TAPS The Beer Magazine - Summer 2011 Issue
Up front disclosure: It is no secret that I am employed by TAPS Media, the parent company of TAPS The Beer Magazine. From time to time I've posted material on this blog (before and after being hired) with respect to work that has appeared in TAPS. My intention when posting said material, and the material below, is only meant as news, nothing more.
p.10 Bar Snacks
Coast-to-Coast Industry News
p.14 Quebec Dispatch by Mirella Amato
Brewing news from the belle province.
p.15 Okanagan Fest-Of-Ale by Connie Proteau
A perennial favourite for beer lovers every spring, this event plays host to breweries across the Western provinces and Washington State to showcase their products to an enthusiastic crowd of thousands.
p.16 Down The Hatch featuring Tree's Stefan Buhl by Troy Burtch
A recent shipment of Hop Head Double IPA from the
Tree Brewing Co. in Kelowna, BC to Ontario’s LCBO was such a success that a small number of cases had to be removed from store shelves and saved for two special events that
Tree was attending in Toronto.
p.18 Brewing A Brewery by Matt J. Simmons
Chapter Three in the ongoing series about starting a microbrewery. "Who knew finding a brewery location could be so frustrating? In our little town on BC’s north coast, commercial leases range from the absurdly cheap and falling down to the prohibitively expensive (which are, at times, still falling down)."
p.20 Canadian Heritage by James Burla
Fort Garry Brewing Company began way back in 1930 when B.W. Hoeschen started producing two brands that included Frontier Beer and Frontier Stout – the former having won ‘best in class’ in England at a Commonwealth brewing competition.
p.21 French Connection by Mirella Amato
In 2005, Frédéric Tremblay and the rest of the team at
Microbrasserie Charlevoix realized that it was time for a change. At that time, Microbrasserie Charlevoix was housed in a quaint little pub on the main street of Baie-St-Paul, a small city northeast of Québec. Microbrasserie Charlevoix’s two lines of beer, the Dominus Vobiscum Belgian ale series and the La Vache Folle English ales were selling so furiously that the brewery had to rein in distribution in order to meet local demand.
p.24 Maritime Malt by Craig Pinhey
A room full of brewers showcasing their latest effort is a beautiful sight for a beer geek. That’s what it was like for the lucky few who attended the
Maritime Malt launch party on March 30th in the back room of the
Hart & Thistle on the Halifax waterfront. Brewers from around Atlantic Canada gathered to celebrate a new malted barley produced from barley grown exclusively in the Maritimes, the next stage in 100% locally sourced beer.
p.26 Vive L'Alberta! by Mike Tessier
In the wild, oil-rich west, the AGLC (
Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission) loves laissez-faire capitalism and increasing their sin tax revenues with a user-friendly private liquor system. This system is in stark contrast to other Canadian provinces that seem content to bite the hand that feeds them by imposing restrictive measures impeding variety in their markets and lessening their provincial tax revenues.
p.28 Canada Day by Bill White
As Canadians come together to celebrate 144 years as a nation, beer will be an integral and important component of the party, as it has been since the first European settlers came to the New World...
p.30 Perfect Pair featuring Chefs Alain Tremblay and Anthony Walsh
Delectable beer and food pairings from the continent's top chefs, including exclusive recipes.
p.36 Who, What & Weiss by Chef Michael Olson
So here’s the drill – I have been assigned the duty of reminding you of the basics of getting back to the grill but also the great matches that can be made between grilled foods and Weissbier. Not a bad gig I must admit and I, diligent as always, made sure to taste the brews several times in order to steer you in the right direction.
p.40 Rise Of The Gastrobubs by Martin Sayers
There was a time in the UK when good pub food was a contradiction in terms... ...the most you could hope for was a curled up ham sandwich or some reheated cottage pie. How times have changed; over the past twenty years, the British culinary landscape has been transformed by the rise of a new concept in eating out - the gastropub.
p.43 2011 Craft Brewers Conference by Bill White
4000 beer enthusiasts in the only place on earth with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and a four-storey rainforest all under one roof...
p.48 Editorial: Beer After Wine by Craig Pinhey
There’s an old adage in the wine industry that ‘it takes a lot of beer to make good wine.’ I’ve heard this several times, in various regions, mainly in California... My own quote is that “it takes a lot of beer to judge wine.” That should be clarified...
p.49 Naked Ladies & The Gypsy by Chuck Cook
When I visited Davy Spiessens and Glenn Castelein at their first Alvinne brewery in Ingelmunster, West Flanders, in 2006, it was little more than a tiny, one room building stuffed with brewing equipment. It was a hot September day and the temperature in the brewhouse must have been 140 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn’t stay inside long, preferring to pull up a chair in the ‘tasting chalet’ just a few feet from the brewery. In November 2008, I visited this innovative brewing duo once again, at their new location in Heule...
p.52 Quaffs, Questions & Answers featuring Dr. Charlie Bamforth by Mirella Amato
Dr. Charlie Bamforth is Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting & Brewing Sciences at UC Davis. He has been part of the brewing industry for some 33 years. Bamforth is Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, is on the editorial boards of several other journals and has published innumerable papers, articles and books on beer and brewing. His latest contributions have been "The Brewmaster’s Art" (A 7-CD recording in The Modern Scholar series) and "Beer is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing".
p.55 Prague Beer Revolution by Evan Rail
A few years ago, the capital of the Czech Republic was what it had always been; a place where you could drink a lot of beer. The Czech lands are, famously, the home of the first Pilsner and the original Budweiser, and for years the nation has happily consumed the world’s largest amount of beer per capita, about 160 litres each year for every man, woman and child. Beer is served everywhere, from opera galas to state dinners, at almost every lunch, many dinners, and even some breakfasts. But while we might have had plenty of beer, what we didn’t have was much variety – you basically saw the same three or four brands everywhere you went. And then something happened...
p.58 Border Beer by Rob Symes
...anyone whose know-ledge of beer surpasses Bob and Doug Mackenzie, they know American brews are nothing to be laughed at. Sure, this is the country that gave us Coors Light, Keystone Light and Bud Light Lime, but it’s also the country that gave us Stone IPA, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald and New Glarus Belgian Red. Unfortunately you won’t be seeing many of the latter three north of the 49th parallel, which is the reason behind Canadian craft beer lovers driving south...
p.60 Adventures Of A Craft Beer Foodie... the Dreaded Food Allergy by Tracy Phillippi
Oh yes, it’s time. The days are getting longer, gardeners are planting their first seeds, and fine establishments around my beer-loving city of Toronto are slowly dusting off their patios. It’s summer in Canada. Still, for a select number of Canadians, this summer’s BBQs won’t be enjoyed with as much vigor...
p.63 Picaroon's by Craig Pinhey
Picaroons was one of the first modern breweries in Atlantic Canada, opening in 1995 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. They’ve gone through an expansion, closure, reopening, another expansion, and rapid growth. They are absolutely flying now, with a new retail store just opened in downtown Fredericton, a recent introduction of growlers – a first for any brewery in New Brunswick - and big plans for the future. Things are looking up for Picaroons.
p.68 Confessions Of A Brewer by Sam Corbeil
It’s a razor thin line that separates passion and obsession, and I’m riding the edge baby!
p.70 Breakfast Of Champions by Matt J. Simmons
I don’t like wheat beers. To me, they taste like a sickly balance between ale, lager and herbal tea… not exactly a winning combination. Every few years I give them another try, but when the glass is emptied of its pale contents, I wipe my mouth and quickly trade in for something more familiar like a stout, an IPA, or a bitter – something comfortable and comforting. But maybe I’ve been approaching it all wrong...
p.72 Experience Canada The Beer Way by Troy Burtch
After reading the Fall 2010 issue of TAPS cover to cover three times while on a farm in Greece,
Graham Reid knew what he wanted to do.... bike across Canada visting breweries and brewpubs along the way.
p.74 Homebrewing Recipe by Eric Ecclestone
The best part of this time of year is undoubtedly the first ‘sit down’ on a patio after being inside with your pint for the previous six months – in Canada anyway. I always want something refreshing and sessionable, with a little bite to keep it interesting. Not too long ago the American innovators came up with their own take on a German classic, the American wheat beer.
p.75 Carboys In My Laundry Room by Christine Beevis
With the coming of warmer weather, the common homebrewer (brewus domicilis) may now be spotted re-emerging from the warmth of his burrow to brew on back patios or in open garages, after hibernating during a long, dark winter.
p.76 Craft Brewing At The Cellular Level by Luke McKinney
Craft brewing embodies the very best of humanity: the ability to enjoy things, the intellect to brew them, the freedom to drink them - and now the technology to improve them. This ability to look at a global selection and think “Not good enough!” is incredibly arrogant, unbelievably demanding, and the reason why we have so many wonderful drinks instead of just sipping rainwater in caves.
p.78 Tasting Notes
Beau's - Lug Tread, Half Pints - Little Scrapper, Howe Sound - King Heffy, Le Trou du Diable - Dulcis Succubus, Charlevoix - Dominus Vobiscum Blanche, Black Creek - Pale Ale - tasting notes provided by Stephen Beaumont, Roger Mittag, Chester Carey, Greg Clow, Craig Pinhey and Troy Burtch
p.80 Cafe Artisanal by Craig Pinhey
With an eye to educate the local palate, café owners turn nano-brewing into retail success...
p.81 Fire & Ice by Matthew Bellamy
...diversification into ‘high wines’ caused a rift in the Molson family firm. Whereas Thomas was determined to continue distilling, his partners wished to abandon the practice. Moral reformers were starting to denounce distilling as an evil undertaking.
p.84 My Shout by Stephen Beaumont
...in today’s world of so-called extreme brewing, we can sometimes overlook the pleasures afforded by a well-constructed helles, or elegant best bitter in favour of some phenolic, high-alcohol monster aged in rare Amazonian wood and scented with the petals of obscure Asian flowers harvested but once a year by amber-haired virgins dressed in flowing robes of saffron and lavender.
Every year the Creemore Springs Brewery throws a big one-day street party in the village of Creemore called the Cooper Kettle Festival. It will once again take place this year on Saturday August 27th, but the brewery will be extending their festivities into Sunday with their first ever Made in Creemore Locavore Lunch.
