September 2005
Posted by on Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Quick Note: Iron City Beer, Pittsburg Brewing Co., USA
Posted by on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 in - 9 comments
The LCBO has brought in a load of these little steel embottled mid-west brews and is selling them for $1.70 each. Kind of hard to photograph without making that metallic red look like bad lipstick. Lew Bryson has said of this beer • “The fact is, this is a mainstream American lager that is not …
Polish Elections
Posted by on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 in - 1 comment
I only paid half attention to the Polish elections this year, despite being there 14 years ago when the first democratic elections were held, when folks loved or hated Lech. But skimming through the parties vying for a place in the proportional representation of the Sejm, the lower house, I knew I …
Just Wondering
Posted by on Monday, September 26, 2005 - 6 comments
Seeing as we are getting over 1,000 visits a day now...who the heck are you people?
A Good Beer Symposium?
Posted by on Sunday, September 25, 2005 in - 9 comments
Ever since I picked up a couple annual editions of the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, I have been wondering why such a thing does not exist for beer. We know that beer is a massive economic phenomena and that it is a pervasive habit. Yet, as far as I can tell, there is …
Tail Gating...or tailgating
Posted by on Saturday, September 24, 2005 in - 3 comments
As I am going to a big US college sports event in a few weeks not to mention a few key temples to ale, I am quite interested in the phenomena of tail gating or tailgating or tail-gating. Some readers outside of North American might not even know what a tail gate is - it is the openable rear wall …
Tuckerman Pale Ale, New Hampshire, USA
Posted by on Thursday, September 22, 2005 in - leave a comment
In northern New England we have an expression that is quite useful in Fall: Leaf Peepers. This is defined as tourists that we can sell stuff to...from New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc...places where you figure they also have trees, but still. The economy depends on it. We have some pretty nice …
Why Beer Is Better Than Wine
Posted by on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 in - 11 comments
#5 is my favorite: • “Beer never has a "bad year."”
Inbev profits soar based on its Brazil operations - this should come to a surprise to Molson Coors what with its money losing Brazilian operations.
Posted by on Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Again With The Treats
Posted by on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 in - 2 comments
A co-worker who gets to drive a cop car called and said he had a delivery for me. Fine as long as it is not a summons, I thought. And lo and behold what were gifted me but a beer from the Basque area of France, bought by a pal of his when recently visiting St. Pierre and Miquelon, the tiny French …
Grrreat Scots!
Posted by on Monday, September 19, 2005 in - 6 comments
Five different takes on scotch ales...three of which are even from Scotland. The two on the ends are from Smuttynose of New Hampshire, left, and Middle Ages of Syracuse, NY to the right. Who can not love a nation of ale that includes the style called heavy and know that it is not even the heaviest …
Quick Note: St. Peter's Old Style Porter
Posted by on Sunday, September 18, 2005 in - 5 comments
This beer from St. Peter's is a ruby brown ale under an oddly ivory head. I've never seen an ivory head: tan plus hints of green-grey. This is old style, like Burton Bridge porter: barley candy plus molasses with lime and green hops. The yeast is sour cream or soured milk or something in between …
St. Veronus, Peterborough, Ontario
Posted by on Sunday, September 18, 2005 in - 10 comments
So we went to Peterborough yesterday to see old friends and we had lunch at St. Veronus, a cafe/bar with a subtitle: "Belgian beer temple"...truer words were never writ. We are now looking for jobs in the Peterborough area. • So unaccustomed to great selection, great service, reasonable prices …
Another New Beer Blog
Posted by on Saturday, September 17, 2005 in - 2 comments
The Larsblog has begun. There are very few postings so far but here is a good one about beer in Franconia, Germany where Lars recently visited. I don't really know where Lars is located but that may be half the fun at Larsblog. I just like writing Larsblog.
Two Favorite Bigger Pale Ales
Posted by on Friday, September 16, 2005 in - 2 comments
Here are two of my favorite bigger pale ales: Dead Guy Ale from Rogue of Oregon, USA and Extra Special Bitter from the Propeller Brewing Company of Halifax. They are both at your local LCBO in Ontario right now. There are probably no other stores in the world where you find both - though I would …
Real Ale Boom
Posted by on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 in - 3 comments
The UK is experiencing a boom in real ale sales apparently. Roger Protz puts it this way: • “"There is no ‘real ale crisis'," said Roger Protz, editor of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, which lists a record 80 new breweries in its 2006 edition, most of them micro-breweries...Beers with aroma and …
Harpoon Framboise, Harpoon, Boston, USA
Posted by on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 in - leave a comment
I've mentioned a few previous editions of Harpoon's 100 barrel series: their Union Street Revival Ale as well as the Maibock. The idea is a great one and I wish more brewers would take up the challenge of periodic signiture brews. Turns out this latest one, released last month but only seen by me …
No Beer And No Ammo
Posted by on Monday, September 12, 2005 in - leave a comment
Here is a story bound to reinforce a stereotype or two: • “As residents of Picayune struggled to cope with the after effects of hurricane Katrina, coupled with boredom, they found themselves in the midst of a ban on beer and ammunition. The only thing keeping some citizens of Picayune occupied …
Three More US Pale Ales
Posted by on Sunday, September 11, 2005 in - 4 comments
A Sunday afternoon on a balcony overlooking the St.Lawrence and Lake Ontario and these three fine examples of American brewing. On the radio, the Yankees and Red Soxs in the rubber game of the weekend's series. Perfection. • Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale: From Delaware. I picked up a few of this …
Beer Lovers Rally For Good
Posted by on Sunday, September 11, 2005 in - leave a comment
Lew Bryson has sent out notice of a couple of events you may want to get to if you are a little closer than I am, sitting here ten hours too far north: • “Opportunity Number One: Next Tuesday, September 13, please consider attending the Greatest Beers of The World, a benefit for the American Red …
Long Trail Ale, Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, USA
Posted by on Friday, September 9, 2005 in - 8 comments
I got this note from my man Gary in New Hampshire this morning: • “Long Trail Ale and the brewery's family of choices is well known in northern New England. The Long Trail in Vermont is for hikers, and includes part of the Appalachian Trail. Basically, it is a walk from north to south, 200 miles …
A Nation With A Problem
Posted by on Thursday, September 8, 2005 in - leave a comment
StatsCan has ratted on us all again: • “Canadians bought more beer, wine and spirits last year, but the growth in alcohol sales slowed slightly, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. In total, Canada's beer and liquor stores and agencies sold more than $16.1 billion worth of alcoholic beverages …
Left Hand & Tabernash Brewing, Longmont, Colorado
Posted by on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 in - 4 comments
I picked up these four mid-summer down in Ithaca and I really did not know much at all about the brewer. Blame the cost of transportation. Now I know that they have been around since 1993 and have a close to over-snazzied web site with lots of stuff blinking and cloinging away. Tabernash appears …
Protz's <i>300 Beers To Try Before You Die!</i>
Posted by on Monday, September 5, 2005 in - leave a comment
I mentioned Roger Protz's new book 300 Beers To Try Before You Die! the other day and what did Knut, our man in Norway, do? He got a copy and has reviewed it for us - even sending a very snazzy cover shot, too. Here's the review: • “British beer writer veteran Roger Protz has a new book out …
Cereal Malt Beverage
Posted by on Sunday, September 4, 2005 in - leave a comment
The diversity of unique but wacky laws on the sale of beer never ceases to amaze me. Today I found out about something called a "cereal malt beverage": • “...cereal malt beverage seems a relic of a bygone era. According to the brewing industry, only five other states treat the weaker stuff …
Stouts: Sinha Stout, Bygama, Sri Lanka
Posted by on Friday, September 2, 2005 in - 13 comments
Surprised I was. I pop into the government store looking for kookoo juice and what do I find? A beer I have not seen before. And from Sri Lanka as well. Excellence. I like these dark beers called foreign stouts. Last fall I reviewed another, Royal Extra Stout from Trindad, which is the same sort …
Quick Note: Dirty Dick's Ale, Young's, London, UK
Posted by on Thursday, September 1, 2005 in - 6 comments
A lighter pale ale at 4.1%, it is named after an regular at one of Young's pubs in London which is 260 years old this year. The regular attended the establishment in the 1700s and his smelliness has been remembered through the centuries - Nathaniel Bentley was his name (which leads to a number of …
