A Good Beer Blog

December 2008

Scotland: Tokyo, Imperial Stout, BrewDog, Fraserburgh

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 2 comments
No picture. Had one of these last night and it was only later I realized it was 12%. The most more-ish 12% beer in the history of the universe, me thinks. Masses of layers of flavours the specifics of which you can fill in at your own discretion - but with a smooth core like a wee bit of lactose … read more »

The Best Of 2008 From A Good Beer Blog - Part Two

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 1 comment
This is my best photo of 2008. I now feel that it is a bit of cheek suggesting I even have a best photo given both the quality that comes through the Yule photo contest as well as the simple fact that I did not take the variety of photos in 2008 that I did in years past. I like the stability of …

The Best of 2008 From A Good Beer Blog - Part One

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
See, if I write "Part One" it means I don't really have to write a full post while at the same time I can put off all those emails for the contest winners I was supposed to have gotten out by now. It's coming along - almost half are out - but even you have to admit that there is no way I ever …

Quebec: One Nation Founded Upon... A Beer Brand?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 3 comments
I am not against Quebec separatism. Heck, I am not against separatism anywhere as long as the people actually want to separate. I have tartan clothes, you know. Just saying these things can happen. But this news today in the National Post (but noted by Rick Lyke weeks ago) seems to hint strongly …

Scientific Discovery Leave Us Asking Same Questions

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 3 comments
I recall a George Carlin news item joke that I may have posted somewhere here somewhere before: "scientists have discovered that saliva causes cancer but, fortunately, only when taken over a long period of time in small amounts." That is the sort of reaction I had when I read today's beer and …

Belgium: Nostradamus, Brasserie Caracole, Falmignoul

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 6 comments
Christmas Day. Two naps, a new Wii and a beer named after a failed Renaissance seer. Good Lord, I wrote about Belgian dark strong ales almost four years ago. Before almost anyone else was blogging. Bet that post's all wrong.  •  Michael Jackson points out in Great Beers of Belgium that this brewer …

Yuletide 2008 Photo Contest Grand Prize Winners!!!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 12 comments
Now maybe I can get some sleep, get some work done...maybe buy the children a present. Brace yourself for a very long post setting out the final prize winners and runners-up for the UK, the United States as well as Canada plus, waaaay down there a final announcement of the grand prize winner. Jeff …

More 2008 Photo Prizes: Getting Close To The Finish!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
OK, now that we have all marveled at the grumpy man, we have two last announcements. Tonight, we wind up the most part of the remaining prizes - each a glory to behold - while we will finish off in a grand finale with the best of the best announced Tuesday night eastern North American time. Then … read more »

How The 2008 Yule Beer Blog Photo Prizes Get Awarded

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
Dramatic Update: Using that scientific method and applying higher mathematics (meaning I used my counting skills) it appears we have more prizes than photos. So, two pictures have been added to the final round of giftings - making now for 21...22 - and more counting is planned. We may still … read more »

Ontario Beer Prices Go Up For No Good Reason At All

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - 6 comments
Liar, liar, pants on fire. That is what the Toronto Star says about the LCBO and Ontario's government anyway:  •  That 6.7 per cent increase in the floor price of a case, bottle deposit excluded, has nothing to do with supply-and-demand, production costs, overhead or distribution expenses. Instead …

Ontario: Yuletide Cherry Porter, Barley Days, Picton

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , , - leave a comment
Apres shovel.  •  I had been waiting for this beer for a while. In 2006, I even went looking for it only to find the predecessor brewery rather empty. Fortunately, the Barley Days story has been a happy one so far. I have been a repeat purchaser of their Wind and Sail Dark Ale, though I heard from …

Prizes #11 To #21: Beer Blog Yule / Xmas 2008 Photo Contest

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 7 comments
There has to be a better way to do this. Jeff is still hauling casks around the cellar. And last night here it turned into a party of the local beer club - aka the guys from work that I am training to like good beer. Today was loaded up with things like digging out from a blizzard as we await …

First Wave Of Prizes For 2008 Yule Beer Blog Photos

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 14 comments
Let's see if I can make this work. I have decided that announcing all the prizes at once is such a daunting task that I can't ever fit it in now that the holiday nuttiness is getting...nuttier. Also, I have to figure out how to do this HTML table thing. If I have it all oging out at once and can't …

Scenes Of Red Tape: If The Last Tenant's Licensed, You're Not!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
Sometimes the wonder that is the bureaucracy around licensing is a beauty to behold. Consider this sad tale from the latest session of the Chattanooga Beer Board:  •  Tonya Hacker appeared before the Chattanooga Beer Board on Thursday for approval of a beer permit for Rhapsody Café which she and …

Xmas 2008 Beer Blog Photo Contest Final Forty

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
It's been crazy around here and Jeff is up to his neck in office dickheads. But we are down to the final strokes, the last steps in judging now and are happy to announce the final forty entries.  •  Who will win the grand prize? Who will it be?

Pre-Drinking: What Is Old Is New Again

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 12 comments
I am not sure what it is about journalists these days but they seem to have entirely forgotten what life was like in the 1980s. People seem to think that, you know, the special friends relationship of hooking up was invented by those with a Blackberry and that facing economic tough times is …

New Brunswick:Yippee IPA, Picaroons, Fredericton

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 8 comments
There I was, gleefully hacking through the Xmas 2008 Beer Blog Yule and Assorted Holiday Photo Contest and Snowballing Spree, culling the herd from 524 pictures to a select 132 or so, needing a little something. Thirsty work so I popped a 500 ml 6.5% New Brunswicker IPA from Freddie's Beach. I had …

Day 29: The Contest Is Closed...Let The Reckoning Begin

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
This really has gotten out of hand. I spent a couple of hours finalizing the entries to the best of my meager abilities and as far as I can tell we have had 524 photos sent in, 186 email threads and about 40 prizes pledged by 30 of the nicest beer folk out there. I have no idea how we are supposed …

Jay Wonders If He And The Session Will Go All The Way!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 1 comment
Starting with the metaphor of going steady, Jay sets out his observations on the state of The Session with the line "Dear Session, we’ve been going steady now nearly two years...and I think perhaps it’s time to “talk.”  •  He's right. The thing needs a couples weekend, a counseling session … read more »

Day 25: Prepare Ye! The End Is Nigh! Santa Commeth!!!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
Well, I think it is safe to say that as far as Jeff and I are concerned the 2008 Yule, Christmas and Assorted Other Holiday Photo and Yodeling Contest has been insanely successful. With the addition of the latest photo gallery at flicker, there is a total of 388 entries and thirty prize giving …

A City Of 1890 In Love With Strong Ales

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 5 comments
I had reason to mine the archives of The New York Times today - for entirely proper purposes, I can assure you - but it was quite a moment, that moment when I knew in my small way that I was living out the life Pattinsonian, beery archive sleuth. What I came upon today was an 1890s travel piece …

Australia: Lion Nathan Returns To Natural Brewing

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - leave a comment
Interesting news from down under as one of the big macro-brewers on the other side of the planet decides to take on craft brewing though returning to more disciplined brewing:  •  ...enough is enough. The big boys are fighting back, or at least leading brewer and winemaker Lion Nathan is, with a …

Day 21: Another 119 Entries and More Fabulous Prizes

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 11 comments
To say that the response to the 2008 Yule and Christmas Beer Blog Photo Contest and Pageant... I did mention the pantomime pageant, did I?... has been far greater than expected would be the understatement of the year. We just created another photo set on Flickr for entries submitted between 28 …

The Session #22: What Does Repeal Mean to Me?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 4 comments
It seems like a very sad thing. As Mr. Beaumont has already pointed out, for a global beer blogging day, the very question asked is so provincial, so singularly parochial and limited to one nation of all the nations of the world that one has to take it either as an intentional insult or at least … read more »

Maine: Imperial Porter, Shipyard Brewing, Portland

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 2 comments
I have a huge soft spot for Shipyard. Ten years ago, when I lived in the Canadian Maritimes to the east of Maine [You: ...there is something... to the east... of Maine??] it was a taste of civilization getting across the border to taste the southern delights of their export ale or - madness of …

Beer And Health: A Booze Intake Calorie Calculator

Posted by Alan McLeod on in , - 9 comments
This little tool over at the BBC calculating the calories of drinks is actually quite handy. I just learned that five pints is the same as a danish, a hot dog, a pizza slice, a couple of onion bhaji and a couple of jaffa cakes. Two doubles of hard liquor are only worth a pizza slice and one jaffa …

Space Beer! AKA Beer From Space!!!

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - leave a comment
You know there are gimmicks and gimmicks. There are things you know will never make it no matter how good they are and there are things, like Zima, that took way too long to die. Oddly, "space beer" might actually have a purpose according to the BBC:  •  Japanese beer brewed from barley which was …

Day 16: How Can I Get More Prizes For Our Contestants?

Posted by Alan McLeod on in - 2 comments
It has been a difficult day at the old beer blog. The latest call for more photos has added more great entries like the one up there sent by Stan today of the cork celebrating its 40th birthday. So, in response, I have just spent the best part of an hour typing madly and sending emails that ask …