Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Altbier on September 25 in Toronto

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

I don’t normally post on single events that don’t have some sort of broader connection, but I thought an upcoming evening in Toronto’s Distillery District to be of sufficient note that it bears mentioning. On September 25, The Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce will be presenting a Dusseldorf Altbierfest from 6:30 onward in the Distillery District’s Fermenting Cellar. (more…)

Got Time? Want Hops? Want Beer?

Friday, August 21st, 2009

If you’re down in the general vicinity of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, tomorrow (August 22) and want to help out a local brewer, score yourself a kilo of free wet hops and partake in some of the most interesting new brews in the Maritimes, amble on over to the Lazy Acres Hop Farm around 9:00 a.m. and help Greg Nash and the crew from the Hart & Thistle Brewpub harvest some hops. (more…)

NEWS FLASH: DIY Lime Beer Encroaches on Bud Light/Big Rock/Moosehead/Brick Turf

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Item: The latest breweries to enter the “Lime Beer Wars” are Ontario’s Brick Brewing and New Brunswick’s Moosehead, following the success in the segment of Bud Light Lime and Big Rock Lime Light Lager. (more…)

Americans, Australians, Czechs, Dutch…But No Canadians?!?

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I’m back after having been locked out of the admin program for the Beer Blog for the first couple of weeks of this month, which was too bad because there was lots to tell about the Great British Beer Festival, which I attended during the first of those weeks. No matter, though, because I’ll get to all of that over the next several days (or you can pop over to World of Beer and check out some of my reports there). (more…)

Creemore Springs Kellerbier — Damn!

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

When I first tasted the new seasonal from the Molson-owned Creemore Springs Brewery in June, I noted that while I was impressed with the beer on tap, I would wait until it was out in the canned version before forming my final opinion. Well, it is and I have, and it’s damn good. (more…)

One Helluva Good Idea

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

I found out from my friend Greg over at Canadian Beer News that the first ever Quebec Beer Day, or Journee Quebecoise de la Biere, will take place exactly one month from today, on August 15. According to the official website, unfortunately available only in French, the day will feature twenty breweries, cideries and bars offering tours and tastings all day long, in regions from Abitibi to the Gaspesie. (more…)

Attn: Ontario, Golden Tap Voting Is ON!

Monday, July 6th, 2009

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll have seen reference from time to time to a site called The Bar Towel. While originally conceived as a news site for Toronto-area beer aficionados, the Towel has grown into a pan-Ontario and occasionally beyond site for beer news and notes of all sorts, and host to an annual awards show called The Golden Taps. (more…)

Drinks for Canada Day

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Canada’s national day is this Wednesday, and while it would be easy to simply suggest drinking local beer for the celebration, I’d rather suggest a trio of new beverages, two of which also invoke my own Scottish roots. (more…)

Fat Cat Lives!

Friday, June 26th, 2009
While assembling some Canadian contributions to a forthcoming book called 1001 Beers to Try Before You Die, I made a very unfortunate discovery in British Columbia — the Fat Cat Brewery was taking its final gasps and preparing to shut down for good. At the heart of this difficult decision was a dispute with their landlord, apparently, but as I discovered in conversation with Bunny at the brewery, it was merely the proverbial “final straw” in a list of hurdles and challenges that has plagued Fat Cat through its ten year history. (more…)

Creemore Hits One Out of the Park…Maybe

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
I tasted a new beer from Creemore yesterday, Kellerbier, and while it’s too early to say for certain, my initial impression is that this may be one of the best new beer launches in Ontario for quite a while. (more…)