Doing it again, stuff I think you can’t live without…
A Night with Fred – Hopfenstark – Bar Volo
So, immediately below this post is my post for this event. I won’t repeat myself, I just thought I’d point out that it’s happening, and it’s going to be great.
Telling it like it is – Jordan St John
While I generally try to be supportive of all the small brewers (and some of the bigger ones) in Ontario, and also keep an open mind about different people’s preferences, I’ve had an ongoing personal conflict. There is a brewery who is infamous on the big internet beer sites (www.bartowel.com, www.beeradvocate.com, www.ratebeer.com, etc). While I’ve enjoyed some of their products, and reviewed a few that weren’t awful, I’ve also tried to review a couple that were just undrinkable. Either because of poor craftmanship or poor bottling, these bottles were not good, so I didn’t review them. Because of the myriad problems that can effect small brewers, I’ve always cut them slack.
The brewery is Trafalgar Ales and Meads, and another (braver) blogger has finally addressed the issue.
Jordan, blogger over at www.SaintJohnsWort.ca and ale-raising friend, has written a thoughtful, respectful article. Not with the usual Trafalgar-hate you’ll find in the forums, but with a genuine concern for the brewery and staff, as well as the implications for craftbrewing in general. I can’t recommend this enough. Go read it, or better yet, scroll to the bottom and listen to Jordan read it for you in the audio-file embedded below the post.
http://saintjohnswort.ca/2010/12/07/trafalgar-ales-and-meads/
Thanks Jordan!
Winter Warmers for Wintery Weather
Okay, I’m totally behind on this one, but the recent snow in the city has reminded me to get on it. If you’re done digging out and are looking for a brew to warm the cockles of your heart (incidentally, what is a cockle? Anybody?) the LCBO has you covered. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the LCBO is really stepping-up in terms of their seasonal beer releases, and their Winter Warmers are no exception. I’ll get my notes together and put out my full post, but in the meantime (pun intended), here are a couple of bottles to grab before they’re all gone:
- Meantime Coffee Porter #194167 – Probably the best Coffee Porter I’ve ever had. Seriously. Such beautiful depth, roasty coffee and dark rich malts. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.
- Olvisholt Brugghus Lava #187005 – Some of you might remember Skjálfti, their pale ale which I was crazy about. Lava is a smoked Russian Imperial Stout and is just massive. Smoky with hints of leather and dark fruits.
- Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout #95034 – Brooklyn beers should just be a no-brainer. If you like beer, buy these. Huge chocolate pop in the aroma and taste with a nice boozy alcohol presence.
- Traquair Jacobite Ale #186999 – A killer Scottish ale, with spices and heaps of malty goodness. Definitely my very favourite Scottish beer.
- St Bernardus Abt 12 #198895 – One of two Belgian quads in the release. Jammy with a port-like alcohol bite. Big sweet dark fruits with a lingering finish.
- Koningshoeven Quadrupel #92791 – The other quad, and the only Trappist beer currently brewed outside Belgium (it’s from the Netherlands). Also one of my very favourite quads. Big dark fruits, and caramelly grain sweetness. Spices, not over-bearing, but warmly present throughout. Loooooooong finish that makes you want more.
CABA CABA HEY!
In from Steve and the Beau’s crew out in Vankleek Hill:
Vankleek Hill, ON – Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. is proud to present the 2010 edition of its CABA CABA HEY series of beers “Boomerweiss Weissbier” a collaborative effort from BEAU’S and ‘Home Brewer Of The Year’ John Baine from Dundas, Ont.
Thanks to this unique partnership between the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA) & Ontario Craft Brewers, the Home Brewer Of The Year not only gets an award and bragging rights, but also gets to help design & brew a beer with the folks at BEAU’S.
John’s award winning entry is called “Boomerweiss Weissbier”. A beer that features an intense banana flavour that goes all the way to 11 and is complimented by clove-like spiciness and a bubblegum aroma. Lively carbonation helps to accentuate this classic hefeweizen’s drinkability.
“It’s great to work with a passionate home brewer like John,” says Steve Beauchesne of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, ”And help take his dream of beer to the next level”
CABA CABA HEY! 2010’s “Boomerweiss Weissbier” is available now for a limited time at Beau’s Brewery, 10 Terry Fox Road in Vankleek Hill, Ont
We were lucky enough to be blessed with a growler of this for our Christmas party at Castro’s (Thanks Rob!) and it’s excellent. Heaps of banana and spices, super bright on the palate. If you find yourself with the option of having a pint, do, you won’t regret it.
A beer by any other name…..
John Graham, brewer at Church-Key Brewing in Pethrick’s Corners posted on Facebook today that he is looking for name suggestions for the next brew in the Heavyweight series, a Biere de Garde. You can add your own or vote here: www.namethis.ca (choose the beer one, but feel free to participate in the others too). My suggestion? “The Fabulous Destiny of Ambree de Garde”.
Just in case
Christmas is coming, and if you’d rather not buy me beer, I’m a hat size 7 3/4, fedora anyone?
