Maybe it’s because the weather turned rainy and particularly fall-like this week, or perhaps I’m just getting cranky in my old age, but I thought now would be a good time to turn our collective attention to some of the outdated myths about beer that continue in circulation even today, when we have such a wealth of diverse brews at our disposal. Let’s start with the basics: (more…)

The Belgian brewing community was surprised this morning by the announcement that the large, regional brewer, Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the famed strong, golden ale, Duvel, has purchased the smaller, specialty-oriented Brasserie d’Achouffe. The deal marks the marriage of north and south Belgium, as the larger brewer is based in Flanders while the smaller is in the Ardennes region of Wallonia. (more…)

Everyone wants more. Check out any of the multiple beer chat boards on the Internet and you won’t have to search long to find someone complaining about the lack of diversity in their local beer markets, or railing about the difficulties they’re facing finding this beer or that one. Living in Toronto, I’ve been know to complain from time to time myself about the lack of brands available in my local stores. (more…)

Canada’s long running brewing drama came to an end this past weekend when it was revealed that Japan’s Sapporo was the winner in the bidding war for Canada’s number three brewer, Sleeman Breweries. (That’s assuming there was a bidding war, which we may never know for certain given the secrecy that surrounded the process. But insofar as Sapporo’s $17.50 a share bid represents a significant premium over Sleeman’s stock price, I guess that’s a fairly safe assumption.) Presuming that Sleeman’s stockholders accept Sapporo’s offer, the question becomes “Now what?” (more…)

Q: So what’s a gold medal at a nation-wide beer tasting worth?
A: It depends on what nation. (more…)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve probably heard about the revolution in canned beer. No longer limited to mass production, mass market guzzlers, cans now hold some pretty impressive brews, from the craft canning leader, Dale’s Pale Ale of Colorado, to well-respected, larger production brands such as the Czech legend, Pilsner Urquell, and many a German lager. Even Bavarian hefeweizens have been spied in cans. (more…)

According to my morning newspaper, today is going to be hot, very hot. And more than a little humid, with the humidex popping all the way up to between 39 and 43 degrees C., depending on which forecast you believe. (That’s between 102 and 109 degrees F., for my Metrically-challenged friends.) (more…)

Anyone familiar with my sometimes very public beer drinking preferences will not be surprised to hear that I tend not to count Labatt Blue among my preferred brands. (And before the competition gets to feeling to self-satisfied about this revelation, let me quickly add that neither do I stock my fridge with Canadian, Bud, MGD, Coors Light or pretty much any other big brewery lager.) Nevertheless, as an industry observer, I can’t help but wonder what Labatt is doing with their venerable flagship these days. (more…)

Recently, I was asked by a leading restaurant industry magazine to survey some specialty beer bar owners and find out what beer styles they anticipated being hot sellers this summer. Some of their responses were predictable enough – wheat beers, both Belgian and Bavarian, and lighter tasting ales and lagers like kölsches and pilsners – but a few stood out as surprises, like the super-hoppy IPAs noted by the head beer guy for the southern U.S. Flying Saucer chain, Keith Schlabs. (more…)

In anticipation of our upcoming move from the east side of downtown Toronto to the west, my lady and I took advantage of the recent Victoria Day long weekend to explore the area surrounding our new digs. Where we ended up was the recently relocated Le Select Bistro on Wellington Street near Spadina.

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