order them.  Okay, I don’t like to be an ass and taunt people with tasty beer that they can’t get, so here’s the good news:  Volo is serving bottles of Hop Circle IPA, Amnesiac Double IPA, and 9 Donkeys of the Hopocalypse Anniversary Double IPA.  I don’t have prices, but Volo is reasonable.  Incidentally, because I was paying attention, both the Hop Circle and Amnesiac are also both available at Castro’s Lounge.  If you must have the 9 Donekys, I defy you to find parking at Yonge and Wellesley.  Okay, I can’t keep a secret, there’s a Green P on the south side of Wellesley east of Yonge.  There’s also paid street level parking on Dundonald (the street Volo is on).  Enjoy.

Learn 2 Brew (very cool, note the use of “2” instead of the much longer “to”)

Here’s what the Southern Ontario Brewers say about the event (they’re hosting):

Want to see how to make your own beer?
Toronto’s largest homebrewing club can show you how!

Learn 2 Brew Day occurs on the first Saturday in November, when new, and not so new homebrewers around the world are encouraged to learn how to brew or teach someone how to brew.

We’ll have onsite homebrewing demonstrations by over twenty different brewers, each with their own unique style and approach. Learn how to brew, to build a setup to match your needs, and budget!

Saturday, November 6th from 10am until 6pm Amsterdam Brewing Co. 21 Bathurst St, Toronto

If you can make macaroni and cheese, you can homebrew; it’s that simple.”

Here’s what I say.  A real crack crew of experts (Me, Jordan St John, Matt Caldwell, and an actual pro, Andrew Bartle) are going to brew a batch of beer at a homebrewing promotional event at the Amsterdam Brewery.  I think the idea is to demonstrate that a bunch of doofuses can make beer.  Thus, so can you.  We (okay, Jordan), were thoughtful enough to hire a ringer, so our beer shouldn’t be awful, so hopefully everyone wins.  It’s a very cool day, and I would invite everybody to come on down and check out what’s going on.  There will be an assortment of people knowledgeable in the art of home brewing, and also some bloggers.  And thanks and cheers to Amsterdam.  They are promoting and hosting an event that effectively competes with their market.  These are guys who get it.  And have you had some of their recent seasonal offerings?  Things are changing at Amsterdam, watch closely.

Nobel

Did you know an imprisoned man will get the Nobel Prize this year?  He’s  Chinese guy, called Liu Xiaobo, and has spent the better part of 20 years resisting the current Chinese Regime.  He is currently serving an 11 year sentence for “subverting state power”.  This makes him the second imprisoned Nobel Laureate.  The first (and still imprisoned) is Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi is possibly going to be released from House Arrest on the 13th of this month, but as the Junta has demonstrated in the past, this doesn’t mean much.  But I’ve gotten my head stuck in the clouds standing on this soapbox (I hope you were paying attention).  What I really wanted to talk about was one of my favourite beers, Christoffel Nobel, which I hear is back on the shelves at the LCBO.  An epic lager with a heap of hops and alcohol, you can read my review here.  I’m going to revisit it.  And I’ll be honest; I can’t wait.  But aside from the beer talk, get yourself a little more familiar with those two Laureates I mentioned, and their causes.  These are people living their lives for their beliefs.  We all should take notice.

That’s it for now, if there’s more you know I’ll be the third to know and pass on.

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