Category Archives: Site Business

May 6, 2013 · 3:44 pm

Settling In

Sorry for the lack of updates on here, folks. My dayjob office moved house so packing up/throwing out nearly 20 years worth of stuff along with helping the boss with the transition of working solo has been taking up…well, ALL of my freakin’ time. Well, that and looking for new work.

So just settling in to things here and focusing on some long neglected freelance work along with some things I haven’t had time for (gardening, paying bills, getting more than two hours sleep etc..you know, the FRIVOLOUS things) and brand new Thirsty Wench posts will be dropping soon. I have lots of stuff to talk about, including beer pairing dinners/lunches, my trip to Regina, growing hops and small batch homebrewing!

Don’t worry, my darlings. I haven’t forgotten about you.

For now here is Patton Oswalt’s submission for what Star Wars Episode VII should be.

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April 15, 2013 · 1:40 pm

So I’m a SAVEUR BEST FOOD BLOG AWARD Finalist Now

Well, this was a bit of a shock.

I got nominated to be in the running for Saveur Magazine’s Best Food Blog Awards in the Wine & Beer category and the editors picked me as one of the six finalists. From NOW until MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY APRIL 19TH (this Friday), the site is open for public voting. The winner gets a free trip to Las Vegas to attend the awards show.

If you’d like to vote for me, I would really appreciate it. Just go here and look for the familiar picture (as well as, er, the words THE THIRSTY WENCH)! Won’t lie, it does require registering an account so’s not to duplicate votes, but I assure you it is quick, painless and you won’t even be sent anything if you don’t want to.

To be honest, I’m feeling a bit numb about this. I think for the first few hours I searched around to see if this was some kind of scam but, well, it’s legit. THEN I decided to check to see if they got the right person and, well, they do. My view counts have been going up like crazy and it’s weird to be recognized in this way and…yeah. Jeez. I’m still pretty numb and kind of sucking at expressing gratitude to you folks right now. Lord knows how I’ll be if I’ll win this thing. I think I’ll only be able to talk in garbled high pitched screams while my arms are up in the air.

So once more with feeling, HERE IS THE LINK WHERE YOU CAN VOTE FOR ME. I would very much appreciate it if you do.

ADDED BONUS FOR CANADIANS AND THOSE WHO SYMPATHIZE WITH THE CANADIAN REVOLUTION: I’m the only Canadian on there. Let’s show a little Canuck beer representation, eh?

ADDED BONUS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE ACTION MOVIES: A dream of mine is to get in way over my head and end things with a showdown in the Nevada desert. Winning this will get me one step closer to that dream.

ADDED BONUS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BORED: This kills like, a good 30 seconds. Much more if you want to vote in all the other categories. You’re welcome.

ADDED BONUS FOR SENTIENT COMPUTERS: 01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100011 01101111 01100100 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 01111001 00101100 00100000 01101101 01100001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01110010 01110011 00101110 00100000 01000001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110000 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01010110 01100101 01100111 01100001 01110011 00101110

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February 1, 2013 · 3:52 pm

Welcome 680 News Listeners!

Hey there! For those who were directed here by the first of several spots on Toronto 680 News, WELCOME!

For those who didn’t know, well, I’m on there! Here is the audio to the segment!

If you are interested at all in the Flying Monkeys BNL Imperial Chocolate Stout, here is my review on it as well as the LCBO’s listing, which includes the stores that still carry it (and my there are lots!).

After that, please feel free to explore around the site. You can follow me on twitter at @TheThirstyWench and even like me on my Facebook Page.

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January 2, 2013 · 2:26 am

Happy 2013

Brooklyn Oktoberfest did a good job of welcoming me in to the New Year. Matched quite well with crackers, onion and 4 year-old white cheddar.

Happy 2013, darlings.

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December 22, 2012 · 8:12 pm

And That’s 2012 Done

First, just want to say that my time at Rogers Daytime Toronto yesterday was, as always, amazing. To my surprise I was given 10.5 minutes to talk about as much of the seasonal beer stuff that was going on and, despite feeling as I always do, that I stumbled through it and came out looking foolish, I was told that it was really a good show and my segment had people surrounding nearby televisions listening. And I never, EVER get tired of crew members coming up to me afterward and expressing their amazement that beer can be different than the flavourless coloured liquid that most people know.

So here’s the beer things that I was talking about.

BEST OF BEAU’S MIX PACK: Set of four amazing beers that were voted as the best of the many, MANY one-offs that Beau’s Brewery were making throughout the year. The Matt’s Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout in particular was amazing. About $24 at the LCBO and going rather fast.

THREE KINGS GIFT SET: A box of three of King Brewery’s finest complete with glass. This is the ultimate gift for the lager lover and all three beers, the Vienna Lager, Pilsner and Dark Lager, make amazing gateway beers for the Molson or Coors drinker in your life. A mere $9.99 at the LCBO.

MILL STREET BARLEY WINE: I love these Barley Wines from Mill Street because they can be aged for years and years and only get better. This particular batch has hints of vanilla and Kentucky Bourbon. Can be enjoyed now or aged for years and years. Seriously, I know people who are testing just how long they can age this beer. A fun gift. $12.95 at the LCBO.

BNL IMPERIAL CHOCOLATE STOUT: I think it’s safe to say that you know what I think of this by now. Amazing dessert beer that goes well with ice cream, trifle, raspberries…a very delicious beer. About $13

And those are the beer things I was talking about.

Now on to this year.

2012 has definitely been an interesting year for this site. It went from something only my mom and a few friends read to something that receives several thousand hits per month. I’ve gone from being someone who knew next to nothing about beer to someone who knows a little bit more and is still learning. I’ve gone to many amazing events, made some amazing friends within the industry and have even gone on television to talk about this ancient and wonderful drink that I enjoy. This has been a year where many doors opened up for me and no one is more grateful or baffled about it than I am.

So I’d like to take this chance to thank you folks for continuing to read The Thirsty Wench. Your support has been overwhelming and I don’t think I can adequately thank you all enough. And if you’ve ever dropped a few bucks in to the tip jar, thank you. Every little bit helps keep this running.

It’s also been an awesome year for beer here in Ontario. It seems just like yesterday that to make an IPA was taking a risky chance and now new breweries are starting off their product line with them. Releases of Double IPAs and Imperial Stouts are now a decision that is never met with any hesitation. The wild and crazy of the past is the safe and common of the present and I love that because it means that we’ll be seeing some more amazing experiments in the near future that will test our taste buds and preconceptions. It’s been an exciting year and it only promises to get more exciting, folks.

Some fun things are in the works for The Thirsty Wench in 2013. There are talks about leading a tasting, more Television appearances, a few radio talks, more guest posts and even a book that’s in the works. You’ll hear about it all here.

Alright, I’m going to finish this post off before it turns in to a rant or I reveal too much. I’m writing this on the train now, but when I get home I’m going to pour a glass of something nice, do any small edits that need doing and post it.

As The Most Interesting Man in the World says: Stay thirsty, my friends.

Horrible beer he promotes, but good words.

All the best,

The Thirsty Wench (Robin LeBlanc), Toronto, 2012

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October 2, 2012 · 6:57 pm

Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Call Out for Contributors

Most people have one. A favourite bar. It can either be a local pub or somewhere a bit out of the way but you always find yourself there if the choice is yours. The staff know you by name because you’ve been going there for years either regularly or on and off and, depending on how crowded the place is, they can even guess what you’re about to order or suggest a drink that matches what you normally have. You may run in to some friends there or even some other regulars, but most of all you just feel at home at this place. Like you can truly wind down and feel comfortable. Some people can consider it a haven from the world but mostly it’s a place to relax.

Ambience is important to me for pubs. I like my pubs spacious and comfortable, not too crowded, a reasonable volume so I can listen to whatever person I’m with, and to not feel like just another customer by the staff. More personal preferences include reasonable light (dark but not too dark so I can’t read), good selection with a few rotating taps to keep things interesting and not being constantly hassled if I don’t want to be.

One of the greatest things about starting up this site and loving craft beer as much as I do is the people I meet who always have a beer reccomendation and talk about their favourite bar. From Chicago to Helsinki, Edinburgh to Tokyo, I’ve heard about a lot of great places that are much loved by the person telling me about them.

This is where you folks come in.

I want to run a sort of ongoing series here on the site where I put up a post written by a contributor where you tell me about your favourite place. To make things a bit easy you can either talk about your favourite local place or favourite place in general. Tell me about the place, what you like about it, maybe how you found it and what you like to order there. If you can include a picture that would also be a bonus.

All you have to do is e-mail me at robin@thethirstywench.com with the following:

1. TELL ME ABOUT YOU. Name, what you do, web site if you have one.

2. NAME OF THE PLACE.

3. HOW YOU DISCOVERED IT.

4. WHY YOU LIKE IT.

5. WHAT’S A GOOD BEER THERE?

And that’s it. Like I said, I would also appreciate a picture, but I can probably hunt one down if you can’t provide.

That e-mail again is robin@thethirstywench.com

Let’s see if we can get a really good list of places to have a drink around the world!

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July 9, 2012 · 1:56 pm

Sex, Brains & Money

I keep wanting to start posts of my appearances by saying “Hey Vern, I’m on TV!” but no. I mustn’t.

So on Friday I was a guest on the second episode of Nikki Thomas’ show Sex, Brains & Money (official site coming soon), which is streamed on livestream. Basically I was talking a bit about my journey, what the hell went wrong and how great beer is getting in Ontario. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a lot of fun and an absolute pleasure to be on.

Anyways, here’s the clip of my segment.

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June 28, 2012 · 4:10 pm

Rogers Daytime Toronto – 2nd Appearance Recap

So! Exciting day! I was asked to come back on Daytime Toronto today to talk about some heat-busting local beers. Like the last time, I had a blast and the host Glenn Dixon, asked some great questions and told me that he learned a lot about how diverse beer was. By the end I was thanked and asked to come back on in the Fall season and I gave Glenn two of the beers he liked the best from the tasting I gave.

An added bonus for me was, as the show was wrapping up, I was approached by crew members who asked questions and said that before today they had no idea that beer was so diverse and there was more out there than the mainstream lagers. It’s moments like that which make me really happy I’m doing what I’m doing.

But what beers was I showcasing? Some people might be able to recognize from the picture, but for those that don’t I’ll go through them right to left.

1. Muskoka Summer Weiss (Muskoka Brewery) – Light, sweet and crisp weiss beer that really cuts down the heat. I mean look at that.

2. Oranje Weisse (Amsterdam Brewery) – Beautiful hint of oranges and slight bitter notes.

3. Summer Festivale (Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.) – Lovely Alt beer with nice hoppiness at the start and smooth maltiness as it reaches the back of the throat.

4. Rosée D’hibiscus (Dieu Du Ciel) – A light beer with the colour, aroma and taste all coming from the Hibiscus flowers used in the brewing process. Sweet, crisp and, dare I say it, flowery.

All of those and MANY more are excellent thirst quenchers on a hot summer day. I can’t tell you how much fun I had on this show and am looking forward to coming back in the Fall.

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May 7, 2012 · 12:52 pm

Hey Vern, I’m on TV!

Phew! Just got back from my guest appearance on Rogers Daytime Toronto! That 8 minutes went by too fast, but I was able to showcase some amazing beers and talk a little about myself in the process. And host Val Cole was wonderful, professional and helped me, who has never been on television before, get through it all in one piece.

And now I’m worried that I left my bottle opener back at the station. Hrm.

So if you’ve found your way here because you watched the show, hello! Feel free to browse around!

Now a little note on the beers that I presented there:

Augusta Ale by Kensington Brewing Co. is not available in LCBO stores…YET. But your best bet is to give them a try at places like The Burger Bar at 319 Augusta Avenue (Where the brewery is based out of) and Thirsty & Miserable at 197 Baldwin Street. Both are in Kensington Market.

Schneider Weisse, the delicious Bavarian wheat beer with lovely smells of Bananas and cloves is available at the LCBO and is priced at $2.75 a bottle!

Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity by the Muskoka Brewery, the DELICIOUS beer (that Val loved) with hints of Orange Peel, Heather Tips, Juniper Berries and Beglian Candi Sugar, comes in a large wine bottle and is sold at the LCBO for $9.95. And while you’re at it, try their other beers. I suggest the Mad Tom IPA!

Panil Barriquee Sour Ale from Italy also comes in a large bottle and is a tad pricey at $14.05 (but very much worth it for special occasions). Sadly, the product has been discontinued, so RUN don’t walk to the LCBO to see if you can grab one. I found quite a few at the Summerhill branch.

And that’s it! If I’m allowed back on you can bet that I’ll have plenty more to talk about and if not, well, I still have this site! Which turned one year-old last month! *sniff* so proud…

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December 7, 2011 · 1:06 pm

Who Am I & What Do I Think I’m Doing?

Just thought I’d post a little reminder on what the hell this site is and who I am spouting all this stuff.

My name is Robin LeBlanc.  By day (and let’s face it, most of the night) I am a mild-mannered Publicity Assistant and freelance Photographer. I live in Toronto with a bastard cat and a few people and enjoy things like Star Trek, boxing, comics and a wide-range of music from 1920s Hot String Jazz to a bunch of Angry Japanese men screaming while banging things.

But that’s not important to this blog, totally.  The big thing is that I really like beer. It wasn’t always this way.  Many years ago I loved wine and was getting to be quite a snob about it.  But then someone gave me a Trappist beer and it all just spiraled out of control.  I picked up some books, talked to some brewers and other beer bloggers, even started making my OWN beer and I found that I was really getting passionate about it.  I figured that I should set up a blog to dump the stuff that I’ve learned in the past as well as what I continue to learn (the beer world really is a deep rabbit hole of wonder).  So here I am.

I live in Ontario, Canada, which has incredibly stupid laws regarding beer and is sort of going through an interesting phase, as people are realizing that there is more to beer than lagers and cream ale.  Small breweries are popping up all over the place and getting a little wild and experimental.  For you Yankees out there, here’s some perspective:  I’ve been told by about twenty people, brewers, bloggers and pub owners alike, that Ontario, if not all of Canada, right now is going through the same thing that the US did with craft beer in 1985-1990.  Needless to say, it’s interesting being on the ground floor when all this is going on and the next five years here are going to be pretty damn interesting.

And oh, yes.  I’m a woman.  If you think that’s weird at all I suggest you look up some of the history of beer and see who primarily made it.  Also stay tuned as I plan on talking a bit in a post about women in the beer industry.

So, yes.  If you want to read me learning about beer and letting out what I know without getting industry gossip heavy (“My GOD, did you HEAR what Joel said about the grain mills he goes to? GASP! And the seasonal Doppelbock is only two weeks away! SCANDAL!” Ugh), then this is the place for you.  My posting is slightly erratic, but I’m trying my best to bang a post out at least once a week.

If you’re new to this site and don’t know where to begin, I suggest the Gateway Beers category and then go on exploring from there.

Also, if you like what I do and would like to help, please consider making a donation at the Tip Jar, as beer costs money and I don’t make too much.

Some other info:

My e-mail: robin@therobinleblanc.com

Twitter: @TheThirstyWench (links to new posts on this site)

Personal Twitter: @oldhat (BEWARE: I talk a lot of nonsense.)

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