Ode to My Lake Effect

 From the moment I pop the top and catch a whiff of the tropical notes, to watching the beer cascade down into my glass...the anticipation builds.

  I know what is coming, but still I wait. Swirl and sniff, smell it again, for the first time, the last time. Take a sip. Not a gulp, just a taste and get that pineapple, grapefruit and crisp citrus rolling around your head.

  Juicy, bitter and oh so good. I won't rush, savour and sip till it is almost gone. 

 And then comes that final moment. The one I love and dread at once. The last taste comes too soon and then I am done. 

 Until I grab another one.

Protect your Beer - Bottle vs. Can

Yesterday was National Beer Can Appreciation Day in honour of the first sale of canned brews by New Jersey brewer Krueger on January 24th, 1935. I did not know that until now and it got me to thinking about my preferred method of purchasing my beers. When it comes to my American Craft beers, I usually have to buy brown bottles, since that's what most of the offering in the 6 pack for $9.99 deal at Wegmans comes in and I will take what I can get. It is not that I don't like bottles, I drank out them for the better part of a quarter century, but there is something to be said for a Tall can and its possibilities for art. I would say well over 85% of my Ontario Craft beer comes from that style. They are as different as you could imagine, from Collective Arts use of rising artist to illustrate their brews to the simple and elegant green can with blue logo from Steamwhistle. I am always drawn to unique attempts at grabbing my eyes. Give me a visual cue that you are different and I will place your beer on the counter for purchase. Some of my most favoured brews are from Great Lakes Brewery in Etobicoke and their resident artist Garnett Garry. He has a style for character design that is unique and stands out from the ordinary. Sir Fuggled Double Bottom on the Pompous Ass can is my personal fave and combined with the beer inside drove my love of this local brewer.

I hope most of us understand that the darker the container and more protected from light it is, the better your beer will keep. Clear bottles are death to the brew if not kept out of the damaging effects of the light.(Beer with little or no hops are the exception) This is what can cause that skunky smell/tastes and should be avoided at all costs. Next up are green bottles. Originally used in place of brown bottles during World War 2 because of all the brown glass being diverted to the war effort, they are better but still let more light in than the next option. Green glass became prevalent in many European breweries because of its low cost and accessibility during this time and when their beer began to be viewed as exotic imports, unfortunately it led to the green bottle being viewed as classier than the brown.
That brown bottle, be it long neck or stubby, is the choice of most brewers. Especially the industry standard bottle that the majority of them use in common. This reduces costs and makes it easier and cheaper to return the empties to the various bottling plants for re-use.
Craft brewers have taken a different tack and as they grow, many of them veer away from the industry standard to make unique and wonderful variations on that bottle. Logos, bigger, smaller or different shapes abound to try and catch your eye as they shuffle for space in the LCBO.

I will finish with the cans. I am a fan of these for a couple of reasons. One is their completely shutting light out from my beer. That is a key selling feature. Number two is portability. Less chance of accidentally breaking one than with bottles and are great for camping or any other outdoor activity. Finally, their larger and uniform surface make for a wonderful opportunity for the breweries to go a little nuts with their artwork and this is great for guys like me who have a wall of beer.



But I will once again ask you, ever so politely, to please put your beer in a glass. Drinking from the bottle or can is best reserved for Macro lagers that have no real scents to speak of. Putting a craft beer in a glass allows all the aromas to come to you and the visual of that beer pouring into the glass or swirling around as you sip and contemplate life is just wonderful.
Treat your beer right and keep it away from the light. A cold cellar in your basement is best, but the fridge or any dark cool place will make sure your beer is free from the damaging ultra violet rays that will turn it into something best left to attract slugs in the garden.
Cheers!

Beer of the Week - January 17th to January 23rd

Drinking beer is supposed to be fun and this week was no exception. Well there was that one. I did the dirty work and tried Molson 67 Session IPA for you this week. I don't want to linger on it, it made me sad. Go check out my Instagram or Facebook pages if you want to read all about that train wreck of a beer. It was amusing but not something I think you need to do yourself. Leave that to the professionals.

Since it's inception, I use my Beer of the Week (BOW) to showcase one beer from the last seven days for its unique ability to rise above all the other brews and stick in my memory. It occurred to me that perhaps the 67 was the one, but to be honest, it was just so full of nothing that it barely registers. I then turned to my Master Beer List and found some worthy candidates. Dam Buster from Silversmith was a great English Pale Ale and one I am anxious to get another one of. There were some great American Craft Beers from my trip last month to Buffalo, including an Imperial Stout called Choklat from Southern Tier Brewing that was just outstanding and smooth for being 10% ABV. But it was once again my old pal Beau's All Natural Brewing Company who rose to the top with a beer that surprised me and challenged my sense of sight versus taste.

Yet another beer I started to see pop up all over Instagram early in the week, this Black IPA called Le Coeur Noir (The Black Heart) was getting great reviews from my fellow enthusiasts and I picked one up to chill for Friday night.

As you can see, a simple yet elegant label design and of course the distinctive Beau's logo. It poured dark, like a stout or porter, with a creamy tan head that laced my glass as I drank. What really stood out for me was the contrast between what I was seeing and what I was drinking. I knew it was an IPA, but when I looked at the glass, my mind wanted to register a roasted malt brew. It had a sharp, hoppy scent and when I took a sip, it really took off. It had a creamy texture that featured a crisp and bitter tropical mix of grapefruit, pineapple and mango. Piney and dry to the finish, this was an outstanding IPA.

As I make my way through the world of craft beer, I am beginning to see patterns and distinct attributes for each style of beer. Most have an appearance that is consistent with that style, but this Black IPA challenged my notions. I like that I struggled a bit to put what my tongue was telling me together with what my eyes had first registered. That is what makes my journey so interesting to me, I never know where my beer will take me until I pop the top and get it into my glass.

It was a delight to drink and I will be picking up a few more to enjoy as the winter swirls around us.

Congrats to Beau's All Natural and their Le Coeur Noir for making me smile and think about what I am drinking. A well earned BOW and I am sure not the last one they will get in 2016.

Cheers! 

The Ritual

I think one thing that I have gained from exploring all that good beer has to offer is that I no longer desire or need to get blackout drunk. I might sound like a broken record, but Craft beer may have saved my life. This is a subject I keep coming back to again and again as I write because it is so important to me. It is always hovering in the background and I have no doubt that if it weren't for some self control and of course, delicious Craft beer, I would fall off into the abyss again.

It is with this in mind that I want to pause my day for a moment to discuss The Ritual.

I think we all have some sort of routine we fall into for anything we do, brushing your teeth, cleaning the house or car or even getting ready for bed. These things are mindless activities that we go through every day and for the most past they occur without any real forethought. I used to drink macro beer with the same approach. My only concern was with having enough and getting it as cheap as possible. Growing as a person and coming to the realisation that I could do better than I was has created a lot of change in my life and part of that is how I approach beer and life in general.

I like to call my approach The Ritual and it helps me to be fully present in the moment for the purpose of gaining all the experience I can from anything I do. With beer, it begins when I choose what to drink. I have an array of beer in my cold cellar and fridge and often take a bit of time to consider my choices. What am I feeling? What do I want from my beer tonight? Am I enjoying the game, someones' company or is it a quiet night just sipping and reading? All of these things play in my head as I scan the bottles and cans before me. It was easier to just grab an Old Mil and get plastered, but hey, I am trying to grow here.  A lot of times, I will latch on to a theme, like a particular region or country or perhaps a  style like a stout or pilsner and ride that for the evening. Other nights see me choosing a beer I have seen popping up all over Instagram or Untappd. It is not so much falling prey to advertising, as it is reading what others I trust write about the beer and wanting to try it myself. 

I always consider the proper and recommended temperature for serving the beer when choosing. Often I need to bring a beer out 30 minutes or so before drinking it in the case of a stout and warm it a bit if I need to. Check with the brewers website or someone you trust for advice based on the style you want to consume. Macro lagers must be drunk ice cold because that is the only way you can avoid any flavour issues they have as they warm.

Once a beer has been chosen, it is my next step to get the glass I want to use and rinse it out. I have harped on this subject as well and I cannot drink out of the bottle or can anymore unless I am forced to by circumstance. I always drink some water before I have my beer, as well as between brews to help cleanse my palate, slow myself down and fill me up. Not a bad idea.

The Pour is maybe the best thing about beer after the taste. The moment when you pop the top, crack the can or twist off the cork begin a cascade of events that lead to the first sip. The sound of opening a beer turns my head and heightens my other senses. I know what is to come. Tilting the glass in front of me, I begin delivering its contents forward. Slowly and deliberately, it is almost a religious experience. As it fills the vessel, I begin to straighten it up and the head, be it thick and bubbly, or thin and ethereal, begins to form. The aromas can make you salivate sometimes. I love it when a beer announces itself as soon as you open it and often it really explodes as you get it into your chosen glassware.

I always take a moment when the Perfect pour is done and consider what the beer looks like. Hold it up to the light and pause for a bit. You can start to tell the character of the beer by its how it looks. Is it thick and dark with a large head? Thin and straw coloured with a foam that just sits on the rim? An amber? Cloudy? So many things can come into play when you take the visual impact of a beer into account. But you must always approach with an open mind as appearances can be deceiving. I have been surprised plenty of times when a beer looks like one style and delivers a knockout flavour I wasn't expecting. I recently had a Farmhouse Ale called Biere de Noel from Niagara Oast House Brewers that poured black with a thick tan head, but it delivered a saison like orange peel, the spices of a winter warmer and a hint of roasted malt chocolate flavour. Great discoveries in beer take all the senses into account.

Only a small step left before the grand finale. Smell your beer. Give it swirl, get in there and sniff. The main reason I hate drinking from the bottle or can is that I miss a lot of what I was intended to receive when the brew master conceived the brew. The sense of smell tells you so much about what you are about to experience and why you would want to miss that by bypassing the aroma is beyond me. Especially with the stouts and porters. They can transport you to distant places with their thick heavy smells of roasted malts, coffee and spices. Other, lighter beers can have floral notes, grassy takes and fruits, even banana. I wouldn't have known that I was supposed to slow down and smell my beer from my previous experience with beers like Brava Light, as those are meant to be consumed quickly, not savoured and enjoyed.

Finally the time has come for the final step in The Ritual.

 The Sip.

I call it that and always begin my flavour descriptions with the phrase "On the sip" because that is what I want to do. You should too. Take a sip, swirl it around. Let it play on your taste buds. Often times when I take that first sip and begin to feel the brews notes expand I am surprised by what appears. There are a myriad of flavours in any beer and it is up to you if you experience them. Quickly downing beer after beer will get you nothing but drunk. Stop and consider what you have in your glass and savour the whole experience. I get the need to just pound beers one after the other, I really do. But it is in the slowing down and deliberately giving in to the beer with all your sense that you truly open yourself up to new and wonderful things. I have travelled the world through my beer and it is that kind of thing that has led me to this point. There are so many different styles and sub styles and even smaller niches that I don't think I could do them justice in one lifetime. The discovery of a flavour that you never considered before in a beer can be eye opening, as it was for me with English pale ales and their bready, caramel and nutty flavours. I never thought I would crave that kind of thing, but I never pass up a chance to grab one and enjoy that combination of tastes and many more. 

The drinking of my beer is always a singular experience for me. If I am going to a party or dinner, I always choose something I have had before. I want to be there for the experience of the event, not trying to make notes or take pictures about the beer. I touched on that last week and work very hard to pair the beer I drink with what I am doing. When I am chilling with my wife or alone, I always try to get new beer or two and just really enjoy them. Every beer deserves your attention because if you are not going to get all that it has in it, why bother. Get a case of Coors Light and get lit up. Even a brew that you don't like can tell you something and it is often by revisiting a style I didn't like at first that I am most surprised. IPAs, saisons and stouts are prime examples of beer types I struggled with when I first began my journey, but now clamour for on a nightly basis.

So please take the time tonight to slow down a bit. Open your senses to what is before you and really give your beer proper consideration. Explore something new and try something different. You will be surprised at how much you can learn just by letting yourself become immersed in that beer you have in front of you and shutting everything else out.

I know I will.

Cheers.

So Damn Good!


As always, check out my Facebook Page for links to my videos and other great stuff.

Beer of the Week - January 10th to January 16th

I usually have a hard time picking the Beer of the Week (BOW), and this week might have been the toughest yet. So many great new beers from Stouts to Saisons, but only one could win.
Trying new things is my theme of 2016 and in that vein, I made some short videos and put them up on my YouTube channel, here. Give them a look and get a peek inside how I explore the flavours, textures and aromas of my beer. Plus my shirts are pretty cool. Another expansion of my digital footprint is my Facebook page. It should help connect all the different expressions of my love for beer in one convenient place. Join us, we may have donuts.
I want to expand how I communicate with you and show you beer is not just a thing to smell, taste and feel, it is a visual and aural experience as well. What you see and hear when you open and pour your beer is also important in understanding what it is all about. The whole beer is something I refer to often when I talk about my brew and it includes all 5 senses.
Having said that, it is the beer that gives me purpose and this week I landed a whale. The term alludes to a highly sought after, but not easily attainable brew. It is in reference to Captain Ahab's single minded pursuit of Moby Dick and it isn't far of the mark for me with this beer.
Founder's Brewing from Michigan makes many unique and delicious beers that come in their distinctive "stubby" bottle. Rarely a misstep from these guys and I jump at the chance to try anything new when we venture south of the 49th parallel. As you begin to explore all the beer blogs, magazines, Instagram accounts and various other forms of digital media, some beers pop out at you more than others.

Just damn great beer!

The Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Breakfast Stout from Founder's was one of those for me. From the cool label with a baby on it that gave them some problems is New Hampshire (since cleared up) to the descriptions I have read of its contents, this beer had me chasing it in my dreams.
When we went to the States a couple of weeks ago, I finally found it at a Wegman's. A joyful day indeed. Waiting for just the right occasion to open it, I figured my first Saturday off in 6 months was a good enough reason. It poured a deep sea black with a tan head that kept coming back. The aroma of fresh ground coffee kept beckoning me forward. When I took my first sip, I understood the hype. Creamy and smooth with a dominate coffee flavour. Well roasted malts also give off a chocolate note that helps to level out the bitterness. The finish is dry and has the distinct note of  bitter black coffee, but in a good way. Put this in your mug for breakfast and you'll start the day off right. It is a pretty strong beer at 8.3% ABV and 60 IBUs, so you'll want to take your time with it. I'd recommend having some more bacon.
I really wish I had grabbed a 12 pack when we were down there, my life needs more of this wonderful beer in it. I imagine I can a still taste it, but alas, it is no more. The next time we go on a beer hunt, I will harpoon more than one and you can come over and join the cult of Founder's with me. We may not have donuts, but we do have outstanding beers!
That it can't be found here in Canada makes me sad, but I am still going to say Congratulations to Founder's Brewing Company and their Breakfast Stout for winning the BOW and delivering a reminder that sometimes life gives you exactly what your looking for.
Cheers!


The label that started it all.