A Good Beer Blog

November 2004

Quick Note: Labatt Porter

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 8 comments
While on the road, I chanced by a depanneur near the pulp mills in downtown Hull and found an artifact, Labatt Porter. This beer is a vestige of an earlier style of Canadian beer which died away as lagers came on to the scene. Old lumberjack taverns up the Outaouais may still have old sign for …
Beer blogging in Colorado.
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Irene's, Bank St., Ottawa, Canada

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
Last night before going to see the Pixies, the siblings and I took advantage of the moment to visit an old friend, Irene's pub in Ottawa's Glebe district. Irene's is a neighbourhood bar which means it is not necessarily the place to take someone on a first date unless you are on a serious testing …

Arrow and Loon, Bank St., Ottawa, Canada

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 8 comments
We also stopped by the Arrow and Loon where I did break with the club soda and lemon habit to have one Wellington County Ale. The difference with the decor of the Arrow and Loon compared to Irenes is a bit off-putting. It is like having a pint in a Roots shop, a bit yuppie gone wild. The …

More Beer Radio

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
From the Homebrewer's digest comes a link to North Queensland Craftbrewers Radio Show. If I thought the USA-based Beer Radio was perhaps a little over-produced to meet the expectations of its market, this goes well the other way. I have been listening to the first show on the list and it sounds …

Binge

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
It is not easy getting a handle on what a drink or more than a drink does for or to your health. In the UK, there is a lot of effort going into warning against binge drinking. This is one of the campaigns of the Portman Group, an association of UK drinks manufacturers. Medical research seems to …

Lockjaw Double IPA, Stewart's Brewing Co., Bear, Delaware

Posted by Joe Reed on in , , , - leave a comment
Yes, Double IPA. I luckily found this beer when I wandered into Stewart's on Friday night. I questioned the owner about the makeup of the beer; unfortunately, he didn't have the answers to all of my questions. But I'll judge it the best I can.  •  The beer was advertised at 8% ABV. Hardly a … read more »

National Six-Pack V: Sleeman Fine Porter, Ontario

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 5 comments
This is a shift. I am going to include true six packs which are not necessarily pale ales when cause warrants. This one does.  •  It is the first Sleemans signature series brew, out for a limited time only and it is a porter. Interesting stuff but, first, look at the outside - they are blinding me …

Rogue Yellow Snow Ale, Oregon, USA

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
Another seasonal release by the LCBO and the offering of one more Rogue Ale. As discussed before, the biggest monopoly in the market left in the world, only seems able to stock Rogue ales one at a time - next Saturday, I will be at a corner store with ten. Two months ago it was their chocolate …

Quiz

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
Name that brand:

Buying beer in Quebec

Posted by Blork du Montreal on in , - 20 comments
The workers of the liquor stores in Quebec are on strike. In any other place in Canada that would cause a small crisis, but Quebec is distinct in Canada for several reasons, one of which is the retail sales of beer and wine. While spirits can only be purchased at the government-run retail stores …

Thanksgiving Beer

Posted by Joe Reed on in - 1 comment
Everyone wants to know what wine to serve at Thanksgiving. I, naturally, prefer to serve beer. Plenty of beers pair well with the traditional feast:  •  Dogfish Head Punkin Ale  •  Victory Fest  •  Anchor Steam

Beer Trade War

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
And squid and plywood and VCRs...  •  Canada has announced a proposed trade retaliation against the USA over what is being called the Byrd Amendment dispute which will add a 100% trade surcharge against imports of US good and it includes tariff item 2203.00.00 "beer made from malt". Interestingly …

Names for the Glass

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 10 comments
A reply to Bruno's post at his blog alerted us to the problem:  •  “Heu...  •  Un demi c'est 250ml, soit 1/4l, soit effectivement a peu pres une demi pinte.”  •  This is the problem at set out in the post below:  •  “...in France, when you order beer, the usual glass is the demi. France invented …
Scottish Brewing Archive
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Beer as Soft Drink

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
<a href="In Russia that is. When I worked in Poland not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the same shop sold you your bread and your beer and instead of excusing yourself past over-loaded grocery carts, you had to weave through the weaving neighbourhood gents. As part of a crackdown on its …

An Ordinary Bar in Bayonne, France

Posted by Bruno Bord on in - 7 comments
Cold November late afternoon. I'm entering an ordinary bar in Bayonne, in front of the market. There are half a dozen of customers, drinking coffee, tea, milk with chocolate. The bartender says a loud “hello” as I sit at the bar. I often sit on bar chair, lean on the counter.  •  “Bartender: What …

Beer Radio

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
The other day I wrote about the US Beer Hall of Fame proposed for Cincinnati and asked for anyone who could give me an answer why this was necessary. Well I got an answer - direct from the man behind the initiative, Dennis Buettner, President of Leisure Technician LLC. His company which presents …

Gdanskie, Gdansk, Poland

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
In a quick moment of research looking up Lisa's beers in the previous post, I came across this reference to an old pal from this website:  •  “Gdanskie: 6.2%. Pale lager. From the now closed Hevelius brewery in Gdansk.”  •  Finding this stuff in a corner store in the Baltic provinces of Poland in …

Hungary Czech Hungary

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 15 comments
Dreher Classic, Krusovice Cerne, Borsod Bivaly  •  Hot in from Budapest is a digital photo of three brews picked up by Lisa shopping today. She tells us:  •  “I've attached a photo of some beers I bought at the grocery store. I know that the one with the bull on the front is probably pretty …

Stouts: Royal Extra Stout, Trinidad

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 6 comments
This is one of my favorite winter stouts, a real foreign stout. A foreign stout was a high test export ready stout created to survive a sail. Imperial Stouts, dry and roasty at pushing 10%, were originally created for the Baltic trade between England and the northern Slavs in the late 1700s and …

Historic Ales of Scotland

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , , - 13 comments
Alba Pine, Fraoch Heather, Ebulum Elderberry, Grozet Gooseberry  •  I buy this four 330 ml bottle boxed set every Christmas at the LCBO for no doubt an exorbident price given all the fancy packaging. What I do not understand is why the beers in this promotional package are not otherwise available …
Apparently a beer blog in Norway. "Gutteklubb" - now is that a "good" or "gut" club?
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Beer Swilling Elephants

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - leave a comment
If it were not for the word "beer", this story might not have been reported, at least not in the West:  •  “ GAUHATI, India — Wild elephant herds have been terrorizing India's remote northeast, killing people, flattening houses and even guzzling local rice-beer supplies, prompting villagers to …
What is a beer scooter? or a "Beer and Bike" race?
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Beer Lore: Hungary

Posted by Mike Campbell on in - 7 comments
I'm not sure of the veracity of this Hungarian custom, but I was in Budapest in 1993 and was advised by a local that it was improper to toast with beer in Hungary -- with wine or spirits, yes, but not with beer. I was drinking Czech pilsner at the time, by the way, the real Budweiser.  •  The …

New Authors Being Added

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 3 comments
One of the things were are trying to achieve around here is adding multiple authors from around the world. As we speak, negotiations are underway for adding a blogger each from south-west France near the Basque region of Spain as well as one from Amsterdam. If you would like to be considered for …

Belgium: Checking Out Four Blondes

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 4 comments
Affligem Blonde, Bruegel Amber Ale, Leffe Blonde, Petrus Special.  •  In his book Belgian Ales, Pierre Rajoute states:  •  “Trying to classify Belgian beers in well-defined styles is like attempting to impose guidelines on the Belgian brewmaster's creativity. There are always beers that at one … read more »

National Six-Pack IV: Big Rock Traditional Ale, Alberta

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - leave a comment
A trip to the LCBO located this week's contender for national six-pack supremacy, Big Rock Traditional Ale out of Alberta. To review, this is the nation of Canada we are discussing and the pursuit of the best pale ale produced therein. So far we have had the great, the good and the ugly. The last …
Big in France.
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Collecting Belgians

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - leave a comment
Brewery Ommegang, outside Cooperstown, New York  •  The LCBO is starting its holiday promotions with some gift packs that will make for some interesting comparisons amongst the Belgians. I picked up the Brouwerij Van Steenberge six pack as well as one from Brouwerij Bavik with three different …

The Government Store, Canada

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 4 comments
When I was a kid old O.H. Armstrong in our church called it the "Government Store". In the South Shore of Nova Scotia apparently it is called the "Power House". What ever you call them, there is a little left over from prohibition in every province in the country - the need to control...which also …

Terry Foster, Beer Writer

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - leave a comment
Terry Foster is one of my favorite beer writers and the most interesting thing about him as a beer writer these days is he does not have a website. I don't know how you can exist without a website these days. How else will all the Google bots be able to share your daily musings. Google …

Nova Scotia: Maxwell's Plum, Halifax

Posted by Mike Campbell on in , - 32 comments
As I've mentioned at my bio on the sidebar, I've noticed that Maxwell's Plum, a pub in downtown Halifax, is now offering 160 brands of beer, with 60 brands on tap. I haven't been by yet, but I promise some dedicated reportage in the coming months. I'm thinking of maybe going at them alphabetically …

Gales Brewery, Hampshire, England

Posted by Mike Campbell on in - 4 comments
George Gales & Sons Ltd. is a fine, independent brewery in Hampshire, England, south of London. I had the pleasure of sampling its fare recently.  •  When one finds oneself in Winchester, one may walk along centuries-old walls toward the old city's medieval Kingsgate. Go through an archway and …
Beer and Church Revival.
Posted by Alan McLeod on

Where is Guinness Best?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
A UK pub owner spents £5,300 of his own money to fly 48 of his patrons to Ireland to find out if the Guinness there is actually the best. I wish he was my pal.

Adnams, Suffolk, England

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - leave a comment
Here are two siblings I picked up recently, Adnams Broadside Original Ale and Adnams Suffolk Strong Bitter. This first was $2.99 USD at the Party Source, the second $3.25 CND at the LCBO. With taxes and custom costs, the first likely cost at least $5.00 CND. The cost of research.  •  The brewery …

Tasks

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
My "to dos" for the weekend:  •  Two more Cooperstown brews to go, saving the last porter for last - done,Taste driving the Historic Ales of Scotland - went with the Adnams instead,A short review of the work of Terry Foster, beer writer - not so short as it turned out Get some interior shots going …

Some Go Too Far For A Brew

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
The funniest thing is the fact that the guy was buried with beer in the first place:  •  “A woman has been arrested for digging up her dead boyfriend's ashes from a cemetery more than 10 years ago and drinking the beer that was buried with him, possibly out of spite for his family, authorities …

Beer As Physio

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
...Or so thinks one UK darts player.