Category Archives: Tips

March 15, 2013 · 2:45 pm

The Thirsty Wench’s St. Patrick’s Day Survival Guide

It’s that time of year again where people see a lot of green stuff and guides for a good St. Patrick’s Day are being released by bars, breweries and newsfolk alike.

So I thought I’d throw my hat in to the ring and give you my own St. Patrick’s Day Survival Guide.

  1. Stock up on supplies. – It’s only for a weekend, but still. Buy enough food and good beers to last you for that time because you won’t be leaving. Give a last final embrace to any friends and family you cherish, just in case.
  2. Board up your windows and lock your doors. – If you don’t, you may find that a keg of crap beer you didn’t buy will be in your house surrounded by shattered glass and you’ll be overrun with university and college students screaming and breaking things and singing Danny Boy even though they aren’t sad because IRELAND.
  3. Arm yourself. – A baseball bat is best. I have a battle axe. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
  4. Pray or alternatively recite the Litany Against Fear – It’ll all be over soon. Don’t worry. You must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
  5. DON’T GET BITTEN.
  6. DON’T OPEN THE DOOR. – Ignore the other people who aren’t being Irish for a day trying to get in to your place for safety. You open the door, you put yourself and others in your home at risk. They should have prepared. Like you.
  7. Drink a beer because you want to, not because you have to. Really, folks. Nowhere does it say that you have to drink until you vomit on St. Patrick’s Day. If you feel like having a drink, do so. If not, then don’t.

That’s all from me. Stay safe out there, folks.

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May 22, 2012 · 10:49 pm

Lock it in the Basement: Aging Beers

Aging: It’s not just for wines, whiskeys and people who aren’t me.

So I’ve decided to take the next step in my beer appreciation learnings and start doing what I’ve wanted to do ever since I tried some beer that had undergone this process. I’m going to start aging beer. I think my first instance in trying some aged beer was at Dogfish Head’s brewpub, where I had a World Wide Stout that had been aged for one year and…dear LORD, it was amazing. Ever since then I’ve been thinking about it. Last week, when Amsterdam Brewery released Tempest Imperial Stout (a delicious one-off originally brewed last year) I decided to buy a few to be the first test subjects in my beer cellar. Lucky thing I got them too, as all 1400 bottles produced sold out within two days. Also, thank heavens, I was able to get the last Muskoka “Winter Beard” Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout from Muskoka Brewery’s retail store.

But how the hell do I get to aging these things? Well, I’m still reading on the subject, but here’s what I’ve learned so far…

-       The beers have to be stored at a cool 10-20°c in a dark, semi-dry room. A basement, garage or cave will do in a pinch. A closet for apartment dwellers also works.

-       The beers have to be bottle-conditioned, which is to say that there are active yeasts in the bottles allowing the beer to further ferment.

-       Beers heavy in malts like Stouts, Porters, Barley Wines and Belgian Ales are best for aging for long periods of time. This makes sense, since the more malts (sugars) the more of a meal the yeasts have which will allow them to do their thing (eat sugar, poop alcohol).

-       Hoppy beers aren’t that great for aging over long periods of time, as the hops break down after a while and create a kind of skunky, dreadful drink.

-       The higher the alcohol content, the more benefits the beer will have to being aged. The agreed upon rule seems to be “8% ABV or higher”, although many Beglian beers with low ABV percentages have also benefited greatly from aging.

-       If the beer contains Brettanomyces, a Belgian yeast that is usually added near bottling time, you’re able to age it. This yeast does a lot in a few months or years (see Goose Island’s Matilda, which can be aged for five years). Having this yeast isn’t needed, this is just a “if you see a beer with this in it, go for it” kind of tip.

-       While there is some argument on this, it is advised to always store the beer in the upright position rather than on its side. The debate is mainly over how to store beer that has been corked, as laying it on the side will prevent the cork from drying out. Although a way around THAT can be to dip the top of the bottle with wax. You know what, I’ll just leave it to one’s discretion.

The advantage of aging beers? Well, there are certain strong flavours in beers that mellow out over time and bring a rise to flavours you may not have noticed before. In Imperial Stouts, for instance, the alcohol bite goes down along with the heavy coffee overtones and presents a sweeter, almost creamier beer. So it highlights complexities to a beer that you didn’t know were there. That’s a good enough reason for me, at any rate.

Beers can be aged for years and years too. I’ve heard plenty of stories of people opening a bottle of Chimay from 1986  and even a beer that was discovered to have been stored since 1869! Madness? Probably. Worth it? Most definitely.

You can also age beer in things like Oak whiskey barrels to add a wonderful flavour and depth to the beers, but since I’m not Mme. Moneybucks McGee (Of the Southampton McGees), I’m going to discuss bottle aging for now.

Right, so now on to my little project.

It was easy to pick the location (the basement of my cottage in Muskoka). It’s dark, it’s cold and it’s dry, but not dry enough to give me a nosebleed or chapped lips. It also has shelf space, so if a flood happens down there (Give me a break, it IS a cottage. It happens) then I have no fear of water touching my precious bottles. I also have something covering it, so no burglers will sneak in to the house in the middle of the night and find it.

It’s important to label what year your beers are from (see above picture) so you’ll remember. And don’t think you will, because unless you’re some kind of savant or only aging one beer you’ll have at least a bit of difficulty remembering. Just do it that way. To add a fun bit of nostalgia to it, I may also write down a few details of how my life is currently going, so I can look back on it. But hey, do what you want.

So now it’s set up in complete, cold darkness and is FAR AWAY from me. I’ll admit, one of my biggest concerns is the will power it takes to just WAIT. Because now I have some fantastic beers in that room and what’s the harm in just having one? See, this is why I chose the cottage. I go up there about 4-5 times a year now, so the chance of me getting to it is pretty minimal. My other biggest concern is how the room will be in the winter time. If it ends up being too cold, I may have to move them. But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, eh?

So here’s the score with the beers I have on your right. I have three bottles of this year’s Tempest Imperial Stout, which according to the brewer, can be aged for up to three years. One will be aged for one year, another for two and the final for a third year. The Tempest wrapped in a white top has already been aged for a year and a half (came with a six pack of the beer as a gift) and will be brewed for an additional year and a half. If more Temptests come out every year, I’ll be buying some to age. The Muskoka Winter Beard will be aged for a year. There is also a plan to age some Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Goose Island Matilda and Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. We’ll see how those go. Regardless I am going to try to have at least three beers in there at any given time for several years.

And that’s that. If any of you readers have suggestions for beers to age, I’d sure appreciate it! If I can get a hold of it, I’ll try!

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May 12, 2012 · 7:10 pm

A Spring Reminder: Relax!

Phew. It’s been a hell of a day spent in the garden. I’ve been clearing up all the weeds and branches from the house behind us. Doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider that the backyard has been a freakin’ MESS for years, you’ll know that it’s rough going. Especially since I’ve been doing all this labour in 25°C (that’s pretty warm for us Canadians).

So after lots of cuts from the branches, sore muscles from cutting and pulling and an injured foot with an event involving a tree stump that I’d rather not get in to, I’m done for the day. I want a beer to just relax with. Something with a nice flavour, but something I don’t have to think too much about. Sadly, my local store (LCBO Store # 242 : BRIMLEY & EGLINTON for any LCBO people reading) has an incredibly crappy beer selection. It’s more than 3/4ths Molson, Bud Light, Colt 40 and the connoisseur’s favourite, Bud Lime.

But every once in a while I get surprised and see the odd drink that sticks out. In this case it was a six pack of Liberty Ale from San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Co. I’ve tried their Steam Beer, which I rather liked, but this was the first time the Liberty Ale, created in 1975 on the bicentennial of Paul Revere’s famous horse ride, had come to the province of Ontario. At least the first time I’ve noticed. I wasn’t sure about it, and asked a few people on twitter who just said “get it” and so…I got it. Of course I did.

And you know what? It hit the spot for my tired, achey and sweaty self. It’s a nice showcase of the Cascade hop and has a wonderful malt backbone that creates a bit of a balance. I poured it in to a snifter (as some had suggested), sat on the porch and just…enjoyed it. Even zoned out for a little. It was really nice.

So the point of this post was a little more than a beer suggestion. More to say that beer tasting doesn’t have to be SERIOUS BUSINESS all the time. A good thing to do is just crack open an old favourite or a new experiment beer, sit back and just let the world roll off you a bit.

Right, I’m going back to the porch.

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December 12, 2011 · 3:28 pm

The Season of Giving: Beer Gift Packs

We’ve all been denying it and dreading it, but it’s time to come to terms with it: the holidays are here.  I don’t know about you folks, but this week and next for me will be a chaotic haze of gift buying, office parties, secret-santaing and dinner partying.

So you need to get something.  Ideally under $20-$50 and you kind of want to avoid getting everyone the same coffee table book of “Chairs Throughout History”.  While thinking about it you grab a beer…and then it hits you.

It’s one of my favorite seasons right now…BEER GIFT BOX SEASON!  That glorious time of year where breweries decide to make a box set that samples their beer and comes with a beautiful glass.  They’re cheap, they’re pretty and they’re tasty!  They truly are good gifts for the dinner partying or office partying crowd.

The following is a list of some favourites I’ve known of.  Speak to your local Boozemonger for information on purchasing/ordering.  Of course, prices may vary and I can’t be held responsible if you spoil the gift by opening it and trying it for yourself.

1. Historic Ales From Scotland Gift Pack
William Bros. Brewery
$9.60

This is a really fun set.  Comes with four bottles of historic ales (Pine Ale, Heather Ale, Elderberry Ale and Gooseberry Ale) which all, to my surprise the first time I tried it, taste just wonderful.  The story behind them is also amazing and listed on the back of the bottle so you can learn something (The Gooseberry Ale was originally brewed by 16th century Scots monks, the Pine Ale was brought over by the Vikings and so on).  This is a nice and cheap set which brings out a sort of adventurous spirit in people with the results always being good ones.  I strongly suggest picking up this set.

Taste of Belgium Gift Pack
Anheuser-Busch InBev
$19.95

To regular readers here, SHUT UP I KNOW HEAR ME OUT. Let’s face it, you’re bound to have some friends, no matter how much you try to pour craft beer down their throats, that are going to like the simple stuff.  This pack has three beers with accompanying glasses for each one. Stella Artois, Hoegaardan and Leffe Brune.  While I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the first two, I have to acknowledge that people love them and that’s cool.  Also, Leffe Brune is truly a wonderful beer and mixes it up a little.  While a beer snob would turn his or her nose up to this, it does make an ideal gift for a friend who likes that kind of thing and ESPECIALLY for “mystery gifting” at office parties.  It IS practical.

Mill St. Organic, Tankhouse or Coffee Porter Gift Pack
Mill St. Brewery
$6.95

I actually bought one of these (The Coffee Porter one) for a Dinner Party I’m going to tonight.  Three different packs; one for their Organic, their Tankhouse Ale and their very tasty Coffee Porter.  Each beer comes with a glass that will suit the beer (The Coffee Porter comes with a Snifter Glass, for example) and they pack a HUGE punch as a present for a really cheap price.  Once again, ideal for office party Secret Santas or dinner parties and the beer is of exceptional quality!  And screw it, I may very well buy one or two of these myself.

Erdinger Weissbier Bavarian Gift Pack
Erdinger Weissbräu
$9.95

A pretty damn refreshing beer!  This pack comes with two beers, the traditional Weissbier and Erdinger’s superb Dunkel as well as a glass that goes well with this style of beer.  The beer is tasty and is sure to attract even the beer-haters of the group.  And while Weissbiers are considered by a few people to be a better drink in the summer months, I think they are still quite amazing in the winter months.  The nice maltiness of the Dunkel will add to the holiday ambience considerably.

Chimay Gift Set
Bières de Chimay
$19.95

This is a gift set for the beer lover friend of yours.

You remember my post on Trappist Beers, right? Of course you do!  Chimay is one of the seven Trappist breweries in the world and are the most aggressive with their advertising and sales.  This set comes with their three famous beers, the blue cap, red cap and white cap, as well as a BEAUTIFUL Abbey Goblet to drink it all down with.  Seriously a wonderful set that allows you to try the brews of one of the more famous breweries out there.

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So there we go!  There are more out there, of course so be sure to get down to your booze emporium and check out what’s available!  And hey, maybe pick one or two out for yourself while you’re at it.

Let’s all try and survive the holidays, folks.

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October 31, 2011 · 12:30 pm

What a Night: Cask Days 2011

I’m still recovering from the lovely night that was Cask Days, the beer event with over 50 beers from around the country to sample. It was also my first ever large scale beer event.

It was a LOT of fun and showed that the event, which originally started in the patio of Toronto’s Bar Volo, can attract plenty of folks.  People dressed up (two guys even dressed up as hop flowers!), some decent music was playing and the beers were just…WOW.  Before I go in to my pros and cons I have to name off two of my favorite beers from the night.  Amsterdam’s “Wee Heavy with Heather Tips” (sweet and comfortable) and Black Oak’s “Black Betty” Dark IPA (the aroma alone is worth getting this beer, but all in all a phenomonal drink).

So I’m going to do two things here.  First I’ll be going through some notable pros and cons of my experience at the event and then I’m going to go more general and give off some tips I learned at this event and will remember for other events.

PROS:

- Talking with the man from Niagara College’s recently formed brewing school (only brewing school in Canada), finding out the beer they make is VERY tasty and learning that they’d be up for me to pop by for a visit at some point!

- Getting a special pint glass and having that be what’s used for samples

- Learning about the Pink Boots Society, a group of females in the brewing industry who are setting out to encourage other females to join in on the fun.

- Bacon beer by Du de Ciel.  Never thought I’d get to try something like that. Bacon beer!  Jeez!  Was quite smoky and actually tasted like bacon.  And to later be told by more than one person that a better one exists in my area…wow.

- Talking with other people.  Making suggestions, discussing what we’re drinking and what got us in to craft beer…that was definitely a lot of fun.

- Being inside Hart House and feeling like I was at Hogwarts.

- The names! One of the things I love about one-off beers is the really fun names.  My favorite one was “There is No Dana, Only Zuur Sour Ale”.  As a Ghostbusters fan it made me cry with joy.

CONS:

- Music got WAY too loud.  It became difficult to talk to people over it.

- Hart House, while a great place for the event, just didn’t have the lights for it.  I would have liked there to have been lights in the sitting areas.

- Hipsters were everywhere, but that’s hardly anyone’s fault.

- Not enough representation from other provinces.  Ontario covered half the area, Quebec got a small table and the other provinces combined got one table.  While there was a lot of amazing stuff from the Ontario breweries, and I understand that Ontario laws are silly so they couldn’t get many out-of-province beers, I just would have liked to have seen more brews from other provinces.

- Accidentally sitting on broken glass in the bathroom.  Ouch.

- Walking through the maze that is the University of Toronto campus.

These cons are small at best and aren’t really the fault of the organizers.  And at the end of the day I’m there for the beer and it was fantabulous.  I’ll definitely be attending future events.

And that’s pretty much what my experience was.  And now THE TIPS.  Lessons learned from my first large scale beer event.

1. You don’t need to drink all the beers.  Cask Days had over 50 beers available, so it was pretty easy to feel overwhelmed and the excitement of it all made me feel like a kid in a candy store.  Next time, I’ll have a lot less and be content with that.

2. Eat something.  With all that alcohol around, you’ll need something to eat and the chances that those events will be serving food is really good.  Even if it’s something small, just make sure you’re having something to soak all that booze up (I had a veggie burger which hit the spot).

3. Bring a friend.  While I had a great time there and ended up chatting with some people, I really can’t shake the feeling that the event would have been better for me if I brought along a beer-loving friend.

4. Be safe.  In the good chance that things get a bit hairy and you’re not as sober as you’d like to be, make sure that you have a way of getting home that doesn’t involve a lot of falling down.  Do constant checks of your things to see if you still have them.

So pretty basic tips, I’ll grant you, but that’s why they’re so effective.

So in summary, I had a lot of fun and am really looking forward to going to more beer events!

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July 25, 2011 · 4:04 pm

“I Can’t Afford It”: The Price Factor With Craft Beers

This is in response to a number of comments I’ve gotten while talking with people about my love of beer.  The thought being that beers other than what is considered mainstream (Molson, Bud, Pabst) is too damned expensive, leaving the person feeling that the better value is to by a Two Four of something that, even they admit, tastes like watered down urine.

As someone who roughly makes about $200 a month (not including any little freelance photography work I get and not deducting any monthly bills that need to be paid) I’m going to share some of my experience in response to this frame of mind, which to me is understandable to a point.

It should be considered that this is a personal opinion and when I talk of price I’ll largely be referring to Ontario and US prices, as that’s where I primarily get my beers.

So for price, really you have to consider what you’re after and what setting this will all be in.  The two main situations I’ve heard this complaint are for parties and pub outings.  Let’s take a look at them:

At the Pub

It’s true that there are a LOT of pubs that specialize in craft beers that charge a lot for them.  In my experience though, it’s because most if not all of the brews served are imported bottles that cost an arm and a leg (I’ve seen some brews that go up to $15 for a bottle that barely fills a glass!).  I used to go to these pubs with friends after saving up a HELL of a lot, but while it’s fun to have those beers (especially with friends) financially it’s impractical and, for me at the time, made it feel that craft beer was a thing that could only be indulged in on special occasions when money allowed it and for all other times we go back to the mainstream stuff.   Well, I was a bit of an idiot then (but who isn’t when they look back on themselves?) and have since learned otherwise.

More and more, I’ve noticed pubs popping up that sell craft beers on tap and are charging, shockingly enough, regular tap prices.  One such pub here in Toronto, The Town Crier, has a whopping 50 mostly European beers on tap and charge about $5-$7 a pint for them across the board.  How wonderful is that?

And who says that you have to have international craft beers?  Try one of the best ways to get to know what’s out there in your home region and drink local!   Depending on where you are, there are plenty of pubs out there that serve, sometimes even exclusively, some amazing beers brewed within your region.  I’ve known that, while price will always vary place to place, local brews tend to be pretty reasonably priced.

Parties (Also know as a Pah-ty, Shindig, Hootenanny or Box Social)

I don’t know how the booze situation goes at parties with you normal party animals, but in my circles it’s generally a BYOB situation with the gracious host having a huge supply of something for all to consume if they so wish.  And with the beers that the guests bring in, they can choose to share or not.  So no matter what, there will always be beer.  Always.

For parties I find you’re given a choice.  Either be one of the horde and buy a six or twelve pack of, I don’t know, Heineken, or you could be “that guy” and buy a six or twelve pack of some really nice beer that tastes amazing and, hey it’s a party, has a bit of a kick to it.  Is the latter option more expensive?  If you drink just what you bought, it admittedly is.  But if there’s a beer supply from the host and other people are sharing there’s a good chance that you’ll have more than your money’s worth available to you anyways.  Plus there’s a really good upshot to bringing craft beers to a party: if you share, chances are you’ll turn someone on to that brand, they’ll do a little exploring and at the next party they’ll bring a good craft beer as well.  It sounds unlikely, but believe me it can happen.  Hell, I’ve managed to change a host’s selection by simply bringing some nice beers with me to previous parties held by them.

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And that’s them.  There are more settings, of course.  Weekends alone, Fishing trips, observing the Klingon Age of Ascension…there’s loads of situations with many different factors involved and even then it’s an individual experience.  I just went through two of the main reasons for not choosing craft beer here, it’s up to you to figure out the rest.

But in a time where craft beers, especially here in Canada and to an extreme extent in America, are hitting the mainstream stores with more and more force, I’m finding that the price is dropping little by little.  It’s slow, but it is happening.    Is it more expensive in stores than some of the “glorified water” beers out there?  In a lot of cases, yeah it is.  But at the end of the day I’m more likely to buy a six pack of a beer that I enjoy rather than a six pack of a beer that I don’t enjoy and at the moment I don’t notice a large enough price gap to justify drinking the latter.

 


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May 27, 2011 · 1:30 pm

Being Overwhelmed

So…I might have gotten a bit overwhelmed when I went in to my local LCBO (King/Spadina for Toronto readers) and noticed that the start of their new summer line of beers came in.  For the first time in a while I saw the shelf COMPLETELY covered with new beers I’ve never had before.  After being stuck with some of the same Pale Ales and Weissbiers, it’s probably an understatement to say that I danced a little jig in the aisle.  In fact, if we’re going to be perfectly honest, I pranced and sang a little.  You know what a four year old girl does when she has a plastic tiara, pink cape and a magic wand and is playing Fairy Princess?  Yeah.  THAT.

But I had to stop myself.  Pull in those reins.  I’m on a VERY limited budget, after all.  And some of these beers aren’t cheap.  A few were in the $11-12 mark.  I have to be cool about it and avoid the urge to get the shopping cart out and just stack up on stuff.

Normally when I find myself COMPLETELY overwhelmed with the selection and a budget of about $20ish  I go with four beers.  Two that I have tried either on tap or in a bottle before, and two that I have never tried before.

So I bought two bottles of La Trappe Tripel, a BEAUTIFULLY malty Trappist Abbey Ale from De Koningshoeven Brewery in the Netherlands (the only Trappist brewery outside of Belgium) which I drink on tap at my favorite pub. For the stuff I haven’t tried I bought a bottle of ROGUE Double Dead Guy Ale, an evolution on their wonderful Dead Guy Ale (duh) and Wells Banana Bread Beer.

The Banana Bread Beer is something I’ve been interested in trying out since I first heard that such a thing existed.  I love the idea of putting interesting and sometimes crazy things in beer and I’m looking forward to giving this one a try. And really it was either this or the ROGUE Chipotle beer, but I already got one from ROGUE.

The Double Dead Guy Ale, well…I’ll be honest.  I like the original Dead Guy Ale and am looking forward to seeing where it goes, but really…I also like the bottle design.  Simple, but wonderful.

So that’s my strategy when there’s so many beers out there you want to try but can’t pick.  Two safe beers, two new beers.

I’ll be posting reviews on these at some point.  Sadly, this weekend I’m off to the cottage where the Internet doesn’t roam as free as it does in the city.  But I have my little notebook and will be making notes for you.

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