Granville Island Lions Winter Ale

 

Matt's weekly choice: Granville Island Lions Winter Ale

Look -  3.75   Smell - 4  Taste - 4  Feel - 3.5  Overall - 3.75

Look - This winter ale was poured from a 355mL bottle. It is a dark red amber colour and had a thick two fingers of off white head. The head had a long retention time and it had moderate lacing.

Smell - This beer smells deeply of chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar. It definitely has a sweet smell to it with hints of caramel.

Taste - This beer tastes of vanilla, caramel and chocolate. The sweetness is balanced by the malt and nutty taste which creates a slightly bitter after taste.

Feel - It has a medium body and light carbonation. It is smooth drinking but could use a little bit more carbonation.

Overall - This beer pretty much tastes like Christmas and is quite enjoyable in a smaller serving. It is well balanced and a very good seasonal product produced by Granville Island Brewing. It just recently made its opening appearance in Ontario. I would recommend giving it a try on a cold winter night but is not a beer to drink on a regular basis.

-Matt

Mill Street Vanilla Porter

Matt's weekly choice: Mill Street Vanilla Porter

Look - 4   Smell - 4   Taste - 3.75  Feel - 3.75  Overall - 3.75

Look - This English style porter was poured from a 473mL can. It pours a dark brown colour with a slight hint of red. It had about one finger of thin beige head and had moderate lacing.

Smell - This beer smells of a deep vanilla flavour with strong hints of chocolate and coffee.

Taste - This porter has a medium vanilla flavour with a milk chocolate taste. Has some dark fruit tastes that I would say is close to raisins and a little roasted malts which provide bitterness. The vanilla starts as a hint but grows to a bit stronger flavour as you drink more of the beer.

Feel - This beer has a medium body and a creamy, silky feel to it.

Overall - I enjoyed this beer but it is definitely a once in a while type of seasonal brew. It has a surprisingly nice balance and the vanilla starts off quite light. It is quite drinkable but would limit your consumption to a single beer. For everyone interested I would recommend giving it a try!

-Matt

Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale

Matt's weekly choice: Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale

Last weekend I enjoyed one of these beers which is produced by Beau's Brewery.

Look -  4.25  Smell - 4.5   Taste - 4.5  Feel - 4  Overall - 4.5

Look - This pale ale was poured from a 600 ml bottle into a clear pint glass. This beer poured a hazy amber colour with one finger of white head. The foam lasted a couple minutes and produced minimal lacing.

Smell - This beer smells of fresh cut grass and herbs. It has strong citrus and ginger notes to it. It had a sweet scent too and was quite a pleasant smelling beer.

Taste - This pale ale is a dry beer with a lot of herbal taste. It has a slight sweet taste to it from the maple syrup and citrus. It isn't overpowering but has a large variety of very enjoyable herbal tastes. It finishes with a lasting bitter hop taste.

Feel - It has an average amount of carbonation and has a thinner body to it.

Overall - Mmm, one of the best pale ales that I have tried this year. It isn't so overpowering with the herbs they chose and has just the right amount of sweetness for a good balance. A delicious after taste that makes you want more. I'd highly recommend picking up one of these at your local LCBO and giving it a try!

-Matt

Breweries of the week: Kokanee and Granville Island Brewing

For this week I will be discussing a couple of breweries in Western Canada!

Kokanee

Kokanee beer is brewed in Creston, British Columbia and was founded in 1959. They named their beer this because it is the name of a Sockeye salmon found in British Columbia. Their official mascot is a Sasquatch and they brew a few types of beer. These beers are Kokanee, Kokanee Gold, Kokanee Light and Kokanee True Ale. Kokanee is harder to find in Ontario but if you find it in a local beer store or draught in a pub I'd recommend giving it a try!

Granville Island Brewing

Granville Island Brewing is located in Vancouver, British Columbia on Granville Island. It is the first microbrewery in western Canada and was founded in 1984. It is considered Canada's first microbrewery and they produce a wide variety of tasty beers. Their most popular beers are Island Lager, Brockton IPA, Cypress Honey Lager, Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale, English Bay Pale Ale, Robson St. Hefeweizen and the seasonal Lions Winter Ale. Each of these beers are named after a local place in British Columbia and offer a good variety of flavours. If you are ever in the Vancouver area I definitely recommend checking out Granville Island and this brewery! They offer guided tours three times daily (with samples) at noon, 2 pm and 4 pm for a small 10$ fee.

Steam Whistle Pilsner

Evan's weekly choice: Steam Whistle Pilsner


Look - 3.75  Smell - 3.5   Taste - 3  Feel - 3  Overall - 3.5

Look - This pilsner was poured from a 341 ml green bottle into a clear pint glass. This pilsner pours a golden straw colour with about a thumb width of bright white head. The retention of the head stayed around for a bit but not too long leaving some lacing. This pilsner had light to medium carbonation.

Smell - This beer had a grainy smell with some grassy and citrus notes. Not a very strong scent but smells a bit like a spring day.

Taste - This beer has a crisp sweet taste to it. It lacks the bitterness that the standard pilsner offers.

Feel - It has a light to medium carbonated feel that creates a comfortable mouth feel that is followed by a light body.

Overall - I found that this pilsner was a bit too watery and sweet for my liking. Since this is Steam Whistles only beer, I had high expectations for this beer but it kind of disappointed me. I find that this is another good beer to enjoy on a beautiful sunny day either on a deck or patio because of its light body and watery taste.

-E

Local Connections Halifax Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration

This event located in Halifax, Nova Scotia brings the best of everything for beer and food enthusiasts. So if you love delicious craft beer, fantastic local foods or just a good old time, be sure to come visit this craft beer and local good celebration in Halifax. This event will bring people together in a well put together event where it presents 7 different rooms that offers 7 different experiences.

The "Sweet Room" offers delicious beer cakes from Scanway and beer infused ice cream from Dee Dee's Ice Cream.

The "Orchard Room" celebrates Nova Scotian cider and Nova Scotian pork. Chef Geir Simensen from the Stubborn Goat Gastropub will be keeping your plates full all night with fantastic food while you are sipping down some of the best ciders from Stutz, Shipbuilders and Bulwark.

The "Cask Room" speaks for itself. Be ready to sample some of the best beer in Nova Scotia from casks while Chef Richard Sanford of Durty Nelly's displays some of his skills preparing some meals from Nova Scotian beef for your pleasure.

The "Halifax Club Room" will have Chef Francis Nelson putting on a show displaying some of Nova Scotia's best seafood while offering delicious craft beers from Sea Level Brewing.

The "Craft Brewers Room" will be offering an assortment of craft beers around the region. Some of the craft brewers include Granite Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Hart & Thistle Gatropub, Propeller Brewing, Rockbottom Brewpub, and Rogues Roost. Agricola Street Brasserie will be on hand to fill your culinary needs while brew masters around the area will be making presentations.

The "Plan B Karaoke Experience Room" offers a chance to display your singing talents. Plan B will be offering karaoke while comedian Bill Wood will keep you laughing all night. Food will be served by Hell Bay and Boxing Rock.

The "Sausage Fest Junior Room" will be showcasing Nova Scotia sausage while craft brewing companies such as Big Spruce and Uncle will be helping you wash that food down.

Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia

When: Thursday January 16, 2014 from 6:30 pm to 10 pm

So if you are in the Halifax area, be sure to experience this well put together event.

-E

Brown, Clear or Green?

What type of beer bottle do you enjoy?

When deciding what beer to drink many beer drinkers think about the specific taste they would like. This usually comes down to deciding what type of beer to drink not necessarily the colour of the bottle. This post is to help explain the difference from the choice of bottle and what to expect when you choose a clear, green or brown beer bottle.

Beer bottles were first used in the 1850's when it was discovered that they keep the beer fresh for a longer period of time. Originally, all beer was bottled in green bottles until 1930's because many of the European beer producers only had the materials to create green bottles. After this time period it was discovered that the colour of the bottles makes a difference for the beer it holds. Some professionals at the University of North Carolina and Ghent University in Belgium proved that the amount of UV light that gets into the bottle will "break down alpha acids in hops that react with sulfur to make a chemical that is nearly identical to the smelly chemical that skunks spray." This is why many of the green and clear bottles get a skunky taste after exposed to light. It was found that brown bottles filter most of the UV light out and keep the beer tasting as it was first produced.

Today, we can see that many European companies still bottle in green bottles. For many of these companies, their beers bottled in a green bottle became a status symbol which was known for their quality. The decision to bottle in green or clear became more of a marketing decision than a practical one. Examples of this are Stella Artois and Heineken which are both known as high quality European beers. Some beers with a lot smaller amount of hops (the main ingredient affected by UV light) are also bottled in clear or green because it doesn't make a big difference in taste. There is a lot of controversy with beer producers bottling in green or clear bottle from beer bloggers and advocates. Companies like Moosehead are often scrutinized for the decision.

In my opinion, I think the colour of the bottle can add depth for certain beers and has a good amount of historical value. Also with technological advancements today it is possible to put a UV protection on a green or clear bottle keeping the beer just as fresh as a brown bottle.



-Matt



Information sourced from http://brokensecrets.com/2010/03/23/why-beer-bottles-are-green-brown-or-clear/

Gourmet Food and Wine Expo!

For this week I will be posting about the Toronto Gourmet Food and Wine Expo! I will be attending this great event this weekend and encourage everyone near the Greater Toronto area to attend.

The annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo(http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/) is held in November at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building. Each year the Expo offers 38,000 guests an unparalleled opportunity to sample over 1,500 fine wines, spirits and beers from around the globe. A great opportunity to try some experience some new drinks and try some great food.

When:
Thursday, November 14, 2013, 6pm-10pm VIP Preview Evening
Friday, November 15, 2013, 2pm-10pm
Saturday, November 16, 2013, 12pm-10pm
Sunday, November 17, 2013, 12pm-6pm

Where: This event is downtown Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building at 255 Front St W.

Tickets:

VIP Preview Evening Thursday $40 (including HST)

General Admission Friday & Sunday $20,
Saturday Afternoon $25 (including HST) must arrive prior to 5pm, permitted to stay later
Saturday Evening $25 (including HST) arriving past 5pm
Buy ticket for when you plan to arrive

Elite Pass $50 (including HST) The Elite Pass is perfect if you do not know which day you wish to attend as it is valid any one day during show hours. You will also be permitted to enter through the Elite Entrance instead of the General Admission Entrance. If you plan to attend during peak times such as Friday or Saturday evening the Elite Entrance will offer quick access to the Expo as we often experience line ups during these heavy traffic times. The Elite Pass also includes one complimentary sample in the Trialto Booth in the Fine Wine & InterVin Tasting Lounge.

Elite Weekend Pass $75 (including HST) This includes all the features of the Elite Pass as well as a wristband and lanyard that will permit the guest in and out access through the Elite Entrance all weekend. This is for customers who want VIP access to the Expo for multiple days - it includes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

All offerings will cost sample tickets which can be purchased for $1.00 each and are available in sheets of $20.

Brewers: Amsterdam Brewing Company, Beau's All Natural Brewing Co., Moosehead Breweries, Creemore Springs Brewery, Nickel Brook, Mill Street Brewery, Saw Dust City Brewing, and many more!

Cuisine: There will be tons of cuisine including; Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro, College Street, Crepe De licious, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Eudora's Fine Food, Feel Good Guru, Guu Toronto, Hank Daddy's BBQ, Hudson Kitchen, Mad Italian Gelato Bar, The, Maple Floss, Matt & Steve's Tasty Beverage Co., Mushrooms Canada, Playa Cabana, Real Sports Bar & Grill, Royal Elephant Thai Fusion Food, Valor Chocolates, Vegan Bites & Delights, andWindsors Arms Hotel

-Matt

Nickle Brook Headstock IPA

Matt's weekly choice: Nickle Brook Headstock IPA

Look - 3.5  Smell - 3.75   Taste - 3.75  Feel - 4  Overall - 3.75

Look - This India pale ale was poured from a 473mL tall can. It is a murky amber colour with a half finger of off white head. Has little visible carbonation.

Smell - The first scents you smell are very floral and hoppy. It continues with smells of pine, bready malts and citrus. Quite a strong smelling beer.

Taste - The taste starts with a strong pine hops with lasting citrus undertones. It is fairly bitter throughout the drinking experience and has a strong bready malt after taste.

Feel - This beer feels almost like cream ale when you are drinking it which might be because it isn't filtered and has no additive or preservatives. It is quite crisp and smooth with a medium body and light head.

Overall - I really enjoyed this beer but it is definitely for India pale ale lovers. It was surprisingly crisp considering how close the feel was to cream ale. I would suggest one or two of these beers for anytime you want a beer with more flavour.

-Matt

Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale

Evan's weekly choice: Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale


Look - 4  Smell - 3   Taste - 2.5  Feel - 3  Overall - 3

Look - This India pale ale was poured from a 355 ml green bottle into a clear pint glass. When poured it has a clear light golden yellow colour with about 1 finger of bright fluffy white head that dissipates quite fast but never fully disappears. It shows signs of high carbonation throughout the beer. As the head starts to disappears, it left a thin layer of lacing around the India pale ale.

Smell - When first poured the India pale ale was very light on the nose. It had a bready caramel and floral smell with a hint of corn and grassy aroma.

Taste - The beer had a mild sweetness that was kind of sour. It was kind of bitter so I could not pin down any kind of real flavour to it.

Feel - It has a high carbonated feel with a fairly light body that felt a bit dry.

Overall - This beer was just another average India pale ale. I felt like it did not have the stronger taste that most India pale ales have. It was too sweet and didn't give off any distinct taste that would make me want to purchase it again.

-E

Fraser Valley Culture & Craft Beer Festival

The Society Board of Directors would like to bring to you their first benefit debuting Saturday November 30, 2013 that brings together vibrant art, delicious craft beer and some fantastic local cuisine. The Fraser Valley Culture & Craft Beer Festival will feature about 20 different Canadian craft brewers and various artists around the Chilliwack area to bring together a wonderful celebration for the community of Chilliwack. Chilliwack art and beer enthusiasts will fill the landmark Chilliwack Cultural Centre to enjoy the theme of craft beer and local cuisine mixed with rollicking live music. This event will help raise funds for the arts and crafts program at The Centre. The Fraser Valley Culture & Craft Beer Festival is generously sponsored by the likes of the District Public House, Murray Honda, True North Brew Supply, The Chilliwack Progress, Chilliwack Rotary, Tourism Chilliwack, Royal Hotel, Signal Signs & Graphics and 89.5 The Drive. There will be a live auction at 8 pm on Saturday November 30, 2013 where it will auction off prizes for the Sun Peaks Lodge, Fraser River Fishing Lodge, Langley Dive Centre, Therapy Vineyards, Personal Trainer, Anthony Toth, Abbotsford Heat, Valley Helicopters and Chilliwack River Rafting.

When: Saturday November 30, 2013 from 5 pm to 9 pm.

Where: This event will take place at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on 9201 Corbould St. in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Tickets: Tickets are $35 which includes a complementary glass tasting mug and 5 tasting tokens. Additional tokens can be purchased for $2 each while complementary local cuisine will be offered.

Brewers; The list of brewers includes Coal Harbour Brewing, Cannery Brewing, Driftwood Brewery, Howe Sound Brewing Company, Old Yale Brewery, Pacific Western Brewing Company, Parallel 49 Brewing Company, Steamworks Brewery, Dead Frog Brewery, Beverage Concepts, Four Winds Brewery, Tin Whistler Brewery, Turning Point Brewery, Russell Brewing Company, McClelland Premium Imports, Cariboo Brewery, Scandal Brewing, Big Surf Beer and Mt. Begbie Brewery.

Local Cuisine: The list of local cuisines includes Verard Farms, Frankie’s Italian Kitchen, Birdie’s Bakery, Smits & Co Cheeses,Bill’s Beef Jerky, Decades Coffee Club, Fraser Valley Meats, Happy Days Dairy, Holland Shopping Centre, Original Joe’s, and True North Kettle Corn.

So if you are in the beautiful landscape of Chilliwack, British Columbia, stop on by to take in a fantastic event.

-E

Moosehead Lager

Matt's weekly choice: Moosehead Lager


Look - 3.25  Smell - 3   Taste - 3.5  Feel - 3.75  Overall - 3.5

Look - This lager was poured from a 355 ml green bottle into a clear pint glass. When poured it had one finger of white head and was a clear, golden colour. Medium visible carbonation.

Smell - This beer had a slightly skunky and lightly malted smell to it. Also had a faint and sweet grain smell.

Taste - This beer has a nice smooth crispness to it with a taste of grainy hops, it slightly metallic on the tongue. Has a sweetness to it that creates a lasting aftertaste.

Feel - It has a medium carbonated that creates a nice mouthfeel. It was refreshing to drink and has a medium body.

Overall - When smelling the beer you expect a deep skunky taste that most people associate with any beer in a green bottle (UV light changes the taste over time). After tasting it, I was quite surprised that it was a crisp tasting beer that was quite enjoyable. To me it was a pretty average beer that is a nice casual drink- nothing too special.