February 2005
Clark's Ale House, Syracuse, New York
Posted by on Sunday, February 27, 2005 in - leave a comment
Click above for bigger beauty • I came away from a visit to Clark's Ale House knowing I should visit it again in a different circumstance. In the middle of a semi-sub-roaring tour of the town with friends, the quiet of Clark's was a little disconcerting and, given a wrong moment, felt like …
A Lager To Like: Zywiec from Poland
Posted by on Sunday, February 27, 2005 in - 4 comments
I'm not a big lager fan. • Most of the stuff brewed in the UK 'under licence' tastes pretty insipid. Sam Smith's is okay and some imported lagers I've tried have been quite drinkable. Better in hot weather I suspect. Now the people that invented this lager stuff, the Czechs, are damn fine …
Ice Cold Beer v. Brauhaus
Posted by on Saturday, February 26, 2005 in - 2 comments
Ice • Cold Beer (ICB) is on Emerald Hill, just off the overcrowded Orchard Road shopping district, and is a decent spot for an afternoon escape or a happy-hour indulgence. On the rare occasions that I have had to brave Orchard on a weekend afternoon, I generally have wound up at ICB for a pint …
Quick Note: St. Peters English Ale
Posted by on Friday, February 25, 2005 in - 5 comments
I thought I had reviewed this ale but I had not - it was the summer ale but then I see I sorta did. I have to get organized. Then I thought to check the brewer and it does not appear to be listed on the site for St. Peter's. Fortunately, the advocatonians know it exists. Maybe it is only a …
Nova Scotia Beer College
Posted by on Friday, February 25, 2005 in - 5 comments
Big news from my old stomping grounds: • “The Labatt Beer Institute, which officially opened in Halifax on Wednesday, will train students on everything from the history of beer to how to pour it properly. "What I would have thought in my day is that there was very little about beer that the …
Posted by on Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Another Beer Blog
Posted by on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 in - 3 comments
I got an email today from Jim, the author of the Maltblog out of Syracuse NY which just south of GBB central here in south-eastern Ontario. He has a a great post about Rochester's Beers of the World which I am needing to figure out how to get to one of these days. Go have a read over there.
Plzen At Gundel
Posted by on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 8 comments
Gundel is a renowned old-fashioned European restaurant here in Budapest which rose to prominence at the turn of the century and has since seen a few ups and downs. It has recently been bought and revived by international restaurateur George Lang who was born and raised in Hungary and also owns New …
Beer Economics 101
Posted by on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 in - leave a comment
Here is an interesting article which shows the macro-economic factors affecting Heineken's sales and its strategy to react to them: • “ Europeans also are increasingly favoring wine over beer, with the U.K. set to become Europe's biggest wine market by 2008, according to a study commissioned by …
Three More Porters
Posted by on Sunday, February 20, 2005 in - 2 comments
OK. Once again we have the timeless question of "what the heck is a porter anyway?" Each of the words in that question lead you to a different porter I have had in the last 12 months. Unlike a best bitter, a hefeweissen or a barleywine, you never know quite what the brewer is going to qualify as a …
Update From Nepal
Posted by on Sunday, February 20, 2005 in - leave a comment
I picked this out of another email from Ben visiting a part Russian wing of his family in Nepal: • “As usual, conversation was about two-thirds Russian, • one-third English. And my vocab's picking up again -- I had forgotten • that draft beer was "razlivnoe pivo." (Alas, they were out -- the …
Oh, So Bitter!
Posted by on Saturday, February 19, 2005 in - 3 comments
From the Golden Lion Pub and Brewery in Lennoxville, QC, comes Bishop's Best Bitter. I picked up a 500 ml bottle from my local depanneur, which specializes in imported beers and Quebec microbrews. • I've had the Golden Lion's so-called flagship brew -- Lion's Pride -- several times before. They …
Belgians Bars in Singapore
Posted by on Friday, February 18, 2005 in - leave a comment
Before I depart for the bustle of Shanghai next week, as a Good Beer Blogger, I felt it best to offer a short review of some of the best watering holes in Singapore for beer drinkers. While there remain only two brewpubs in the city, the variety of brews available for sale has improved …
Red Alert!
Posted by on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 in - leave a comment
Sadly, evil lerks in the hearts of men: • “The FBI was called out to investigate a suspicious bag in Auburn [California] Wednesday, just one day after a pipe bomb was found near the city's Department of Motor Vehicles office. Authorities were called to a building under construction at Maidu …
Posted by on Monday, February 14, 2005
National Six-Pack IX: Holy Smoke, Church-Key, Ontario
Posted by on Monday, February 14, 2005 in - 6 comments
You have to love the fancy packaging. When you can only buy the bottles at the brewery, however, I guess you have already attracted the audience. The packing tape is a very nice touch. Eleven bucks for a six when you buy two. On tap at many finer brew bars in Ontario. • This is a really good …
Our Man In Nepal
Posted by on Sunday, February 13, 2005 in - 1 comment
We at A Good Beer Blog like to know what is going on out there in the world and so I was really pleased to receive an email or two from Ben who writes from behind a highly unsuccessful internet blackout which is part of the royalist coup in Nepal on the pressing issue of what is there to drink at …
L'Institut de la biére: A Quebec-based website and forum on great beer.
Posted by on Saturday, February 12, 2005
Ontario: Church-Key Brewing, Campbellford, Northumberland Co.
Posted by on Friday, February 11, 2005 in - 10 comments
Directions to Church-Key Brewing. • I got off the 401 at the Brighton exit and headed away from that town, going north. I will write more about this brewery tomorrow when I am not so tired but for now here are some pictures and the assurance that some of the best beer in Ontario is being made in …
National Six-Pack VIII: Raftman, Unibroue, Quebec
Posted by on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 in - 7 comments
You think it is February. Nothing will surprise you in February when you are as many weeks from Yule as you are to spring. Month o' the rut. Then, you try a brew that you have never gotten around to trying and the world is all sunshine and love...or at least has one more good brew to tell folks …
Posted by on Tuesday, February 8, 2005
World Upside-down
Posted by on Monday, February 7, 2005 in - 3 comments
Unbelievable news about World Cup 2006: • “Germany is investing billions of euros to stage the 2006 World Cup that is expected to be the biggest yet in business terms, but the honour of hosting the event has failed to impress German companies, which are crying foul at being squeezed out by big …
Ontario: Celtic Pure Irish Ale, Trafalgar Brewing, Oakville
Posted by on Saturday, February 5, 2005 in - 1 comment
I go to the LCBO more than the Beer Store here in Ontario but when I have gone to the place also known as "the In and Out", I have noticed but never picked up this brand, preferring Maudit or another Unibroue variety. I noticed today that it actually comes in a four pack and thought what the hell …
Relative Risk
Posted by on Friday, February 4, 2005 in - leave a comment
The UK medical mag The Lancet has published a Swedish study on the relative harm caused by alcohol, tobbaco and high blood pressure and found: • “An international team of scientists, writing in the Lancet, point out alcohol is a factor in about 60 different diseases. The researchers found 4% of …
A Reader Writes...
Posted by on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 in - 2 comments
Here is a great comment from a reader, Andrew Mazanec, from St. Louis that I hope we can help with: • “Dear Sirs, • I am a firefighter in St. Louis, Mo.USA. I am heading to Quebec City, Quebec in the end of June through the first week of July for the World Police and Fire Games. I have a few …
Bulgar Beer Boom
Posted by on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 in - 5 comments
For some reason Bulgarians have increased their beer consumption almost 10% in one year: • “The total amount of beer consumed in the country was 294 million litres in 1997, reaching 425 million in 2003 and 473 million in 2004.” • By comparison in 2001/02, Canadian consumers purchased an …
