Southern Tier Beer Dinner Wrap-Up

Southern Tier IPA is one of those everyday beers that Ontario beer lovers have come to adore, through private orders and various beer destinations throughout the GTA. Months, even years of yearning for the delicious brew will finally reward their patience as the LCBO has announced that the hop forward IPA will grace the shelves as a general listing.

Friday night, good beer drinkers, writers, bloggers, LCBO personnel and an Ontario beer sales rep, gathered at an historic Toronto landmark aptly named the Academy of Spherical Arts, to celebrate Southern Tier’s entrance into the Ontario market on a large scale.

Vlado Pavicic and his energetic wife Liliana, owners and operators of the Roland and Russell Import Agency, hosted the memorable evening with fine foods, very fresh beer and a fantastic atmosphere. Ticket sales were very good and at $75 a pop, people got the most bang for their buck.

The doors opened at 6pm and a tour of the historic building was in order. The structure, located at 1 Snooker Street (formerly 1 Hanna Avenue) dates back to 1905 and was home to the Brunswick Billiard Factory, a company dedicated to the construction of elaborate pool tables, 14 of which sit in the restaurant for regular use today. Opened in 1991, the Spherical Arts features high ceilings that have been left in their natural state as exposed wooden rafters extend from side to side, end to end. Local art graces each wall and antique furniture is situated throughout the fully carpeted establishment.

Richard Williams, owner of the Spherical Arts, described how the name was created with an interesting story from his youth. Williams admittedly confessed to skipping many classes in high school, which led his teacher to proclaim he would fail the course only to succeed in the spherical arts. Great story and a fantastic name for such a venue.

Back to the dinner.

Liliana stepped to the mic after forty minutes of meet and greets and got the dinner underway. She made some introductions, thanked bloggers and the LCBO staff for their hard work in promoting Southern Tier and thanked Alan McLeod (A Good Beer Blog) for sending the introductory email that got the ball rolling. McLeod had sampled some Southern Tier products years ago and was so impressed he notified Roland and Russell to have them check it out (thanks Alan!).

After introductions and welcoming speeches by co-hosts Cass Enright (Bar Towel) and Greg Clow (Beer,Beats,Bites & TasteTO), the first pairing was delivered to our table.

Now, like I have mentioned before I am no foodie nor pretend to be, so I’ll stick to the beer, which happened to be Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale with the butternut squash, pear and cheddar soup. The Extraordinary Ale was, well, Extraordinary. It has a nice hop aroma and taste, balanced malt profile and went great with the soup.

Round two was my favourite pairing of the night. Baked black cod with sweet potato, rapini and a walnut butter sauce was paired with Southern Tier’s 6.0% porter. Again, there was a nice hop presence, which blended nicely with the chocolate and coffee notes and the burnt malt. It matched perfectly.

Pairing three was interesting. Southern Tier’s IPA was meant to cut through the heat of the Spicy chicken panang with scented rice, crisp garlic and onions, and it did, but the chicken was so damn hot it forced me to drink two bottles of the IPA (in fairness, my fiancé has celiac disease so she shouldn’t have been drinking it in the first place).

Dessert was beautiful. Chocolate mousse and raspberries, paired with Southern Tier’s Raspberry Ale, brought out the intense raspberry flavouring of the beer. The kitchen staff did a fantastic job pairing all the food with the beers, making my night.

In between servings, Enright, Clow, Southern Tier owner Phin Demink and brewer Paul Cain, all took turns speaking, with each providing stories about the beer and the brewery and also holding a question period for everyone in attendance.

After all the food was consumed, it was back up to the bar to share some stories with other beer writers like Josh Rubin from the Toronto Star, who has got to know the Southern Tier guys quite well and plans to have a story for the Star soon; Alan McLeod (whom I had never actually met face to face with before), shared some insight into the beer blogging world and provided some interesting stories. Others included Enright, Clow, and though not a beer writer, but a beer seller, Jon Graham from Cameron’s, who I always enjoy having a pint with.

It is events like this that help remind me why I love beer so much. It was a diverse crowd who all share a passion for the products, showing no signs of pretentiousness, having a great time sharing stories, becoming friends, celebrating a proud moment together. Beer brings all sorts of people together like no other beverage can.

Congratulations Roland and Russell and Southern Tier.

***The LCBO plans to have the IPA on the shelves mid May.

Beer Dinner at Safari Bar and Grill: Guest Writer Duncan Rowland

The following post was written by guest writer Duncan Rowland who has previously written a profile on this blog about the The Olde Angel Inn in Niagara on the Lake. Enjoy!
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On Thursday April 10 I attended a beer & food pairing dinner at the Safari Bar & Grill (1749 Avenue Road). The official title was “European Beer Dinner”; however all of the beers save one were from Belgium. No big deal really; they had to call it something.

The food was provided by the local butcher Ken McDonald, proprietor of The Friendly Butcher at 3269 Yonge St., and the beer was courtesy of two brokers, McClelland Premium Imports and Wine Guy Imports. With the event hosted by Roger Mittag, of the thirstforknowledge.ca website, I had no doubt that it would be a pleasant evening; the fact that the event was a 10 minute walk from my house made attendance pretty much mandatory.

The event was attended by 16 locals, including the Friendly Butcher himself. Steve the owner of the Safari did the introductions.

The first beer was a Deus Brut des Flandres, a Belgian that, per the pamphlet provided, “undergoes a lengthy, costly maturation in the Champagne region of France.” In greater detail, the beer is fermented in Belgium, then subject to the bottle turning and yeast removal process that makes champagne unique. The beer was served in a tulip glass and to be honest, looked and smelled a bit like ginger ale. But, I stress to add that it really did have a unique taste and was quite pleasant and fulfilling. At 11.5%, it was easily the strongest beer I’ve had, and one glass was fine for me, but I had two all the same.

The appetizer course was seared yellow fin tuna, which was excellent and went very well with accompanying beer, the Austrian Stiegl Lager. Although the Stiegl was the simplest beer on offer, it was the most satisfying, with a very full body. I would recommend trying this if you see it on tap or at the LCBO. I can picture it matching well with barbecued lamb or other red meats.

The main course was a roasted pork chop the size of a baseball glove, served with squash, sautéed onions, asparagus and pears. The pears seemed like a novelty, but they went really well with the meat. The paired beer was the Affligem Abbey Beer. It’s not a popular sentiment, but I really don’t seek out many Belgian beers, and this was no exception. As with many of the Belgians I’ve sampled, there’s too much of a taste of spice to enable it to be a really pleasant drink.

The last food course was a chocolate torte with strawberry ganache, paired with, not surprisingly, a fruity wheat beer, in this case the Friuli Strawberry Wheat. This pairing worked very well, and I was only too willing to take over my neighbour’s serving when she declined to drink hers.

By this point, the party was in full swing and in a very un-Toronto fashion people were talking with their neighbours and exchanging business cards and opinions on the Montreal – Boston game and the first round of the Masters’. Steven then announced that there would be a bonus round of another beer imported by the Wine Guys importers. I have to confess that I can’t recall the name of the beer (I’m going with “Tripel Karmeleit”), but it was served from the most enormous bottles I’ve seen. They had to have been at least 100 ounces. I have some pictures taken with my phone, but the lighting is too poor, so it looks like the server is holding a giant tuna or oversized fire extinguisher in his arms. I’d like to tell you what it tasted like, but I can’t really recall. It was fizzy.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Wine Guys then brought out bottles of Pauwel Kwak, a beer served in the traditional “coachman’s glass.” Again, it is a bit of a stretch to describe it beyond stating that it was a fairly smooth, easy drinking beer.

By this time I was enjoying the atmosphere, listening more than talking (which is the opposite of what usually happens), and trying to learn more about the importing business. I’ll close by stating that the event was thoroughly enjoyable and a success from my point of view. I certainly hope that it was a success for Roger, Ken the Friendly Butcher, the Safari, and the two importers. Their combined efforts made the evening a lot of fun. I’d like to see this event repeated in the future, especially at a location 10 minutes’ walk from my home.

Happy Birthday Mr. Beaumont

Stephen Beaumont, the well known and respected Canadian beer author and educator is celebrating his birthday today. Here's wishing him a great day!!! Cheers.

Time to Step Up - Southern Tier Beer Dinner

Beer dinners. There is something about them that excites us, stirs anticipation and offers an opportunity to meet others that share in our passion. They teach us about the outstanding qualities beer offers when paired with the right meal and leave us with a greater appreciation for the individuals who created it.

Over the months I have heard first hand from other beer geeks (fans/lovers/enthusiasts) about the lack of such events in Canada's largest city. With the exception of regular events at Beerbistro and the Abbot on the Hill, beer dinners weren't all that common. Until recently.

Lately there has been a multitude of web postings about different events where the focus is on pairing food with a certain brand or from a wide array of different brews. Bringing beer to the for front has been great, but I think there has been some trouble attracting more people than just us die-hards. In order for these events to continue on a regular basis, not only do we need to support what we've asked for for so long, but we have an obligation to attract others who might enjoy them as well.

Roland and Russell are hosting their Southern Tier IPA launch dinner tonight at the Academy of Spherical Arts, and for only $75 you can enjoy a four course meal matched with four different Southern Tier beers. Southern Tier is a relatively young brewery based out of Lakewood, NY, but the hype their IPA has achieved has created a demand for the Ontario market, who are thirsty for a regularly available IPA in bottle format. The R&R team have worked hard at making this happen through distribution with the government run LCBO and tonight they want to celebrate with folks that have made it happen and hopefully introduce it to new consumers.

This should be a sold out event. Southern Tier owner Phin Demink will be on hand to discuss the brewery and his products, which should be an interesting discussion. (The previous information that was posted was inaccurate regarding TasteTO and Bar Towel - sorry for any confusion and inconvenience this may have caused). As mentioned, this is a beer that has gained a strong reputation for its flavour, aroma, hop presence and consistency, and has been largely pushed by beer geeks in this city. And now it's time to step up and support this initiative by ensuring events like this will continue.

Being from a small community to the north of here, spending $75 on a professionally prepared four course meal with four different well craft beers is unheard of. In Toronto, Bay street boys and government workers have no problem spending $75 at the Bier Markt after work, they don't know the deal their missing tonight.

So, if your looking for something to do tonight, single or whatever, contact the Academy at 416-532-2782 or Roland and Russell at 5416-801-9885 to reserve a ticket or two. I'm sure you won't regret it.

MENU

Butternut Squash, roasted pear and cheddar soup
- Served with Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale

Baked black cod with sweet potato, rapini and a walnut butter sauce
- Served with Porter

Spicy chicken panang with scented rice, crisp garlic and onions
- Served with IPA

Bitter Chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries and sauce
- Served with Raspberry Ale

ACCESS TO THE ACADEMY’S AMAZING BILLIARD TABLES, TAXES AND GRATUITY ARE INCLUDED IN THE TICKET PRICE.

See you there!!

King Brewery & Brew Pub??

It appears that King Brewery owner Phil DiFonzo has his sights set on expanding the business, from what I gathered after reading an article in the King Township Sentinel newspaper.

For the future, King Brewery is considering a more versatile location within the township in order to facilitate a more event structured restaurant atmosphere where tourists can come and enjoy themselves.

"Maybe a beer gardens venue, where people can get schnitzel or sausage and have your freshly poured beer right from the brewery," said DiFonzo. "I think that environment would be god for beer drinkers, as well as King Township."

I like the sounds of that already! Ontario only has a handful of brew pubs (that I can name off the top of my head) and compared to other provinces we have a lot of catching up to do. And Nobleton, ON is a nice getaway out of the city and not to far away. The King Brewery is spotless, everything is well maintained and the folks are terrific people, it would make for a perfect Saturday afternoon.

King is also set to launch their spring seasonal Pilsbock. If you couldn't tell by the name, the beer is a mix between King's original pilsner and a bock. It will be available on draught at selection locations and at the brewery, and plans are to have it grace the shelves of the LCBO and Beer Stores one day.

Drum Roll Please..Some Awards To Share

Propeller Brewing Co. in Halifax, NS recently notified me of their recent haul of gold medals at the latest World Beer Championships.

India Pale Ale - Gold
Extra Special Bitter - Gold
Pale Ale - Gold
London Style Porter - Gold (late last year)

That makes 3 gold medals in a row for the IPA and the ESB, both outstanding beers and favourites of mine that I miss dearly here in Ontario. I think that everyone who enjoys 'good' beer and has had the pleasure of sampling some of Propeller's products would agree on their consistency, and these recent medals prove that John Allen and co. know what their doing.

After reading Josh Rubin's article in the Toronto Star today about Fuller's Director of Brewing, John Keeling, and his rating of Ontario pale ales, I'm thinking he would love Propeller's British style ales (it was great to see Keeling loved the Black Oak Pale Ale).

In other award news, the World Beer Cup recently announced the winners of 91 categories of beer, which included three Ontario breweries, one Quebec brewery and one British Columbia brewery.

Category 37: American-Style Dark Lager, 18 entries
Bronze - Waterloo Dark, Brick Brewing Co.

Category 41: Belgian-Style White (or Wit), 35 entries
Bronze - Mill Street Belgian-Style Wit, Mill Street Brewery

Category 78: Golden or Blonde Ale, 39 entries
Bronze - Red Cap, Brick Brewing Co.

Category 48: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale, 24 entries
Gold - La Fin Du Monde, La Brasserie Unibroue

Category 37: American-Style Dark Lager, 18 entries
Silver - Canterbury, Pacific Western Brewing - Prince George BC

Molson-Coors Named Canada's Olympic Beer

Molson-Coors received word today that they will be the host beer for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics after striking a deal worth anywhere from $3 million to $15 million in sponsorship fees. Thus ends the search for the official beer of the Olympic games and the beginning of some sad faces in the British Columbia craft brewing industry.

Welcome to Canada! Here's a sub-zero Coors Light to swallow, careful though it goes down too smooth but leaves no aftertaste eh!

Read more about it here.

TAPS: C'est What Video Podcast

Just as the new TAPS magazine is slated to hit shelves throughout Canada, TAPS Media has released a new video podcast of the C'est What Blind Porter/Stout tasting that took place back in March.

Interviews were conducted with George Milbrandt (publican of C'est What), Cass Enright (Bar Towel founder), Mirella Amato (Taps contributor/Beerology), Bill George (LCBO/Certified beer judge) and some beer fans of all ages.

The response TAPS received after airing the Mill Street podcast was full of positive reviews and Mill Street is even incorporating it into their advertisements. This is something the media team plans to continue with the help and support of local breweries and publicans. A video podcast of March's Cameron's Cask night should be available soon as well.

To view the video, please visit www.tapsmedia.ca/podcast and become a subscriber. It's free!

On a side note, the new magazine features an extensive interview with Leanne Rhee of the LCBO. Ms. Rhee is the category manager of beer for the entire fleet of LCBO stores. The LCBO's summer release is also listed in the mag. Other articles include news from both the east and west coasts, dunkel and schwarzbier profiles, green breweries, ask the brewmaster, food and beer pairings, what's in a name (pub names) and more. Be sure to check out your local Chapters/Indigo in the next week.
Cheers!

Oh, and the outtakes at the end, I guess it was close to my tenth. That is not my day job.

Cameron's Cask Night: April 24

The Cameron's crew is at it again as they announce yet another cask night out at their Oakville brewery.

Following last month's infamous Dark Cherry Lager Cask, this month's Cameron's 'Let's Drink the Cask Night' will be on Thursday April 24th, from 6:00 - 8:00pm

Cameron's Cask Nights are a casual and intimate monthly event at the brewery. The guestlist only event is free of charge and mainly a chance for us to share a glass of our latest creation with our friends, supporters and our local community.

For those who have not been to the brewery before, this is a great chance to meet the folks behind the scenes and to tour our facility. As well, it's a great time to pick up some brewery fresh Cameron's beer.

We will be tapping the Cask at approximately 6:15pm.

Whole Foods Markets have graciously donated some delicious food for the event. The food will be available at 6pm.

As always, the event is capped at 60 people to keep it intimate and to ensure everyone gets a taste of the cask. RSVP's always come flooding in, so confirm your attendance as quickly as possible.

Due to the good weather and overall cheer at the brewery, we encourage everyone to invite a guest (or a few) to join them this month. Just indicate how many people will be coming with you on your RSVP.

For any questions or to RSVP (if you haven't already), email mike@cameronsbrewing.com

For more information or to get directions, visit this Cameron's link.

We also now have a blog so check it out.

Hope to see you all on Thursday.

Meet Rob Creighton: Grand River Brewing

Meet Rob Creighton - Brewer at Grand River Brewing Company

Grand River Brewing Company is one of the latest additions to the Ontario brewing scene and has done extremely well awakening taste buds close to home and far away. There are currently four year round brews being produced at Grand River: Plowman's Ale, Mill Race Mild, Galt Knife Old Style Lager, and Town Hall Lager. The brewery also produces some mouthwatering seasonals like Highballer Pumpkin Ale, Jubilation Spiced Ale, and most recently Ploegers Vlaams Rood.

1. How long have you been with the brewery?
Grand River Brewing opened June 26th, 2007 in the Galt Knife building in the historic, 'downtown Galt' area of Cambridge. We're about 5 km south of the 401 on the road south to Brantford. My role here was originally as consultant to Bob Hannenberg and Jane Southgate, the owners of the brewery. They offered the brewing job to me and I thought that getting back into the brewhouse was a good idea.

2. How long have you been brewing - working in the brewing industry
30 years - started as a student in 1977 at Labatt London, worked in all three Labatt plants while getting a degree in Urban and Regional Planning - yup, that was useful. Left Labatt when Upper Canada started in '85. Started UC's brewing, fermentation and packaging operations. Left in '88 to go into the brewpub world. Consulted with 6 brewpub's, many of them using extract systems. Went to Algonquin Brewery in Formosa in '89 for another start-up. Started in brewing and moved over to start and manage packaging in '90. Left Algonquin when they were bought out by a Brick/Molson deal in '97. Went to Lakeport for the installation and start-up of a canning line. Left the brewing industry in '98 to work for CCL Industries selling packaging solutions to the brewing industry. In essence, I got to travel to most breweries in North America to help out with packaging problems. My friends thought I was paid to travel around and drink beer. I did other consult's along the road. I helped dismantle the Celis Brewery in Austin Texas and move it to Webberville Michigan and I helped with packaging start-ups at Cool Brewery in Brampton. Got off the road in 2003 by taking a supervisors position at Nestle Waters in Aberfoyle running big bottling lines. Decided never to do shift work again in '04 and went to F&M in Guelph to help with sales and marketing issues. Left F&M to start Grand River Brewing.

3. Describe your passion for the beer industry
I like it, what can I say? As I say in my tours when people ask what it's like being in the brewing industry - I could be making tampons for a living.

4. Grand River's plans for the summer?
The water here is exceptionally hard. Harder than Creemores or the City of Guelph. Our beers are about flavour. The amount of calcium and magnesium in the water provides for very dry finishes and minimal hop aroma. We intend to explore a variety of styles for lagers and ales with the twist that is added by our water. This summer we have a German Helles made with very pale malt, German Mittelfruh and Hersbruker hops and we will probably also do some form our berry infused wheat beer once we have local berry crops available. Our first efforts at bottling (other than our growler) will happen this summer.

5. What's new at the brewery? Lots of walk ins, tours, any new beers in the planning?
What isn't new at the brewery? We have what will be a tourist attraction in Cambridge. It is an old knife foundry that made machine knives. It has very unique windows that allow both morning and afternoon light in and we are only 1/2 finished the construction. We intend to maintain the look and functionality of the building. Long term, we hope to have a functioning hospitality room and tasting bar themed to match the historic, industrial feel of the area when Galt was the industrial heartland of Canada in the mid 1800's to early 1900's. Tours will be regularly scheduled (they're sort of as someone is available to do them now) and we hope to host some interesting beer focused events. As for future beers, I'm a big fan of Bock beers and hope to do one in the fall. We also are talking to suppliers about wine and whisky casks for aging. Our Ploegers Vlaams Rood is a variation of a Flanders red sour ale but with the big hop contributions that characterizes our Plowman's Ale. The Plowman is a heroic figure in Belgian history celebrating the link between agriculture and industry and man's harmony with nature. Our version is definitely out of Belgian style. We did not have the ancient wooden casks to sour the ale so we soured the mash instead. The sour and high abv are there but the hoppiness is high for the style. Many of its drinkers are thinking that it will age well so we are putting a limited amount in 750 bottles with synthetic corks for laying down.

6. Your ideal beer and food pairing?
Meat...let me repeat that...MEAT! Love all forms with a variety of beers

7. Why did you get into the business?
It was a great paying job when I was 17 (I lied about my age). After that, inertia took over.

8. Best time to have a pint?
What time is it?


9. How long have you been with the OCB?
We joined in May of '07

Creemore Launches 12pack Pilsner Bottles

Creemore Springs Premium Lager was one of the beers that got me hooked on craft products. I drank a bunch of it when I was first starting out on my beer quest and still have the odd one now and then. Ever since Creemore was purchased by Molson-Coors people have waited for the product to decrease in flavour and quality. To my experience though it hasn't changed a bit, and just last year they launched a Traditional Pilsner for their 20th anniversary which has flown off the shelves.

To mark the success of the newest member of the family, Creemore will be releasing 12packs of the pilsner at Beer Stores throughout Ontario. I haven't stepped foot in a Beer Store (other than to return empties) in a long time, but this may get me back in during a trip to the cottage.

"Traditional Pilsner is proving to be another locally-produced favourite among consumers," says Karen Gaudino, Director of Sales and Marketing. "The demand has grown steadily since we launched and we're so pleased to be able to increase its availability through the Beer Store as well."

The Traditional Pilsner is brewed in the classic pilsner style with a nice floral, spicy hop presence and a clean finish. It pours an attractive golden hue with a nice thick white head. The toasty malt aroma compliments the small, but present hop notes. I tried this at the brewery unfiltered with white fish and cabbage soup and it was outstanding. The pilsner can also be served with a roast pork, soft cheeses and it goes great with a ball game on the telly.

The 473ml cans will still be available at select LCBO's for those of us that don't know what the Beer Store looks like.

Spitfire Arms: Windsor, NS 5th Anniversary

One of my favourite pubs back in Nova Scotia is celebrating their 5th anniversary this weekend - for readers in NS, make a day trip and enjoy the festivities. Congratulations Spitfire!!

Here is a press release from publican Troy Kirkby:

Well folks, it's difficult to imagine that this coming Saturday April 19th it will be five years to the very day that The Spitfire Arms Alehouse opened for business.

Where has the time gone? I've witnessed many changes here in Windsor since first arriving to town in the spring of 2002. When I reflect on the successes we've enjoyed here at the pub, there is a single key element to which I owe my thanks and that is to everyone who has passed through our doors.

Thank you all for your support, friendship, loyalty and continued custom. Without my exceptional team of employees and you, our customers, 29 Water Street is nothing more than an expensive hobby!

Before I let you know what we have planned for the party on Saturday, I thought it would be fun to throw a few stats around to put things into perspective. These are approximations on my part but accurate for all intent and purpose. Here we go!

As you know we hand cut our chips. Since 2003 we have served 40,000 pounds worth.

When I opened with only 8 draught lines, people though I was crazy and that it would never work. Today we proudly serve beer from across Canada and the World via 17 draught lines. To date that works out to be in the neighbourhood of 300,000 pints served!

If I ever took our Fish and Chips off the menu I'd probably close my doors! You've said it time and time again that we produce one of the best in the Province and about 75,000 orders can't be wrong.

This next figure proved arduous to calculate. It's likely that most of you have been here more than once, or were able to sneak in on a regular basis. The Spitfire Arms Alehouse has hosted in excess of 350,000 visitors over the past five years of business. That is an amazing number! And once again, we Thank You.

Enough of the sentimentality, here's what's going on Saturday April 19th, 2008.

We hope that you will join us all day and night! As a token of our appreciation there will be prizes, birthday cake, our good friend Hal Bruce is here to entertain you with live music in the evening and we will kick off our latest contest - a trip for two to the Moncton Beer Festival on May 31st. http://www.atlanticbeerfestival.ca/

We hope to see you here for the Spitfire Experience!

Ontario Brewing Awards

Last night I spent my time judging beers for the Ontario Brewing Awards at the Bier Markt in the Toronto's Esplanade.

There was a lot of bad press surrounding last year's awards as Steelback won numerous categories. Many people were critcizing the judging because the panel were not all certified beer judges. Nevertheless, I figured it would be a good way to drink some beer and learn some new stuff.

There were seven different categories (North American Lager, Cream Ale, Amber Lager, Pale Ale, Honey Beer, Dark Ale and Porters/Stouts) to go through with no more than seven samples from each style.

I am by no means a "true" beer judge, although I did have me style guidelines handy and thought I did a respectful job while having a bit of fun. Some beers were recognizable the moment I smelled it, and were confirmed after the scorecards were handed in. That felt good. Out of all the beers I tasted, I was most surprised by Robert Simpson's Confederation Ale. I have never been a fan of this beer, I know many people who are, but I was not one of them. Until last night. From what I got out of the sample (I finished the entire cup) was not what I ever remembered the cream ale to be. I was plesantly surprised, but Michael Duggan (who formulated the Tankhouse recipe during his Mill St days) is brewing there now, so no surprise needed. Maybe the consistancy of RS's brews will improve with the recent development.

I was joined at the roundtable by Beerbistro's Brian Morin, OCB Marketing Exec Lisa Dunbar and OCB public relations Nic Schultz, LCBO beer guru and certified judge Bill George, Bier Markt general manager Robert Medal, beer judge John (didn't get his last name), and others whom I did not know (John, Ralph and Dan). The tasting got under way shortly before 7pm as the first tray of NA American Lager appeared on the table. Beers were scored on apperance, aroma, mouthfeel and overall impression; based on a 20 point score card. Some were good, some were bad.

The Awards Ceremony/Press Pub will be held on Wednesday April 22nd at the Bier Markt from 3-5pm. We will be handing out the awards and the Gold Medal Winner Consumer Sampling Event will immediately follow the Awards Ceremony from 5-7pm.

Meet John Graham: Church Key Brewing

Meet John Graham- Brewer/Owner/Keg Washer at Church Key Brewing Company.

Graham has earned a solid reputation over the years for the outstanding beers he brews at his historic building in picturesque Northumberland County.

He opened the church doors to the public back in 2000 with the introduction of Northumberland Ale, a beer that would go on to win numerous awards over the years and be the start of great things to come.

Recently, this Federal Green Party member took the time to answer 10 questions about his passion. For more information on the Church Key Brewery, check out his website at www.churchkeybrewing.com.

1. How long have you been operating the brewery?
A: In 1998 I was working for Amsterdam Brewing in Toronto, I was starting to tire of the commute so I started working on a business plan, I bought the Church property in Aug. of 1999 and did renos over the winter. Northumberland Ale was launched to one of the local Golf Courses July 23rd 2000.

2. Why did you get into the business?
A: Because no one else will hire me to do anything else.

3. How long have you been brewing - working in the brewing industry?
A: Before Amsterdam which I started at in 1993, I ran a Brew On Premise up in Aurora. I was homebrewing before that.

4. Brief history of the brewery and the building.
A: The building is an 1876 Methodist Church it was changed to a United in the twenties and decommissioned in 1997. I purchased it in 1999 and the rest is history. Amen!

5. Describe your passion for the beer industry
A: I love that I can use brewing to both earn a living and have the creative, artistic outlet that I need. I don't think I could sit at a desk.

6. Church Key's plans for the summer?
A: We are looking into the Full pint (By the Glass: AGCO) tasting bar option that way we could showcase local bands (my other passion). It will make the brewery an even better destination. **(On a side note, I think the "By the Glass" option is a great idea that more breweries need to take a serious look at-TB).

7. What's new at the brewery? Any new beers in the planning?
A: I've got one of my farmer friends tapping birch trees and we are going to make a pioneer style birch beer using all local ingredients.

8. Your ideal beer and food pairing?
A: I love to cook with beer. Matching Holy Smoke with mussels that have been cooked in it with some shallots and a soft ripe cheese stirred in.

9. Best time to have a pint?
A: Your palate is most keen in the morning before lunch and long after breakfast. Not that I do that everyday. I am ussaully filtering then and it tastes fresh and tax free right off the bright.

10. What is your favorite Church Key beer?
A: love them all I would have an easier time telling you which of my sons is my favorite.

The Church Key Brewery is located in a old Methodist Church on the outskirts of Campbellford, Ontario, and features a retail store that is open seven days a week from 10am to dark.

They currently have the following beers available in bottles: Northumberland Ale, Cranberry Maple Wheat, Holy Smoke, West Coast Pale Ale, Lactese Falcon, and Grains of Wrath DIPA. Never one to sit idle, Graham is currently working on a pioneer birch style beer that will no doubt be flavourful.

You can contact Church Key at:
Phone Us: 1 877 314-BEER
Email Us: info@churchkeybrewing.com
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The Brewer's Plate Wrap Up

Craft beer, amazing food, beautiful building, good music and nice people made the first annual Brewer's Plate a wonderful success.

Green Enterprise Toronto held their first Brewer's Plate dinner at the historic Berkeley Church this past Friday, before a large contingent of foodies and beer lovers, and proved once again the beer and food go hand and hand.

Six highly respected culinary restaurants were present and their creations were paired with six high spirited Ontario craft brewers. Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, La Palette, Veritas, Cowbell, Gladstone and the Rebel House whipped up some amazing dishes using beers from Cameron's Brewing Co, Wellington, Church-Key, Steam Whistle, Mill Street and Black Oak & Denisons. All were delicious but the standout of the night (in my humble opinion) was Church-Key's Lactese Falcon - beer battered Ontario Pickerel and frites prepared by chef Jamie Kennedy. The acidity of the beer matched the deep fried pickerel to a tee and the funky odour of the Falcon was something uniquely different in a beer batter usually reserved for light lagers. I could have ate 10 plates, but relax, I only had one! Besides, there were many other delicacies too.

So, the beer side of things. Cameron's was represented by marketing man Mike Laba, who was serving up some fresh Cameron's Auburn Ale, which tasted spot on. I drank more than my fair share. Black Oak and Denison's shared a booth and were providing thirsty people with Double Chocolate Cherry Stout and Weissbier respectively. Steam Whistle had, well, Steam Whistle pilsner, which is always a nice palate refresher. Mill Street was offering samples of their Belgian Wit, Coffee Porter, Tankhouse and I think their Organic, but don't quote me on that. Wellington's Pale Ale and Church Key's Northumberland Ale and the aforementioned Lactese (Sour Brown) Falcon were also available.

A lot of the people present were self confessed 'wine drinkers' and it was a lot of fun seeing their reaction to the DCCS and the other big beer there, Church Key's Lactese Falcon. It was also interesting during the latter hours of the night when females where approaching the beer vendors and asking a bunch of questions about ingredients and what they should be tasting. It was a different crowd than most beer events and hopefully there will be some converts.

All and all it was a great night with some nice music, although it was a touch to loud. Thanks to the brewers for their hospitality - I even got to pour a couple pints for Cameron's!

For a complete write up on all the dishes, check out the fantasic post by Sheryl Kirby over at TasteTO.