A MolsonCoors Procession

I just came across this interesting article on the Hamilton Spectator website - Now That's a Beer Run

MolsonCoors are getting some new tank, which are currently sitting at the Hamilton Port. After traveling 15 days on a cargo ship from Germany, six 45 tonne vats have to make it to MolsonCoors' huge Toronto plant. It will require four nights of travel at walking speed, paid-duty police from five different jurisdictions, a 40 vehicle convoy, road closures, and the removal of hydro wires and traffic lights!

Click on the link to read the article...and the comments.

Dieu Du Ciel To Invade Ontario Sept 16-19th - HMH Negotiants

Wow!! I had talked with Tomas at HMH Negotiants early last week and he told me that they had a number of things in the works for the Dieu Du Ciel visit in September, but I had no idea they would have this many events!

Tomas posted some information on BarTowel.com earlier today, but here is an updated version.


Toronto, Ontario – In conjunction with the LCBO Microbrewery feature, HMH Negotiants would like to announce that Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! will be coming to Ontario from September 16th –September 19th for series of special events. We would like to invite everyone to join us during this weekend at the following establishments to celebrate Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!’s LCBO microbrewery listing. These events will also commemorate the arrival of Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!’s availability on draught at the following locations for this weekend only. All events and availability are subject to change.
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! in Ontario! Map

BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! MEET AND GREET
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2010 @ CHANCEY SMITHS (7:00PM)
Stephane Ostiguy of Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! and HMH Negotiants will be heading to London, Ontario for a casual meet and greet at Chancey Smiths starting at 7:00PM. The following brands will be available on draught Peche Mortel, Corne Du Diable, Rosee D’Hibiscus and Derniere Volonte.
WWW.CHANCEYSMITHS.COM | 130 KING ST. LONDON, ONTARIO | (519) 672-0384

BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! SMOKED MEAT LUNCH
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2010 @ CAPLANKYS DELICATESSEN (12:00PM)
Join Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! and HMH Negotiants at Caplanky’s Delicatessen for Toronto’s best Montreal style smoked meat with Route Des Epices Peppercorn Rye Ale on Draught.
WWW.CAPLANSKYS.COM | 356 COLLEGE ST. TORONTO, ONTARIO | (416) 500-3852

BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! BEER & FOOD TASTING
FRIDAY, SEPT 17TH, 2010 @ FRANK (ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO) (6:00PM-8:00PM)
HMH Negotiants will be teaming up with FRANK @ the Art Gallery of Ontario showcasing five beers from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel that are part of the LCBO Microbrewery feature. Brewers and founders will be presents. Tickets will be sold in advance. More details to be announced!
WWW.AGO.NET/FRANK | 317 DUNDAS ST. WEST, TORONTO, ONTARIO | (416) 979-6688

BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! TORONTO PUB CRAWL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2010 STARTING @8:30PM
The following bars will be serving beers from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! on draught for this weekend. HMH Negotiants will be organizing a Toronto pub-crawl with the brewers and founders present. Pub-Crawl details to be announced.

C’est What? - Peche Mortel, Corne Du Diable, Rosee D’Hibiscus
Magpie Tavern - Corne Du Diable
The Only Café - Corne Du Diable, Équinoxe du Printemps(bottle), Rosee D'Hibiscus(bottle)
The Rhino - Peche Mortel, Corne Du Diable, Rigor Mortis ABT
Smokeless Joes - Peche Mortel
La Pallete - Peche Mortel
St.Veronus - Derniere Volonte, Rigor Mortis ABT, Équinoxe du Printemps(bottle)
Brydens - Corne Du Diable

COLLABORATION BREW DAY
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2010 STARTING (1:00PM-4:00PM)
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel!, barVolo and Biergotter Homebrew Club will be collaborating together to make a special one-off brew on barVolo’s new pilot system. This beer will be released during CaskDays 2010! The collaboration brew day will be open to the public from 1:00pm-4:00pm serving only Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! beers in bottles. Limited food available. Bottles: Corne Du Diable, Équinoxe du Printemps, Rosee D'Hibiscus, Route des Epices, Blanche du Paradis, Rigor Mortis ABT, Peche Mortel, Derniere Volonte
WWW.BARVOLO.COM | WWW.BIERGOTTER.ORG | WWW.DIEUDUCIEL.COM


MAIN EVENT: BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL PARTY @ BARVOLO
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2010 STARTING (7:00PM-2:00AM)
***Trade and Media Tasting from 6:00PM-7:00PM By Invitation Only***

All Dieu Du Ciel! on draught, all night long + Special Suprises. Brewers and founders present. Limited food available. No Admission. Doors open at 7:00pm
WWW.BARVOLO.COM | 587 YONGE ST. TORONTO, ONTARIO | (416) 928-0008

BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! BRUNCH @ BEERBISTRO
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2010 STARTING @ 1:00PM
HMH Negotiants and Beer Bistro present a tutored tasting featuring several beers of Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! on draught. Hosted by Stephen Beaumont .Tickets are $45, and will go on sale Wednesday September, 8th
WWW.BEERBISTRO.COM | 18 KING ST. E, TORONTO, ONTARIO | (416) 861-9872

ABOUT DIEU DU CIEL!
Located in the “Plateau” region of Montréal, Dieu du Ciel is an inviting neighbourhood brew-pub
that has quickly attracted many fans to their hand crafted beers. In a short period they have
attracted international attention and have been the recipients of numerous awards. The young
brewer, Jean François, has never had any formal training as a brewer, but he is a natural, with
superb skills and flawless instincts. In addition to their pub, Dieu Du Ciel! has opened a brewery in St-Jérôme Québec to meet their distribution demands.


From the time it opened its brewpub on Laurier avenue in Montreal, Dieu du Ciel has been aiming
to brew the best beers possible, without compromise, to bring you a unique, intense tasting
experience. No matter the production costs, the demanding labour and the many difficulties that
came with the production of beer, our first motivation is to always bring you original, satisfying beers. We love beer, and insist on showing it in the ones we brew.

ABOUT HMH NEGOTIANTS
Please allow us to introduce ourselves: HMH is a family run importer of craft beer based in Ontario. With our collective experience as bar owners, event organizers, artisans, IT specialists, and graphic designers we've created a unique agency that promotes craft beer in the Canadian province of Ontario. HMH actively promotes the local interest in craft beer, and the larger craft movement as a whole. Being part of the industry for over twenty years, we share in the respect, passion, and devotion that brewers have for their craft. Our dedication and pursuit in the craft beer industry urges us to create education and awareness in our local communities.

Ultimately our goal is to elevate the demand for craft beer and offer select craft breweries that we think will have a unique and special place in the Ontario market. At HMH we will use our talents, interests, and enthusiasm, and collectively do our best to represent our brewers in Ontario: All in the pursuit of great beer!

The Blast of the Okanagan Spring Fermentor

Jordan, over at St. John's Wort, has had some fun with the recent explosion at the Okanagan Spring Brewery in Vernon, BC.  He has altered the lyrics of Gordon Lightfoot's famous song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" to play into the blast that occurred last Thursday, spilling 32,000 litres of Cream Ale into the street.

Jordan picks up his guitar and sings the beer themed version he created and he has shared it with all of his readers in a audio podcast.  It's good stuff and worth checking out.  Here are the altered lyrics, but head to his site for a listen.

The legend lives on throughout Vernon’s downtown

Of the day the fermenter exploded

The beer, it is said, never gave up its head

And by nighttime the city was coated

As craft breweries go it was bigger than most

Each fermenter held thousands of liters

But there wasn’t a vent and it finally went:

Broken bottles for dozens of meters.

The newspapers claimed that the problem was blamed

On a buildup of carbon dioxide

The force of the squall tore the door from the wall

With the violence and strength of a rock slide

This was the tale of a batch of cream ale

from the brewery called Okanagan

The lumberjacks cried and they broke down inside;

There’d be nothing to drink after logging.

The beer it was spilled and though no one was killed

It was tragic enough to the brewers

Instead of being filtered through beer loving men

It flowed directly into the sewers.

A Shot At Ontario Brewers - Video

I just came across this video this morning and all I can say is, WOW!  I watched the entire clip and couldn't stop shaking my head.  Looking at his other uploaded video's, it would appear that this guy (using the name TakeSomeAdvice) is a homebrewer here in Ontario and he's not a fan of beer produced by the men and women in the Ontario brewing industry - Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery and Muskoka Cottage Brewery taking the blunt of his criticism.

While I was watching it I thought I'd embed the video here and let everyone see it and comment on it.  Then I thought it would be better leaving it alone, don't embed it, this guy doesn't need anymore attention than his YouTube channel is already bringing in.  I obviously decided on the former and the video is embedded below.

In the interest of time (I don't have much of it these days, with the new job and Toronto Beer Week) I jotted down some issues I have with this guy and his rant.  Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but when you don't seem to know what you're talking about that opinion needs to be sorted out.

Issue #1 - This guy rants for 11 minutes about his disdain for Ontario craft beer and mentions Mill Street and Sleeman, grouping them into the same category.  They're not.  Both breweries operate on a totally different business model and to lump them both together is insulting.  And to say that Mill Street makes crap beer, Come ON!

Issue #2 - If this guy wants to pretend he knows about reviewing beers, why the hell is he pouring the beer into a frosted pint glass?  Seriously!  Any knowledgable beer drinker, any serious (good) beer drinker out there knows that much.

Issue #3 - At 3:40 of the video he pours the beer and claims there is no head.  I don't know about you but I notice at least three fingers of head atop the beer and it sticks around for the duration of his tasting. At 6:46 of the video some head still appears in the glass.

Issue #4 - He states Ontario wouldn't make bad beer if the government got out of the way, opening up the industry.  Ummm, government may enforce and regulate the Ontario brewing industry with a heavy hand, but that doesn't/shouldn't affect what's being brewed.  Black Oak came out with the 10 Bitter Years and was a wonderful success - in both sales and taste!  But according to this guy, the government regulations prevent Ontario brewers from doing anything bigger, or in his opinion, anything better.

Issue #5 - States that Ontario beers are so inconsistent from batch to batch.  Yes, to a degree some Ontario breweries suffer from inconsistency, but this guy is drinking out of a frosted pint glass!  What real flavours you have in that beer are subdued the minute you pour from the bottle into that glass, turning it into something it really isn't.

And one of the best lines on the ridiculous clip - "This doesn't have that jumping out nose"

He also does a review of Hoegaarden in another clip, and guess what, he pours it into the same frosted pint glass and hates the beer.

Black Creek Historic Brewery - Toronto, ON

Black Creek Pioneer Village - Black Creek Historic Brewery
1000 Murray Ross Parkway
Toronto, ON M3J 2P3
416-736-1733
www.blackcreek.ca

Press releases are great for getting a point across, whether explaining something that's about to happen or about something that has already happened. When I received one from philpott communications about the Black Creek Historic Brewery a couple of weeks ago it did a great job informing me about Ontario's newest small brewery. It was nicely done, and laid out a nice picture, but it didn't do justice for what I was about to see last Monday.

Black Creek Pioneer Village is located near York University off Jane and Steeles and is home to a re-creation of life during the 1860's. Opened by the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority in 1960, the village features 40 heritage homes, shops, mills, barns, and other buildings to resemble a village as it would have looked in the late 1800's. The Half Way House Inn (a restored inn built in 1849) is one of these buildings and is now home to the Black Creek Historic Brewery.

The brewery officially opened on Monday June 22nd when the Honourable Provincial Minister of Heritage, Aileen Carroll, tapped the first barrel on the steps leading into the Inn. The brewery, opened with the help of a Provincial grant and private interest with Trafalgar Brewing Co., recreates a working brewery as it would have been in the mid 1800's and is situated in the basement of the Inn. The brewery is currently producing five beers: India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Porter, Stout, and Dark Ale, and there are plans to brew a number of rotating styles - like a Barley Wine and a Mild.

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to attend the grand opening on the 22nd, and as I mentioned, the press release didn't prepare me for what I was about to take part in. I had good expectations to begin with, but I was amazed with the detail that went into re-creating the brewery. After a brief walk through of the 'Ontario Brewing History' gala inside the actual village museum we were led by a man in a period costume playing the fiddle to the Inn where speeches were made and the barrel was tapped. From there we headed inside the Inn to the Taproom where we were poured a sample of the IPA, which was very nice. A touch of oak from the barrels shone through on the palate and the dry hopping was pleasant and refreshing. From here it was onto the Half Way House Kitchen where a sample of the Porter awaited us with some cheese straws. The Porter was sour, and lacked those chocolaty notes Porters are known for. Not for me.

The large basement of the Inn, which is where the brewery is found, also features a pub that will be serving up the beers produced on-site, along with a handful of other locally produced Ontario beers. We headed there next and had samples of the Dark Ale and the Pale Ale. Both very nice and extremely drinkable. The Dark had a nice roast profile to it and the Pale had a good earthy quality to it with a sharp hop bite. From my understanding the Pale will be packaged and sold through the LCBO come fall, which will most likely be done at Trafalgar under the Black Creek branding. It will be interesting to see how these beers turn out after spending some time in the oak barrels. The last stop on the tasting tour was at Roblin's Mill where we sampled the Stout.

Most of the equipment inside the brewery is made with copper and wood, one of which is the mash tun. The 200 litre wooden bin is filled with barley and stirred by hand and the wort is then sent to the brew kettle for boiling. When complete, the brewer will draw the beer into a bucket and pour it through a linen (cheesecloth) and from there it settles onto a large copper cooling sheet. Once it is cool enough the brewer will move the slots to the corresponding oak barrel and the beer will flow downwards into a funnel to age in the barrel. It is all done by hand, according to traditional methods. We watched as the brewer completed this process and he confirmed that they will be brewing every day. It was pretty damn cool.

Visitors to the village can enjoy a lively brewery tour lead by knowledgeable interpreters, starting daily in the Half Way House Tap Room at 12:30 and 3 p.m. You can sample the beers in the brewery or head over to the pub for a bite and a pint. Growlers are also available to purchase.

Here is the brewery in pictures.

Mike Arnold (President/Owner of Trafalgar Ales and Meads and partner in Black Creek Historic Brewery), The Honourable Aileen Carroll, and a Black Creek representative.

Malting of the barley.  The mash tun is 200 litres and is stirred by hand with large wooden paddles.

The brew kettle sits atop a brick casing that contains the fire that boils the wort.  The beer has been boiled at this point and is being drained into a bucket before heading to the cooling sheet.

John Bowden, sales and marketing representative with Great Lakes Brewing

Co. peers into the kettle.  It is very hot in the brewery, sauna temperatures.  The sweat was rolling off me after two minutes.

This is the beer cooling on the copper sheeting above the large oak barrels.  

This is where the beer is poured before settling onto the cooling sheet.  The beer gets strained through this cheesecloth.  You can see the remnants of some hops on the cloth.

And here is where the beer eventually settles, into the large oak barrels.  Rick Sikorski, marketing and communications manager for the Toronto and Region Conservation (runs Black Creek), stated that the barrels are brand new, so the beer has a lot of oakiness to them.

From Field to Firkin: Beer History Tours
Tours are offered twice daily at 12:30 and 3 pm until December 31st (except December 25th and 26th). Learn the whole story of how beer was made, starting with how the ingredients are grown right through to sampling the beer. You can see where grain was milled and how barrels were made at the Cooperage. The cost is $4, which includes three samples in the brewery. Tickets are available at the Black Creek Pioneer Village admission desk. (Subject to availability. Village admission requires a separate ticket).

Special events are held through the season. To avoid disappointment, you can pre-purchase tickets to special Brewery events by calling 416-667-6295.

Field to Firkin: An Evening of Beer History
Every Friday evening in August and September
Enjoy an extended brewery tour with our lively staff.  Meet the Brewmaster and sample a variety of beers. Round out the evening in the Pub with homemade root chips. The first pint is on us.
Call 416-667-6295 for tickets

Brick Brewing Co. Suing Founder Jim Brickman

Brick Brewing has been though a lot in the last year. Founder and Ontario craft beer pioneer, Jim Brickman, left his role as Executive Chairman of the company in December and in February he stepped down from the board of directors. Many other executives followed Brickman out the door, and not long after, in March, two shareholders sued the company over a non-brokered equity offering. The J.R. Brickman series of beer was also pushed to the curb during all this, and focus was placed back on the cheap beer war taking place in Ontario.

Trouble didn't end there as Labatt filed a lawsuit against Brick over the packaging of Red Baron, which Labatt claims is too similar to the Brava brand. The case is now before the courts.

Which brings us to today. The Financial Post is reporting that Brick has now filed a lawsuit against its founding father, Brickman, for $1 million for "wrongs against the corporation" for several years causing "significant damages."

Sad indeed. With loses of $7.5 million last year, Brick is hurting and all this negative PR material surely can't help their situation. It has been an interesting story to follow, and judging by this latest news, it could get a whole lot messier.

**Updated** The Globe and Mail has since released a more in-depth story, providing more details surrounding the lawsuit. Click here to be re-directed.

Ontario: "Lowest Price for Beer in Canada" - Minister

Back in the summer when the Toronto Star was running their three part series on the Beer Store, I wrote a lengthy letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty inquiring about the way in which beer is distributed, and sold in this province.

A month or two later I received a short paragraph from the Premier's office stating that Ontarians have many outlets in which to purchase beer. The paragraph went on to talk about wine and how easy it is for an Ontario citizen to purchase the beverage, especially since there are wine stores in grocery stores. I was shocked. Nowhere in my 2 1/2 page letter did I mention wine. I responded to their answer, and two months after that I received another short answer, however the paragraph did mention that my correspondence would be forwarded to the Minister of Finance for his office to prepare an official response.

Well low and behold, I got a response. It only took six months. But the letter I received was just as jaw dropping as the first one. **Click the image to read the full letter.**

There are some sentences that are just flat out frustrating to read as a strong supporter of local craft beer, and I'm sure the Minister would have a different stance if speaking directly with the brewers themselves. Here are some of those lines.

I would also note that Ontarians still enjoy the lowest prices for beer across Canada

Seriously? Where did his office get that information from? I can understand their positioning based on the price of imports brought into the LCBO, but you can drive over to Quebec and pay significantly less for beer, I thought everyone knew that. You can buy certain beers cheaper in Alberta than you can in Ontario, at privately run liquor establishments. You can purchase a six pack of Big Rock Grasshopper in Manitoba for $9.69, yet the TBS sells it for $12.55. I really have to scratch my head with that sentence.

Ontario's system also provides fair access to suppliers. The Beer Store is open to any brewer that wishes to list a product with them.

Do I really need to post my thoughts on these two sentences? Fair access to suppliers? Sure, if they can afford it. Talk to most craft brewers in this province and they'll say that they all wish they could be in the Beer Store, they just can't afford it. Molson-Coors, AB/InBev, and Sapporo dictate prices to the small breweries and only then, if those prices are met, can the small players have fair access. And even if they get listed at their preferred stores, how hard it must be to compete with the Beer Store owners with all their splashy floor displays, and top ten boards, and weekly discounts and package prices. Fair access?

Together, there are over 1200 points of sale for at-home beverage alcohol consumption.

This was really the point of my original letter. Yes, there are 1200 or so locations to purchase beer for take home in this province, but break em' up into the LCBO and the Beer Store and you get two players - same point of sale in each city, town, village... And each location does not represent what the beer drinker wishes for. Ask those living in the Ottawa area if they're satisfied with their local LCBO or Beer Store offerings compared to beer drinkers here in Toronto. I know the answer, you know the answer, but here we are, still stuck in the same argument, with the same people.

My 2nd letter (not the original) questioned why this province grants licences to the Wine Rack stores to open in brand new grocery outlets, or in developing neighbourhoods (a new one opened on Queen East a couple months back), and the question was never answered. It wasn't even touched on. I talked to one politician after sending the letters and I was told that all those wine retail stores have been granted a 'grandfather' status - if one closes, another can open. I don't know where they're all coming from, or closing for that matter, but I'm seeing more and more of them spring up. The question of why there can't be stores like this focusing strictly on selling local craft beer, or imports, was completely ignored.

The socially responsible line came up again and I'm not even going to get into that. I don't care how many people the LCBO challenged, it's just a button they push on their tills. I know, I've done it. Any retail outlet could do that, and refuse service, so it's a moot point to me.

Anyways, we'll keep trying to obtain answers. I'll keep writing letters and submitting FOI's, and one day, we may just notice a change.

What's your take on the letter? Leave some comments for me to forward along in my response to the Minister.

Shipping Beer - Avoid DHL

I get a fair bit of beer sent my way from various breweries in Canada, and I've found that Purolator is the best shipping company to deal with. Not only is the warehouse situated close to my place, but the staff are great and it seems they honestly handle each package that bares a 'fragile sticker' on it with care.

DHL is by far the worst. I have had numerous packages either disappear in mid transit, or break upon arrival to their warehouse. A brewery from British Columbia sent some product my way two weeks ago with this company and by Thursday of last week I still had yet to get anything delivered. I got the tracing number, called the toll free line, and waited to hear what excuse they had this time.

The guy that answered looked up the number and informed me that an attempt to deliver was made and that the package was now back in the warehouse. Weird, I didn't receive any notice that someone tried to deliver the box. I changed the address to another location where I would be available for a signature and I was told the package would probably be delivered by Tuesday of this week. As of yesterday - nothing. Another call.

This time it was a different story. It turns out that my package was going through an inspection because of breakage. "Really, I wasn't told that the first time I called." I was to be called back by someone in the 'tracing' department but I didn't receive that call until this morning, and it was a call I didn't want to take.

"All the bottles in the package are broken," the woman explained. "The package was damaged when it was being transported from one warehouse to another, so we can't deliver it now."

Okay, timeout. You mean to tell me that the package made it from BC to Toronto without getting damaged, an attempt to deliver was made, a change of address notification was placed on the package, and I it was supposed to be delivered by Tuesday? And now I'm being told everything is broken?

So what did she have to say about all this after I finished my rant about how shitty DHL is? "Well, it really all depends on the shipper, and how they packaged it. We aren't responsible." Wow.

Stay away from DHL.

Got a DHL horror story? Or another one with another shipping company? Share.

Road Trip to Cole's Rare Beer Festival: Buffalo, NY

After spending a great afternoon at the Cloak and Dagger sipping some delicious Ontario brews, a buddy and I jumped in our rental car and started out for Buffalo to attend Cole’s Rare Beer Festival; a highly anticipated festival that received many excited comments on a recent Bar Towel thread.

We made it to the border in good time so we decided to make a pit stop at Consumer’s Beverage before continuing on to the bar. Consumer’s Beverage is a small store on an industrial strip off the I90 that sells both mass-produced beer and small craft beers along with some famous and well sought after imports. With cart in hand the two of us set out to pick up some tasty treats. Never had that one – in the cart, never heard of that – better pick up, this one’s on sale – better buy two; you get the just. As fantastic as it was seeing all those wonderful products, I felt a little let down. I was expecting more. I guess the hype got to me and I had expectations of walking into something like Beers of the World in Rochester, a place I visited and fell in love with back in November.

Back in the car (after my buddy spent $200USD), do we now head to Cole’s? Or should we check out Premier Gourmet? Premier Gourmet it was. After spending close to 45 minutes browsing the high shelves, we decided we had enough and proceeded to the checkout. I scored some wicked beers that I can’t wait to get into. Beers like Victory’s Le Freak, Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam Biere (Farmhouse Ale), Southern Tier Krampus (Imperial Helles), Cantillion and more. I love how the American breweries bottle their beers. Their big beers anyway. The colourful labels, the corked champagne bottles and the waxed caps; something more Canadian breweries should consider. Think of the folks who walk into the LCBO looking for something different. If priced right, the bottle could sell itself (and then the beer would have to win the customer over).

Anyways, back to the trip. Now that the back end of the rental was riding a little low, we realized that we were starving, so we hit the road and headed to Cole’s where fine food and an amazing line-up of American beers awaited us.

Once we secured a parking spot, we headed into the old bar, me, for the first time. The first thing I noticed was the height of the ceiling, and the wooden beams running from side to side above the seating area. A wooden partition with etched glass ran down the middle of the bar area - separating the bar from the seating section. The left side of the partition holds a number of wooden booths, tables and chairs and the right side takes you right up to the bar. On the very far left of the building is a more secluded dining area, but I won’t venture in there on this night. Up a flight of stairs towards the back is an upper level with seating that overlooks the entire bar. Up another flight of stairs and you end up in an event space - a space that was occupied by a group of students from the nearby University. The bar is decorated with old pennants from the area, cardboard cutouts of people like Albert Einstein, there is stained glass on the walls - much like the kind you'd find in a church, and lots of beer American beer memorabilia.

We take up a booth and order some food. But before the food, even though we were extremely hungry, we had to look at, and order from, the beer menu. Ommegang Obamagang Inauguration Ale 2009 was the first beer I saw and the first beer I had to sample. Delicious. The food arrived and with it another beer came. La Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel. Outstanding. After that we shared a bottle of New Glarus Belgian Red Cherry Ale. Simply perfect. You see where I’m going with this.

Upstairs we headed where we took up a table (one of the tables overlooking the whole bar) and hung out with Mike Shatzel, co-owner of Cole’s and friend of my buddy’s. He provided us with some samples of Dogfish Red and White, Oskar Blues Whiskey Barrel Aged Ten Fidy, Troegs Nugget Nectar, Victory Yakima Twilight, Troeg’s Scotch #16, Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam, Sam Adams Utopias (2007) and more. Highlights belonged to..well, everyone. However, the Troegs Nugget Nectar was awesome. Wicked nose on the beer and the taste backed it up well too. The Oskar Blues was simply divine, a beer I would love to have a case off (next time).

When the crowd started to thin, we headed down to the bar and joined Shatzel’s close friends who were primed up for a long evening. Being close to the co-owner of the bar was pretty rewarding. Bottles just started to appear on the bar and glasses were filled. Shatzel provided me with a brief history lesson regarding Cole’s, but alas, I have forgotten most of it. I do remember that Cole’s has been around since the 1930’s and that Shatzel’s father purchased the place in the 70’s. It is a University bar, evident by the younger crowd walking around with bottles of Molson Canadian or Labatt Blue, but also features a ton of outstanding beers from all over the world.

As the night turned to morning, we were rounded up and headed to Shatzel’s house where we would stay over. The man’s beer collection is crazy. Beers from everywhere, of all ages, everywhere you look. Very jealous. The sleep didn’t last long as Shatzel had to be back at the bar for the Sunday session of the event, so we headed back to Cole’s and had breakfast. A great end to the crazy experience.

“I’ve got a long day ahead of me,” stated a weary Shatzel as my buddy and I headed to the car for the ride home. But before we left, Shatzel mentioned that for his next event (may have something to do with sour beers) he might look at getting a bus to accommodate all the Toronto residents who flock to Cole’s to support his endeavors.

I’m all for that.

A list of beers at the event:
Bottles:
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi
Lost Abbey Inferno Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam
Dogfish Head Zwaanendale
Brooklyn Brewing Black Ops
Sonoran 100
Flying Bison Blizzard Bock
Malheur Brut Reserve
Sam Adams Utopias 2007

Draught:
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Victory Yakima Twilight
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head Fort
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Oskar Blues Whiskey Barrel Aged Gordon
Oskar Blues Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Chub
Oskar Blues Whiskey Barrel Aged Ten Fidy
Ommegang Obamagang (Inauguration Ale)
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Sam Adams Utopias

I did something I've never done before. I sampled the world's strongest beer this weekend in Buffalo at Coles. I was down for the Rare Beer Festival with Jon Graham (Cameron's Brewing Co.) and he just happened to see the lovely bottle behind the serving area.

He came back with a sniffer of Sam Adams Utopias (2007 Vintage), a 27% (not 24% as I previously mentioned - I wasn't sure of the year when I first posted) beer for us to share and what an experience! The nose on it was unbelievably strong, strong port like, traces of a bourbon. My palate was punched out when the liquid hit my tongue and a heat wave hit my body. Vanilla, raisins, candied fruits, booze, booze, booze, and hints of sweet wood floated around inside my mouth, overpowering but pleasant. The best thing about the Utopias was the aftertaste which lingered around for quite some time. As dry as it was, I didn't want to reach for my glass of water any time soon. I wanted to savour the taste. The second and third sips were just as nice, but that was enough for me.

It was then on to other strong potent beers, but they seemed subdued after the Utopias.

A Visit to the Neighbour

It feels like I'm playing in a big important sports competition today. I'm not, but I'm priming myself for the night ahead. This afternoon, after spending some time over at the Cloak and Dagger having pints with some people in the industry, I'll be heading down to Buffalo to Cole's Rare Beer Festival to sample some amazing beers.

The beer list includes: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, Dogfish Fort, Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Yr, North Coast Old Stock Ale 2007, Oscar Blues Oak Aged Gordon, Oscar Blues Oak Aged Ten Fidy, Oscar Blues Oak Aged Old Chub, Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi, Le Proef & Allagash Les Deux Brasseurs, Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam, Malheur Brut Cuvee Royale 2006- Special Michael Jackson Commerative edition, Brooklyn Black Ops, Sonoran 100, and possibly more.

From the look of things on Bar Towel, the event will have a large contingent of Toronto beer drinkers, and together with the line-up of beer, it will make for a great time. Look for some notes on the weekend come Monday.

Adios Buck-a-Beer

I just spent three long cold snowy days back home with the family, visiting friends and attending good old kitchen parties surrounded by buck-a-beer drinkers. Hell, my step-father is the poster boy for supporting the buck-a-beer brands. Lucky, Carling, Lakeport... you name it, he'll buy it. Does he like the beer? "It all tastes the same to me," he always replies. So why buy it?

He grew up in the north. A place where you drank what your father drank, who drank what his father drank, and so on. There was no buck-a-beer option years ago (if there was I haven't heard of it), but the old guys drank beers like Labatt 50, Canadian, Blue, Black Label and Molson Export. When the price dropped to $24 bucks for a case of the cheap lagers he decided to save his money and buy Lucky, a beer he has drank for a number of years now. It all tastes the same remember and saving money along the way made it all the sweeter for him. Will this 6.7% price increase stop him? $24 to $25.60? No, but the way in which it was raised had him shaking his head last night at the dinner table.

From what I understand, Ontario's jolly Finance Minister Dwight Duncan (who by the way - has not yet replied to the 3 page letter I sent him months back on the way the Beer Store operates) reached out to the LCBO for a price increase and then the LCBO went on and stated it was due to social responsibility. Pleaseeeee. Everyone knows the increase is purely for government coffers and social responsibility has nothing to do with it. But what is the MOF office doing requesting an arms-length agency to rise beer prices? And the LCBO, come on, a $1.60 increase will not deter or curb abuse!

I'm gonna take this and run with it somewhere else. I think 'social responsibility' is the most over-used word this government throws at us every time we bring up ideas for beer sales reform. Here is what Premier McGuinty's office sent me an in e-mail months ago when asked about opening private beer boutiques:

Thanks for your online messages regarding the sale of beer in Ontario. I appreciate the time you have taken to forward your expert views on this issue.

My colleagues and I feel strongly about preserving the social responsibility standards in the sale of alcohol. Ontario consumers have a variety of retail options available to them for the purchase of alcoholic beverages - these include the LCBO, The Beer Store, wine retail stores and direct purchase from wineries. We believe that the current sales system serves the public interest best because it makes it difficult for under-aged or intoxicated persons to purchase alcohol, provides convenience and competitive prices, promotes Ontario products, and encourages responsible reuse and recycling.

I appreciate the issues you raised and have passed along a copy of your online message to my colleague the Honourable Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance, so that he can respond to you directly. Be assured that my colleagues and I will take your views into careful consideration.

Thanks again for contacting me. I welcome and value your input.

Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario

c: The Honourable Dwight Duncan

Competitive prices? Provides convenience? This is for another time, another day.

Anyway, back to the buck a beer increase - I really don't care as the beer in that category doesn't/didn't appeal to me. End of story. Check out Alan's view over at A Good Beer Blog.

Beers of the World: Rochester, NY

After working two hockey games and visiting an outlet mall, it was time to get over to Beers of the World to peruse the many aisles featuring beers from all over the world (hence the stores name).

I had read the reviews on Beer Advocate and A Good Beer Blog and they provided me with a visual image of what I was to expect (an helped build excitement), but reading about what one person thinks of a place doesn't do justice unless you experience it first hand. And I'm glad I did.

The shop is located in a strip mall not far from the highway and was just 5 mins down the road from where the hockey tournament was taking place. We drove into the mall area after dark and frantically searched through all the florescent lights to guide us in the right direction. I started to get anxious though when we didn't see anything. Were they closed? Did we have the right address? We finally located the faded sign of the store front and noticed the flashing open sign above the door. We were now in business.

Once inside, I grabbed a cart and stood before the thousands of brands available and just took a moment to take it all in. I have never been to a beer store like this before. Not to Consumer's, not to Premier, so you can only imagine my excitement. The store didn't look large from the outside; however, it was long and wide and had rows and rows of shelving holding beers from all over the United States, Belgium, Canada, Germany, England, Thailand, Japan, China, Italy, Scotland and practically any country that brews beer. It was awesome.

What Canadian beers were available? Boy, our representation was just pitiful. With the exception of the great beers of Unibroue and McAuslan's, there was Moosehead, John Labatt Classic brands, Labatt Blue, Molson Canadian, Molson Golden, and Sleeman's. I mentioned this to the big burly dude behind the register and he told me they have problems getting the good Canadian stuff. He said that they used to have a bunch of Dieu du Ciel's stuff but could no longer carry it because of something to do with the State of NY's trade policy (or something related to their area in NY state)? I didn't understand. I asked him if many people come in asking about any Canadian produced products and said, "not that I'm aware of."

One thing that I did notice was the cheaper price of some beers that the LCBO currently carries in Ontario. A bomber of Koningshoven Triple retails for $6.95 here at home, while it cost $10.95 at Beers of the World. There were some other stuff like Chimay Rouge and Westmalle that were more expensive there than at the LCBO, as were a number of gift sets. But I'm not one to complain and really, who cares about the prices when you've found your oasis. Southern Tier IPA was $7.35 for a six pack!

Beers of the World doesn't just sell beer; they sell books, home brewing supplies, glassware, posters, mirrors, beer memorabilia, accessories and more. It was like a Shopper's Drug Mart of beer. The shelves holding the glassware were pretty impressive and I almost left with a boot (a flash back of college). There were steins, pint glasses, mugs, pilsner chutes, chalices and weissbier glasses. Some came etched with logo's of various breweries, some were blank and the pricing was very reasonable. I have never seen so many different styles of beer glasses anywhere. Very cool.

It wasn't terribly busy, but a couple of long line-ups formed at various times at the cash register. I was surprised to see so many young people shopping in the store. And they weren't going for the Budweiser's or the cheap 28 packs of Labatt Blue. No, they were shopping for the same stuff I was looking for: Dogfish Head, Allagash, Cantillon, Victory...and others. It was nice to see. I don't think that the citizens of Ontario are as aware of the beer scene surrounding them as our neighbour's to the south are. Everyone seems to know about the smaller craft beers and are interested in trying as many of them as possible. Hell, even the female front clerk at the hotel knew of the place and said it was the best beer store she's ever been in.

We spent a total of one hour browsing through the neatly categorized aisles and could have easily spent a couple more, but we had to get back to the hotel. We said that we would head back in the morning to grab some other stuff, but as I took the cart back into the store I noticed that they weren't open on Sunday's. Touché! Probably for the best though, as my wallet was already screaming in pain. It was a terrific store and one that I will plan to head back to next time I cross into the US.

Now why is this sort of retail outlet not allowed in Ontario? I already know the answer but it makes me mad as hell thinking about it.

Cask Days Welcomes Hopfenstark and Dieu Du Ciel

Volo Cask Days is a phenomenal three day event that has gained increased popularity since Ralph Morana held the first one four years ago. Ontario breweries continue to raise the bar by producing a number of one-offs and speciality beers strictly for the event, and again, this year will feature a number of bold creations that are sure to capture the attention and admiration of the true beer fans and beer raters. “Year after year the men and women of Ontario continue to impress me with their creativity,” stated Morana.

There will also be a number of Quebec beers to compliment the onslaught of participating breweries from Ontario as Morana has confirmed that 2 casks from Dieu du Ciel will be available along with a small keg from the outstanding Quebec brewery Hopfenstark.

Dieu du Ciel will be sending casks of their Penombre black IPA and Vaisseau Des Songs IPAwhile a cask conditioned keg of Postcolonial IPA will be sent by Hopfenstark.

Drooling yet? “There’s more,” says Morana.

Dieu du Ciel will also be represented with fresh kegs of their Péché Mortel, Rigor Mortis (not sure which one) and Corne du diable IPA, which will all be available for patrons to sample. There may also be a member of Dieu du Ciel on hand (Friday sessions) to answer questions about their award winning beers.

Not to be out done, Hopfenstark will have 2 draught lines as their Saison Station 16 and Blanche de L'Ermitage are making their first Ontario appearances. Members of the brewery are also expected to pay Volo a visit and are intending to stay for the duration of the weekend festival.

“Having both of these terrific Quebec breweries here at Volo for the first time, at our Cask Days, means a lot,” stated Morana as he told me about the struggles he went through to get the beer into Ontario. He further elaborated, “This will also be the opportunity for us to introduce the HMH team to the crowd as the official agents for DDC and Hopfenstark. Myself and my brother in-law Carl make up the HMH team and we are ecstatic to represent these breweries in Ontario”.

It should be noted that samples of the above mentioned beers will be priced slightly higher than the other samples, based on the cost to bring the beers here.

So, if you actually needed further reasoning as to why this event should not be missed, DDC and Hopfenstark products should push you in the right direction. Keep your eye on www.caskdays.com for further ticket information and session availability.

Brewing Hop Mess: Pump House Wet Hop

Greg Nash, the brewer who brought credibility, respect, and bold new flavours to Garrison Brewery last year, before being let go after brewing the Canadian Beer of the Year, is at it again. This time at Pump House Brewing Co. in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Nash spends a lot of his time at the brewery helping brew Pump House's signature beers, but he still manages to get down to the brew pub to whip up some experimental batches. One of the latest include his Double Imperial Dementia IPA, a beer with over 100 IBU's, tons of character and it is extremely flavourful. However, it is his new creation that has people talking and thankfully Nash put together a short video to better illustrate his madness.

Check out this video as Nash and other brewers make Eastern Canada's and possibly the rest of Canada's first ever 'wet hop' beer, which is also made with all organic ingredients. Introducing Imperial Wethop Red Ale. Fermentation is complete and the lucky citizens of New Brunswick will soon be able to taste it on tap down at the brew pub.

Follow Nash and the rest of the Pump House brewers as they play with recipes, share stories and profile styles at their Brewers Blog - http://pumphousebrewery.blogspot.com/

Beerbistro's Dogfish Head Dinner: May 28, 2008

Wow!

When I walked into Beerbistro Wednesday night, a little premature for the highly anticipated Dogfish Head dinner, I had no idea where I would be sitting. You can imagine my surprise and excitement when I was whisked over to a spot at the head table to sit with Dogfish Head owner Sam Calagione, Philadelphia's Monk's Cafe owner Tom Peters, Esprit agency owner Peter Lopaty, Bar Towel's Cass Enright and fellow TAPS contributor Greg Clow. I had the chance to have a lengthy chat with Calagione before the rest of the crowd arrived and was impressed with his good natured personality and his interest in the Ontario beer market. We talked hockey (he's a big fan), discussed TAPS beer magazine and about Beerbistro. It seemed liked we had meet a dozen times before when actually this was my first encounter with the man. Beer people are like that though....right.

Guests for the $100 ticketed event started arriving shortly after 6pm and bellied up to the bar for bottles of a Dogfish Head brew. Everyone took to their seats just after 6:30pm to prepare for the smorgasbord of amazing food and beer we would receive throughout the night. Open remarks were made by the Beerbistro and an invitation was extended to Calagione to greet all his fans. He had everyone's attention right off the bat when he spoke about his experiences in the craft brewing industry and the trails and tribulations he has gone through. He thanked everyone for coming and was thrilled to learn that some of Ontario's craft brewery representatives were in attendance (boys from Cameron's (DeuS!) and Great Lakes).

After he told the story about getting lost in Philadelphia in 1995 and having to buy a bag of something off some derelicts in the streets just to get directions, the first samples started to arrive at our table. Chateau Jiahu and a lobster roll infused with lobster and caviar, beautiful. Great start. I won't discuss the beer and food pairings, I'll let the menu below speak for itself. Our table got into a discussion about the Ontario beer market after Calagione was presented with a can of Great Lakes Devil's Pale Ale 666. He was so interested in trying it that he had a server bring over a bucket with ice just so he could cool it enough to crack it open. He was excited to hear that some of the Ontario brewers are starting to experiment with their products and was very interested in trying Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale. **By the way Calagione really enjoyed the 666.

Next up was the Black and Blue with soup and a sandwich (again, see menu for description). Again, amazing. In between servings Calagione got up and went table to table introducing himself to everyone, which was great to watch. No pretentiousness, no big ego, just a great person. He didn't have to do that but it's who he is. Over the next two hours more and more food was brought out and it was magnificently paired with Calagione's amazing line-up of extreme beers. We were able to try his 60 min IPA, 90 min IPA, 120 min IPA, World Wide stout, Raison D'Extra & D'Etre, Fort, and the delicious Indian Brown. My favourite dish of the night was the tongue'n cheek craft dinner that consisted of cod tongues, beer braised veal cheeks, macaroni with four year old aged Quebec Cheddar. For the beer of the night....I don't know, to hard to choose just one. The 90 min IPA was/is beautiful and the Indian Brown Ale was great. They were/are all great.

Calagione took a few minutes to describe the beers and provided some insight into the ingredients he uses to brew with. For example, green raisins are used in the Raison beers, pureed blackberries and blueberries in the Black and Blue and a ton of hops in the 120 min IPA. His speeches were inspiring and sincere, terribly funny and even included a rap (Calagione leads a rap group called The Pain Relievaz). Back at our table we talked in length about beer festivals, the state of the global hop shortage (which won't affect Dogfish until 2010), more hockey (Penguins won, much to the dismay of our Philly friends), beer dinners and life in general. It was near the end of the dinner when Calagione stated that Beerbistro had just thrown one of the best beer dinners for Dogfish Head that he has ever been too, and he has literally been to thousands. He exclaimed that he usually attends 2-3 beer dinners a week and the man's in good shape? I would be 400 pounds. Peter's from Monks, who has worked with Chef Brian Morin and Stephen Beaumont before on beer events, announced that this was the best beer dinner he had ever been too!

After the dinner Calagione took the mic once again and opened the floor to questions. When asked if he has plans to bring more Dogfish Head beers into the province, he stated that if the 60 min does well (which I'm positive it will) then more beers will be discussed. From what I remember (the strong beer was getting to me) Sam mentioning to me after the dinner was that Indian Brown Ale would his choice should another beer be considered for our market. He then made a great comment about the LCBO and the state of Texas. Hilarious. He then made another set of rounds meeting everyone in attendance and taking more time to chat with people who had more questions. He also signed autographs in his new book 'He Said Beer, She Said Wine,' much to the pleasure of his admirers.

When things started to settle down and after the boys from Cameron's headed up to the bar to celebrate with Calagione over a bottle of DeuS, I took 10 mins to interview Calagione on a fair number of rapid fire questions. Look for it in the near future (quite possibly the summer issue of TAPS).

The food was excellent, the beer was/is magnificent, the Beerbistro staff were outstanding and Calagione put on a great show. For people who balked at the $100 price tag for the event - wow, were you ever wrong. If it were to happen again, and Calagione asked Morin if he could come back at least once a year, I would gladly pay more to take part again, even if I wasn't sitting where I was sitting. Class act all the way around!

***People in Pictures:

Pic#1 - Sam Calagione

Pic #2 - Sam Calagione and Tom Peters from Monk's Cafe fame

Pic #3 - Food

Pic #4 - Sam Calagione and Chef Brian Morin