This is a shift. I am going to include true six packs which are not necessarily pale ales when cause warrants. This one does.

It is the first Sleemans signature series brew, out for a limited time only and it is a porter. Interesting stuff but, first, look at the outside - they are blinding me with science. If packaging were up for a prize, this one wins. Beer porn. I could photograph it all day. Textured packaging, a sticker across the top and a flyer inside. Real corrigated cardboard. It made me get out the damask as a background and makes me feel like the photography studio needs an ungrade - or maybe a start.

The beer is in the style of Burton Bridge porter, highly hopped and only then malty brown. Not the other way around as modern porters would have it, like, say, Cooperstown Benchwarmer. That is good, legit. But it may make for issues with the expectant market. But who cares. This is a page from the recipe book, the Sleeman's artifact from its 1800s heritage that is a glimpse into south-western Ontario brewing as it was over a century ago.

The brewery gives its pitch at the website:

Taken right from page 68 of the family recipe book, it pays homage to the original Porters of Great Britain, and was brewed by George Sleeman back in the 1800’s.

John Sleeman, great-great grandson of the first Sleeman Brewmaster, revived the family business, locating its new facility just a few miles from the site of the original Guelph brewery. Pure spring water from Guelph's celebrated deep wells again provided the first ingredient. Rare, small batch brewing vessels, similar in size to those once used by John H. himself, were imported from Europe. In 1988, Sleeman Cream Ale went on sale in Ontario for the first time in over half a century. Brewed according to the recipe found on page 64 of George Sleeman's personal notebook, and sold in distinctive clear glass bottles reminiscent of those used by earlier Sleeman brewers, the refreshing ale soon earned a loyal following among the growing circle of premium beer fans.

My tasting notes are not necessarily as loving as either the packaging or the story. This is a challenging style. It is not as big in terms of mouthfeels as I might like but we have to trust that the brewer is being faithful. It is somewhat sharp and decidedly hoppy. I wonder what hops were used in 1864 and how these modern hops were chosen to reflect that. I wonder if the attenuation would be as great in 1864 as 2004. Attenuation is the ability of a yeast to consume as much of the sugars as possible and determines both how dry the finish ends and how high the alcohol is. Current production would greatly change what was to what is. When a beer ends up at 5.0%, the Canadian standard, I do not think there is much chance it is honouring any tradition. This beer is at 5.5%. There is hope.

The beer advocatonians are on the case.

Another seasonal release by the LCBO and the offering of one more Rogue Ale. As discussed before, the biggest monopoly in the market left in the world, only seems able to stock Rogue ales one at a time - next Saturday, I will be at a corner store with ten. Two months ago it was their chocolate stout. Now it is this well hopped pale ale flavoured with juniper berry.

It is a very intelligent brew as you ought to expect from Rogue. The use of juniper is intriguing. Pale ales sometimes have the addition of licorice - the former LCBO offering Hop and Glory had it. The idea is to balance a level of hops that malt alone cannot withstand. The ingredient has to harmonize with both the malt and the hop as it plays this supporting role. This beer is not a mammoth effort like Stone's Ruination, but at 5.7% and 45 IBUs it is getting there.

The brewery describes the ale as:A pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, a floral aroma with a dry spicy finish from whole juniper berries.In that description there is something of the timing of the flavour, that what juniper there is shows only in the aftertaste. The Amarillo and "Styiran" (their typo) Golding Hops. Styrians are Fuggles (not Goldings) grown in the Czech Republic instead of their native southen England. Both Amarillo and Styrians are spicy and relatively obsure indicating a careful selection to match the juniper. Similarly the malt has honey notes while also providing some graininess. All these flavours still exist within the word "smooth". A real dandy effort. Some beer advocatonians do not appreciate it, which is fair as it is a take on a standard. Definitely worth a try of you, like me, like hopped pale ales. Sadly, as Lew notes, a poorly populated heaven such as this needs the brew to move and too many were sour.

Name that brand:

And squid and plywood and VCRs...

Canada has announced a proposed trade retaliation against the USA over what is being called the Byrd Amendment dispute which will add a 100% trade surcharge against imports of US good and it includes tariff item 2203.00.00 "beer made from malt". Interestingly, bad beer has a lower percentage of malt and some might conceivably have none. Read ales have, of course, lots.

There is an email address to make submissions. It would appear to me reasonable to have an exclusion for imports of under $200.00 CND because that would allow me to personally avoid the implications. I will try to think of better reasons later but that is it now. Have a look at this post to see what taxes are being paid already - and happily given the good things our tax dollars go to. I suspect all that will happen is that I will restrict my local purchasing as I am in this for the quality research. I encourage you all to lobby hard to ensure my needs are met by sending your submissions to:

A reply to Bruno's post at his blog alerted us to the problem:

Heu... Un demi c'est 250ml, soit 1/4l, soit effectivement a peu pres une demi pinte.

...in France, when you order beer, the usual glass is the demi. France invented metric system, but some remains of the old days are still alive. A demi is in fact about half a pint, rounded to be 125ml. While a pint is being named distingué, and a liter of beer is a formidable (which I think means "smashing" - who knows why?)

For me a "glass" of beer is a specific thing, a 8 oz glass which kind of looks like a butt end of a baseball bat (shown right). You only order them in pairs except when an additional small can of tomato juice is allowed. These were the rules of the Jerry at the Midtown and they are alright by me. By comparison, a "pint" should be a straight-sided 20 oz glass with a bit of a wow up near the rim to give a bit of grip (shown left). Not that weird barrel-shaped dimply thing with the handle. In Holland, you ordered trays of small round glasses with about 5 ounces of liquid and five of foam, passes the tray around and drank them before the foam dissipated - "dead beer" they called one without a head even if there was plenty of carbonation. Never caught the name of that glass, though Alfons might know.

But both Bruno and I are mere amateurs in the world of beer glass names - even with the excellently named formidable for a litre - compared to Australians who have different glasses and different names for those glasses in each state. I have known an Aussie who owned a pub and apparently this is a matter of great importance. Ordering the wrong schooner in the wrong town in the wrong way apparently can cause variation in your sperm count level and that of those with you.