beernesday

i'll be spending my hallowe'en afternoon at empire stadium enjoying the last bc lions' home game of 2010 and the last game in the outdoor stadium i've enjoyed the stadium i'll admit to being quite apprehensive at first about sitting outside in vancouver weather but it has been mostly very enjoyable good choice to be all nostalgic this year while bc place is under destruction/construction/obstruction but the beer you just knew i was gonna have to bitch about the beer! what's with horribly insipid beer at outrageously inflated prices? blech! next year, in the newly improved bc place, i would very much like to see some craft beer even a return to russell's horrid bc lions lager would be an improvement over the bud and bud light lime! but what if we got good beer? c'mon howe sound, c'mon r & b, c'mon dead frog, c'mon storm someone get the contract for the stadium and give us good beer for our overpriced enjoyment!!

"the main reason we wanted to do it that way is i feel like i'm making [the beer] by hand.  it's craftmanship - it's my art, how i make the beer," said damien malfara, old forge's founder and brewer. "for better or worse, whether you like it or not, this is how i'm making it... same thing goes for the rest of our place - for better or for worse, that's what our bar looks like, because somebody made it.  that was his creativity - that was his passion." damien malfara old forge brewing company founder and brewer quoted by sean lewis beer advocate #44

from the wacky world of brewdog, blog posts about their 2/3 pint revolution for post #1, click here : World’s smallest protest looks to end 300 year-old licensing law for post #2, click here :   Two Thirds Too Far?

my tasting notes, such as they are, from october 27ths beernesday: in my sampler i had: longwood brewpub copperbock:  7.2%  in keeping with german tradition, this fest beer is a smooth, creamy seasonal lager well balanced with little hop aroma. red truck limited steam beer:  5%  a hybrid beer style brewing using lager yeast fermented at ale temperatures.  the result is a full flavoured, yet surprisingly crisp beer. craig street brewpub arbutus pale ale:  5%  a british style ale with a craft west coast attitude, light in body with a subtle lingering hop character. storm brewing 12 year black current lambic:  7%  not for the timid!  this beer is INTENSELY sour, dry and complex. i found the copperbock to be very clear and coppery in my glass, not too carbonated, smooth and malty, nice, but nothing to write home about i love the steam.  it just keeps surprising me with how much i am in love with it - which is why i keep putting...

my camera broke after only a couple of shots at beernesday this week sadly the darned thing is still not working properly is it worth fixing? probably not looks like its time for a new one... chan likes to bastardize her beer with clamato juice, but we like her anyway

seems to me that if you want to revive a dying beer market in the uk, making better beer might be the first step thanks molson coors for taking over small craft breweries and making them water down their beers cuz surely that's not at all what's wrong with beer these days or causing flagging sales... for the actual article, click here .

blech, do i ever not like samuel smith's india ale top fermented in stone yorkshire squares (must be that top fermenting yeast that's getting to me) couldn't get past the second sip thank dog bridget likes it and was willing to finish the other 500mls on the bottle:  "in the 19th century there was a considerable trade in ale from britain to india.  the land of spice was britain's major export market.  the heavy hop levels of these pale ales shipped on the long voyage to india naturally preserved the ale and complemented the flavourful and exotic cuisine of the east.  samuel smith's india ale is characterised by the colour of a golden sunset, a refined maltiness and an emphasis on the aroma and flavour from britain's best hop gardens." tried it again at firefly on tuesday still don't love it, but it did go down better than the other night... it really has a belgiany nose to it and i think i just can't get past that poor belgians, i...

"craft beer means different things to different people.  to some, it means high doses of alcohol and copious amounts of hops.  to others, it is typified by well-made, low-alcohol beer served out of a cask.  it is dark, it is light, it is hoppy, it is sour.  the one thing it is not, is mass produced." sean lewis beer advocate #44

from my friend tin lizzy's facebook: "sometimes you just need your tarp to stay put" yes, those are full beers weighting down the tarp over the unfinished chicken coop! here's her explanation on using full beer bottles rather than uncapped ones, or ones re-capped after being filled with sand: " yep they're full! the twine stays put better with the caps still on, and and they hang better with beer in 'em. Although yes - your solution is more elegant and long-term! Is all good - next couple days they'll stay pretty chilled out there, they just need to stay put til the boys come back monday!"

the huffington post has 31 ways to do it now this is useful information! click here to be illuminated in the art of beer opening

i had been to uva on seymour street a couple of times shortly after bit opened with my foodie wine drinking friends, but must admit i hadn't been there recently until friday night we were on granville street after an early show at venue, just as the canucks game let out we wanted another drink before calling it a night but weren't looking to get swept up in the post-hockey mayhem uva seemed a solid choice i recalled the tapas were tasty, and reasonably priced for such a fancy place i loved their sunday evening tapas and champagne deals in particular... anyway, we had yummy tapas (the risotto balls are especially good for the soul) and i was impressed by their beer list! the beer list is about half belgians then lots of the usual classier imports and there, right at the bottom, are two lost coast choices! i recalled having the indica ipa at st. augustine's from a keg, and liking it so figured i'd probably like it in a bottle too and i did!! lovely citru...

brewing with rye, the grain pliny the elder said was "unpleasant to the stomach" "Judging from BeerAdvocate's online reviews and other sources, it appears that at least 500 different beers made with rye have hit American tap handles in just the past decade.  Often, the grain is used to tive a new twist to a classic style... This dabbling has been going on for about 20 years, and not surprisingly, it led to the creation of a singular style known as American Rye beer.  Brewed as either an ale or a lager, the style is much like American Wheat beer, in which the flavor of the grain adds a subtle complexity to barley malt.  Often, it is highly kilned to provide both color and a distinctive, sometimes off-putting, nutty flavor." Don Russell Beer Advocate #44

Craft Beer Locator Beer Fact of the Day: Many Christmas Beers or Winter Warmers will feature cinnamon. Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices & has been used for colds, nausea, diarrhea. It's believed to improve energy, vitality, & circulation. Recent studies show a beneficial effect on blood sugar & to contain antibacterial & antifungal properties.

wish i was gonna be in edinburgh on november 4th and not just because i'd love to be off work and travelling (yes, i know, i only just got me a new contract, but still, who doesn't love being on vacation???) but because i want this meal!! (and not just because every other line says "tasting of 3 brewdog beers", although that certainly doesn't hurt my wanting to eat this meal!!) (click here to get to the actual brewdog blog post) The Menu and Beers Arrival glass of Brewdog 77 Lager Tasting of 3 Brewdog beers followed by Pumpkin and Orange Soup w/ caraway breadstick  and Brewdog 5am Saint or Mussel and Saffron Chowder w/ crostini  and Brewdog Trashy Blond Tasting of 3 more Brewdog Beers followed by Zinfandel braised Lamb Shank w/ sweet potato mash and root vegetable  and Brewdog Dogma or Tornedos of Fresh Salmon w/ crab & cilantro crumble and green lentils  and Brewdog Hardcore IPA or Woodland Mushroom and Potato Gratin w/ lemon paprika braised rice ...

and the final installment in my foray into lagunitas ipas,  the hop stoopid! practically jumped out of the bottle huge head on the vigourous pour very pale in the glass, and a little cloudy enormous hop nose 102 ibus big hop flavour that keeps on giving 102 ibus think that's enough for you? it sure works for me! i'd drink it again! on the bottle:  ""give it to mikey... he'll drink anything..!"  up the bomber went in toast, then to his lips, and what happened next could not have been foreseen.  hop stoopid, a slick re-animator green fluid oozed from the bottle.  when it crossed his teeth and came in contact with the bitterness flavor receptors on his tongue, his eyes rolled back in his head, he did a sort of death ratter, a cloud crossed the sun, and all his hair fell out.  a spot on the side of his cheek blistered and a little bit of juice squirted out laterally starting a small fire.  the rest of his head did the indiana jones melting ...

look, i finally put up a shelf for my beer glassware and with it the anchor swag i got in the summer at the canada cup of beer!

if so, you should enter brewdog's contest! come up with a caption for this photo: click here for the link.

yet more tasting notes from the last beernesday at st. augustine's... this time its all the bottles that we tried! and between three of us, we tried quite a few: elysian brewing co. avatar jasmine ipa:  6.3%  has a very floral nose while the taste is an elegant balance allowing the subtle flavor of jasmine to prevail through essential hoppiness. southern tier unearthly imperial ipa:  10%  vigorously hopped high abv beer that is still eminently drinkable. kiuchi brewery hitachino nest real ginger ale:  7%  a dose of fresh ginger root added to the brew kettle creates an intriguing mix of ginger, malt-sweetness, and citrus-like aromas. flying dog classic pale ale:  5.5%  brilliant amber in color and dry hopped for an unrivaled hop flavor. jasmine ipa:  good head, clear, floral, light hops, pale, malty yet still crispy and hoppy.  big floral nose.  delicious at first, almost too sweet as i get further down the glass.  pe...

"Brands like Red Racer, Driftwood, who are totally thinking outside of the box... they're the next wave... All liquor distribution, liquor control issues aside, I think there's something festering that's about to totally happen in this province as far as brewing.  I think we'll see a handful of new breweries happen, real small, that'll be really innovative and great." Nigel Springthorpe co-owner of the Alibi Room quoted in the Vancouver Courier September 17, 2010

the tasting notes from this week's beernesday at st. augustine's and i had help this week, from both lara and ananda - thanks friends! i started my night with a sampler, as always mill street brewery original organic lager:  4.2%  100% organic.  brewed with imported malt and hops, this german pilser offers a light, crisp and refreshing flavour with a clean finish. rogue ales brutal bitter:  6.2%  an imperial bitter with exotic traditional floor malts, citrusy, hoppy flavor, stupendous hop aroma. salt spring ales whaletail ale:  5%  an altbier that is amber coloured and packed with flavour. pike brewing xxxxx stout:  7%  full-bodied velvety malt texture with hints of chocolate, licorice, and espresso on the palate. amanda hated the mill street when she tried it a few weeks earlier (and since i didn't see it on the intervening beer lists, perhaps this is from a different keg) so i thought i'd see if i agreed with her!  brave of me...

its my 352nd blog post! and yet another installment in the "beers i wanna try" list! clown shoe s hoppy feet black ipa - 7% oskar blues mama's little yella pils - 5.3% breckenridge regal double pilsner - 7% midnight sun hop dog double wheat ipa - 8% sweetwater crank tank rye'd ale - 6.2% sun king osiris american pale ale - 5.6% williams bros kelpie seaweed ale - 4.4% williams bros midnight sun dark porter ale - 5.6% yazoo sue imperial smoked porter - 9%

rogue has gone to the turkeys!

tofino is getting itself its very own brewery! like i needed another reason to wanna be in tofino! there's not much on the website yet, but here's the link .

pics from october 20th's beernesday at st. augustine's where fun and much beer was had by all (well, tamara and denise don't drink the beer... but we still let them come to beernesday...) and the food was good too!

pintley.com got a pretty good review in beeradvocate #44 , so i thought i'd check the website out ("Bottom line:  Pintley is a fun and informative website that promises to offer fresh insight, and it will surely grow along with its community.  There is even a Pintley iPhone application in the works.  But be warned - while Pintley seems magical in its ability to determine what beers you will enjoy, it's also very good at eating up many hours of your time!"  Lisa Morrison - Beer Advocate #44) i gotta say, its a fabulous idea, but i'm less than impressed with the site. the blog hasn't been updated since june 25th there are very few local breweries represented on the site and even though i rated every belgian beer in the initial list as "hated it", they still included several belgians in my list of 145 beers they were convinced i would love perhaps i just need to rate more beers and it will start to get the actual picture of my likes i will try i...

jan zeschky talks to james walton of storm brewing for the link, click here

howe sound in georgia click here for the link to the story howe sound at camra's harvest fest (along with storm, phillips and russell) as soon as the link is fixed, click here for the blog post

according to beer advocate, these are the 25 best beers on planet earth at this time:     Score / WR Reviews 1 Trappist Westvleteren 12 Quadrupel (Quad)  / 10.20% ABV Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) A+  / 4.55 966 2 Pliny The Elder American Double / Imperial IPA  / 8.00% ABV Russian River Brewing Company A+  / 4.51 1668 3 Pliny The Younger American Double / Imperial IPA  / 11.00% ABV Russian River Brewing Company A+  / 4.49 493 4 The Abyss American Double / Imperial Stout  / 11.00% ABV Deschutes Brewery A+  / 4.47 911 5 Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) American Double / Imperial Stout  / 11.20% ABV Founders Brewing Company A+  / 4.46 1336 6 Trappistes Rochefort 10 Quadrupel (Quad)  / 11.30% ABV Brasserie de Rochefort (Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy) A  / 4.41 1691 7 Trappist Westvleteren 8 Dubbel  / 8.00% ABV Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van West...