Beer: To Love and to Drink

It Won't Take Me 60 Minutes to Drink This

2012-01-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

"60 IBU, 6.0%, over 60 hop additions, over a 60-minute boil". I like how they name their beer.

I got to try Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA in Chicago. It was the first and only Dogfish Head beer I'm yet to have, so this was a nice little treat. ..I'm still dying to try the Google beer they've done..

Now, I've labelled this beer as "strong" cuz it's over 5%. I was surprised, since this WAS only 6%, that the label "strong" came to mind with this beer though; I could clearly taste the difference when drinking it.

This was a really crisp IPA. It was pretty bitter, and I personally wouldn't be able to knock these back through a night, but one or two to start out is deeeelightful.

All too often to I say this, but to yet another American brewery - Dogfish Head, please come to Canada. We need you up here.

Side thought - Dogfish are pretty cool combinations of animals, so I've thought up a few more:

- CatBird ..would it chase itself??
- HippoCock .. hahah seriously, how funny would a hippopotamus + peacock look?
- IguanaRaffe .. HOW FRIGHTENING would an iguana + giraffe be, eh?!

Recco's
Food: Crab encrusted seared tuna, side asparagus
Music: Lagwagon

Chocolate Stout, Need I Say Any More?

2012-01-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

I don't need to, but I will.

A few years back, Young's Double Chocolate Stout was the first chocolate stout I'd ever had. Now it makes its way onto my winter shopping list every year.

This chocolate stout is one of those guilty pleasures that I enjoy when I'm going through a "I'm on a diet and can't eat any chocolate!" phases. I mean, technically, it's a stout, so, I can keep my hands off the Nestle and Cadbury, and keep my sanity.

This sweet, UK chocolate stout is my favourite chocolate stout that I've had to date. I usually pair it with brownies, chocolate cake, or decadent cookies, but for a contrasting effect, I've been known to have it with a rich Camembert or creamy blue cheese.

I'll leave the fine wine's to the sommelier's, but try pairing this 5.2%er with some of your favourite creamy cheeses and let me know what you think.

While on the note of pairing, give this chocolate stout a go while listening to some classical music. Preferably, piano focussed.

Recco's
Food: Rich, creamy Camembert or blue
Music: Chopin

Ruination Inspired Poetry

2012-01-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

If my last post was about being stoned, I've definitely upgraded my stash.

I was lucky enough to be given a Stone Ruination IPA this month (thanks Ryan!), which was an upgrade from my last post about Stone IPA.

This is what I thought from my sample:

- Over 100IBU's made it nice and hoppy. Not too hoppy, where you think you'll taste hops for a month, but bitter enough, and yet, with a smooth finish.

- 7.7% but no crazy "why is this beer so strong, it would be good if it wasn't" taste!

There's something about the way Stone brews their beer that I can't help but want to move to California to have direct access to it at all times... not that one would need more of a reason than the constant sun and palm trees. Plus, have you seen the Hotel Del Coronado: An ice rink right by the beach!! All I would ever need.

To say that the Ruination is "a liquid poem to the glory of the hop" is a wonderful thought to have in mind while drinking one.

....as such, I've written Stone Ruination a haiku, for your reading pleasure:

Strong hoppy flavor
Bitter like cool summer nights
Smooth malty finish

Stone'd for the First Time

2012-01-12T23:26:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to see Stone IPA on the menu at Timothy O'Toole's in Chicago back in December. Of course, I jumped on the chance for any Californian IPA, but this one was special.. for you see, I did not know too much about Stone Brewing Co.

I'd had a Stone brew before, without knowing it - its Arrogant Bastard Ale (ps, that's an awesome beer).

But the Stone IPA - Guess what.. LOVED IT.

77 IBU's and kickin', this 6.9%er was what I like to call a drinkable IPA. It had a sweet tinge to its bitterness which made me think of palm trees and basking in the glorious sunshine on what I can only imagine the west-coast looks like.

Maybe it was just because I was picturing glorious beaches, and me, laying on the beach with this IPA in hand, but the sweet, hoppy aroma given off by this brew was enough to make anyone want to fly out to California to get one straight out of the barrel.

Hopefully I won't be imagining it for much longer, (or Google Street Viewing it just to feel like I'm actually there) as I'm tentatively planning a Spring visit to the sunshine state. If I do make it out that way, I'm definitely going to visit the brewery.. if they do tours.

Also, I was lucky enough to have a friend offer up one of his Stone Ruination IPA's this past week... You'll hear more about that gorgeous bottle from me in the next few days.

The Local AA Chapter

2012-01-11T20:29:00.003-05:00

Kensington Brewing Company's Augusta Ale (AA as they call it) was on tap at a local, Fynn's of Temple Bar, so I tried it out. I had asked for Alexander Keith's Harvest Ale, but alas, they were all out. :(

When I asked the bartender what it tasted like, she replied "It tastes like a craft beer."

At first I thought, "Hmmm, crafty, eh?... Do all craft beers have something in common that I haven't noticed?"

Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I'd like to have someone tell me if they do though, because I feel like I should know.

All in all, it was a deeply hoppy beer. I'm afraid to try the Augusta Ale Extra Hoppy (AAXH as they call it) for I may never be able to lose the taste of hops from my mouth. Not that that would be the worst thing in the world.... there could be worse.

Like that *awful* dressing my periodontist put in my mouth after doing some minor surgery a few weeks ago. He put this stuff in my mouth that looked liked gum over top of the 13 lovely stitches I had just been given, and told me to keep it there until it naturally falls out.

It tasted like hot garbage covered in poop.

...and made everything I ate, taste like hot garbage covered in poop. It was a really disgusting two weeks for my taste-buds.

Revolutionizing Beer: Accessories and Social Marketing

2012-01-05T17:52:00.003-05:00

...Wear your brew-passion.

Dogfish Head Brewery just posted a link to a bottle-opener pendant whose design depicts different American brewery locations - how cool!

So of course, this got me thinking two things:

1. Perfect time to shamelessly self promote my super gorgeous bottle cap earrings, and

2. What other possibilities are out there?

Now, we've all seen those coasters of city maps similar to these of brewery locations, bottle opener rings, and credit card shaped bottle openers, but what if it doesn't have to stop there? What if breweries banned together to create some sort of a "Craft Beer Collect 'em All" line of products that would enable fans of breweries to get acquainted with brews that they may not already be familiar with, and incentivize them to interact with all of them?

Think about it, a charm bracelet for the ladies, with charms that you can pick up at each brewery. They might even have slots where each charm fits into. Rings with the brewery logo or shield on them. Bottle openers with the same.

From here, why just wear your brew-passion. Why not have it take you places?

With each "Craft Beer Collect 'em All" item comes a QR code, or a PIN that you can enter online at each of the breweries' websites. The result wouldn't even have to be a prize per say, but could be a cool tidbit of information about an upcoming brew --- or think even bigger, it could be a nation-wide scavenger hunt where you collect pieces of a digital puzzle whenever you enter a PIN on a brewery's website, and once all the pieces are together, it reveals the location of a huge beer event, one where only those who have collected enough pieces of the puzzle can attend.... The possibilities.. they're endless!

Whoa... ok... that was intense.

Feel like discussing this with me over a nice craft? Sure; it'll be on you, of course.

A Ranger From The South

2012-01-03T21:19:00.002-05:00

My first Coloradonian.

Naw, not really, but I just wanted to say that.

Got to try New Belgium's Ranger IPA from their Explore Series when I was at a friend's house in Chicago in December. I'd love to know why it's called the Explore Series..

It was a really bitter IPA, and I think I'd have enjoyed it even more served extra cold in a pint glass. I had it out of the bottle, which was a lot slimmer than most. Checked it out though, and the malt gave it a nice caramel-like colour.

If you're a typical hop-head you'd love this IPA. It had that lasting hoppy flavour that reminded you that you were drinking a real beer - a flavour you don't get when throwing back ... mass produced American beer.

A cool thing was that the Ranger was 6.5%. I may not be a cicerone or anything (...yet... =O! ) but I couldn't taste that extra 1.5%. Sure it was bitter, but most good IPA's are.

Coming as a fun surprise to me, this bad boy is from the same family as Fat Tire, which is a fruitier amber ale that I like to dabble in when I find it on tap. ...segway! My next post will depict a draft line up with just that.

Christmas Crafts, Chicago, O'Toole's Good Times - Cya 2011!

2011-12-31T17:24:00.005-05:00

So I went back to Chicago again this year - sure glad I did!

That's a photo of Timothy O'Toole's, coincidentally on the corner of Ontario and North Fairbanks. I've spent some good time there this year, and I recommend that place to everyone who's passing through the city. Plus if you are ever in town, look for Dustin, Jayme, and Jim, the bartenders - they're great at recommending bottles (or draft) that you'll love. And you won't miss the gorgeous servers!

Their current beer menu's pictured here, and every time I see it there are another few American micros that I'm super excited to see since they don't ship to Canada. You'll see a few posts on a bunch of these in the days to come, but my first one will have to be the seasonal Goose Island Christmas Ale. My kind of Christmas craft.

Now I'm not your typical brown ale fan, and I mean, I've had some GORGEOUS Goose Island ales, but since it was lighter than all of the chocolate stouts I've had this season, and heavier than any of the Christmas ale's I've had, (I've decided to compare it to those); I thought it was alllllright :). It did a nice job of being bottle drinkable, which I find rare in darker browns. Plus, you can't say no to a seasonal - you'll never be able to try it if you don't, right then and there...

Kind of like my trip to Chi-Town this time. I'd never thought I'd reach my 4-trips-in-one-year-to-one-city goal if I hadn't decided to head over at 6am after Christmas!

If you make it out to O'Toole's, say a friendly hi to the staff there, and tip well, they're great.

Happy New Years folks!

It Was Christmas Eve's Eve, Babe

2011-12-23T18:20:00.006-05:00

T'was the night before the night before Christmas.

...and with these tasty friends coming home with me, this is probably the last time I'll know what date it is this year.

...with visions of tall, dark, and handsome dancing through my head, and the bells ringing out not only for Christmas Day, but soon to be in my head as well, I'm ready. I'm celebrating with stags, beards, and a lot of chocolate (stout) this weekend. Yup, tis all for this weekend.

Countdown on, Christmas Day! It's on!

Merry Xmas everyone :)
xxLL

Shown above, from left to right:
Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale
Box Steam Brewery Dark & Handsome
Southern Tier Imperial Crème Brûlée
Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout
Young Double Chocolate Stout
Muskoka Brewery Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout: Winter Beard
Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager
Muskoka Brewery Harvest Ale

Non-beer's
Bailey's Hazelnut Creme Liquer
40 Creek Premium Barrel Select Whiskey

Rate Me

2011-12-21T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well, it's the work Christmas party, number one. Guess which I'm drinking, rate the rest in order of your fav. The winner (the beer winner) .... Wins.....

Which wood? Why, Wychwood! My Kinda Wood.

2011-12-16T20:40:00.001-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I JUST realized how close it is to Christmas so I figured I'd better start drinking specialty beer that reminded me of the holidays, and Wychwood's Bah Humbug December seasonal 5% beer was too perfect. Plus I've been on such a UK bevy kick that this goes all too well.

Did you know that Wychwood has a seasonal beer PER MONTH? Yea! Check it. I am super excited to try April's Hot Chocolate, and July's Cherry Picker. Mmmmmmm hot choooooclate beer.

While perusing their site, I'd have to say I was super duper pleased. It really got into the "Brewers of character" (their tagline) spirit, and I felt like I was in the realm of the Wychwood forest, sipping forbidden ale and scouring the trees for an evil goblin... a Hob-goblin perhaps? Oh, lovers of Wychwood will get that reference :) And if you didn't - they have a beer called Hobgoblin.

Beer-wise, it had a semi-sweet taste that had the perfect amount of spice and cloves to it - when I said this was a Christmas spiced ale, I wasn't kidding. They know what their doing with taste v naming over there.

One fun fact is that Wychwood is of the same Marston family that my believed organic Duchy hails from. Those Marston's know a little something about good beer.

LL recco: Give'r a go this holiday season. Pop on The Pogues Fairytale of New York and open up some fresh, moist, fruit cake to go along with it.

Old Pale's Are Always Very Special

2011-12-12T19:59:00.001-05:00

As a huge pale ale fan, I was immediately surprised when this 6.7% ale tasted dangerously like a 4.5%er - I could get into quite a bit of trouble drinking these for a night!

Marston’s Pedigree Very Special Old Pale had quite the classic taste to it. It was a smooth, clean tasting pale ale, and reminiscent of some English cask ales I had back in England a few years back.

One thing to note, is that it's in a brown bottle, but from some googling, it looks like it's served in clear bottles over in the UK. That's a good call for exports, and I'm starting to see more and more differences in beer that comes from over the sea. (Sea, ocean, whatever.)

My recommendation for when to drink this beer? On a cold, winter night, in front of a fire, eating a hearty stew. Mmmmm... beef stew....

...and the Gardens of the Elders were filled with...

2011-12-09T21:42:00.004-05:00

Elderflower! Badger Golden Champion was so good that I bought another the next day.

Now, I instantly knew it was from the UK because the label said it was a strong beer... of 5%. Oh United Kingdom.

But seriously, this beer tasted like what eating a fresh spring day in a Switzerland meadow would taste like. The elderflower in it just gives it an unbelievable floral scent that's not lost in the taste, and is so delicately, beautifully fresh, that you feel like wrapping it up in warm blanket, sitting next to it on the couch, and watching Christmas specials with it.

...

Anyhoo, the one thing that I wasn't sure about with this beer was the label. I feel like it doesn't quite match the pretty flavour. But lo and behold, the website displays a much prettier version of the bottle and label, one that I hope is still in production. Maybe this one (shown in this post) is just used over in the UK. I'd be quite interested in knowing which was older/newer and if they were both being used in present times.

Right. Try this beer.

My Liege!

2011-12-05T23:21:00.003-05:00

SOMEONE PLEASE, FIND ME MORE PUMKING!

Ok... now that that's out...

Last weekend I finally cracked open my Southern Tier Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Pumking. Southern Tier has not failed me yet, and this time, it didn't just not fail me (like my double negative?) it exceeded my utmost expectations of what I thought a children's holiday could do for my life.

Kids... they get all the candy. I remember that sad day when I was ...14... and I realized I was too old to go trick or treating when the first three houses told me I was too tall and not dressed up enough. What, my Wonder Woman mask wasn't good enough? It's not my fault I had a huge growth spurt at a young age! I still liked free candy!

Well, the joke's on them now, because I've got something better: Pumking. Seriously, this was the best pumpkin *anything* I've ever had. Pumpkin pie? Chuck it. Pumpkin Spiced Latte? Cya. Pumking - you are my Autumn liege.

So here's the problem: Both of my local LCBO's are out of it, and I only got one. One.

Also, it was raining today, and I walked into a store sign because my umbrella was blocking my view.

I implore you, my kind, fellow, lovers of such things liquid - if you find a Pumking, please tell me where, so I can once again taste that sweet, light, yet 8.6% imperial ale, that has gained my taste-buds' allegiance.

Probably The Only Beard I'll Let Near My Face

2011-12-02T20:25:00.003-05:00

So two weeks ago I had the pleasure of purchasing and trying Muskoka Brewery's Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout (Winter Beard). Coming in at 8%, just one glass of this bad boy made me quite the happy lady. It's what I'd consider my type of beer to pour into a wine glass, and pretend to be having a beautiful syrah, whilst the rest of the ladies chug down their grapes.

As a femme, anything with a chocolate undertone is fantastic in my books, and this stout was no different. Plus, as a stout, the ever-so-slight carbonation made it such a sipping beverage that I think it's perfect to grab a few more and serve them at an upcoming holiday party.

I probably shouldn't like this, but I left about one glass for the last 2 weeks in the bottle and had it tonight. .. I still liked it. Sorry, sorry, but I did. Plus I tasted the cranberry a lot more! How festive!

Grolsch, not so Grossche

2011-11-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know - clever title ;)

So, I had a Grolsch today. Being in a green bottle, most of the Grolsch I've ever had has been slightly skunky. It's such an unfortunate thing when the beer inside has so much delicious flavour, but rarely reaches its customer like that.

Now sure, a fresh one that wasn't messed up by sitting in the sun for days or something would be amazing, but that's difficult to find at many Toronto bars, reason being, when you to go a bar with a medium sized selection, they may not sell as much of certain types, so they end up sitting around for longer.

In today's case, I got a good one. YAY. It t just reminded me of all the bad ones I've had, and I decided to post my thought:

When at a bar, don't hate a beer if it's not the best quality that it could be, because it may not be the best seller there. Buy it at the LCBO or beer store and give it a go then.

Also, my other thought of the day: Why can't the Leafs beat Boston this season?? 6-2, 7-0, and 6-3 tonight. We've got their Kessel!

Unfiltered, Haligonian Goodness

2011-11-23T13:12:00.002-05:00

Garrison, in Toronto? Oh goody!

I found Garrison's Imperial IPA at a local LCBO and picked it up for a little taste of my beloved Halifax.

It was hoppy, but crisp and clean, probably due to the lack of yeast. To be honest, this is the second type of unfiltered beer I've had and I'd like to explore it more; both were really good. The first was Coopers Brewery Sparkling Ale from Australia.

Yes, it's in my Chicago Craft Beer Week glass. I had two to make the set, given to me by a lovely Chicagonian, but alas, one broke on my way back the last trip out there. ...Or the trip before that... I'm not quite sure which trip it was which any more.

Back to the IPA: Try it!

Toronto has a Beer History?

2011-11-20T08:26:00.002-05:00

My very first Groupon.

One year ago I purchased a Groupon for a Toronto urban adventure which involves a tour guide walking you from the Hockey Hall of Fame, stopping at a couple of pubs, and ending off at the Mill Street brewery. A friend and I finally went on it a couple of weekends ago.

To be honest, we had no idea that Toronto had such a deep history in beer. We stopped at C'est What, Betty's, and lastly, the Mill Street Brewery, and along the way, stopped and talked about some of the buildings we passed by.

One interesting fact was that the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts used to be called the O'Keefe Centre, built for Eugene O'Keefe's brewery; the first brewery in Canada to produce lager, as well as traditional ale and porter. Another interesting fact about the O'Keefe Centre is that in 1974, Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov ran out of the building, down The Esplanade and into a waiting getaway car, defecting into Canada. He allegedly spent the next few days up in Muskoka. Crazy! Too bad that the Muskoka Brewery wasn't around back then.

It was a fun time, we had a few good pints, and learned a lot about Toronto's history.

My beer selection comprised of:
Muskoka Harvest Ale on tap at C'est What
Tetley's English Ale on tap at Betty's
Mill Street Stock Ale sampled on tap at the Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street Organic sampled on tap at the Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street Tankhouse sampled on tap at the Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street Ginger Beer in bottle at the Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street Coffee Porter in bottle at the Mill Street Brewery

I'd have to say my favourite of the day was the Tetley's. It's a lovely Sunday beer if I've ever had one.

Here's one last crazy bit of information: there's a closed off underground tunnel in this post's photo. It was used to carry money from booze sales from the Flat Iron to the building where the Pizza Pizza now stands.

Don't stand there if there's ever an earthquake!

This Week's Catch: Christmas Has Arrived!

2011-11-18T20:30:00.003-05:00

Oh yea. You know you want it.

Not only did I snag Muskoka Brewery's new limited edition Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout Winter Beard, but I picked up a beloved Duchy, and got a Muskoka wall bottle opener with my 6er of Cream Ale.
Sa-weeeet!

Plus, check out this week's non-beer special guest: Kahlua Peppermint Mocha. I can see this week's special guest meeting last week's St. Remy's French Liquor Cream in next week's morning coffee.

MmmmMMMM!

Polish Beer FTW

2011-11-18T11:50:00.001-05:00

Me: "Do you sell beer?"
Bartender: "Yes, what would you like, Polish or Russian?"
Me: "Polish."
Bartender gives me a Svyturys Ekstra.
Me: "I've never had this beer before."
Friend: "What, you have something against Polish beer?"
Me: "Nope. I've had most Polish beer available in Toronto. This is Lithuanian."

Pravda, really?

I mean, if you're only going to offer two beer options, at least get the countries right.
I should have stayed and asked for a Russian beer. My guess: it would have been Czech.

As a side note, the Ekstra tasted like what one would assume a fresh out of the brewery Steamwhistle would taste like. Being a pale lager, it sure tasted pilsner-ish to me.

Caps & Bottles Killin Me: What to Build!

2011-11-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

I've been collecting bottle caps for a while now. My dad topped a coffee table with pennies which is really awesome, so I always figured I'd use them to top a coffee table with too. But now I've been thinking that I could probably do something else really cool with these bad boys.

Any ideas?

Some of my ideas so far have been:
- a collection of photo frames
- creating a personal crest
- kitchen platters
- book cover
- ...coffee table top

The Great Guinness Chugging

2011-11-16T11:22:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when one quickly drinks a pint of Guinness.

Coffee and Beer. Mmmmy kind of Combo.

2011-11-15T09:40:00.001-05:00

I'm glad I took one of these home with me from the Mill Street Brewery.

I recommend this beer after a long day when all you can think of is sitting on your couch with a blanket and a hot cocoa. It's not quite hot, nor is it cocoa, but it gave me a nice warm buzz.

The beer itself definitely has coffee tastes, along with hints of chocolate. It's slightly carbonated, which from my experience is indicative of a typical Mill Street brew.

Mill Street says that it's best paired with shrimp, oysters, marscapone cheese, or chocolate desserts, but I say, try it with vanilla ice cream, raspberry strudel, or right after a club sandwich. Don't forget to eat your pickle.

Maple... mmm... Porter... mmm... Maple Porter!

2011-11-14T12:20:00.003-05:00

The LCBO has quite a few gems on a regular basis, and I was lucky to find this one.

Penticton, British Columbia's Cannery Brewing's Maple Stout has five ingredients: your typical four that every beer has, plus an added "natural maple flavour".

I liked it! I mean, how could you possibly go wrong with Canadian water, a stout, and maple. It was a little thick and very slightly sour to my tastebuds, but nevertheless, I can't dislike anything maple.

...about that maple.

Chicago, September 2011. I refer you back to my visit to The Map Room. I wasn't lying when I said I ordered twelve servings of maple syrup to go with my blueberry pancakes. I must remind you though, I'm not some Canadian abominable snowman-like chick who needs 25oz of maple syrup to go with her meals; I was under the impression that they would be 1oz each! That's teenie tiny! 12oz, now that's more like it. Alas, in the land of the lar... free, here's a photo of what I got.

Just to add one little note though: Chicago, being described as the "fattest city in the United States" did not live up to that title. I'm sorry, but most of the people I interacted were trim and slightly smokin'.

The catch from the day!

2011-11-13T18:17:00.005-05:00

I picked up a few select beers from my LCBO today.

I've had Young's Double Chocolate Stout before, and I'm pretty sure I've tried Southern Tier's Pumking, but if not, I'm super stoked.

I'm going to save the Bah Humbug cinnamon beer from Wychwood Brewery for the first day that I feel the Christmas spirit this year.

I'm *really* excited to have Garrison's Imperial IPA. It's been a long while since I've had something from Halifax other than Keith's.

And yes, there's some St-Remy A La Creme in there. It's new, and every coffee needs its cream.

CaskOver

2011-11-12T17:34:00.004-05:00

On October 30th, I had the opportunity to volunteer and go to Cask Days, put on by BarVolo, a speciality beer bar in Toronto.

I volunteered to get to know the cask scene and try some cool beer, both of which I did a bit of.

The venue was gorgeous - I'd never actually been to the Hart House before. It was cold, but the beer seemed to keep everyone quite warm.

The guys at BarVolo put on a great event. There were cask ales from all over Canada. Fullers also made a special appearance which was fantastic.

I got to meet some really great people and stayed for the night session to try many of the cask ales. I'd have to say my favourite was Muskoka Brewery's Not So Pale Galactic Ale Black IPA. It was something around 8.5%, almost black, and one of the best IPA's I've ever had!! It was so low on carbonation that it went down almost.. maybe even just as smoothly as Guinness does for me. Thanks Muskoka!

All in all fun times, but let me tell you: going to BarVolo's cask seminars the day before, drinking all day, going out for a Hallowe'en party at night, and volunteering to serve beer all day the next morning is not recommended. That my friends, is what they call a CaskOver.

AK 2020 - I can't wait

2011-11-08T22:43:00.001-05:00

The brewing of Alexander Keith's will celebrate its 200th year in 2020...

I wonder how advertising will have changed over the next nine years and what campaigns will be run for this event. It's going to be huge, that's for sure.

Just a thought. What do you think they'll do? What technologies will be utilized? Hmm.

I'll bet I could come up with some stokular ideas.

Ideas I've Had While Drinking Beer

2011-10-30T00:36:00.001-04:00

I think the best ideas I've ever had have been formed while I'm having a good beer. It's likely that the worst ideas I've ever had have also been formed while I'm drinking beer, but let's just focus on the good ones for this post.

1. Beer companies should start making beer food.

For example, in a previous post I spoke about Fuller's Red Fox Autumn Ale. I wrote that the first and only thing that came to mind when drinking the nutty, malty, clean ale was that a slice of cheesecake in that very same flavour would probably be the best cheesecake this world has ever seen. I mean, it would be so good that cheesecake fanatics and Cheesecake Factory regulars would end up getting wasted from their daily dose of cake.

A few other examples of beer that should be turned into its own food are: O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale pumpkin pie (obviously), Big Wheel whole wheat hamburger buns, Alexander Keith's Light pita bread, and Muskoka Mad Tom IPA chicken wing batter.

I mean, have you ever had Guinness ice cream? They're onto something.

2. More food should be shaped like national symbols.

I'm currently eating gummies shaped like maple leafs. I would not be eating these if they weren't.

3. Spontaneous shoe music.

Someone should make a music video of regular people wearing heels that they grab off the street, spontaneously. They'd tell them what beat to step to, walking back and forth, and it would make the coolest background track to an awesome hip hop song.

4. The Toronto Maple Leafs need more chants than GO LEAFS GO.

Someone needs to fix this. Oh, and a wicked cool goal song would be appreciated too. Thanks.

5. Let me text you back. Oh wait, it's winter.

Someone needs to come out with widely available touch screen gloves that don't make you look like you've just escaped from TRON. (http://gizmodo.com/5156625/iphone-glove-battlemodo) We need to protect ourselves from frostbite, not Sark.

The Best Coleslaw I've Ever Had

2011-10-28T22:40:00.002-04:00

Bar none, BarVolo serves the best coleslaw I've had in my entire life; and being Polish means I know my coleslaw.

Oh.. they serve beer too.

My first time at BarVolo was a fantastic success. I went in for the Fullers Cask Ale event and tried four new Fullers ales - all of which were unbelievable.. Unbelievable! Four new beers for me, and all unbelievable... great night.

Back to the beer.

I've had the London Porter and Extra Special Bitter at the Duke of York a couple of years back, so tonight I tried the other four.

The Chiswick Bitter was one of the most euphoric beverages I've ever graced my tongue with. At 3.5% you can tell that it's light, but wow... it's highly recommended if you ever want to feel like you're sitting on a pink and purple fluffy cloud in the middle of a lilac-filled meadow.

Next up was the 5% Bengal Lancer. I liked it. As with most cask ale's I've tried, it has this amazing clean taste. Definitely one of the cleanest, crisp, smooth IPA's I've had the pleasure of.

Third was the Red Fox. Have you ever had a sip of something and thought - they should make cheesecake out of this? Yea.

Lastly I had the Front Row. It's super light, 3.7%, and lightly floral. Again, really enjoyed it.

My favourite from the 6 shown in the photo is definitely the Chiswick Bitter. What can I say, I like that pink, fluffy feeling.

Now, back to the coleslaw for a minute. Do you remember when KFC used to sell a salad called "Mixed"? It must have been about 15-20 years ago before they stopped selling it. It was my favourite thing in the world of food. And in no way am I degrading BarVolo's coleslaw by comparing it to a KFC dish; TRY BARVOLO'S COLESLAW. You'll end up going back for it. Trust me.

Beer, Beavers, and Black Katts

2011-10-27T14:07:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been to the Queen and Beaver? The upstairs floor is SO QUAINT that I just loved it. I got to watch the rugby final and sip on a lovely pint of Durham Brewery Black Katt Stout. I asked what it was like and our server, James, said he liked it better than Guinness. I'd have to say that I still prefer the Irish stuff because it's just so darn delicious and easy to drink, but this stout was good too.

It had a thicker feel, and almost no lacing, which I was sad about because I'm so used to Guinness's lacing when drinking stouts. It also had quite a few flavours in it.

If you're in the mood for a sweet, coffee taste, with what I felt was a rose-cherry aftertaste, I'd recommend this stout. And you can't forget the fantastic fact that it's local. ..yes, I'm fond of alliteration.

And if you're in the mood for a super quaint, packed with locals, where-everyone-knows-your-name type of spot, try the Queen and Beaver. The brunch menu looked pheonomenal with things like Pancakes and Maple Butter... mmmm maple butter..., Haddock Rabbit & Green Sauce, & Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs. They even do a traditional English Sunday roast.

Oh and Whiskey-Gingerbread ice cream. Yes, you read that right.

It's not just about the Beer, it's about the People

2011-10-26T12:09:00.001-04:00

I've been reading a ton of beer sites to support my goal of becoming a Certified Cicerone and have been learning a whole lot from them. One in particular, Beer Universe, did something that really made me think about why I had this Cicerone goal: it listed a bunch of pubs and gave people the opportunity to write about their history, events, and types of beer that were available. It writes about how many different types of beer were available too, which was pretty cool. After seeing that most of the pubs I've visited in Toronto and Halifax were listed on the website, it got me to thinking about how, for me, it's not just about the beer, it's about who I'm able to share it with.

I've spent some time travelling around (not as much as I'd like) visiting pubs that I've read about online, have been recommended to me, or heard about from locals. The one thing that I adore about most of these places is that they care for both the beer they promote, and the customer reaction. Think about it: you can sell the "best lager in all the land" but if it's not promoted well, and in turn, received well, what makes it the best?

I've also found that a lot of people who comment on beer blogs have a lot of negative things to say about the posts, be it that the beer in question is not hoppy enough, or is not really a "beer" because it has added ingredients other than the standard four, or that it's simply not good because it's owned by a large manufacturer. The great thing about the people that I tend to spend my time with over a pint or two is that they cherish not only the taste of a good beer, but the time that we're spending together over the pint.

Maybe I'm just blabbing on about nothing, but in my opinion, a beer is only as good as the people you're able to share it with.

..not the particular beer itself, I mean really, get your own pint.

Fullers - The Cask Ale Full of -ers

2011-10-21T12:12:00.001-04:00

It's light-er, malti-er, and loveli-er than most cask ale's I've had in my day, and I love that the Duke of Richmond has it on tap.

Fuller's London Pride is one of my favourite "sipping" beers, because it's not a sipper at all. It's because the darker colour makes me immediately think that it's a heavy beer, but upon the first couple of sips, you realize that it's actually the kind of beer that you can knock back quite a few of without even noticing.

To be honest, I feel like it has a rosy after-taste that I can't get over; it's just so delightful.

I started drinking London Pride before I took my trip over to England because I wanted to train myself for the supposed warm ales I would be drinking over there. Since then, I'll dabble in this award winning cask ale on cooler nights like last night, to warm up and dream of my travels in England.

This is also a good segway to Toronto's Cask Beer Festival: Cask Days that I'm attending this month... can't wait!

Planes, Trains, and Pilsners

2011-10-17T20:50:00.003-04:00

After years of living in the city centre, and being in the brewery many times, I finally went on the Steam Whistle brewery tour!

So much Ontario green. So much in fact that they get a large percentage of their bottles back to recycle; bottles that are made of 30% more glass than regular beer bottles, making them stronger and more re-usable. They give their used barley husks to local farmers. They also use three types of hops. Two Bavarian and one Czech.

Did you know that the guys who started Steam Whistle originally called it Three Fired Guys? Cam Heaps, Greg Cromwell, and Greg Taylor worked for Upper Canada Brewery until Sleeman bought the company. Being out of work, they decided to open their own brewery, and chose Toronto's Roundhouse as their site.

Why? Because when they checked out the space for the first time they found a bottle of Upper Canada Lager and took it as a sign.

I've been on a few brewery tours in my day, and this one did not disappoint. Our tour guide, Brandon, (well, I'm pretty sure his name was Brandon but he did give us a few free samples on the tour..) was informative and jovial, and made fun of the fact that I was portraying a stereotypical Canadian image, being at a brewery, and wearing a hockey jersey. To my defence, I was going to the Toronto Maple Leafs game right after the brewery tour. We won 3-2 over the Calgary Flames after being down 0-2 in the 1st, by the way :)

Now I'm clearly more of an ale gal, but this pilsner never fails to impress.

Last fun fact: If you fly Porter airlines, they give you as many free Steam Whistle's as you can drink during the flight. My record: 3 on my last flight back from Chicago. There, that's the plane reference in this post's title.

OK one more: The retractable suitcase handle on the 12-pack box came in as the 22nd of the CBC's 50 Greatest Canadian Inventions in 2007. ...A beer case handle. Go Canada, and nice work Steam Whistle.

It's Not Just an Accessory for your Hand

2011-10-15T09:57:00.002-04:00

That's me.

For a milestone birthday a few years ago, a good friend of mine decided to combine my love for accessories with my love of Alexander Keith's. Thus, my Keith's bottle cap earrings were born.

These babies have seen almost every important outing of mine since then. I'm pretty sure we could make a killing on selling such paraphernalia.

My suggestion for the day: Are you letting only the beer you're holding speak for your fine taste? Why not take the next step - Wear it!

My First Amber: A Tale of Ten Beers

2011-10-12T07:24:00.002-04:00

And now a tale from the Linda Lee archive.

It was the summer of 2008. My drinking buddy and I were hard at work, thinking of something to do that would give the day purpose. We had been working overtime for the past little while and were going to leave at 5pm on this day to enjoy the great outdoors... in a dark pub of our choice.

It was at this time that my drinking buddy had informed me that he had never been to a brewery in Toronto. I had to remedy this.

5pm came around, and we headed over to the Steam Whistle brewery in the lovely harbourfront area of Toronto. Alas, they were closed!

"To the iPhone!" I called out, and went on a search for possible alternatives. The next, closest brewery was Amsterdam, so I called. The gentleman on the phone informed us that their tours were not running at the time, but if we stopped by, he could let us sample a few of their brews..

..and sample we did. We sampled the blonde, the nut brown, the raspberry wheat, the pomegranate wheat, all four KLB's (Kawartha Lakes Brewing Co which Amsterdam brewery bought back in the early 2000's: the raspberry wheat, cream ale, premium pale ale, nut brown) and even the a stout (possibly the two fisted) from a small barrel.

We sampled so much in fact, that we left there at 4am.

The best part of this story is that I sampled my first Amber - Big Wheel. I had been nervous about anything not clear and blonde until then, and was afraid of it at first, but the moment that the sweet, amber bubbly hit my tongue, I was in serious-like. Since then, I've oft frequented the Grindhouse Burger Bar which has Big Wheel on tap, and it's always as delicious as the first time.

Happy Thanksgiving; Thanks for the IPA, NYC

2011-10-10T19:49:00.002-04:00

Thanksgiving is coming to a close here in Canada, so to finish off my night of finally getting this blog up and running, I'm having a Southern Tier IPA.

At 7%, you can definitely feel an enhanced taste to the beer. It's brewed with four varieties of hops, and 4 varieties of malts, both of which give it a strong, fruity finish. It's almost as strong as some double IPA's I've had in the past, but the remnants of light hops that it leaves you with are quite enjoyable.

Southern Tier Brewing Company is based in New York, and once again, American beer has impressed me.

So on this Thanksgiving day, I'd like to say a few words about what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful that the LCBO is selling more beer from smaller breweries.

I'm thankful that today was a holiday with which I finally got this blog going.

I'm thankful that hockey season is back.

I'm thankful that my meds from the pneumonia are done and I can drink again.

Most of all, I'm thankful for you. Thanks for stopping by, and stay classy.

I'd like some Irish Cream please

2011-10-09T19:23:00.002-04:00

You can't go wrong with an Irish Cream Ale.

After smashing a mirror (seven years of bad luck, of course),

my amazing boss quitting,

finding out that I had pneumonia this past week, and being on delirium inducing meds,

missing Alexander Keith's birthday for the first time since I've been legal,

being unable to celebrate the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener,

and so many more things this week,

all I could think about was having a solid, proper, beer to ease my woes.

I missed Chicago, I was tired, and nothing was working out in the other many aspects of life that we all rely on to hold us together.

The Irish Embassy kept me from crawling in that corner and never coming back out.

Great environment there. I got to watch part of a couple games, hang out with a good friend, and kick back with a cream ale. Kilkenny is one of those cream ales that looks heavy to the untamed eye, but when you have the chance to try one, you're thrown into a world of floral calm. It's extremely low carbonation, smooth, creamy texture, and light to medium body will take all of your worries away. Highly recommended, especially at the Irish Embassy. They know how to keep the temperatures just right, so well in fact, that you might think you're actually in Ireland.

The Map Room

2011-10-08T12:21:00.003-04:00

September 2011 - Chicago - The Map Room

After reading that this bar was the 5th Best Beer Bar in America, and knowing that I was staying very close to it, I had to give it a go.

Did you know that The Map Room allows one to order food from any restaurant or bring your own, and sit there and eat as if it's your very own home? Sure, you have to purchase a few drinks, but what an idea! Let the bar focus on the beer that it's serving you, and nothing else that typical pubs have to deal with. Brilliant!

In my attempt to get a proper Canadian breakfast here in the States, my wonderful companion and I ordered up some breakfast. Not thinking about where I was (the USofA) and being worried that I wouldn't have enough maple syrup, we ordered twelve servings. 12. Oh yes, I forgot, everything's supersized. Whoops.

Aside from the food fumble [oh yea, I was down in Chicago this time to see the Bears v Packers game. Yes, I'm now also a football fan] I had two incredible beers here.

The first was Coopers Brewery Sparkling Ale from Australia. With no preservatives, and a "best if drank after" stamp on it, it's claim to fame was the sediment that is kept in the bottle. It's 5.8% was barely noticable due to it's highly amusing paticles floating around. After being scared to drink it at first, it turned out to be a great tasting, easy to drink ale. It had both the fruitiness and hoppiness that I love in an ale, with the added bonus of watching the sediment swirl around.

The second beer I had here was Chicago's own Half Acre's Captain Fantasy Saison Ale. I'd let this captain sail through my fridge any day. It was sweet for a 7% ale, and very refreshing.

And with that, I left Chicago once again. Happy to have visited the Map Room and hope to one day return.

I like hops

2011-10-07T12:20:00.002-04:00

September 2011 - Chicago - Hop Whore

Can you tell that I like hops by now? I wouldn't call myself one of those hop-heads, but when I saw Tyranena Brewing Company's Hop Whore, I had to try it... after a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale of course. [Click on Beers, then Brewers gone Wild - I'm sure glad I had one, because apparently these Hop Whore's are next to impossible to find now.]

Still at Lush, I switched over to the hoppy side of the counter and didn't looked back. This American IPA from Wisconsin was good, and for a 7.5% beer, it sure went down a lot smoother than I thought it would.

As for the story here.. In an attempt to keep my wits alert for the night, I refused any other type of alcohol, because as we all know, beer lasts longer than a shot. What I did not take into account was the number of hours I was trying to stay alert.

Lush Indeed. Hello again Chicago.

2011-10-06T12:20:00.003-04:00

Back again.

September 2011 - Chicago - The Lost Abbey's The Angel's Share

I'll say it once - There's no need for a beer to be above 10%.

I visited a really lovely spot in Chicago called Lush. It had a number of specialty beer and wines, and the bartenders knew their beer. I tried The Lost Abbey's The Angel's Share because it had a cool cork top. No, it doesn't take much to impress me. Everyone had a sip, and everyone's eyes bulged out like Roger Rabbit's at seeing Jessica.

It was a kick in the face of a beer. It might be nice over ice, sipping it as one would a fine scotch.. it was heavy in a regular glass. It turned out that this particular bottle had gone slightly bad. If you'd like to read more about this beer, please do so on their site. It's really an interesting read.

As for this third trip to Chicago in 2011: My kind tour guide from Chicago, chapter 1, is still around. I commandeered a couple of his friends who brought be here. Lush is a definite recommendation for those looking to talk beer or wine, and try some rarities.

Oh, and they had O'Fallon Pumpkin Beer.

Oldest beer in the world, eh?

2011-10-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

Apparently the Bier Markt was selling the world's oldest beer. I had to have it.

Weihenstephan, a German, wheat beer, brewed in Freising, Bavaria, was apparently brewed back in 1040AD.

As I am slightly allergic to wheat beers (I know, I'm sad too) I was able to have but a small taste.

It tasted like a good wheat beer.

Jupiler though, that you see to the right of the Weihenstephan, is a Belgian pale lager that was quite delicious.

Most people believe that Belgium has some of the world's best beer because of all the Trappist Ales, and yes, I've had some nice glasses of Duvel, and Leffe. Jupiler (I warn you, I'm linking to their actual site...which is in Dutch) though, has been, one of the nicest Belgium beer I've tried to date. It was very light bodied, had a clean start to finish, and barely any after taste; almost a dry after taste, and was 5.2% - it's always nice for that extra 0.2% to be around.

To all those Leffe Blonde fans, I recommend trying this pale lager. Don't hate it because it's different; it's one of the most popular beers in Belgium.

If I pronounce this right, do I get a prize?

2011-10-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

September 2011 - Toronto: Against the Grain Urban Tavern - Duchy Organic Old Ruby Ale

Duchy has an extremely interesting background story that I recommend checking out. They aren't a brewery... they're an organic food producing company started by Prince Charles. It's technically brewed by Wychwood Brewing Co - the brewco that makes Hobgoblin (not a fan).

This UK ale is the first I order every time I go to Against the Grain. It's one of their more expensive bottles, but definitely worth it. It's ruby in colour but doesn't have the heavy taste that most ambers or reds that I've had have. It's 5% which keeps it extremely drinkable, and by drinkable I mean I can have 12 and not be sick of them.

This ale started me off to two very interesting stories..

The first time I had this ale I gave my contact information to a lovely gentleman with whom I'd been getting along with quite well that evening at the restaurant. I'd forgotten that my hand writing looks like the cut out magazine lettering in a ransom note after a few brews.

The second time I had this ale, a good friend called asking for me to join her at another pub. Turns out fate had interjected and she bumped into her newly-made ex on exactly 365 days after they had first met.

Considering my search for the meaning of life, love, and sports enlightenment, the 'love' aspect of my search seems to be thwarted when I drink this ale.

Duchy - or douchey, as I call you, thank you for being you, but it's you, it's not me; I must leave you.

Cider! OK, let's talk.

2011-10-03T12:17:00.001-04:00

When my friend Nick told me he had followed his dream and started brewing a cider, I just had to try it.

September 2011 - Toronto - Pommies Dry Cider

Now I'd never been the biggest cider fan, but if I see an unattended Pommies, I guarantee I will be remedying that.

Pommies is all natural, made with Ontario ~~organically grown and manufactured~~ apples. **Correction made, they're almost fully organic!** There's no added sugar or preservatives, and it packs the full punch of a proper bevy coming in at 5%.

With one sip, you might taste a dry pinot grigio, and with the next, apple juice! A 5% apple juice is something I will back up any day.

Ambrosia, thy name is... Blonde?

2011-10-02T12:16:00.001-04:00

Deeeelicious! What a grab. The Beer Store has never been so kind.

Alexander Keith's Light Ale and brand spanking new Ambrosia Blonde all in one trip.

September 2011 - Alexander Keith's Light Ale and Ambrosia Blonde

Once again Labatt and Alexander Keith have taken the original IPA flavour and created something wonderful - AK's Ambrosia Blonde.

This is a summer drink if it's sunny out, and a winter drink if it's cold outside. I really enjoyed it because it took a slight twist on Keith's regular sweetness and made it more subtle, but caramel-like. I'd recommend it and I'd drink it again and again.

Plus, being back in Toronto, I needed to get back into the swing of Canadian beer drinking. Was happy to be back to this justly named Ambrosia.

Pumpkin Juice.. I'd drink it.

2011-10-01T12:15:00.002-04:00

August 2011 - Chicago - O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer.

OK so it's not pumpkin juice, but if you've ever wanted to throw Thanksgiving's pumpkin pie into a blender and drink it because you can't fit any more food into you like I have, then this is your solution.

It really was like pumpkin pie in a glass. And bonus! 5.6% to boot.

I really recommend this place Kuma's Corner. Apparently the wait is one hour no matter when you show up, but for the specialty beer available, and the enormous burgers, if you're not a fan of heavy metal as your dining experience music, bring headphones and try it out.

I also had Wells Banana Bread beer brewed by Wells & Young's Ltd in the UK. A really tasty 5.2% fruit beer that truly tasted like banana bread. The next time you have a craving for those carbs, I recommend getting them through Wells Banana Bread Beer.

It's Revolution Baby!

2011-09-30T12:14:00.001-04:00

Back in Chicago, August 2011 - Revolution Brewing.

After Lollapolooza, I stayed in Chicago and visited that lovely bar I had met such wonderful people at back in March. This time around, I had the opportunity to hit quite a few local spots and try some really great beer.

I tried both the Anti-hero IPA and Iron Fist Pale Ale at Revolution Brewing.

The Anti-hero IPA was the perfect cure for an action packed night before. Revolution's website describes this ale as "An American hop assault for all the ambivalent warriors who get the girl in the end." OK, so that wasn't the result in my case, but it was hoppy enough to make this lady happy.

The Iron Fist Pale Ale was the beginning to a long day of ales. It was slightly stronger than the IPA's I'm used to, but had a really nice crisp flavour that allowed it to go down really smoothly.

I'd recommend anything from this brewery if you're ever in the area.

Vanilla Porter, BBQ Sauce, and Hippies

2011-09-29T12:13:00.001-04:00

...in Chicago? Ok, I'll come back.

August 2011 - Chicago - Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

Well, technically I went back for Lollapolooza's 20th anniversary. Lollapolooza.. Thousands of people wandering the streets of Chicago, full with Bud, Bud Light, and Bud Light Lime.

If I remember what this restaurant was called, I'll edit this post, but for now, let's talk porter. The thing that I find about most vanilla drinks is that they are all scent and no taste. This one was on the fence. It has a really light vanilla flavour and had the thickness of a stout made of molasses. At 4.7%, it was too much flavour for me as a main dish pairing. I'd try it again as a dessert; not with the pulled bbq chicken sandwich I ordered this time.

Don't tell Palin, but this is one killer IPA

2011-09-21T12:12:00.001-04:00

August, 2011. We're nearing present day, I assure you.

The folks just got back from a cruise to Alaska and brought back an Alaskan IPA.

Alaskan Brewing company is still pretty new. It opened in 1986 but seems to be doing alright in terms of this one ale. It uses pure glacier water. People seem to like that.

It was definitely hoppy enough for you connoisseurs to check that box that says it's an IPA. I felt some fruity undertones while drinking it, and it had a bit of bitterness which I could have done without, but all in all, a good IPA IMO.

Oh the Pride: Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale

2011-09-20T12:11:00.001-04:00

After being purchased by the Labatt brewing company a few years ago, Alexander Keith's Ales have had the opportunity to be re-worked into many different flavours and styles. I for one, am a big fan of this. They've kept the original recipe in tact, and altered it to create beers such as this Tartan Ale.

It was Spring 2011. It would have been better if it was fall for my description of the beer to work *really* well, but I can't control the seasons yet.

The way I can describe this ale is as follows:

Have you ever sat on a front porch, watching the red and orange leaves fall ever so slowly in a quiet but existing breeze? You pull a hoodie on, or a toque if you're so inclined, and twist the cap off of pure pride; Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale. With one sip, you are engulfed with the glory of autumn and the history of Scotland. With the next, your thoughts move to New Scotland, and a 25 year old brew master. Finally with the third sip, your mind returns to the porch. The reality of what was just leaves falling in autumn, is now encapsulated with the appreciation of over a hundred years of Canadian history.

Go ahead, take that forth sip.

Eastern Beer in the Western World

2011-09-19T12:10:00.001-04:00

Kirin Light. To be honest, it tasted like the combination of Asahii and Sapporo to me - It was dry, lightly citrus-like, and light, probably due to what I considered to be micro carbonation. I had it with sushi; It wasn't too strong on the hops or malt, and it was 95 cals per bottle!

As for the story behind this bad boy: It was still March, I was still in Chicago, I still had a tour guide, and this was breakfast.

The sign on a restaurant door nearby read "BYOB". This caught my eye. Are these Chicagonians living the dream? Bring your own beer to the restaurant, and have paid beer store prices? ...I immediately started considering moving to Chicago.

Sierra Nevada's Brother - It's Harvest Season

2011-09-18T12:09:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of breweries that are throwing the word "Harvest" onto beers, which, and please correct me if I'm wrong, just means that it's a new beer made from ingredients from a specific time of year.

Well I had the opportunity to try Sierra Nevada's Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale, and enjoyed it. It was a lot stronger than their pale ale, coming in at 6.7%. You could feel the difference and it has a lot of earthy tones, which was my only complaint.

I'd love to try the Northern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale.

No big story here on this one. I was at the same bar as the last one, and preceded this brew with Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. What came after? Read on my friend.

Chicago, 2011, Return of Sierra Nevada

2011-09-17T12:08:00.002-04:00

Hello love, how have you been? I'm sorry I haven't been around so much.. it's just that with you being American, and me being Canadian, I can't visit as often as I'd like.

Sierra Nevada, I wish they shipped you up to Toronto.

Let's fast forward a bit through time, and stop at March 2011. I had 5 days off before starting a new job, and I was celebrating. Needless to say, I woke up in Chicago.

Have you ever wanted to go somewhere so badly, but feel like the timing was never right? Take my advice folks, NOW is the right time.

After a couple of days of wandering around Chicago I was looking for a local sports pub to watch the Blackhawks game at. Timothy O'Tooles was that bar. Yes, the Blackhawks were the reigning Cup champions, and yes, I had to ask the bartender to kindly change one of the 75 tv's to the game, but I understand, it was March Madness..

Anyways, luckily I'm the kind of lady who sits at the bar when travelling, because after explaining my love for trying local brews, my bartender allowed me to sample just about every kind I could handle that night. From Goose Island to Half Acre to Founders (MI), I got a good fill of what Chicago had to offer.

The next night, the very same gentleman showed me around town. I ended up at what I could only describe as a bbq restaurant, and I finally found it: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was on the menu!

My description of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is probably different from most. I believe it's the PBR of the States, but just hasn't been picked up by some advertising company yet. You see, PBR hasn't changed. It was your grandfather's beer, and it still is. I'm not your grandfather, but I drink it too.
Apparently Sierra Nevada's gotten the same rap that PBR had, before PBR's advertising re-fresh with the new generation. People consider it to be just a regular pale ale; one that's always around.

I disagree, based purely on taste. As a pale ale fan, Sierra Nevada combines hops and a lightly carbonated flavour in the perfect way as to allow one to drink it for an entire night, but also get an eye opening flavour punch with each sip.

If you're ever in the States, try it, and let me know what you think.

Light Ale's aren't just for chicks.

2011-09-16T12:07:00.001-04:00

Alexander Keith's Light Ale. One of my favourite things to pick up for a holiday, sunny day, or weekend away.

It finally hit shelves in Ontario about two years ago, while before it was only available in Nova Scotia.

If you're ever looking for a 4.0%, light on the cals, clear ale, but still has enough flavour that you don't think you're just perrier, pick up a 6er of these bad boys. I find that it goes with most foods too.

Boston - Beer Works - Blueberries!

2011-09-15T12:06:00.002-04:00

Boston Beer Works - One of the coolest micro breweries I've ever visited. The photo to the left is one of my travel companions trying the Beer Works blueberry ale.

We tried a few different pints that the microbrewery had to offer and were pleased with each. It's definitely a place I'd recommend to anyone who's going to be in the Lansdowne Street area. Pop in for a pint before a game at Fenway, or before hitting Bleacher Bar just down the street too.

Boston - Common - Lager

2011-09-14T12:05:00.001-04:00

I'd like to solve the puzzle. Is it Boston, Common, Lager?

Boston, March 2009, Samuel Adams Boston Lager. As Dave Chappelle says about his Samuel L Jackson beer: it'll get ya drunk!

Yes, after hearing about this skit, I constantly ordered Samuel Adams at bars, just so I could say "I'll have a Samuel Adams, please" with the smug smile and head nod. It was fun, but as for his regular lager itself, I find it to be a little too thick to be a "get ya drunk" kind of beer. I recommend it when you're in it to have under 5 beers, and you want them to last the night.

Thankfully, Boston has an enormous amount of microbreweries on Landsdowne, just down the street from Fenway, and the House of Blues where I was seeing the Dropkick Murphys play their St. Patrick's day shows.

How'd I get to Boston? Well, I was cleaning my good friend's house because I had absolutely nothing else to do, when his roommate came home with a 2-4 of Keith's (he was from Halifax). I told him that two friends of mine were going to Boston for St. Patrick's Day and we decided to buy our bus tickets that night. Why not, right?

Of course, this was the year the recession really hit, and drinking in public at the parade was not allowed anymore. I've since then paid my $265 ticket and am looking forward to visiting Boston in the future.

The worst part? This was the second time I'd ever had a Sierra Nevada IPA.. and I was traded my 6er for that $265 ticket... ooo, didn't think I'd leave this post with just Sam Adams, did you? Ah yes, Sierra Nevada.. I have a certain love affair with this brew that you can read about in a future post.

Where for art thou, Carlsburg?

2011-09-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

If there was ever a connection made in Heaven, it was beer and sports.

This brings us to Liverpool, November 2008, Anfield to be exact. Now, one would think, Redbar, Anfield's main bar, would have a wide variety of sports related beer like Carlsburg, Budweiser, and Coors, to quench its thirsty football fans at half time. But then again, I'm basing this on my North American knowledge of the few stadiums I've been to (The Skydome, BMO Field, the ACC, Fenway, Wrigley, Soldier Field). The fans went crazy for the one beer available: Budweiser. I had enough time to get a couple in during half time to go with my steak pot pie.

Liverpool was my third stop in Linda Lee's whirlwind adventure to find the Holy Grail. Here, I met and had a lovely Everton fan show me around town for a few days. The Cavern was next on the list, and my new-found love for Guinness was greatly-satisfied.

My First Pint of Guinness: Paris

2011-09-12T12:03:00.001-04:00

October 2008. I decided to pick up and leave Toronto for a bit.

I was seeking life, love, and new experiences from around the world. What I got was something much better than expected: my first Guinness.

Paris, Rhubarb, the now closed Irish pub in the Latin Quarter, was the perfect stop for my two travelling companions and I. Sure, they ended up leaving me on a Parisian subway the next day, and "losing" me in the Louvre, but we all got along quite well with our Irish bartender pouring them the Rhubarb's famous martini's, and me, Guinness. To have my first pint poured by an Irishman, so close to Dublin? I'd say it was worth the subway abandonment.

To add to my love for Guinness, it is now my go-to beer when I need a starter on the road. Low cal, lighter than water; If I can't decide what local brew I want to start off with, I'll grab a Guinness to get the mind straight.

Multipacks and Quebec Brasseries

2011-09-10T12:02:00.001-04:00

Keith's traditional? Bring on the multipack with the variety of flavours.

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, July 2008.

I had never tried Alexander Keith's Traditional Lager, so here I was: A new city, a new beer. That's my motto.

It was much more flavourful than any other Keith's I'd ever had, but in a different way than regular Keith's. It was stronger, and slightly more malty tasting. Maybe it's malt, I can't be sure. I'd like to try it again to see what I think nowadays.

Aside from seeing Paul McCartney that very same night, and walking 10 miles home due to the entire city playing a cruel 'hide-the-cab' trick on me, I'd say the best part, beer-wise, was the Traditional Lager.

The one microbrewery I had the pleasure of visiting was La Barberie Brewpub on Rue Saint Roch. From the stout, to the fruit, to the IPA, to the white, they all had extremely strong flavours that combined to make quite the platter in their sampler wheel of about 4 ounces each.

I do solemnly pledge...

2011-09-09T12:01:00.001-04:00

I do solemnly pledge to be faithful to Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale, the ambrosia of ales and the emissary of Nova Scotia good times as long as I am able to lift glass aloft. Slainte mhath.

It was a hot, hungover, Tall Ship, June 2007 day in Toronto. Two friends and I were going in for a pint to quell last night's repercussions when we bumped into 4 lovely gentlemen visiting Toronto. The were originally from Halifax, so the Keith's started
flowing. None of them currently lived in Halifax, but were scattered around Canada, meeting up for yearly trip to Toronto.
That brings us to this post. Halifax, 2009, my second trip back to the Lower Deck, a year after meeting these lovely men. Have you ever visited a city where via one text, you have a dozen friends to take you out and show you the best of the town? I have. Sociables, my Haligonians.

A trip to Halifax wouldn't have been right without visiting Alexander Keith's grave site. It was memorable and followed up by the Lower Deck; a bar where the servers walk around with trays full of pints that don't last very long. How can a bar pre-pour pints and keep selling out minutes later you ask? No one orders anything other than Keith's IPA there.

Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale - The Beginning

2011-09-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale.

You've not only brought me to Halifax to visit your brewery twice, but you've made your birthplace on my list of favourite Canadian cities, and sparked my entire love for beer.

Yes, I know, it has at most half the amount of hops that a traditional IPA should, and through the years of drinking Keith's I've had this conversation time and time again; but it is still a proper drinking beer. Premium, light hops, and just flavourful enough that it stands out, far above any blur collar drinkable.

Here begins.. through the tales of many bottles... the story of Linda Lee.