January 2005
Australia's Finest...According to Myrick
Posted by on Monday, January 31, 2005 in - leave a comment
The beers I have thus far reviewed have been bottled and exported for sale in Singapore. While there are some excellent exports, there is much better to be found at the numerous microbreweries that are • scattered throughout the country. A couple of years back, I had the pleasure of touring …
One Thousand Bars
Posted by on Monday, January 31, 2005 in - 4 comments
“Now, for the last couple of years, I have had it in my head that I could have a drink in 1000 different bars within a year. I have discussed this with my wife, who thinks I am crazy, and she has agreed to support me in my endeavor. I have also rejoined a health club and am going to prove that my …
C'est What, Toronto, Ontario
Posted by on Saturday, January 29, 2005 in - 3 comments
I was in Toronto for a few days this week and was able to stop by a brewpub called C'est What. I have some notes to add later after I dig through my stuff but wanted to get these pictures up. • The Next Day: I appear to have sprayed my things with notes-be-gone so I'll do this from memory. I …
Posted by on Saturday, January 29, 2005
Later On In Australia Week
Posted by on Saturday, January 29, 2005 in - 1 comment
Notes today from two breweries, Lawrence Victor, a winery making a first stab at brewing, and the Inchant Brewery, formerly tied to at the Rose and Crown Hotel, of Guildford. • The brewery at Lawrence Victor Estate Winery • I discovered Lawrence Victor Coonawarra Old Ale (ABV 5%) at a local … read more »
Posted by on Saturday, January 29, 2005
Australia Day Continues...
Posted by on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 in - 3 comments
Coopers • of Adelaide is one of my favorite Aussie breweries. It is also possibly the only surviving 19th century brewery to remain in the hands of the original family. While the Malt Shovel Brewery tries to reinvent the brews of James • Squire, Coopers has maintained many of its own original …
Aussie Glass Sizes
Posted by on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 in - 2 comments
A few months ago I posted about the names for beer glasses and noted that Australia has some of the most complex set of descriptors which change on a state by state basis. The other day I found this handy chart which explains it all so we that I thought I would entirely igonre any copyright …
Happy Australia Day!
Posted by on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 in - leave a comment
Although Australia's best known beer is justly condemned by foreigners and locals alike, the lucky country offers some of the new world's finest beers. Regrettably, this organ A Good Beer Blog does not (yet) have an Australian correspondent, leaving the task up to this Singapore-based blogger … read more »
Welcome to Australia Week!
Posted by on Monday, January 24, 2005 in - 2 comments
This week will see some posts here at A Good Beer Blog focusing on the scene in Australia, that warmer other Canada, the place to which the smarter cousins immigrated. Australia might win the award as AGGB nation of the year except they would probably win every year with stats like this …
Good Beer Writing
Posted by on Saturday, January 22, 2005 in - 5 comments
Check out Jon at The Beer Site who located in the NW corner of the USA. He is doing some very good beer blogging these days. See the guys at Hail the Ale as well those beer blogging Norwegians.
Hints of Puritanism?
Posted by on Friday, January 21, 2005 in - 2 comments
I was reading the news this week about another health related claim for beer: • Alcohol-free beer 'stops cancer' says the BBCNon-alcoholic beer could help mice fight cancer writes ReutersNon-alcoholic beer may protect against cancer says The Australian • Better mousey health through brew …
Posted by on Wednesday, January 19, 2005
How Do You Describe Beer ?
Posted by on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 in - 2 comments
It's certainly a dilemma that I have, trying to record and describe the taste characteristics of beer objectively. Those familiar with British TV and with the wine journalist Jilly Goulden might be tempted to inject some of her spirit into the proceedings and use adjectives like 'rubber tyres' and …
Belgium: Some Triples Except One That Is Not
Posted by on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 in - 3 comments
Like rich earthy select late vintage riesling...but not. A triple fermentation leaves a bare and hot drink like a medium bodied cider...but not. These five bottles challenge the ability of a sipper to find a place in the beer pantheon for them. Rajotte describes the style in his book Belgian Ale … read more »
Beer Biotech
Posted by on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 in - leave a comment
One of the cornerstones of my enthusiasm for brewing comes from the fact that I have brewed for years, though I am on a break from it now that I am a happy apartment dweller. One of the best ways to pick up some of the information that the homebrewer gets through hands on experience with the …
A Busy Day
Posted by on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 in - leave a comment
What a busy day or so. You come fourth in the blog awards and the world is your oyster: • Two new authors have asked for admittance into the collegium that are the correspondents to this blog, Michael in Atlanta, USA and Matthew in Osaka, Japan. As always, the demands of correspondents are at …
Fourth Best
Posted by on Monday, January 17, 2005 in - leave a comment
A big thanks to all of you who voted for A Good Beer Blog which came fourth in the non-political blog category in the 2004 Canadian Blog Awards. Next year, the podium!
Perfect Brewing Dot Com
Posted by on Sunday, January 16, 2005 in - leave a comment
I received an email from Jim Curtis of Chicago who writes: • “Hey beerbloggers, • My name is Jim Curtis and I'm a homebrewer from the west suburbs of Chicago. I have a general beer and brewpub info site at www.beer100.com. I have just quit my government job and opened a brewing shop in …
Belgian Dark Strong Ales
Posted by on Saturday, January 15, 2005 in - 6 comments
This is a very pleasant pastime this comparison of Belgians which is already into its third month. To say pacing is required is more than stating the obvious. These are big big beers with two of today's selection coming in at over 10%. Good reason to have a get together. • Just as one … read more »
Posted by on Saturday, January 15, 2005
Please Vote For Good Beer
Posted by on Saturday, January 15, 2005 in - 7 comments
I will leave this up top for a while. You can vote for A Good Beer Blog at the 2004 Canadian Blog Awards. Please do. And you are right..it is 2005. But think of all the good we did up to a few days ago. • Update: Please also add your nomination for A Good Beer Blog for the 2005 Bloggies as Best …
Kingston Brewing Company, Kingston, Ontario
Posted by on Thursday, January 13, 2005 in - 24 comments
Readers in the local area may have noticed I have yet to write about the Kingston Brewing Company, more commonly called the Kingston Brew Pub. It's just that I have not got a set of photos that capture the place more than anything but I popped in mid-afternoon today and made a start. • I have …
Japan's Beer-Like Substances
Posted by on Thursday, January 13, 2005 in - 4 comments
This is somewhat depressing news given my inclination towards quality real ale: • “Kirin to enter market for '3rd-category beer' this spring • Thursday, January 13, 2005 at 07:00 JST • TOKYO — Kirin Brewery Co said Wednesday it will join three other major Japanese breweries this spring in …
Ontario Reviews Everything
Posted by on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 in - 2 comments
...related to the drink that is: • “In an attempt to provide more convenience and variety for consumers, the Ontario government is planning a major overhaul of liquor laws that could include the sale of beer and wine in corner stores. Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said yesterday a panel will … read more »
Belgium: Dubbels
Posted by on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 in - 1 comment
You may have noticed there is a lot of talk around here about Belgium. The fact simply is that there are more indigenous styles and more small brewers in Belgium than any other country. Other lands may have had as many (...maybe...) but they have fallen by the wayside, overtaken by mass …
Free Beer
Posted by on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 in - 2 comments
Cory at Boing has linked us all to a recipe for a beer that is claiming it is licenced under creative commons license. The beer is called Vores Øl or "Our Beer." The odd thing about this - and an example of the wacky thinking about copyright being spouted at Boing - is that a beer recipe is not …
Discount Beer
Posted by on Monday, January 10, 2005 in - 3 comments
It is interesting to watch Canada's sugar-pop-beer market battle these days in light of the success of discount beers. The main maker of the low cost lagers which are grabbing a share of the market is Lakeport from Hamilton, Ontario. A new CEO has been appointed at Lakeport who has been a player … read more »
Life In A Beer Shop - Episode 1
Posted by on Saturday, January 8, 2005 in - 3 comments
Here is a report from the front line - the very counter in Bury St. Edmunds from Paul, the owner of Beer2Go, a type of beer store that would be illegal in most of Canada and perhaps some of the USA - certainly Pennsylvania - though it is essentially the same idea as the Party Source in Syracuse …
If You All Really Loved Me...
Posted by on Saturday, January 8, 2005 in - 1 comment
...you would all get together and arrange for a trip for me to this event: • “BEER drinkers from across Britain will head for Manchester at the end of the month, when one of the country's biggest real ale events returns to the city. The CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival, sponsored by the …
Belgium: Orval Trappist, Villers-devant-Orval
Posted by on Thursday, January 6, 2005 in - 2 comments
Orval. This is the nicest little bottle of ale in the hand. Shaped like a Perrier bottle in brown, decorated with a fish on a gold ring, it is the product of Trappist monks - one of the five (or is it six?) real Trappist ales going...well, except St. Sixtus of Westvleteren which you have to go …
National Six-Pack VII: Gritstone Premium, Ontario
Posted by on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 in - 1 comment
I bought a six of this quite a while ago and amongs all the double IPAs, Christmas ales and porters, I kept coming back to one of these when I wanted something nice and sensible. Doesn't sound like much of a recommendation. A warm one poured into a frozen glass produces a decent off-white head … read more »
Beer Tales
Posted by on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 in - 3 comments
You may have heard in the news of a Swedish brewer that has made a cholesterol lowering light beer to be distributed in the USA. Sadly, we have on very good evidence that it is all a big fat buch of hoo-ey and we have our crack team of amateur journalists on the tale. There is, however, rumours of …
Queensland's Fourex Heritage
Posted by on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 in - leave a comment
Apparently the Australian state of Queensland, through its National Trust, has chosen its top 12 heritage icons and #2 is...Mr. Fourex of Castlemaine's XXXX beer. Seems slightly odd as a heritage symbol but I guess Queenslanders like their beer or at least this one.
Bulgarian blows 0.914 BAC - that's 11.5 times the Canadian limit and twice previous limit for death.
Posted by on Tuesday, January 4, 2005
The Drink in Hungary
Posted by on Monday, January 3, 2005 in - leave a comment
As far as I can make out Hungarian social culture is much like Russian social culture. It may also be a pan-European thing that when you socialize you should be prepared to devote a lot of time. I still remember visiting with one family at their place in the Buda Hills. She spoke some English. He …
Belgian Beer Podcast
Posted by on Sunday, January 2, 2005 in - leave a comment
A kind correspondent, Garrick Van Buren, has invited us to listen to the podcast he created which includes a discussion of Belgian trappist beers and other brews of note. Here is the link. I haven't listened yet bit any discussion including Westvleteren which also comes with an intro from Tod …
Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Posted by on Sunday, January 2, 2005 in - 7 comments
Duval, Delirium Tremens, Piraat • Categorizing Belgian strong ales can be a bit of a mug's game but I am going to try to distinguish between golden stongs, dark stongs, triples and dubbles over the next few weeks by finally taking apart a small collection I have gathered over the past months …
Belgium: Saison In Its Silly Form
Posted by on Saturday, January 1, 2005 in - leave a comment
From Paul, our beer vendor [Ed.: ale-monger?] extraordinaire of Bury St. Edmunds, England, comes notes on a beer from Belgium's Brasserie de Silly Brouwerij called Silly Saison: • “This very fine Belgium beer is a dark amber colour, with a creamy head. It has a malty, slightly sweet toffee …
Vermont: Ravell Porter, Magic Hat, South Burlington
Posted by on Saturday, January 1, 2005 in - 1 comment
I had such high hopes for this post, comparing four of the brews in the South Burlington Vermont's Magic Hat Winter mixed 12 pack. Then the holidays hit, then the guests arrived, then the defence of the bottles began. Right now I have maybe 30 singles of beer stuck away for later comment at a …
Beer Fan Found
Posted by on Saturday, January 1, 2005 in - 1 comment
New Year's Resolutions? Find more people who like to write about beer. David Akin is in Toronto and has made an excellent post about some of his favorite ales. I thought from his comment in the post below that he was in BC due to his reference to one of Granville Island beer but no - he appears to …
