April 2005
Massachusetts: UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon, Boston
Posted by on Saturday, April 30, 2005 in - 3 comments
Out of a Harpoon mixed 12 with the Ale, IPA and Munich Dark as boxmates. This is a nice US hefe with some of the odd esters that mark the style but lighter than thet original German version. While banana and clove are the usual flavours in the style, as was the case with Paper City's rendition …
Shipyard Brewing, Portland, Maine, USA
Posted by on Thursday, April 28, 2005 in - 5 comments
I didn't pay as much attention to Shipyard Brewing as I usually do when I visit Maine. Maybe because they are now a mini-regional I can get their brews at the Galeville Grocery two hours away. A few years ago, as I went on a bit about back here as I reviewed the IPA, mein host and I got a personal …
Portugal Takes A Stand
Posted by on Thursday, April 28, 2005 in - 2 comments
Interesting to read this this morning in my review of the Portuguese media: • “Lisbon - Portuguese gym-goers are being urged to drink beer as part of a healthy diet in a campaign launched on Wednesday by the nation's main association of producers of the alcoholic beverage. A total of 20 000 …
Posted by on Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Maine Singles
Posted by on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 in - 9 comments
I have some work to do. This is buy a part of the excellent cross section of beers from Maine that I was able to bring back the other week. One of the great things about a good beer shop is the ability to buy singles and mixed packs. When you think of it, a diversity of 12-packs is really no …
Quick Note: Sparhawk Golden, South Freeport, Maine, USA
Posted by on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 in - 1 comment
Sparhawk Golden
Bar Harbor Brewing Company, Maine, USA
Posted by on Sunday, April 24, 2005 in - 1 comment
Amongst all the cargo hauled back up north the other day were more than a few 22 ouncers from Maine micros like these two from Bar Harbor Brewing Company of that sea coast town about an hour south of the US-Canadian border. Bar Harbor is a bit of a hot bed of micro-brewing, being also the home of …
Quick Note: Bishop's Finger, Shepherd Neame, England
Posted by on Friday, April 22, 2005 in - leave a comment
Found at the LCBO southern Bank Street shop in Ottawa, this is truly a lovely ale from Shepherd Neame in Kent. The pale malt fruitiness you taste in crystal malt form in a beer like Bombardier is just as lushly at the forefront - but instead of a prune or raisin, it is a plum or grape...or better …
Creemore Springs Bought
Posted by on Friday, April 22, 2005 in - 42 comments
“Update: Please read the comments to this thread which go a long way to explain the situation at Creemore. I am not, however, amending my post based on those comments as I am still not a fan personally and do still think calling a beer Ur-bock is vanity itself...” • No great nashing of teeth …
Smoking Ban Goodness
Posted by on Friday, April 22, 2005 in - leave a comment
Interesting to note the following comments in our local paper, the Whig-Standard supporting smoking bans in pubs: • “Several bar owners say business has rebounded since the city�??s smoking bylaw went into effect nearly two years ago. Their experience contrasts the findings of a study released …
Pils and Baks in Buda
Posted by on Friday, April 22, 2005 in - 2 comments
My sister is in Budapest with us now, so I went out and bought some German, Hungarian and Czech beers to try out. We also went out to an 'all you can eat' sushi joint on the Buda side called Wasabi (it may be part of a chain) and had some beer there. It was actually my first time eating sushi at …
Beer Blog from Norway
Posted by on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 in - leave a comment
You will see below that Knut has posted about seagull eggs and beer in Norway but I just realized he has his own beer blog. It is in English and looks quite snazzy.
Gritty McDuff's, Portland and Freeport, Maine, USA
Posted by on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 in - 6 comments
Gritty McDuff's Brewpub, Portland • I got to visit both the Portland and Freeport locations of the oldest brewpub in Maine within 24 hours. I am glad to say the brew in each is fine even if the setting of the Freeport pub is a bit rough. It is a bit like drinking in an old storage shed though …
Norway: Mack's Beer and Seagull Eggs
Posted by on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 in - 1 comment
Spring has come to the Northern hemisphere - it is even approaching the Arctic coast of Northern Norway. This means it is almost time for a seasonal delicacy in these parts: beer and seagull's eggs. The eggs are gathered in late April/ early May, and are mostly eaten by the locals; though it is …
Stouts: Fresh Draught Stout, Maine Coast Brewing, USA
Posted by on Monday, April 18, 2005 in - 2 comments
This is a smooth cream stout that goes off in a direction that I just don't quite get. A beige ring over really dark black ale. It has chocolate, licorice and roast barley notes but also a somewhat odd Mennonite apple butter thing in the middle. Not unpleasant but really big and malty like you …
Paper City Brewing, Holyoke, MA, USA
Posted by on Sunday, April 17, 2005 in - leave a comment
We stop in Holyoke as our half way point between Maine and home. Last year at a gas station I saw in the beer fridge one of the Paper City Brewing Company's ales and I recalled I liked it. This year I headed into town and found a variety twelve pack for 13.50 USD. • As I have said before, these …
Quick Note: Lake Placid Ubu Ale
Posted by on Thursday, April 14, 2005 in - leave a comment
This ale is the partner to Lake Placid's 46'er reviewed last month. It is a fine ale but hard to pin-point for style. At 7%, it is like a low-hopped strong US brown or even a weak Belgian dark strong beer. At its heart it is a big malty brew with some definite notes of chocolate and even a bit of … read more »
A Cry For Help!
Posted by on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 in - leave a comment
I am on the road this week in New England, gathering some information and ales for future postings so I have been pleased to receive a few emails that can spark some activity around here - including the offer of a Norwegian columnist! That would be excellent. • In one email, I received this cry …
Quick Note: Harpoon Ale, Boston, Mass.
Posted by on Monday, April 11, 2005 in - leave a comment
A pal brought a 12 of this back from the States the other week. If one skips the border fees - as HE did - it was under 15 CND for the case. It is a well-made brew with a good measure of pale malt graininess but, compared to other north-eastern pale ales I might choose, like Shipyard Export Ale …
Big In Albania
Posted by on Monday, April 11, 2005 in - 4 comments
You may see at the right in "other links" a post on very own correspondent Ale-Fan's new beer named after an Albanian prince from the Middle Ages. He's made the press in Albania, too. Here is a clip from the website Albanian Mail: • “Nëse birra të tilla si "Fosters", "Kronenbourg", "Stella" …
A British Beer Blog
Posted by on Saturday, April 9, 2005 in - 2 comments
The Real Beer Blog has caught my eye this morning. It appears to have been brought into this world of woe on 23 March 2005. A mere pup but a great start.
Two of the Gueuze
Posted by on Saturday, April 9, 2005 in - 2 comments
So, I am sent to the LCBO the other day in search of a flask o' plonk and I am thinking how useless the organizations' beer policies are as they appear to have stopped even providing their quarterly new seasonal selections. The last time new beers showed up was in late November. Sad state of …
Science Discovers TGIF
Posted by on Thursday, April 7, 2005 in - leave a comment
Some scientific studies just seem more interesting than others: • “...new research in the April 2005 issue of Current Anthropology suggests that the story of how the food and drink arrived to the table is just as critical to our understanding of the past as the social behaviors at the table …
Quick Note: Sam Adams White, Boston, USA
Posted by on Wednesday, April 6, 2005 in - 2 comments
This is clearly the second worst witte beer I have ever had after the craptacular but generically, expansively called Belgian Witte - the yellow lollipop beer - reviewed last year and available under that link above. Sam Adams White Beer is not so bad that it is foul - it is bad because it barely …
Russia v. Green Bay
Posted by on Tuesday, April 5, 2005 in - leave a comment
Beer teaches. At least in the sense that you learn a few things when hunting for beer stories. Consider this latest decree from Vlad Putin: • “A ban on consumption of beer in public places came into effect in Russia this month, but no one knows how effectively it can be enforced. • President …
Posted by on Monday, April 4, 2005
Britain's Smallest Pub
Posted by on Monday, April 4, 2005 in - 13 comments
For as long as I can remember there has been debate about the smallest pub in the UK. For long periods, the Nutshell, in my home town of Bury St Edmunds has be proclaimed as that smallest pub. The other contender, the pretender to the throne, is the Smiths Arms in Dorset. The Nutshell is a timber …
Quick Note: Smithwick's Irish Ale
Posted by on Sunday, April 3, 2005 in - 5 comments
I have had Smithwick's on pushed CO2 tap and think of it as that classic dreary keg ale Dave Line was warning about in the 1970s. In Chapter 11 of Pete Brown's 2003 book Man Walks into a Pub, entitled "Kegs, Casks and the Decline of Bitter" we learn what a kegged beer really is. It is not pretty …
Beer and Food: Chutney Treats
Posted by on Sunday, April 3, 2005 in - leave a comment
I have received a hat from Russia from John and electronica CDs from Electron and now I have received the gift of chutney, savory jam for those not in the know. From the Ale-Fan under his own shop's private label, beer2go. Just dandy with cheddar, an English pale ale and some of Fred's Bread's …
<i>All About Beer</i> Magazine
Posted by on Sunday, April 3, 2005 in - 1 comment
I bought the May 2005 issue of All About Beer, published for 25 yeas now out of North Carolina. The picture shown is of an earlier issues as the magazine's web site has not caught up to its current newstand issue. I seem to buy an issue every year or so which is a fair comment on my regard for it …
