Life is too short to drink just beer, wine or spirits, and so with Beaumont DRINKS!, internationally acclaimed beverage writer Stephen Beaumont brings his years of experience and expertise covering all sorts of libational pleasures to thatstheSPIRT.com. For over two decades, Stephen has written for a wide variety of publications on three continents, from Australia's Beer & Brewer to Wine Enthusiast Magazine in the United States and Europe's newspaper of record, the International Herald Tribune, and we are delighted to unleash his uncompromising voice here.
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Cabo Campari
August 5th, 2010 by stephen_bI almost missed this, but apparently a deal went through on July 31 for Grupo Campari to buy the remaining 20% of Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Tequila line. The Italian drinks company bought the first four-fifths back in 2007, leaving the remaining ownership with rocker Hagar.
The bulk of the purchase price has already been paid, but US$4 million remains to be distributed over the course of the following three years, which would lead one to speculate that perhaps Hagar will remain the face of the brand for a little while, at least. Still, I have to wonder how much his heart will be in it?
(As a side note, I interviewed Hagar a couple of years ago – about drink, not rock ‘n’ roll – and was impressed to find that the guy really does know his tequila. What’s more, as tempting as it might be to write off Cabo Wabo as just another ego-driven spirits brand, it is actually pretty good stuff.)
Get Refreshed and Do Some Good
August 1st, 2010 by stephen_bI love situations where you can drink AND do good, even little bits of good. I feel this way when I enjoy Trappist ales, knowing that the profits go towards the charitable works of the monasteries involved, and feel largely the same about this little promotion.
From now until August 14, fifty cents from the sale of every bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio will be donated to the Aids Committee of Toronto. While, as the press release acknowledges, this might not seem like a lot of cash, the expected sales should generate somewhere in the area of $50,000, and that’s definitely no chicken feed.
While pinot grigio often gets stick from the cognoscenti of the wine world, who liken it to wine’s answer to water, in hot, sultry weather like that we’ve been having lately, it can be a most appropriate tipple, served cold and gulped rather than sipped. A good one will still tickle your palate with subtle fruity, lemony notes and maybe a hint or two of fresh cut grass or straw. Complex it is not, but neither is it meant to be.
So the next time the sun is high and you’re in the mood for something light and refreshing – that’s not a gin and tonic or pilsner – reach for a bottle of Santa Margherita and do some good.
Three Cheers for the University of Toronto’s Hart House
July 30th, 2010 by stephen_bMany Torontonians remain unaware of the beautiful courtyard and surrounding buildings that compose Toronto’s Hart House, situated just north of College Street and west of University Avenue, on the University of Toronto campus. But thanks to an adventurous summer menu of events, beer and wine drinkers of discerning taste are well aware of the century old student centre and event space.
Earlier this year, I attended the Grand Tasting, part of the Salut Wine and Food Festival, at Hart House, which made effective use of both the courtyard and the gorgeous Grand Hall. Later on, I visited the same spaces for the Brewer’s Plate, an innovative food and beer pairing event that was necessarily small in scale – one of the beauties of Hart House is that it accommodates only limited numbers of people and so precludes the massive crowds that attend some other drinks events – and brought together local brewers and chefs in a fashion that was both intelligent and, to my not inconsiderable experience, seldom effected so successfully.
Then, just last night, I was privy to the Craft Beer Festival & Summer Barbecue Festival, a sold out affair that operated only in the courtyard. With terrific weather – clear skies and, for this summer, unusually temperate climes – the event went off with few hitches visible to the public. Although food lines were consistently long, they moved well and the food was regularly refreshed and of pleasing quality, and while the plastic tasting cup shortage could easily have been alleviated by assigning attendees a permanent drinking vessel on arrival, I didn’t see it hampering the enjoyment of anyone present. All in all, it was a terrific event and a pleasing contrast, I imagine, to what will be happening in a week or so at Exhibition Place.
What’s more, I was told that next year’s Beer & BBQ extravaganza may be expanded to two days, which would most certainly be welcomed by those unable to get tickets this year. If they add real tasting glasses, in opposition to the plastic cups, a few more obscure beers – the other never-ending line-up, aside from the food line, was the one at HMH Negotiants, where they were pouring the beers of MicroBrasserie Charlevoix, Les Trois Mousquetaires and Dieu du Ciel – and maybe a tutored tasting or two, this could easily become a highlight of the Toronto beer event calendar!
The Five Ultimate Beer Styles for Summer
July 29th, 2010 by stephen_bSummer has this reputation as the ultimate beer drinking season, and in many ways it is! (Although barley wine in winter, bocks in the spring, or any of dozens of other weather-beer combinations should never be discounted.) But always the key to maximum beer enjoyment is choosing the right beer for the right occasion, like these five super summer sippers.
Thirsty yet?
1) German Pilsner: If there is a more purely refreshing beer style out there, I don’t know what it is. Northern German style pilsners are dry, moderately bitter and thoroughly thirst-quenching, like they were invented for summer. Examples: Jever Pilsner, Victory Prima Pilsner
2) American-Style Pale Ale: The ale equivalent of the German pilsner, these beers boast citrusy fruitiness, thoroughly drying bitterness and the kind of snappy finish you sometimes need when temperatures soar over 30 degrees Celsius. Examples: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dale’s Pale Ale
3) Hefeweizen: I once stated that this style, when expertly brewed, is just a bit too fruity to be quenching, and I still believe this to be the case. This does not, however, prevent it from being a spicy, satisfying and consummately enjoyable quaff for a hot July or August midday. Examples: Schneider Weisse, Denison’s Weissbier
4) Traditional Gueuze: So it seldom gets broiling hot in northern Belgium, this traditionally tart and dry beer style nevertheless combines the dry, universally food-friendly character of a Champagne with the citrusy whollop of a good wheat beer, and packages it all in a beer that’s pretty much the perfect weight for summer. Examples: Cantillon Gueuze, Lindemans Cuvée René
5) Baltic Porter or Caribbean Stout: Typically lager-fermented but with the depth and alcohol of an Imperial stout, these sweet but crisp, roasty and chocolaty brews, served chilled, are the perfect refresher for after the sun sets but the day’s heat still hangs in the air, perhaps paired with a cigar. Examples: Saku Porter, Royal Extra Stout
Single Malt and Flying – What a Delightful Combination!
July 15th, 2010 by stephen_bGrab a flight out of Pearson, Trudeau or Vancouver International Airport and what do you get? Overpriced food court sustenance and bars with all the atmosphere of a factory cafeteria, that’s what!
Fly Porter Airlines out of Toronto’s city centre Billy Bishop Airport, on the other hand, and from now until July 23, and likely again in the fall, you can enjoy a blind tasting of three expressions of Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky. And all for free!
In a pilot project expected to achieve permanence come autumn, Porter has teamed up with William Grant & Sons to offer a complimentary sampling of the Glenfiddich 12, 15 and 18 year old whiskies, between 4:00 and 8:00 pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The program takes place in the waiting area – which itself is more like a business class lounge than it is a typical airport terminal – and is run by affable and knowledgeable Porter employees.
The way it works is this. At a custom designed bar, staff pre-prepare sampling glasses with stickers affixed to the base, so while they know which whisky is which, you do not. They will then guide you through a sampling of three whiskies identified as “fruity,” “sweet” and “woody” before asking you to arrange them in order of your preference on the tasting mat. At the end of the ten or so minutes of the tasting, the identities are revealed and you may find that, to your palate, at least, older is not necessarily better.
What I particularly enjoyed about the tasting myself was the way in which the tutor emphasized the different roles each whisky might best play, such as aperitif, digestif or even partner to certain foods. All in all, I thought the whole experience was most enjoyable, as did the three other men I shared the experience with.
Don’t miss it if you will be flying Porter this or next week, and be sure to ask about its return in the fall. As the Porter ads say, “flying refined.” Indeed!
Results and Questions From the Bar Chef Nationals
July 14th, 2010 by stephen_b
Last night at Barchef in Toronto I bore witness to the National Bar Chef Competition, sponsored by Ketel One Vodka. Six talented mixologists – one from Montreal, two from Vancouver and three locals – competed ably to craft the most interesting, flavourful and original cocktail, using Ketel One, ‘natch. And the winner was…
Vancouver’s David Wolowidnyk, who mixes, shakes and stirs at West Restaurant. Second place also went to a Vancouverite, albeit a transplanted Torontonian, Lauren Mote, of The Refinery
Now, kudos to all who competed and also to those who so enthusiastically attended – and doubly so to Aaron Gaulke, who with one other ‘tender, whose name I did not catch, handled a very busy bar while Barchef’s head cocktailian, Frankie Solarik, served as judge – but I couldn’t help but leave the bar scratching my head, and for a quartet of reasons. To wit:
- Why do these things seem so often to be sponsored by vodkas? I mean, I enjoy a good vodka as much as the next guy, but it’s hardly the most thrilling spirit to mix. Where are the gins? (Oh, I remember, in the audience in the form of one Mia Hunt of Victoria Gin.) Where are the Canadian whiskies, who want so much to buoy up their slowly sinking ship? Rums? Bourbons? Supporting spirits?
- What can be done to make these affairs more interesting? I’ve yet to be to a single mixology competition that hasn’t lost the interest of at least half the audience midway through.
- Why does it seem like the audience never, ever gets a chance to try the cocktails being created for the judges? Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to have the recipes submitted in advance and created in miniature for everyone to taste along with the judges.
- What’s with Kevin Brauch, the Thirsty Traveler, always judging at these things? Is he really that thirsty?
Mark Your (Toronto) Calendar!
July 9th, 2010 by stephen_bI’ve not attended either of the first two annual Hart House Craft Beer Festival & Summer BBQs, but that’s been due to circumstance rather than intent. Between this interesting-looking gathering and the August piss-up known around these parts as Toronto’s Festival of Beer, the Hart House event is the hands-down, no-question, I’m-offended-that-you’d-even-imagine-otherwise winner. Better value, too!
Check it out!
- What: Craft Beer Festival & Summer BBQ
- When: 7PM Thursday, July 29th, 2010
- Where: Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H3
- Tickets: $35 Adult +tax / $25 Student +tax (19+) http://www.uofttix.ca / 416-978-8849
- More Info: http://www.harthouse.ca/craft
My Barbecue Wine for 2010: Hardy’s Bankside Shiraz 2008
July 6th, 2010 by stephen_bAre you tired of Aussie shirazes, with their precious fruitiness, coy “drinkability,” and general lack of true substance? Do you long for something big and bold that still shows all the aspects of the shiraz grape that you know and love? Well, have I got a wine for you.
Last week, I was invited to a lunch celebrating the visit to Canada of Bill Hardy, roving ambassador for the winery his family once owned outright (but still supports). He brought several wines with him, not surprisingly, including a terrific little chardonnay/pinot gris blend called “The Gamble – No. 2 in the winery’s “Chronicle” series – and the pricey and expensive Thomas Hardy Cabernet 2002, which after eight years still shows ample room for growth despite drinking beautifully right now, with a complex mix of black currant, herbals, tobacco, dried fruit and coffee grounds.
What really impressed me, though, was the 2008 Bankside Shiraz, recently repackaged as No. 4 in the “Chronicle” series and so new to the scene that I can’t find a pic of its label online, even on the winery’s own website.
Absolutely loaded with character – and alcohol, at 14.5%! – this shiraz is anything but precious, showing overripe berries, cinnamon and allspice, and chocolate fudge notes on the nose and more fruit, plummy this time, alongside peppery spice and cocoa notes in the body, all ending in a lengthy – and, it needs be added, rather warming – finish that calls a bit to mind brandy-soaked raisins. On its own, this is a barn-burner of a wine and decidedly not for the faint of heart. But with a charcoal grilled steak, barbecued ribs, sausages, burgers or almost anything else cooked on a smoky barbecue, it is a delight, even more so when served slightly chilled.
Currently selling for a mere $13.95 a bottle in my home market of Ontario, it’s a heck of a bargain, too!
Mott’s Caesar 101
June 28th, 2010 by stephen_bThis morning, courtesy of the good folks at Mott’s Clamato, I attended the unveiling of seven new Bloody Caesar-style recipes and a tasting of three of them. This was, obviously enough, in aid of Mott’s selling more Clamato, and more power to them in that regard, but it also raises an interesting question: Do we really need a variation on the traditional Caesar?
Whether or not it’s true that the Caesar is Canada’s national cocktail, as Mott’s would have us believe, there is little question that many if not most Canadians are quite fond of the drink in at least a given set of circumstances. I personally believe it to be a drink best reserved for mornings and on airplanes – the latter of which seems to be a common sentiment, at least according to many of the people I’ve surveyed – while others might say it is a summer drink, or a Sunday drink, or a morning-after-the-night-before drink. But it is a drink that we, as a nation, generally seem to enjoy, and it’s pretty easy to make.
Variations abound, of course. I like a healthy shot of vodka, red and green hot sauce, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (and only Lea & Perrins!), fresh lemon and lime juice, and Clamato. You might enjoy something different. But with respect to the folks at Mott’s and the creator of this drink, I don’t think any one of us needs The Deeva Ceasa.
The Deeva Ceasa (Adapted from a recipe provided by Mott’s Clamato)
1 oz vodka
2 dashes red hot sauce
3 dashes sea salt and pepper
1 dash orange bitters
2 oz Mott’s Clamato
3 cocktail olives
Rim half a chilled martini-style cocktail glass in salt. In a mixing glass, add all the ingredients except the olives. Add ice and stir until cold. Strain into the cocktail glass and garnish with a skewer of olives.
As you can probably figure, the above is either a Clamato-accented vodka martini or a watered-down Caesar, but either way it didn’t work for me. And even if it did, olives and Clamato simply do not belong in the same glass, so far as I’m concerned.
Far better was the Bay Street Bracer.
Bay Street Bracer (Adapted from a recipe provided by Mott’s Clamato)
1 oz vodka
2 dashes red hot sauce
3 dashes freshly ground salt and pepper
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
4 oz Mott’s Clamato
4 cucumber sticks, peeled and cut to 4” long
In a mixing glass, muddle all ingredients except the Mott’s Clamato. Add Clamato and ice and stir until cold. Strain over fresh ice and garnish with another cucumber spear.
As I was tasting the above drink, I couldn’t help but think how much better it would be with gin in place of the vodka. Because of the cucumber, the temptation might be to use Hendrick’s, but I think something more assertive like Plymouth (or Citadelle!) would work well, too.
To see the rest of the Mott’s recipes, including the oddly fruity tasting The Great Big Sea-sar, made with rum as an homage to east coast drinkers, check out http://www.facebook.com/CanadasCocktail.
More Beer Style Myths
June 21st, 2010 by stephen_bContinuing on from this post, here are five more common myths or misconceptions regarding different beer styles.
6. India Pale Ales Need To Be Strong: Even the most studious of beer scribes once believed this to be true, but more recent research by the likes of Martyn Cornell, Ron Pattinson and Pete Brown have shown that early IPA’s likely weren’t terribly out of line with the standard strength of the beers of the day, which is to say around 6 – 6.5 % alcohol by volume.
7. Speaking of IPAs, They Were Invented to be Able to Withstand the Rigours of the Journey from England to India, Right?: Wrong, actually. Those same industrious historians, and others, have shown that plenty of beer was being shipped successfully to India prior to the arrival of India pale ales.
8. Brewing Adjuncts Like Sugar and Corn Are by Definition Bad: Depends on how they are used. The brewers of some beers, certain British best bitters, for example, use corn grits to the benefit of their brews, while sugar is frequently used in Belgian ales, including some of the best and most storied.
9. But There’s a Special “Candi” Sugar Used in Belgian Abbey-Style Beers, Right?: Nuh-uh! In his book, Brew Like a Monk, Stan Hieronymus points out that most brewers in Belgium who once used a “clear candi sugar,” meaning a liquid sugar syrup and not the crystallized rocks often sold to North American homebrewers as “Belgian candi sugar,” have changed over to plain sucrose or dextrose.
10. Blonde Beers Are Boring: This is subjective, of course, but to my experience, most people who think all blonde beers – ales or lagers – are boring are those who have never really sat down to give them the time of day. Tasted carefully rather than gulped down ice cold, there is plenty of flavour and complexity in a Bavarian-style helles, Bohemian-style pilsner or kölsch beer, and those three are just the tip of the light-coloured iceberg! Duvel, anyone?
