June 2012
How Enthusiastic A Vote For Beer Was That?
Posted by on Thursday, June 28, 2012 in - 3 comments
An odd poll is out today describing the national mood as we approach Canada's 145th birthday... or rather the 145th birthday of Federal Canada... under the 1867 Constitution. Because this year marks the 171th anniversary of the proclamation of Canada, too. It is also the 221st anniversary of the …
Belgium: Faro, Brouwerij Lindemans, Vlezenbeek
Posted by on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 in - leave a comment
I have never had a faro before. Had one in the stash for a while. Then found another. So had no reason to not have one. That is as deep as it gets. G Dot O Dot in TBT confirmed my suspicion that in the past people did not like sour beers more so much as were more comfortable sweetening them. I … read more »
Bawlmer 2012: Vital Chesapeake Related Information
Posted by on Monday, June 25, 2012 in - leave a comment
An interesting article in The Washington Post on the beer culture of nearby Bawlmer... or is it Ballimer: • O, say, can you see two years hence, when Baltimore will celebrate the bicentennial of Francis Scott Key’s penning of “The Star-Spangled Banner”? Our national anthem has an intimate …
England: Past Masters XX Strong Ale, Fullers, London
Posted by on Sunday, June 24, 2012 in - leave a comment
The unexpected find of two bottles of this sealed my fate for this afternoon's England v. Italy game. I thought a lot about this beer when it was released late last autumn by the local government store. I was particularly happy as Boak and Bailey¹ had reviewed the beer and, somewhere, asked what a …
Tending To The Stash Is Each Beer Nerd's Duty
Posted by on Saturday, June 23, 2012 in - leave a comment
What is that? Duty? We don't like duties much these days. But as we get into the first muggier days of summer, I like to haul out the musty cardboard, rearrange and rebox as I check how this bottle or that case is doing. Gotta see and if there are any bottles that need moving up on deck for … read more »
Whatever Beer Is - It Only Is What It Is
Posted by on Thursday, June 21, 2012 in - 17 comments
I am a lazy blogger. I love nothing better than taking the work of another and filling space with it. Or is that redundant? Isn't that all that blogging really is? But enough about me. Jeff made an excellent point today that needs further airing: • I've been thinking of why "style" fails, and I …
Is There Actually A Message In The Cans?
Posted by on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 in - 3 comments
Has an interesting alliance been formed between craft and cheap ass? • The last recession helped reverse that trend as Americans became cost conscious, pushing demand back toward more affordable canned beer. Also supporting the resurgence is an increase in the number of craft beers available in …
Your Excellent 1930 Decoction Brewery Video Moment
Posted by on Monday, June 18, 2012 in - 4 comments
A very interesting visual explanation of decoction mashing from a 1930 German film with a bracing soundtrack. It's actually a pretty good instructional piece on basic brewing principles just as the arse was starting to go out of the whole Weimar Republic thing. Hans Neuberger made other films but …
Like You, I Want To Live In A Beer Bike Neighbourhood
Posted by on Sunday, June 17, 2012 in - 3 comments
I really like the idea of this new method of dispense, the beer bike from Ottawa's Kichesippi Beer Co.: • As fun as riding the beer bike around the streets of Ottawa sounds, Meek says it will only be used at events and pubs with liquor licences. “Liquor permits are part of a geography,” say Meek …
Albany Ale: Did The Hessian Fly Play A Role?
Posted by on Saturday, June 16, 2012 in - 4 comments
It has been a bit part of the puzzle for me. As I have mentioned before, Craig as taken more of an interest in Albany Ale as reflected in the 1800s industrial period where I am more interested in the pre-1800s experience. The weird thing has been that not only do the two eras reflect issues of …
Ontario: Finally A Beer Fan Video I Like
Posted by on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in - 6 comments
Remember a few years ago when there were all those needy videos about "I Am Craft Beer" on YouTube and everywhere else that went on and on as if all brewers were demi-gods, all good beer fans were long lost friends and lovers and craft beer was what would fuel that rocket ship that was going to … read more »
Not Exactly The Sort Of Aged Beer I Was Looking For
Posted by on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in - 5 comments
There comes a time in every Canadian's year when NHL hockey is over and it is good that NHL hockey is over. The season lasts for two months after which the Stanley Cup tournament lasts another two. It is the most grueling schedule in sports... at least in Canada. We say stuff like that. Because we …
Two Years After Taunton Ale We Have Bowood Strong
Posted by on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 in - 1 comment
I should have known this I suppose, an apparently famous quote from the Governor of Nova Scotia appointed at the close of the American Revolution celebrating what he finds waiting for him at his new post. It is set out in a letter written by Governor John Parr on October 23, 1782 - eighteen days …
Can You Graph Your Own Relationship With Beer?
Posted by on Sunday, June 10, 2012 in - 5 comments
Zak has taken up the Boak and Bailey challenge or at least example and posted a graphical representation of data.¹ What I found most interesting was the choice of data points. The way Zak illustrated the classes of beer. I don't agree that "ordinary good", "craft" and "fancy special" are actually …
At Some Point It Is Actually Alright To Stop Complaining
Posted by on Saturday, June 9, 2012 in - 4 comments
It's been a busy week for beer. Masses of macro are being consumed as part of Euro 2012 - even in Warsaw where a 3.4% maximum strength order was decreed. An unfortunate product placement led to a more unfortunate reaction from one Canadian brewer. Worthy and attention getting beer fests are being …
Sick At Home With Poland And Greece And Porter
Posted by on Friday, June 8, 2012 in - 2 comments
I can't figure out of this achy bug is timely or bad luck. The opening ceremonies this Friday noon eastern North American time were reason enough for the former thought to cross my mind. Like the Scoopster, I have become weary and a bit wary of the ceremonial recently. Having worked in Poland as a …
Are You Going To The Upcoming Beer Blogger Conference?
Posted by on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in - 21 comments
When I started blogging almost a decade ago, a pal of mine of long standing would give me unending grief about how needy I was, how it was all a failed ego trip, a desperate cry for help. I was livid. I thought it was entirely unfair, lacked all understanding, missed the point, didn't get social …
How Do We Experience A Classic Beer?
Posted by on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 in - 3 comments
A very brief question. If Jordan is right, do we still not have the obligation to give proper respect and maybe even homage to those beers which were classic in the sense that they are the parents of a style in the early Jacksonian sense? This post from earlier this spring describes the same idea …
A Monday In The Life Of Beer Around The World
Posted by on Monday, June 4, 2012 in - 1 comment
As you know, some days when ideas for a post about beer seem slim, I troll through Google News looking for something. Today, there was nothing popping out until I realized I was looking at the whole of it, a snapshot of all the things beer means in different cultures. How it gets the attention of …
Zak Got Tired And Emotional
Posted by on Sunday, June 3, 2012 in - 4 comments
This is one of the best things I have read about someone's personal relationship with beer. Maybe it's that I am tired and emotional, too. After all, I found out this morning that a rabbit had eaten one of my Swiss chard patches. But I don't think so. I think Zak captures that thing, that thought …
Session 64: Pale Ale Was What I Drank When...
Posted by on Friday, June 1, 2012 in - 3 comments
I am not that old but, I guess, I am really not all that young either. I am not sure that I every went into a bar to have a beer in the 70s but know I was doing that by the fall of 1981 in Nova Scotia. Before that, there was drinking in friends' basements, drinking out by the reservoir, drinking …
