Some Posts Coming Tonight

It was definitely a long weekend and I have a lot to post about, but it won't be until later today that I'll get around to it. You'd think with the crappy weather we had over the weekend that I would have done some writing, but alas, I spent my some time at Volo yesterday supping on some Granite Best Bitter Special.

So stay tuned for posts on Grand River Brewing and their new pilsner(delicious), the Beer and Cocktail show, the Huether Hotel (Lion Restaurant and Brewpub), the OCB's new contest and more.

Long Weekend Approaching

What does this mean for me?

Today I'm going to be working the Robert Simpson booth at the Beer and Cocktail show and then heading over to the TAPS:Canada's Beer Magazine who will also be in attendance distributing magazines, selling subscriptions and talking to prospective writers. Drop by and say hi. Tell me your a reader of the blog and I'll have something nice for you.

Tomorrow (even though it is supposed to rain) looks like I'll be headed west down the 401 to visit some breweries (Grand River, F&M and Brick), eat some lunch at the Huether Hotel (Lion Restaurant and brewpub) and visit the Woolwich Arms in Guelph.

There is something about the May long weekend that calls for lobster (which was a staple in Halifax), so lobster I will have. Matched perfectly with a nice beer of course. Maybe a Garrison Weizenbock or a Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale.

I'll even try to get something posted by Tuesday. So, have a great weekend and remember, don't drink and drive.

Cheers,
Troy

Were You Feeling Orange Last Night?

Were you? Were you feeling Orange last night? I sure was as Great Lakes, Toronto's oldest operating craft brewery threw a bash at Victory Cafe to launch their 2008 summer seasonal - Orange Peel Ale.

I got there a bit early to check out the pub (I am ashamed to mention that I'd never been there before last night). Everything that Nicholas Pashley wrote in his profile about the Victory is true, it is a fabulous pub. It just happened to be a beautiful day here in Toronto and the spacious patio was full of happy drinkers. That suited me just fine as I would rather sit at the bar and chat with the bartender. After downing a freshly tapped pint of Granite's Best Bitter Special and a burger, I headed upstairs with the lads from Great Lakes to help set up for what was to be a great night.

When John Bowden (marketing,sales,promotions) asked me if I wanted to lend a hand with decorations I happily agreed and was put to work putting up posters and tying balloons. It wasn't hard or anything, but seeing all that beer was giving me a terrible thirst for some vitamin 'C'. The upstairs room was nicely put together by the Great Lakes team with orange everywhere. Orange table clothes, fake oranges, orange balloons, posters and orange streamers. I threw some TAPS magazine around for guests and by 6:15 the party was on its way.

Guests were greeted at the door with a sample of the Orange Peel Ale and were provided two complimentary tickets for two pints at the bar (only Great Lakes products). Fingers food were brought out and the chicken wings dosed in Orange Peel sauce were a big hit. Music was also provided as two local bands took turns sharing the stage.

The event was well attended and including many faces from local LCBO's, some members for the Ontario Craft Brewers Association, other pub and restaurant owners/operators and some regular faces from other beer events. Everyone was having a good time in support on one of Ontario's most recognized beer producers.

***The Orange Peel Ale is now available for purchase in select LCBO's (although it's not on their website database yet) and on tap at various pubs and fine beer restaurants. Being the long weekend and all, you better get yours fast before it sells out.

Check Those Empties Before Returning Them

A fun way to start the day.

In the their May newsletter, Toronto's Steam Whistle Brewing Company provided a list of interesting items they found when cleaning their green bottles for re-fill. The items would either be found in the bottles themselves, or in the unique suitcase packaging.

I can remember going into the back warehouse of the Beer Store in my hometown and seeing some of the stuff those guys pulled out of cases. The most memorable being a female pleasuring device. The look on the guy's face was priceless and I'll never forget it.

Here are the top 10 items found in returned in Steam Whistle beer cases this year:

Fridge Magnets - knocked off the fridge when grabbing a brew?
Lighters - glad they made it in the beer box
Small plastic toys
Keys - hope that didn't cause any trouble!
Pens
Buttons - of the souvenir, political and religious variety
Crumpled up love letters - these midnight specials are more popular than you'd think!
Crumpled up photographs - perhaps these were accompanying the letters
A $20 bill
A Lee Valley pocket knife - catalogue value $75

C'est What Announces Date for Spring Festival of Small Breweries

C'est What, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, will be holding their annual Spring Beer Festival on Friday May 23 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. If this event is anything like their Fall festival it will be a great time with excellent Ontario craft beer. Judging by the the list below, it appears C'est What will be offering samples of Alberta's Big Rock and some Unibroue beers from Quebec.

Samples will be $1 a piece. Below is the list of confirmed beers with many others to be added. I will update the list as it becomes available.

Amsterdam- Pomegranate Wheat
Barley Days- Summer Breeze Light Ale
Big Rock- MacNally's (bottle)
Church Key- Honey & Water Meade , Cranberry Wheat
Durham- Belgian Wit
Grand River- Pilsner
Heritage- Maple Bush Lager
King- Pils Bock
Neustadt- Scottish Ale Cask
Nickel Brook- Cuvee
Sleeman- Ephemere Pomme, all of the new Unibroue bottles
Wellington- SPA Cask

Excellent Column in Toronto Star

Last month at the Southern Tier beer dinner I ran into Josh Rubin from the Toronto Star who is the beer reporter for the 'What's Brewing' column in the food section. He mentioned that he had taken a trip down to the Southern Tier brewery in Lakewood, NY for a tour and to prepare an article on US craft beer, and today the Star ran a nice spread.

The article, titled "Is American Beer Any Good?" discusses the increasingly positive reputation American brewers are getting from beer drinkers around the world. Years ago the Germans, Belgians and the English, would have all been considered the top quality beer producers in the world. They're still up there, but the resurgence in the craft brewing movement in America that started in the early 80's has stripped the aforementioned countries of the title of the best in the world.

When I am out with a group or entertaining friends at the house and we get into a discussion about beer, many people have no idea about the quality of American craft beers. To be fair though, many aren't aware of what's going on in the Ontario craft brewing scene either. People really think that because it says 4% on the bottle of Bud (in the US) that American beers are lighter, weaker and less flavourful that their Canadian counterparts. It will be fun watching their reactions when they try these beers.

Rubin also shares some secrets about some U.S. beers that will be making their way into the LCBO to join others in the fall and winter seasonal releases.

"He also brews a bottle-conditioned Belgian ale, which will be on sale at the LCBO some time in the next year. Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout, a rich, strong imperial stout, will be part of the LCBO's seasonal program this winter."

By he, Rubin is referring to Brooklyn brewmaster and outspoken beer and food expert Garrett Oliver. Excellent news.

Also, throughout the column Rubin mentions different local suppliers and local beer bars where individuals can purchase these terrific beers, putting a nice home town touch to the story.

The LCBO is doing there part by getting these world renowned beers into the hands of Ontario drinkers and even though there will only be a handful, it's a good start with good things to come.

Great column.
Great news.
And now I'm sitting here at work craving a hoppy Imperial.

Alberta to Restrict Happy Hour Times

I wish that Ontario had a happy hour that we could discuss, but no, sadly the Ontario government abolished that long ago. I remember sitting in the Old Triangle Irish Pub in Halifax (when I lived there) at 4pm on a Tuesday and drinking 12oz glasses of beer for $2. Glory days.

News today from the Canadian Press is stating that the province of Alberta will be imposing minimum drink prices and will be putting restrictions on happy hour times to curtail excessive drinking. The Solicitor General, Fred Lindsay, says the changes that will be announced fairly quickly are designed "to keep people in a more sober state so they react in a more reasonable manner." I guess this guy would ban driving if he witnessed the Toronto highways at rush hour too!

I'm telling you, pretty soon these tea drinking government officials will have set a limit on the booze we purchase, consume, and the penalities imposed for breaking such laws will be unimaginable. I am all for responsible drinking, that's why I get discouraged reading something like this; new restrictions based on the actions on a handful of rowdy young people (and I'm still in my early 20's). Kids will be kids, take away the happy hour and increase prices and watch what will happen - more binge drinking at the home before venturing out for the night. It's kinda like the handgun situation here in Toronto. Will banning handguns within Toronto city limits actually decrease the amount of gun violence? I think not. Will restricting happy hour times and raising prices decrease excessive drinking? Maybe in public, but certainly not in the home.

End rant.

TAPS: Canada's Beer Magazine - Spring Issue

The new issue of TAPS: Canada's Beer Magazine will be hitting the shelves of select Chapters/Indigo stores nationwide this week. Since the first issue of TAPS was launched back in January the TAPS team has been working hard putting together a magazine that we can be proud of and one that will be well received by beer drinkers.

There are some new faces in this issue as Stephan Beaumont, Craig Pinhey, Connie Proteau, Martin Sayer and Kristina Santone have all joined the team with insightful articles on our favourite beverage.

Here's what you can expect to see in the Spring Issue:

Burtch on Beer - I prepared a question and answer article with the LCBO Category manager of beer - Leanne Rhee. We discussed the future plans the LCBO has for their beer section and discussed what Rhee's role entails.

Beer Styles 101 - Greg Clow (beerbeatsbites, Tasteto) prepared an article on dunkels and schwarzbier that left my mouth watering. He gives readers a clear understanding of these two types of dark lagers and offers up a number of suggestions from breweries coast to coast.

My Point of View - Stephan Beaumont tells you to get out there and explore beers diverse qualities. He delivers this message in his editorial piece, encouraging learning about beer and having fun doing it. Beaumont is a world recognized beer writer whose writing will bring a large degree of creditability to the magazine.

East Coast Brew News - Craig Pinhey, another new addition to the team discusses Inbev's (Labatt) decision to launch a new beer in Alexander Keith's Traditional Lager. It is an interesting article that should have beer fans paying close attention to its development nationwide.

Ask the Brewmaster - Seasoned veteran Bill White discusses hops in great detail on the back drop of some fabulous photographs of the green beauties. He also keeps readers posted on the "Order of the Hop" festival in Poperinge, Belgium. White also talks about beer and food pairings in the "perfect pair" section of the magazine.

Where in the World - Owner/publisher Rob Engman likes to travel and travel he did to Bruges, Belgium. He provides readers with a behind the scenes glimpse into the rich beer culture in Bruges, generating envy among all beer lovers.

Kristina Santone fills us in on some "green" breweries, Mirella Amato provides an insight into Le Chaval Blanc in Quebec and maple beers in Ontario, Connie Proteau invites readers into Crannog Ales in British Columbia's interior to learn about their organic operations, Bill Perrie talks about where he spent St.Paddy's day and the Bull and Barrel pub in Barrie,ON, and Martin Sayer makes his introduction with a great read on the history behind pub names. There is also an interview with Teri Fahrendorf, a female brewer known for brewing in many breweries during a 5 month beer safari.

There you have it, a beer magazine filled with loads of useful and interesting information for both male and female beer drinkers. So grab a copy, pop a top and sit back with your feet up and enjoy our hard work.

For a list of locations were to obtain a copy click here.

Cheers!

What's New at Volo

I ran into Caffe Volo owner Ralph Morana and his lovely wife Ina last night, at the Weihenstephan beer launch at the Bier Markt, and he mentioned he would be adding some new beers to his line-up.

Durham Brewing Co. has provided Volo with a cask conditioned version of their new seasonal Witbier. The beer will be tapped tonight. I am really looking forward to trying this.

Also, a keg of Grand River Brewing Co's Hannenberg Pils-Munich Helles will be ready for consumption tonight. Again, looking forward to this one. Grand River produces some beauties.

Enjoy!

2008: Ontario Brewing Award Winners

Below is a list of the 2008 Ontario Brewing Award winners that were announced last evening during an intimate gathering at The Bier Markt. More on that later.

NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT LAGER
GOLD – Robert Simpson Brewing Company for Antigravity Light
SILVER – Brick Brewing Company Limited for Formosa Springs Light
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Nickel Brook for Nickel Brook Pilsner

PILSNER
GOLD – Brick Brewing Company Limited for J.R. Brickman Pilsner
SILVER – Old Credit Brewing for Pale Pilsner
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Mill Street Brewery for Pilsner

DARK LAGER
GOLD - Steelback Brewery for Steelback Tiverton Dark Lager
SILVER - Brick Brewing Company Limited for Waterloo Dark
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Great Lakes Brewery for Black Jack

AMBER ALE
GOLD – Cameron’s Brewing Company for Cameron’s Auburn Ale
SILVER – Old Credit Brewing for Amber Ale
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Nickel Brook for Nickel Brook Ale

BITTER
GOLD – Wellington Brewery for Wellington Arkell Best Bitter
SILVER – Granite Brewery for Best Bitter Special
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Granite Brewery for Best Bitter

SPECIALTY
GOLD – Great Lakes Brewery for Winter Ale
SILVER – Wellington Brewery for Wellington Iron Duke Strong Ale
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Nickel Brook for Nickel Brook Cuvee

FRUIT BEER
GOLD – Mill Street Brewery for Frambozen
SILVER – Nickel Brook for Nickel Brook Green Apple
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Great Lakes Brewery for Orange Peel Ale

WHEAT BEER
GOLD – Mill Street Brewery for Belgian Wit

NORTH AMERICAN LAGER
GOLD – Great Lakes Brewery for Golden Horseshoe
SILVER – Niagara’s Best Beer for Niagara’s Best Lager
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Brick Brewing Company Limited for Laker Lager

CREAM ALE
GOLD - Cameron’s Brewing Company for Cameron's Cream Ale
SILVER - The Robert Simpson Brewing Company for Robert Simpson Confederation Ale
PEOPLE’S CHOICE - Nickel Brook for Nickel Brook Draught

AMBER LAGER
GOLD – Cool Beer Brewing Company for Millenium Buzz
SILVER – Great Lakes Brewery for Red Leaf
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Brick Brewing Company Limited for J.R. Brickman Amber

PALE ALE
GOLD - Mill Street Brewery for Tankhouse Ale
SILVER - Mill Street Brewery for IPA
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Wellington Brewery for Wellington Special Pale Ale

HONEY BEER
GOLD - Brick Brewing Company Limited for J.R. Brickman Honey Red
SILVER - Old Credit Brewing Company for Holiday Honey

DARK ALE
GOLD - Hockley Valley Brewing Company for Dark Traditional English Ale
SILVER – Mill Street Brewery for Scotch Ale
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Great Lakes Brewery for Devil’s Pale Ale

PORTER/STOUT
GOLD – Hockley Valley Brewing Company for Traditional Irish Stout
SILVER - Mill Street Brewery for Coffee Porter
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – Granite Brewery for Keefe’s Irish Stout

Beau's Bog Water Dirty Brown Ale

Before the introduction of hops, brewers used all sorts of herbs, spices, leaves and weeds to create unique and flavourful beers. The May issue of All About Beer magazine features an interesting article, by nationally recognized beer writer Randy Mosher, on these different ingredients.

Which brings us to Beau's All Natural Brewing Co's latest creation: Bog Water Dirty Brown Ale, a flavour packed brew that features Bog Myrtle picked from the wilds of northern Quebec by an Algonquin native instead of the more traditional hops.

I received a couple of bottles off co-founder Steve Beauchesne back in early March, the day after it was bottled, and it came from the back of Steve's van in an alley beside Beerbistro. A bunch of us stood around passing a bottle back and forth, good times. After giving some away to friends and drinking the Lug Tread Lagered Ale (flagship beer) I almost forgot I still had this one in the closet.

Last night I decided to pop the top of the beautiful German style ceramic bottle and try this unique Ontario produced beer. A loud pop from the swing top informed me that the brew was still in excellent condition and the aroma jumped from the bottle.

The beer pours a "dirty brown" (hence the name) with reddish tones peering through. At first, a nice, big fluffy mocha coloured head appears only to dissipate as my sips progressed into gulps.

Fruity esters, herbal notes (guessing from the myrtle), a strong sweety malty beer with a musty cardboardy smell. Now, I know that doesn't sound appealing to some, but aroma of this nature provides a promise of a tasty brew in the pint glass. Which was excellent in my opinion.

Bog Myrtle - aka sweet gale, is known for its spiciness and features some piney/resiny aromatics similar to that of hops. In his article, Mosher claims that bog myrtle was commonly used in medieval beers known as gruit, a un-hopped beer. With the introduction of hops, gruit beer made a hastily exit and its only now, in the wave of North America's craft brewers and their experimentation, can we enjoy a beer with such a historical background. Beau's used the entire plant - the branch, cone and leaf as each one provide a distinct flavour and aroma. The herbal comes from the branch, the bitterness from the leaf and the peppery spice from the cone.

The taste is really nice. A good evening sipper. The myrtle provides an earthy herbal and spicy mouthfeel that soothes the taste buds while leaving a malty coating behind. It has a light to medium body with a slight aftertaste that leaves you wanting another sip, which makes it a truly quaffable beer. At 6.6% though, the alcohol can creep up on you quickly.

The Bog Water Dirty Brown Ale was produced as Beau's first seasonal offering and by all accounts is has been a complete success. The beer (not sold in LCBO's) is available only at the brewery at select accounts close to Beau's.

Nice beer with a great story behind it! It seems Beau's is planning on releasing another seasonal this summer, a German Altbier Ale. "Matt's brewing the first batch as soon as he gets back from Tiajuana... er... San Diego. It's an altbier, a nice summer German Ale we hope you're gonna love." Stay tuned.

Meet Jamie Mistry: Cool Beer Brewing Brewmaster

Meet Jamie Mistry - Brewmaster at Cool Brewery.

Jamie got his BSC at Waterloo U. and did post-graduate studies at Heriot Watt U. in Brewing Distilling Science. After this, he held senior positions at the Upper Canada and Steam Whistle breweries. Jamie co-created Cool’s new Millennium Buzz Beer among his many accomplishments.

How long have you been brewing beer?
Since I was 16

How long have you been with Cool?
Total of 8 years

Who did you brew for before Cool?
Upper Canada and Steam Whistle

How did you get into the brewing industry?
First job out of university was working in the lab at Upper Canada Brewing.

Brief history of the Cool brewery?
We have been brewing for 11 years, started out selling draught only at first and started bottling a few years ago. 90% of our sales are in draught, we also co-pack for some smaller craft brewers.

Describe the new location.
We purchased the new location and wanted to move to a more visible location. We purchased a used brewhouse from Germany, a 140 hl Huppmann Brewhouse. (164 Evans Avenue, Toronto - Just off the Gardiner Expressway and just south of Great Lakes Brewery)

How long has Cool been a member of the Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB)?
Since the beginning.

What is the line-up of Cool beers look like?
We brew: Cool Lager - a blonde, crisp, refreshing beer (signature beer), Stonewall Light and Millennium Buzz Beer - a hemp based red lager.

Where are your beers available for purchase?
LCBO's, Beer Stores and many, many accounts throughout Ontario.

Describe your passion for the brewing industry.
I would describe the craft scene as a community where we all share ideas and experiences. Not a day goes by where a challenge does not arise.

What's your favourite beer style?
I will try anything once, but un-filtered lagers

What events will drinkers see Cool at this summer?
Not sure will look in to it, but I imagine Cool will be at the usuals.

Best place to have a beer?
Loved Smokeless Joe's 7 years ago, very interesting beers all the time. Now don’t get out too often (children), so best place now is anywhere with a good selection of domestic and imported beer with about a half dozen of your friends.

Church Key Spring Revival

If you looking for any last minutes ideas on how to spend your Saturday, head east on the 401 to Pethericks Corners to the Church Key Brewery. Owner John Graham is hosting his annual Spring Revival today starting anytime after 11am.

Unfortunately for me I have to attend another event back in my hometown so I'll have to miss out. From what I hear the Revival is a great time with good bbq food, delicious beer and great music.

Check out Church Key's website for directions here and their facebook site dedicated to the event.

Enjoy!

Session #15: Where did it start

May 2nd, the first Friday of the month, time for Session #15 on "Where did it start" chosen by Boakandbailey.

Continuing the “Beervangelism” theme, we’d like you to write about the moment when you saw the light. At what point did you realise you were a beer lover / geek / enthusiast? What beer(s) triggered the conversion? Did someone help you along your way, or did you come to it yourself?

In short; how did you get into good beer?

It’s hard to pin point the actual time I saw the light. I have always been fascinated with Canadian beer history, different beer bottles and the good times associated with them. When did I see the light? It must have been before I was even old enough to even drink.

I grew up in a small community north of Toronto and north-east of Orillia, where I was accustomed to seeing my parents (well my dad) and their adult friends consuming Molson Canadian or Export, Labatt Blue or Labatt 50 religiously. I wasn’t old enough to question their tastes, but I would soon learn that they weren’t drinking it for the flavour; they were drinking it out of habit. You drank what your father drank and he drank what his father drank, and in small communities like the one I came from, you would be sure to find 95% of the population adhered to this unspoken rule. You still can to this day.

No, it wasn’t my father or his friends that showed me the light. It was that garbage truck I worked on during the summer I was going into grade 7. Part of the job was collecting recyclables and my step-father (always a penny pincher) made us sort the beer bottles and cans from the rest of the refuge. It was here that I witnessed that there were different bottles that bore no resemblance to the one’s I helped clean up for my father when I was younger. I became intrigued by all the different labels, shapes and sizes and the different countries the beer came from.

I soon started collecting these bottles and by the end of the first summer I had quite the collection. Many of the bottles were standard LCBO products that cottagers hiked up from the larger cities. So even finding a Chimay Rouge bottle (which would be easy today) was like winning the lottery. I would get so happy seeing a new bottle.

As I got older I made a note to try all the different beers I had in my collection, only to find that the local LCBO didn’t stock 1/3 of them. I started out trying Stella, Heineken, Becks, the usual big name imports. My palate was open to experimentation and it sometimes received unwanted attention at parties. My dad would buy me a sixer every now and then (only if it would be a supervised party!) and showing up to a house party with Creemore (in the big bottles) people would state that it was an old man’s beer. I didn’t care; at least no one wanted to steal it.

Then I went to college and somewhere along the way I feel into the hole of the small community mindset. I was off the imports and craft only to develop a thirst for Alexander Keiths IPA (use IPA very lightly here). I became fascinated with the history behind the name; I even started collecting anything with the Keith’s insignia on it. Also during college, I came across Steam Whistle and when I didn’t have a Keith’s in my hand it was a heavy green bottle of Steam Whistle.

Off to Halifax. My fiancé (girlfriend at the time) and I decided to move to Halifax to explore Canada’s east coast. I soon got a job with Labatt Atlantic working in the Oland brewery, selling beer, clothing, party supplies and helping out in the beer institute. Labatt taught me a lot about beer; how it’s made, its history, how to sell it and how to appreciate it. They were always open about trying different beers and when I started frequenting all the different pubs, I would venture over to the bar and choose something new each time.

Combined with the Labatt’s educational materials and my new thirst for flavour, I started reading, tasting and talking to other interested in craft beer and here I am today.

So, when did I see the light? On the back of that stinky garbage truck. My years in college and time spent with Labatt just reminded me of what my goal was way back in the summer of grade 7.

Garrison, Propeller, Steam Whistle and the Granite helped tremendously in changing my taste buds forever. Premier Wines and Spirits in Halifax and Bishop’s cellar opened my eyes to the US craft brewing industry and back home here the LCBO has started to impress me.

The Session began as an idea on Appellation beer. For links and a summary of all the previous sessions, follow this link.

Great Lakes Wins Big at Ontario Brewing Awards

I had the opportunity to help judge at this years Ontario Brewing Awards, held at Toronto's Bier Markt, and on May 6th at 6:30pm the winning beers will be available for sampling at the Markt during what is expected to be a good showcase of Ontario products.

Great Lakes released their May newsletter today which included this announcement regarding the OBA's.

The results are in from the Ontario Brewing Awards, and we were honoured once again. All six beers we entered earned a medal!

Golden Horseshoe Premium Lager:
Gold Medal, North American Lager

Great Lakes Winter Ale:
Gold Medal, Specialty Beer

Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager:
Silver Medal, Amber Lager

Black Jack Premium Black Lager:
People’s Choice Award, Dark Lager

Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale:
People’s Choice Award, Fruit Beer

Devil’s Pale Ale:
People’s Choice Award, Dark Ale