January 2006
Quick Note: Ram Rod, Young's, London, England
Posted by on Monday, January 30, 2006 in - 1 comment
I have reviewed a few of the beers from Young's before: Special London Ale and Oatmeal Stout, Dirty Dick's Ale and Double Chocolate Stout. Still more work to be done as the brewery lists 20 bottled beers on its website. • This particular bottle pre-dates the new stylish labelling and sits in the …
Beer Today
Posted by on Sunday, January 29, 2006 in - leave a comment
Both a good personal motto and the name of an interesting UK-based beer trade website with its own blog.
Posted by on Sunday, January 29, 2006
Three US Doubles
Posted by on Saturday, January 28, 2006 in - 2 comments
Art by John Neville • A weekend's worth of work, these three large format Belgian Abbey style doubles brewed in Pennsylvania, California and New York from left to right above. I wrote a bit about four doubles just a little over a year ago, including the Ommegang. I repeat it here as the standard …
A Brave Man Wrote Me
Posted by on Thursday, January 26, 2006 in - 20 comments
Home sick from work today, I was interested to find this note in the email this afternoon. Last November, I wrote about the efforts to create a unified advertising campaign in the US about the goodness of beer. Well, today's correspondent appears to be involved in that effort. He write as follows …
Scotland: Traquair Jacobite, Peeblesshire
Posted by on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 in - 2 comments
A wee nip of the good stuff for Robert Burns Day. • This dark red-mahogany ale with a beige rim is advertised as ale flavoured with corriander and that is exactly what it is. A big malty brown ale with a load of straight corriander seed flavour. In the malt there is dry fruit like fig and date …
On reading "Best Before" labels
Posted by on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 5 comments
One of our neighbours from down the street brought us a large bottle of beer in a nice gift bag when they came to our pre-Christmas levy. It was a bottle of Picaroons, from a brewery in Fredericton, New Brunswick. • Nice, appreciated gift. My only concern is that the Best Before date reads …
The History of Beer In Yemen
Posted by on Monday, January 23, 2006 in - 3 comments
This is quite an interesting short history from a somewhat moderate Islamic point of view: • “As people in Yemen undergo many changes in their way of life, and the country eagerly tries to accept from other cultures the good they may possess, something goes unexpected. Not long ago, and during …
Five More From Weyerbacher, Easton, PA, USA
Posted by on Saturday, January 21, 2006 in - 3 comments
Last fall I reviewed the Weyerbacher Brewing Company's Old Heathen Imperial Stout and the Imperial Pumpkin Ale and when I was last down south I picked up this mix of five more of their brews. Weyerbacher has a new web site which is worth checking out. In their history section they explain some of …
Which Is Healthier?
Posted by on Saturday, January 21, 2006 in - 7 comments
Once again the health statistics are being rolled out over which is healthier - beer or wine. Well, it may turn out it is not so much what you drink but what you eat that has the effect, as the Beeb reports: • “Several previous studies have reported that drinking wine is linked to lower … read more »
The <i>Toronto Star</i> Has A Beer Columnist
Posted by on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 in - 4 comments
No. Not me. It's John Filson. But it is nice to see that someone in the Canadian media has realized that a beer columnist is a good idea for a daily paper. He has only had the gig for three months it seems but his style is good. Consider the following from a column from last November 23rd: • “So …
Crisis in Lithuania
Posted by on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 in - 1 comment
Who knew? • “The Catholic Church in Lithuania today condemned beer-making company Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe for using a picture of Jesus Christ wearing earphones to advertise its products...Customers are urged to buy beer and win a compact disk with musical hits.” • I blame the iPod.
Ontario: Rogers' Red Coat Pale Ale, Glenora, Prince Edward Co.
Posted by on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 in - 5 comments
New to the LCBO in a 650 ml bomb. • The graphics are very nice and honour a Loyalist unit from the era of the American Revolution that operated in northern New York and the Canadian St. Lawrence river valley. • Sadly, I cannot recommend this beer. It is sharp and cidery. Again, I can only hope …
Voting For Beer Likely Good For You
Posted by on Sunday, January 15, 2006 in - leave a comment
Just a reminder that the voting for this here blog continues for a few more days over at the Accidential Hedonist. I understand that a vote for A Good Beer Blog results in an immediate sense of well being. See for yourself.
Posted by on Sunday, January 15, 2006
Four Northeast US Winter Ales
Posted by on Saturday, January 14, 2006 in - 8 comments
What is a winter beer? A beer brewed for winter? Is it that simple? CAMRA's annual National Winter Ales Festival is aimed at old ales, stouts and porters but that is not what the US understands by the term. As the Magic Hat offering is called "a dark wheat ale" on the label you can expect to find …
131 Years Dry
Posted by on Friday, January 13, 2006 in - 1 comment
It must be odd that beer is such a large part of one's view of the world's ills that you maintain this sort of record: • “The central Ohio city of Westerville, once known as the "dry capital of the world," is dry no more. A pizza parlor on Thursday became the first establishment in Westerville's …
Maine: Export Ale, Shipyard, Portland
Posted by on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 in - 4 comments
I got a little fancy the photo effects but this is one of my first favorite south of the border ales and the only US beer I ever saw listed anywhere as a "Canadian ale" but I am thinking this is very like Mendocino Eye of Hawk and Special London Ale from Youngs. • A rocky off-white head sits … read more »
Am I A Beer Geek?
Posted by on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 in - 2 comments
Even though I prefer "beer nerd" I guess this description fits me: • “...it was Sean Ziegler, pouring beers for Dogfish Head brewery at at the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Saturday, who told it. "Wine is like an art. Your always subject to nature," Ziegler said. "Beer is more … read more »
Ontario: Stratford Brewing Company, Stratford, Perth County
Posted by on Sunday, January 8, 2006 in - 4 comments
This weekend I made a discovery while looking for things to do while visiting family...OK, my in-laws. Right there in little Stratford Ontario was the Stratford Brewing Company. At the south end of town in a small industrial park area at the back of a building there it was...a van, a man and a set …
Vote For Beer!
Posted by on Thursday, January 5, 2006 in - 3 comments
Hey! A Good Beer Blog has been nominated by some sort of global organization, no doubt UN funded, for Best Blog Covering Wine, Beer or Spirits and Best Group Food Blog. Vote here and give those wine folk and their gin soaked pals a right good thrashing. • This counts towards your membership …
Scotland: Old Engine Oil, Harviestoun Brewery
Posted by on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 in - 4 comments
From Alva in Clackmannanshire. Luscious brown ale, mahogany under a beige rim. Big dark chocolate note right up front. Among the chocolate the twig hops provide bitter which is sustained as notes of date and fig show up. • There is a lot of graininess amongt the richness which, along with the …
Posted by on Monday, January 2, 2006
Festival! Festival!!!
Posted by on Monday, January 2, 2006 in - 4 comments
Once again, it is National Winter Ales Festival in the UK. I hadn't realized the basis for this really good idea before: • “Now in its 10th year, NWAF began because brewers of old ales, stouts and porters could not enter the Champion Beer of Britain Competition – held in August when most winter …
Hoegaarden Protest
Posted by on Monday, January 2, 2006 in - 1 comment
I hadn't realized that there was a protest going on over the decision by InBev to move production of Hoegaarden from the village of Hoegaarden to another facility. A protest web site from the village asks: • “If real parma ham has to have it's origin in Parma, if champagne has to be produced in … read more »
