December 2005
Belgium: Three Saisons for Hogmanay
Posted by on Saturday, December 31, 2005 in - 8 comments
What to sip for for the New Year, for Hogmanay, as we wait for the baby in the sash to kick the old bearded guy with the staff out of the room as we wait for the odometer of life to click over one more digit? • What better than saison, one of the great ale styles. One, Hennepin, from Ommegang of …
Beer Of The Year 2005
Posted by on Friday, December 30, 2005 in - 9 comments
I have been thinking about which was the best beer, the best pub and the best publication for my 2005. So far I am thinking: • Smuttynose Big A IPA. I know this is not a famous Belgian or a beer everyone rates tops but for me it comes across as simply as an act of love by the brewer for the art …
Quick Note: Figgy Pudding Ale, Kingston Brewing Co., ON
Posted by on Thursday, December 29, 2005 in - 3 comments
If I have a local the Kingston Brewing Company is likely it. The merest merriest wee half-pint this day to whisk away the cold along with a bowl of curried soup. • This Figgy Pudding Ale is one of their best ales for the KBC's signature but quite pronounced apple-fruity yeast. Using soft water …
Quick Note: Twelve, Victory, Downingtown, PA, USA
Posted by on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 in - 1 comment
Victory. I like everything I have had by this eastern Pennsylvanian brewer from the suburbs between Philadelphia and the Amish country of Lancaster County. Facing a 22 oz bomb of 12% vintage ale by Victory is more than somewhat daunting, requiring a wee glass and a fair bit of time. It was bottled …
Ugandan Beer Crisis
Posted by on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 in - 1 comment
A sad tale is coming out of East Africa for lovers of something called Bell Beer: • “Beer shortage hit Kampala suburbs as food prices shot up during the festive season. Bell beer manufactured by Uganda Breweries Ltd ran out in most depots in Luzira, Kitintale and Bugolobi. At Uganda Brewery's …
New York: He'Brew 9, Shmaltz, Saratoga Springs
Posted by on Monday, December 26, 2005 in - 1 comment
Perfect for Chanukah, from the Shmaltz Brewing Company of Saratoga Springs, New York comes this their big holiday ninth anniversary ale brewed from 9000 lbs of malt and 9 hop varieties and comes in at a weighty 9%. The SBC appears to be a one person contract brewing operation from some of the …
Dangerous Beer
Posted by on Sunday, December 25, 2005 in - leave a comment
Somewhat alarming news about a new beer from Austria and its reception in Turkey: • “Even before the bloody head of a sheep turned up on the brewery doorstep, the makers of Roj beer had reason to suspect their light, malty lager might not be to everyone's taste. There was the hate mail, a …
Merry Christmas!
Posted by on Saturday, December 24, 2005 in - leave a comment
Just a short note today to say thanks for all the comments and emails. It is quite fun to have created this space about all things beery and be able to turn to it for other points of view on the stuff that I am thinking about on any given day. So have yourselves a merry little Christmas and take …
Posted by on Friday, December 23, 2005
Knut Goes To A Museum
Posted by on Thursday, December 22, 2005 in - 6 comments
The Museum of London is located at the outskirts of the rather grim Barbican complex in the City of London. My guess was this was built in an area ruined by the blitz was correct, and Wikipedia states that the complex is architecturally important as it's one of London's principal examples of …
Posted by on Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Three Imperial Stouts
Posted by on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 in - 8 comments
The season of Yule demands big beers and there are few bigger as a style, rather than some stunt for high alcohol, than the imperial stout. The Beer Judge Certificate Program describes the style in this way: • “Intensely fruity and malty, backed up by balancing roastiness and prominent hop …
Vaccine-like Beer
Posted by on Monday, December 19, 2005 in - 1 comment
My main blog, AsiaPundit, is a regular an irregular contributor to A Good Beer Blog. I should be more regular but there is so little good beer in China. But there is still good beer news in Asia... and if it holds up to peer testing it could be very good news as Japan's Kirin Brewery has …
£32 For A Bottle Of Beer?
Posted by on Sunday, December 18, 2005 in - 1 comment
I am as much in favour of a nice place to have a tipple as the next guy but this is a bit much: • “Aubergine, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea, west London, offers a beer list with about 15 choices. It includes 75cl (1.5 pint) bottles of Deus for £32. Vincenzo Tagliavia, the sommelier …
Beers At Yule: Five For Christmas
Posted by on Saturday, December 17, 2005 in - 2 comments
Click and your screen will be filled • It was our first Christmas dinner tonight here at Casa del Good Beer and these are the ales we are sampling afterwards. Last year, I reviewed a number of strong ales apt for Yule but only one really was a Christmas ale, the one from Harvey's, and it was no …
Belgium: 8, Trappistes Rochefort, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy
Posted by on Friday, December 16, 2005 in - leave a comment
From the Abbaye St-Remy, again one of the five real Trappists breweries from Belgium. I had their 6 in Peterborough. Thick lace-leaving light beige pillow of a head over lively cloudy mahogany ale loaded down with grey chunky yeast. One of the murkier appearances an ale might have. The nose is all …
Beer and Popcorn
Posted by on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 in - 6 comments
I forget from time to time that about 75% of the readers here are not Canadian even though we are based here at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. So I better throw this story in as a "some places are just nuts" kind of beer news story...even though it is about where I live. You see we are in a …
Belgium: Westmalle Monestary, West Malle
Posted by on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 in - 4 comments
Must...get...through...the...Belgians... • It is a tough old job but someone has to do it. I picked up these two from the Trappist Monestary of Westmalle Belgium separately, the dubbel to the right at Finger Lake Beverage Center in Ithaca, NY and the tripel to the left at the good old Bath Road …
Posted by on Monday, December 12, 2005
Quicknote: Celis Grand Cru, Michigan, USA
Posted by on Sunday, December 11, 2005 in - 6 comments
This beer is from the Michigan Brewing Company but formerly was brewed in Austin Texas by Pierre Celis who had immigrated there after played a key role in the restoration of the entire Belgian white beer style. The brewery has a Flash time-line on all that history and here are three beer blog …
IPAs from Sleeman and L'Alchimiste
Posted by on Sunday, December 11, 2005 in - 9 comments
IPAs (India pale ales) have been a source of perturbation for me ever since I started learning about beer. In my youth – which is to say, up until I was about 40 – I was quite happy to simply drink the stuff (beer) without making any inquiries. Sure, I was one of the first to embrace the …
Collecting Belgians Again
Posted by on Saturday, December 10, 2005 in - leave a comment
Last year, I wrote about collecting Belgians and how you have to have a strategy for dealing with the variety and the strength. A great one is to suggest popping over to friends and sharing. At up to and over 10%, popping a large bottle ought to be a communal event. This year's line-up includes …
InBev Buys China
Posted by on Friday, December 9, 2005 in - leave a comment
Well, not exactly the nation but a big chunk of the the nationalised brewing infrastructure by name of the Fujian Sedrin Brewery. This is interesting as our reports from the ground in China indicate the beer is poor but the increasing demand - at least from certain expats - is enough to justify a …
You, Doing Your Part
Posted by on Wednesday, December 7, 2005 in - leave a comment
You guys are getting busy so, as I sip a Westmalle triple from the winter release at the LCBO, my first in fact, I dip into the mailbag. • This week I received an email from Joe in Winnipeg about a beer he had to tell me about: • “Hey Alan. Here is the review of Fort Garry dark ale. An easy …
Letter To The Editor
Posted by on Tuesday, December 6, 2005 in - 1 comment
Joshua Day of Old Snowmass in Colorado wrote a letter to the editor of the Aspen Daily News about his personal relationship with and love of beer: • “ I recently read a story written by Mark Twain in 1917 wherein he states the similar situation cigar smokers face: "Each man's own preference is …
National Six-Pack XI: Northumberland Ale, Church-Key, ON
Posted by on Monday, December 5, 2005 in - 1 comment
It has been a while since I have done a National Six-Pack review, my effort to find the best Canadian pale ale...well, mostly pale ales. The other day I was heading back along the north shore of Lake Ontario when I hit the rolling hills of Northumberland County when I thought I'd head inland for a …
A Good Beer Blog Nation Update
Posted by on Sunday, December 4, 2005 in - 1 comment
I am happy to report that 27 folks have signed up as members without privileges (MWPs) with the North American Branch of the National Good Beer Blog Mapping Service, GIS Division. But I am a bit confused as to the meaning of the great wasteland of membership that is the Prairies. It is true that …
<i>Alcoholica Esoterica</i> By Ian Lender
Posted by on Saturday, December 3, 2005 in - 2 comments
A few weeks ago I received a free review copy of Alcoholica Esoterica by Ian Lender sent to me by Yen Cheong of Penguin Books in New York. I must say one of the unexpected up sides of blogging has been the wee free gifties that come along and this one is no different. • This book is not the sort …
Coopers' Sales Up
Posted by on Friday, December 2, 2005 in - leave a comment
A sales bump in November. Was it the presence of Craig?
