I failed (An apology)

First off: An apology. I failed you. I am weak. Two months into the year of Ontario craft beer and it's over. I couldn't do it.

Let me explain myself:

Over the last two months, I drank A LOT of Great Lakes Beer, and they make great beer. But who else is making interesting one-off beer in the same way? Many of the other one-off makers are too far for me to get to. Amsterdam's good stuff comes out at a slow trickle at best (I'm hoping it's because they just moved and the floodgates are about to open). There just hasn't been enough out there to keep me going. And sticking to only one brand of beer--in this case Great Lakes--defeats the spirit of craft beer. I just didn't have access to a wide enough variety of beer to keep my satisfied.

Also: I feel like I'm at the point where I've tried almost everything I have access to. And here's the kicker: I'm not learning anymore. The whole beer thing, for me, is fun because I'm always learning. But if I can't drink the non-Ontario stuff, I lose the context of our beer scene with respect to others. I can't compare anymore. My education is at a stand still and that's no good.

Also, Dude: Westy 12 is coming to the lcbo. So's Rochefort 10 and a bunch of other world class Belgian stuff. This is what I've been waiting for and I have no intention of missing this.

So, yeah, I'm sorry if you feel mislead. My intentions were good, and I honestly went into this hoping to do it. I learned that I can't live on Ontario beer alone. I don't think we're there as a province. But then again, maybe it's less a judgment on Ontario, and more on me and craft beer in general. I'm not sure I could survive on any one region's beer alone (I realize the word survive is a strange one to use). I think the easy conclusion to draw would be that Ontario's craft beer scene isn't up to snuff. But that would be wrong. I had a great 2 months and am very happy with where our scene is. And when taken together with a few select imports, I'm a very happy man.


I'm not going to dwell, though. The blog will remain the same-I'm still dedicated to Ontario craft beer. The quest continues. But without the guilt.

Life's too short for guilt. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a Heady Topper in the fridge with my name on it.

Cameron's RPA

For 3 days, I was dying to write this blog post. Alas, I was sick, and dying, and wasn't in any mood for beer. Or, more precisely, my stomach wasn't in any mood for beer.

Meanwhile, I was taunted by six bottles of Cameron's Rye Pale Ale jingle-jangling in my fridge each time I reached for the Britta to re-hydrate. Mocking me with their yellow label and their glass and their hops and their malts and their yeasts and their spicy rye flavours.

But now I'm better, and tonight I cracked one open, and it was a real treat.

I'm a fan of anything our craft brewers do that's outside the norm, that's filling a void in our scene. Rye Pale Ale is a great beer, and has forced me to look at Cameron's in a new light. Whereas before, I looked at them more as, like, a comfortable cardigan: You knew what you were getting, and it was comfortable. I didn't really think twice about them. Now, I see them as more as, like, a sweet, tight, yellow sweater vest. So tight, in fact, I turn around and stare at them when they walk away, snap my fingers, and say "da-yum."

So, what's a Rye PA (or RPA)? It's an IPA (we've got a lot of those already) with rye in there too. The rye adds an interesting spicy flavour to the mix, and adds to the texture of the beer. So, close your eyes and picture this:

CAMERON'S HOUSE TASTE (You know it from their cream ale and their auburn ale, etc) + CITRUSY IPA + SPICY RYE = Cameron's RPA

For some better tasting notes, from people who are better at this sort of thing than I am, check out the reviews on beeradvocate.com.

Cameron's RPA, which is 6.6% ABV, is available at the brewery, for now, and at your finer beer bars.

It's a seasonal beer, but if you like it, encourage them to make it year round, and let's hope they listen. It's a great addition to the Ontario beer scene.

Now go away before anybody sees me drinking this, I can probably milk this man cold for another day or two.

Find your local breweries

Today, I'm taking a little pause to reflect on my Ontario beer odyssey so far. And you're in luck, I'm going to impart a little bit of wisdom. Have a seat, this will be mind blowing. 

Here's my advice for you: Find your local craft breweries, and get your beer straight from the source whenever possible. It's the freshest way to get your beer--no languishing in warehouses before getting to you. You'll also have the pleasure to see the place your beer was made and, if you're lucky, you might get to meet the folks that make your beer, chat them up. No cold soviet era like storehouses, real people make real beer. And that sense of community is what makes getting into craft beer so much fun.

In addition, at least at my local breweries, they often save the best stuff for the brewery store. Many brewers sells their big market stuff through the lcbo, but save their small batch goodness and seasonals (this is the real good stuff) for the brew store.

Without these brewery stores (props go to Great Lakes and Amsterdam so far...), I'd have a pretty long year ahead of me. Instead, over the past week, I've been able to get an Imperial Russian Stout, an Imperial Black IPA, a Vanilla Imperial Espresso Stout, and a smoke beer which otherwise would have been out of my reach.

To find your local breweries, a good place to start is the Ontario Craft Brewers website. Check out their brewery map here: http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/breweriesMap.php (Note that there are other craft breweries in Ontario that don't belong to OCB).

If you're in Toronto, BlogTo recently wrote a piece on their "top 10 non-Beer store beer stores" in Toronto. Check it out here: http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2012/11/the_top_10_non-beer_store_beer_stores_in_toronto/

Of course, the lcbo has its place, and, when paired with your local breweries, can help create a fulfilling craft beer experience for you.

Uh oh. Mad Tom's here - and he's even madder.

Muskoka Brewery's Twice as Mad Tom IPA has hit lcbo shelves. I've been a bit fan of the original Mad Tom since it first came out, it's one of our very best Ontario IPAs (in my humble opinion), and was one of our very first widely available IPAs. 

And now, with Twice as Mad Tom, Muskoka is once again filling a huge void in the lcbo's inventory: a locally brewed double IPA. 

This is going to make my year of Ontario beer even more enjoyable. Double IPAs (DIPAs) are one of my favourite styles, and I was sweating there for awhile that I'd have to drive out to Black Oak Brewery for their 10 Bitter Years every time I wanted one. Now I just need to drive five minutes to the lcbo for a top notch DIPA. 

This DIPA is much different that 10 Bitter Years though (neither better not worse, just different).

It clocks in at 8.4%, and, while very hoppy, it generally eschews the punch in the face hop attack of many DIPAs for a more layered, flavourful approach-to wonderful effect. This citrus is there, in fine juicy form, and the malts back it up nicely. Don't get me wrong, dude's hoppy. But dude's deep too. Like, Jordan Catalano deep. 

I like it. Try it.

Amsterdam moves into my neighbourhood. Angels sing.

So, it's November 1st. The day we've all been practising for.

Amsterdam is now officially all moved in to their new digs in Leaside. This is great news for my Ontario beer quest. One of the best breweries in Ontario is now a 7 minute drive from my house

Most excitingly, they also have a new run of Tempest Imperial Stout at the brewery store-I highly suggest you hightail it over there because it won't last long. This is a very special beer--one of those beers that people cut out of work early to get  their hands on before it's gone. One of those beers that people leave their jobs to start their own writing/editing businesses so that they can work from home and be ready to drive over to the brewery at a moment's notice for. I can't stress this enough: Go get it while it's available. I mean it so much I'm going to underline it: Go get it while it's available. 


If you miss it, it should also be at the lcbo (for the first time) imminently, in very limited quantities (you might want to ask your local "beer guy" or "beer girl" if your local lcbo is getting it and, if they are, whether they could put a few aside for you.)

Holy Smoke: Another void filled in Ontario beer

Things are happening quickly in Ontario beer. Things are accelerating. Each month--each week even--my year-of-Ontario-beer challenge is turning from "I have to drink Ontario beer for a whole year??" into "I get to drink Ontario beer for a whole year!!"

There's much on the horizon that I'm interested in, much happening this week even, but that's for a different post. 

This post is meant to tout another hole filled in our scene: Church-Key's Holy Smoke has hit the lcbo. Until now, we've been very underserved in the Scotch Ale department (A dark, sweet ale) AND in the Smoke beer department (think charcoal BBQ.... mmmm.....). Holy Smoke is a sort of hybrid of the two-A scotch ale using peat smoked malts.

I know a lot of people who don't like smoke beer, but I like it a lot. Be warned, though: this 6.2% ale is NOT a session beer. There's a lot going on and it can tire out the palate, so I recommend splitting the 650 ml bottle with a friend. Unless you're the kind of person who can pound back scotch all night long, then be my guest. 

Count this ridiculously handsome beer blogger happy to see this addition at the lcbo. Give it a chance.

Prayers answered... Storm's a brewin'... (Amsterdam Tempest)

So far, this whole "I'll only drink Ontario craft beer for a whole year" thing has been pretty tasty. I've spent a lot of time on the Gardiner, driving to Great Lakes (for some Deliverance, Ernie Wit and Saison du Pump-all awesome) and to Black Oak (for some 10 Bitter Years and some Oaktoberfest-also real good).

And I think that's what life will be like this year. After all, the good stuff you usually have to get from brewery itself.

So I was overjoyed to hear that Amsterdam Tempest, an imperial stout I've been dying to try for ages but haven't been able to get my hands on, is being released next Monday, October 22. And not only that, it'll be in the lcbo (in limited quantities). From what I've heard, it's the best imperial stout in Ontario, and seems to be right down my mouth puckering 100 IBU alley.

I was so happy to hear the news that I cracked into the dwindling supply of imperial stouts that remain in my cellar. If I can get my hands on a few of these bad boys, my ontario craft winter won't be so barren after all.

Foiled! supplies dwindling, send help...

In a fit of panic last night-yes, I realize it was day one-I drank one of my 4 bourbon barrel aged Great Lakes Porters. A tactical mistake? Perhaps. But I was feeling celebratory.

This morning, I awoke wondering what would happen if nothing new that's awesome and dark and special occasion-y comes out for awhile. What will I do? Supplies are dwindling.


Beer cellar contents (Ontario):

-3 Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Porters
-1 Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Robust porter
-2 Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Belgian Saisons


eep!

But, in the midst of my morning panic, an angel in the form of a drinkvine.com email: Your local lcbo has 24 Russian Gun Imperial Stouts in stock. wait, what?? already? This will be perfect, I thought! A perfect way to start building my Ontario-only beer cellar! So your intrepid reporter hightailed it over to his local 'bo, where his intrepid beer guy looked confused, checked the back, checked the invoice... There was no Russian Gun. Not for a while. It was all a mistake. A horrible invoicing mistake.

Anyway, I ended up buying some Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA and some Flying Monkeys Cascadian Dark Ale, both of which are very good Ontario beers I highly recommend. Unfortunately, they're not cellar beers. That cellar is where my challenge for the next year will lie.

Here we go: It has begun...

The "yes" pile

ok - here we go. It's begun. Yesterday, I pledged to only drink Ontario beer for the next year. Today, I start taking action.

My fridge contains the following hencetoforth contraband:

-1 Green Flash IPA.
-2 cans of Red Racer.

I will drink them first. And that's when it will really begin.

My fridge also contains:

-Black Oak 10 Bitter Years, a very nice ONTARIO double IPA available at the brewery only. Luckily, it's a stone's throw from Great Lakes Brewing - when I swing by one, I'll swing by the other. This will be very handy for me over the next year. I will make that trip more than once, for sure. You see, neither 10 BY or Great Lakes REAL rare gems are available at the lcbo, so you have to swing by the breweries. PLUS: you get it extra fresh.

-1 can of Great Lakes Brewing Crazy Canuck. Thinking, next time I swing by the brewery, I'll buy the freshest can of this I can find, and do a side by side with this can that's been sitting here for awhile.

I also need to start thinking about stockpiling good stuff for winter: Imperial stouts, triples, quads, belgian strong ales, etc. We don't make much of this stuff in Ontario, and when we do, it's usually at the brewery store and it sells out real quick. I need to be smart about this.

For example, last saturday, Bellwoods had a high gravity bottle sale. I didn't go. Now I regret that decision. Also: last week, Amsterdam sold some bottles of Barrel Aged Tempest (an Imperial Stout) and a Golden Ale at the brewery store - they sold out in 22 minutes.

I'm going to need to be vigilant, and strike when the opportunities arise. Fingers crossed for more Tempest soon.

When the opportunities arise, I will strike. Like a cat. Like a beautiful cat.

For the next year, I will drink only Ontario beer

Goodbye, my sweet precious. Goodbye.

It's with a heavy heart, and a sense of foreboding, that I drink this Hibernus, and that I write this blog post. My keys are wet with the tears of trappist monks. Goodbye my sweet Belgians, goodbye...

It all started earlier this week, amid furor over IPAs and their freshness. Folks were complaining (as beer folks are wont to do) about some out of province beer at the lcbo. Saying it was past its due, that it had lost its lustre. The hops weren't fresh. I bought it and I thought it was ok. Tasted really like most IPAs we get around here. To be honest, I didn't really put much thought into it. Another beer checked off the "to try" list. 3/5. Neither offensive nor inoffensive. And that was that. Or so I thought.

But then something else happened. Great Lakes Brewery released their Bourbon Barrel Aged 25th Anniversary Porter - a beer I've wanted to get my grubby little paws on for home use for ages (ok, it hasn't been around for ages, but you get my drift). They put out a few at the brewery store, and I hightailed it over to get while the getting was good. I bought some, but they also had an IPA called My Bitter Wife. They tend to do fantastic IPAs, so I bought some of those too, seeing as I was all the way across the Gardiner.

That night, I cracked open My Bitter Wife. It was a revelation. It put most other IPAs I've had to shame, mainly because the citrusy hop flavours were so juicy-so vibrant-so fresh. And I started to think about it-Could it be that those other IPAs, those IPAs I buy at the lcbo that have been sitting around for months USED to taste like this? Could I be tasting a hollow shell of what those IPAs used to taste like. Because, seriously, this was in such a different league of flavour it wasn't even close. I don't know the answer because I haven't had most of them fresh. But I do know that the difference between the My Bitter Wife I had and many of the other IPAs I buy can be likened to eating local fruit in season and eating fruit imported out of season. The vibrancy, the juiciness, the freshness. Have you had blueberries from loblaws in the middle of winter? bland. rubbery. but you eat them because they're there. You don't complain.

I don't want that. I want fresh. This brings me to my point.

I've [gulp] been looking for a focus for this blog for awhile, and I think I've found it. I've [gulp] decided to make a vow:

For the next year, I will only drink Ontario beer.*

This will be tricky (read: really really hard)-we don't really do belgian styles. Most of the really good stuff is only available at brewery stores. But I want to give this a go. Think of it sort of like a 100 mile diet for beer. I want to support local. I want to drink fresh beer. And I want to chronicle it all for you, my loyal reader. I want to find out if Ontario beer can sustain me. Is there enough variety, enough flavour? Only one way to find out.

Wish me luck. MUCH more to come.

*This vow excludes beer that is already in my cellar (not much). I'll be drinking that until it [gulp] runs out. Then I'm in trouble. Also: I will drink beer from outside of Ontario if it is free, because it is a sin to turn down free beer, everybody knows that.

Oh Lordy. It's Toronto Beer Week

Sleep well, my precious flower.

I promised I'd be back - and I am. I'm a man who keeps his word. A strong man. A handsome man. A man who used to hurry a lot. Who used to worry a lot. Who used to stay out 'til the break of day.

No more. Usually, bedtime is 9:30-10. 11 tops. I have a kid to raise. A house to maintain. Supper to make. Writing to get done. A job to do.

But this week might be different.

Oh Lordy, it's Toronto Beer Week. The best week of the year to be a craft beer lover in this big beautiful city. Stumble into any craft beer bar this week, and you'll be stumbling into little hives of mutual craft beer admiration filled with tireless barkeeps and beer folks and local beer nano-celebrities. But those titles don't matter this week. What matters this week is what they all have in common: they all love craft beer. And they're all in this together for the love of craft beer.

So, please, if you read this blog, and you live in Toronto, stumble into your local craft beer joint this week. See what's up. Drink what's there. Support local. Support good beer.

Even better, do some planning. The schedule of events is available at torontobeerweek.com. (It ends September 22) Find an event that looks good and go to it. Expand your boundaries. Take a subway across town to a bar you've never visited. Try a beer you've never tried. Try a style you've never tried. Go to an event that sounds weird. Pony up to a bar and talk to a publican. Just, whatever you do, support the folks who work real hard to put real beer in our mouths. And, like I've said many times, the better they do, the more choice and the better beer we get. Might I suggest you give Funk Night a try? That'll push some boundaries, for sure.

But enough about them - whose blog is this anyway? Back to me.

I know what you're all asking: But Pierre, what events will you be going to for craft beer week? Well, I'm not the night hawk I used to be. And that, combined with a sick baby at home who wakes at least twice a night and a certain two night New Year running concurrently, makes me say "Oh Lordy, it's Toronto Beer Week."

So I can't be planning ahead, but there are a few events I really have my eye on. I'll probably end up going to two of these events (Which ones, though, I'm not sure (the suspense is killing you, I know!)):

-The Rock the Danforth Pub Crawl Tonight (it's going to be really, really good. Don't worry about not knowing anyone, by a few drinks into it, it won't matter much). It start at 5:45 at 417 and works its way east towards my house, to Brass Taps, the Only Cafe, Morgan's on the Danforth and Sarah's Cafe and Bar. It's being run by Great Lakes, Sawdust City and Bar Towel.

-The other events are at the Only Cafe:

Tuesday, Great Lakes beer is taking over the taps with one of the best tap lists I've seen in a LONG time. I quake just thinking about it. Actually, wait - dont' go. You wouldn't like it. It'll be lots of farmhouse ales, bourbon barrel porter and other beers with WEIRD names like Dirtbag. Sounds yucky, right? Good. So it's settled, I'll go, and you guys won't.

On Wednesday, Sawdust City has a tap feature. I like them very much, but am still waiting to see what goodies they're bringing. They'll also have a moustache competition which, if I go, I'll win. So it's probably better for you if I don't go.

Check out the Only Cafe's beer week stuff here: http://www.theonlycafe.com/theonly/tbw.html

Anyway, that's just me - go out. explore. make some friends. drink some beer. go. go now.

I'm back

How do you like my dining room table now?

Hey - so first off, an apology.

I've been away from this blog for too long. I've still been obsessively and creepily checking my page views, and I can see many of you are still checking this site. I've neglected you. You've come back and I've been off galavanting. I've been ignoring you, my fine beer brethren (I stole that line).

I've been off travelling the world of craft beer - making my own discoveries - and keeping it to myself. I've been kissing and not telling.

And for that, I apologize. And I promise, I'm back.

So where have I been? Where HAVEN'T I been? I've been to Quebec and back-a fine adventure into the wonderful world of les micros.

I've been to New York City (same thing there).

Mostly, I've been working. You see, after many years as an in-house writer/editor/communications dude, I took the plunge and started my own writing/editing business. And despite my wild fantasies of sitting around, blogging and sampling beer in my underpants all day long, I've been working. Hard. (Editor's note: to be clear, the beer is not IN my underpants in this fantasy, but I am drinking beer WHILE in my underpants.)

It's been great, the best decision I could have made. But it's kept me away. I'm stable enough on my feet now though to return to the blog. And the time is perfect, what with Toronto Beer Week right around the corner.

So I will return, soon, with a post about that. In the meantime, my apologies for this half-post. Most of all, my apologies for being away.

Thanks for still being here.

Shameless plug: Need a writer or editor????? check out my site: pierrelachaine.ca

Spearhead "beer of the summer" proclaims self-deprecating dufus.

Good beer should take us places in our minds. But in a good way (I'm looking squarely at you, Mr. Colt 45).

It should also take us back in time, dig up old memories, hopefully fond. And help us enjoy the present, root us where we are. It should also allow us to look forward, and imagine a better and brighter future for ourselves.

For me, Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale does all of these things.

First: the past. About a year ago, Hawaiian Pale Ale (HPA) was all over town on draft. Spearhead was the new kid in town. A small, brash upstart Toronto brewing company with cool marketing and branding shelling a pineapple tinged india pale ale. The beer itself was brash too - hoppy. boozy. 6.5% alcohol that felt like both a whole lot more and a whole lot less at the same time.

I liked it a lot. In fact, I converted more than one person to craft beer with it. It was my secret weapon.

And then, I'm embarrassed to admit, I let myself get swayed by the anti-marketing whisper campaign. More than one "beer folk" I spoke to rolled their eyes when they mentioned Spearhead. I'd no idea why. But I took on the same attitude. When some beer newbie mentioned that they liked Spearhead, I judged them in my brain-space. "Aren't they cute," I condescended to myself.

But here's the catch about Spearhead, and here's what I realized one day as I was judging others: It's a very good beer. Forget the hype. Forget the brand. Forget the marketing. It doesn't matter. Spearhead HPA is a very good beer. And it's worth a try.

In fact, here's my fearless prediction: Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale will be my beer of the summer.

Now to the present: It's coming to the lcbo. Like, soon. If not in time for the coming long weekend (probably not) then soon afterwards. The version coming to the lcbo, to my palate, tastes less boozy, with a bit more pineapple up front, than the version I had on tap last year. It's also listed at 6%, down from last year's 6.5%. It's less big, but it's more summer-worthy. More refreshing. If you haven't tried it: It's an American Pale Ale, bordering on an India Pale Ale (remember those bitter citrus hops balanced with caramel/cookie malts I'm always going on about, but with a twist of pineapple.)

And to the future...

To me, it's as simple as this: Spearhead makes good beer. And that's what we need in Ontario: more good beer. And the more good beer we have, the more good beer we will have. And if we encourage this brash upstart, and help them to be successful, then that will hopefully encourage others to brashly get upstarted. After all, status quo begets status quo. And in Ontario, for too long, status quo has been pretty damn boring. And you can't have too much good beer, that's for sure.

Picture this: Craft Beer Heaven: The Highly Anticipated Sequel.

Hi.

It’s been awhile. Sorry.

To be honest, I’ve been pretty uninspired on the beer front lately. The lcbo summer feature arrived but, as expected, it didn’t really push any of my many buttons (in a good way.) It underwhelmed me. In fact, it whelmed well under my already very modest expectations.

The Phillips Ginger Beer is good. Very ginger (but in a good, not creepy, way). Not complex, but straightforwardly refreshing on the hot, hot days, or the steamy sushi nights.

Also: the Tree Brewing Feature arrived. My favourite there is the Deviator Doppelbock (Unfortunately I haven’t seen their Double Hop Head IPA make a comeback as part of this release.)

Anyhoo – still some cool things happening. Hops and Robbers is here, apparently, but I haven’t come across it yet, so I can’t vouch. And Spearhead is coming soon. woot.

I was thinking the other day (for the millionth time) of beers that aren’t in the lcbo but that I wish were. Here was my quick list:

Sawdust City Long Dark Voyage to Uranus Imperial Stout

Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout

Black Oak 10 Bitter Years Double IPA

Cameron’s Rye Pale Ale

Great Lakes No Chance with Miranda Saison (or, really, any of their farmhouse ales.)

Great Lakes Lake Effect or Karma Citra IPA (And, I’ll take this opportunity to ask how, in the name of Gambrinus, does Great Lakes, makers of some of the best IPAs I’ve ever had, not make a year round, lcbo available IPA. HOW?)

Anyway, reading over this list makes me thirsty, and a little teary eyed with glee and pride at our luck in Ontario. 

It also infuriates me. Imagine what COULD be. Imagine a liquor store with local imperial stouts and double IPAs and saisons, etc. Want. Want. Want.      

But, for now, we’ll have to settle for buying these at pubs. Which brings me to my next point. It’s father’s day this weekend, and also the kickoff to Ontario Craft Beer Week. What will you all be up to? I think I’ll be hitting up the East Side Toronto beer crawl. Starts on Tuesday at 7 pm at Sarah’s on the Danforth, then off to Morgan’s, the Only Café and Brass Taps. The first three I frequent often, the fourth I’ve yet to visit. Should be lots of fun – Beau’s, Muskoka and Great Lakes will be participating.

BREAKING: Oh yeah, almost forgot: A little birdie told me that there’s a Black Oak mixed pack coming to the lcbo sometime soon. Dunno when. But it will have one 10 Bitter Years, one Summer Saison, one Pale Ale, and one Nut Brown. THIS is big news. Maybe my dream isn’t so far off after all. Please, take my word for it, and buy this when it comes out. The Saison and 10 Bitter Years are 2 of my faves, and if we scoop em all up, people will see there’s a market for them.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

So, folks, what Ontario craft beers would YOU like to see in the lcbo that aren't there already? And what are you all up to for fathers day and OCB week? Beer dads unite!

Welcome to my BBQ: have a dark, thick chocolatey Great Lakes porter

I know what you're going to be thinking at 5:01 this afternoon (or 3:01 if your bosses are awesome), when you're unleashed into the sunshine for three blissful days:

"Dude, MAY 2-4."

then:

"Bro, gotta get some beers."

(stop at beer store/lcbo)

then:

"Dude, lager city!"

then:

"Maybe something with limes in it?"

then:

"If I put them in the freezer the minute I get home, they'll be cold enough for my BBQ on Sunday, then it's time to C-H-I-L-L with my boyz/girlz and some tunes and some cold brews, y'all."

I'm here, obnoxious dude/dudette, to present to you an alternative scenario.

Follow the above steps, but stop right before "Dude, lager city." Don't say that, it's annoying.

Be at the lcbo. And do something that may sound absolutely ridiculous: Buy a Great Lakes Robust Porter. This is what it looks like:

Pretty, right? Gorgeous, even. That's one classy looking bottle.

Here's what I'm thinking: buy a bunch of your usual Ontario craft beers (that's what you usually buy, right?) Maybe a Muskoka Mad Tom, a great choice. Perhaps a Neustadt Lager (just don't freeze it). For sure some Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA (new to the lcbo, and I'll take more about it in my next post). Whatever your little heart desires.

Then, put a few Robust Porters in your overflowing basket.

But, bro, you ask? Why? It's chill outside weekend. I just want to sit in the sun with some lite brews.

There are a few reasons:

1. Because it's around now. And it's in limited quantities and it won't be around forever. DO NOT miss your chance at this seriously good beer. And buy a few extra, and store em for the fall, when the weather cools down.

2. Because it's rare that we get good, risk taking local beers like this at the lcbo. And if we collectively buy all these bottles quickly, it's sending a message to a) the breweries that there's a market for things that are outside the norm, and b) the lcbo, that local beers that are outside the norm will sell and to please allow us to have more.

Eventually, this weekend, at some point, unless it's the end of days, the sun will go down. And you'll still be sitting outside, but with a light jacket on. And, after a day outside drinking lagers, you'll be in the mood for something different. And that's when you'll remember. You'll go get the classy bottle of Robust Porter, and you'll fiddle your way with the wax. And you'll impress your friends with the classy bottle. And you'll pour yourself a responsibly sized glass. And you'll do the same for whichever friends are still hanging around. And you'll cheers to an awesome weekend, and to an awesome beer that hits just the spot once the sun goes down. There's a beer for every occasion, and this is that beer and that occasion. And don't say I'll buy it later, it won't be around later. Buy it now. Go. Go at lunch. Just go.

But, what does it taste like?

Great Lake 25th Anniversary Robust Porter

Briefly: Huge head. Pitch black colour. Smell of roast coffee and chocolate. Taste: Sharp taste. some bitter. chocolate and coffee.

If you want to read more about it, The Toronto Star's Josh Rubin had a nice piece on it here:
http://www.thestar.com/living/food/drinks/article/1178762--great-lakes-brewery-s-anniversary-brew-is-dark-and-aromatic-what-s-brewing

...And to find it, visit lcbo.ca and type in Robust Porter. It's the only one.

Summer Preview: Go local

Ahhhh.... the bland nondescript summerscape....

So the lcbo announced their summer release. And here it is...

Lindeman's Cuvee Rene / 5.5% / 355 ml / $6.45
Dieu du Ciel Rosée d'Hibiscus / 5.9% / 4 x 341 ml / $11.85
Phillips Ginger Beer / 5% / 650  ml/ $5.15
Schneider Nelson Sauvin / 6.9% / 750 ml / $8.95
Weihenstephan Kristallweissbier / 5.4% / 500 ml / $3.10
Ayinger Brau-Weisse / 5% / 500 ml / $3.45
Schneider Hopfen Weisse / 8.2% / 500 ml / $3.25
Birrificio del Ducato Nuova Mattina (New Morning) Saison / 5.8% / 330 ml / $4.15
Thornbridge Kipling South Pacific Pale Ale / 5.2% / 500 ml/ $4.75
Celt Golden Crafted Ale / 4.2% / 500 ml / $3.50
Fuller's Organic Honey Dew / 5% / 500 ml / $3.25
BrewDog Punk IPA / 6.2% / 330 ml/ $2.60
Shipyard Smashed Blueberry / 9% / 625 ml / $7.95

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this list. If you ask me, which you did by coming to this site, it's a GREAT list (yay!)... If you like German style wheat beers (meh!). CLOVES! BANANAS! WHEAT! EASY DRINKING! You can find out more about these individual beers by plugging in their names into beeradvocate.com.

I'm psyched about two of these: New Morning (a Saison at the lcbo. woot.) and Lindeman's Cuvee Rene. Otherwise, it's a pretty bland lineup, particularly after the last few stellar releases. That said, it IS summer, and people want to quaff* sessionable* beers in the sun. so let them have their wheat beer. I'll be saving my pennies for what I'm REALLY excited about: the slew of new Ontario craft beers that'll be hitting the lcbo shelves this summer. Why do I need German beer to quaff* my sessions* with, when Ontario is starting to have all I need. Plus: they're fresher. And even more Plus: They're NOT wheat beers. Hopefully, as more and more Ontario craft beers are available to us, the seasonal releases, which generally are from Germany, England, Belgium, etc (bee tee dubs: more from Belgium please, lcbo.), will serve to complement the local stuff. We're not there yet, but I sure hope we will be soon. Anyway, about the stuff I'm excited about:

Expected imminently:

Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA should be hitting the lcbo shelves this week. Note: This is one awesome IPA - one of the top available to us. I want. Bad. Hurry up, Mr. Boneshaker. (edit note: this beer started arriving at lcbos this week).

Great Lakes Robust Porter: I mentioned my excitement at this in a past post. I've heard it'll be out in the next few weeks. Waiting patiently... (edit note: this beer has started arriving at lcbos this week too, but in very limited quantities so hurry!)

Also expected at some point this summer:

Kensington's Augusta Ale - I've heard June...

Nickelbrook Naughty Neighbour Pale Ale - Not sure when...

Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale - I've heard Canade Day

Double Trouble's Hops & Robbers IPA - not sure

I'll write more about these in the future, closer to when they come out, but this is all just to say that, if you want some quaffing* sessions*, more and more, you'll be able to do it with great local beer this summer. Give them all a try. You may not end up liking them all, but you won't know unless you give them a shot, and these local craft breweries need to be supported. We're headed in the right direction, and that direction isn't from Europe to boat to Canada, it's from brewery to belly.

*I sincerely apologize for using the two most pretentious, annoying, non-sensical and overused words in beer geekdom: "quaff" and "sessionable." If you ever hear me say these words out loud, you reserve the right to dip your finger in my beer, and then poke me in the eye with it, and then call me a weiner one time. I'll use them on this site, however, because a) it's hilarious, and b) you can't reach my beer/eye through the internet.    

Picture this: Craft Beer heaven, plus the Only Cafe's Spring Beer Fest

Picture this:

Toronto.

Right now.

You're in a store, looking to buy a little bit of craft beer. The walls are stocked with rows and rows of local goodies.

You're having a few friends over this weekend and want to grab a selection of beer to knock their booties off.

Maybe you'll grab an Imperial Stout for your friend Ginger, you know she likes the style, but you can't decide between Amsterdam's Tempest or Sawdust City's Long Dark Voyage to Uranus or a Wellington Imperial Stout.

Most of your friends, like Atticus, Marnie and Blanket, like a good IPA. So do you. So you'll pick up a wide selection of those: some Cameron's Rye PA, some Amsterdam Boneshaker, some Sawdust City Lone Pine, some Great Lakes Karma Citra AND Lake Effect.

There's this one guy who's coming over, though, he really likes to get punched in the teeth with the hops. Like, really punched. Straight up IPA doesn't do it for Clovis, no it doesn't. Maybe good ol' "Cloves," as you like to call him goodnaturedly, would like a double IPA or three. Maybe you'll grab a sixer of Black Oak 10 Bitter Years for him-give him three, and save three for yourself.

Nice party, good time.

Stop.

Real talk: This store doesn't exist. These people don't exist. There was no party. There was no fun. I made it up.

But despite being a fake scenario, the beers were real. And they were but a few of the delicious craft beers Ontario's brewers are brewing that SHOULD be available to us all. (For more on my thoughts on that, see my last post).

All this to say that if you want to taste the best Ontario's craft brewers have to offer, there is no magical store (but please let there be soon!).

There is, however, the Only Cafe's Spring Beer Fest, which starts tonight. That's where the brewers will be, and they'll be giving samples of their wares (not necessarily the brewers or the beers I mentioned above. Again, I made that up).

So go, and support craft beer, and show 'em all your love and maybe someday soon, with enough support, you can invite Ginger and Atticus and Marnie and Blanket and, yes, even good old Cloves, over to your place. And they'll actually come, because they'll know you're well stocked with the good stuff. And then, my friends, you'll actually have friends besides me. 

For more on the Only Cafe's Spring Beer Fest, visit: theonlycafe.com

An Open Letter to Those Who Make Decisions on Such Things

To Whom In May Concern that Makes Decision on Such Things:

I write this letter to ask, nay beseech, you, on behalf of my taste buds, to loosen the government/beer store bi-nopoly on the sale of beer (heretofore referred to as "my precious.") In particular, my interests lie in growing the Ontario craft beer market, and having local wares more easily accessible.

I propose creating a tri-opoly with three featured players: the lcbo, which would import quality my precious from abroad, and the Beer Store which would mainly deal in "big beer." So far, not much has changed. But now pay attention here, this is the important part: The third opoly would be owned by Ontario's craft brewers themselves (a collective? a co-op?). They would share distribution and set up a series of shops throughout the province that would carry exclusively Ontario craft beer. The benefits of setting up this system are many, but here are a few:

• More business and wider distribution for the Craft brewers. This would help turn the little guy into the bigger guy. 
• Local is good.
• Fresh beer is good too.
• More choice for the consumer (me).
• The environment is good. Instead of hundreds of cars heading out to the country/outskirts of town to pick up their beer directly from the breweries, a few big trucks would deliver it to the stores.
• Maybe I wouldn't miss out on all the awesome limited quantity beers our brewers make because I can't get out to Etobicoke (cough cough 10 Bitter Years cough).
• It would push our outdated liquor laws further into the 20th century, and make us look much less lame to potential tourists.

There are more reasons than this, and more logical arguments too, but I have a full time job and a baby and I'm tired. Perhaps my loyal readers can help fill out this list? There's something that just doesn't sit right with me that it's easier to buy beer from germany than it is from a small brewery in Ontario. I feel much more pride pouring a beer from one of our great local breweries than I do a large brewery overseas. I have no ownership in that. 

I do feel ownership in Ontario's craft beer scene. Let's all work together to help me get my precious into my precious little hands (that last time, precious actually meant precious.)

Thank you very much,

Sincere Regards,

Brau

PS: When you do set up these little shops, please ensure one of them is in East York, a minimum of five blocks from my house. DM me for address details. 

ABOUT A BEER: Lone Pine IPA

The holy trinity: Beer glass, beer bottle, and beer reading

WHAT IS IT? An American India Pale Ale (IPA) with 6.5% alcohol.

WHO MAKES IT? Sawdust City Brewing Co, in Gravenhurst, Ontario.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT? You can find it if you're lucky. Unfortunately for us, this small brewery only brews in relatively small amounts (for now). So that means no lcbo, and no Beer Store. But when you see Sawdust City beer, know that it will be good.

A fresh shipment of Lone Pine recently was delivered to certain finer beer establishments. I can personally vouch for having seen or tried it at Wvrst, Morgan's on the Danforth, Bar Volo, and the Only Cafe. http://sawdustcitybeer.blogspot.ca/ has a complete map of the bars that carry it. Print it, fold it into 8, and keep it in your wallet, you never know when the mood might strike you.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? I've written quite a bit about IPAs. This is one of those, but with an emphasis on the bitterness and the piney-ness. And by "an emphasis," I mean that the bitter slaps you right in the face. There's also some subtle (compared to the bitterness) citrus and bread, but they serve to complement the real stars: the pine and the bitterness.

WHEN SHOULD I DRINK THIS? Whenever you can find it. Sawdust City's beers are brewed in small batches and they come and go quickly.

WHAT ELSE?
The brewery makes a series of other beers that also come and go quickly, but Lone Pine is the first that they've made a second run of (this run was tweaked slightly to bring out the bitter. eep!). Long Dark Voyage to Uranus, their Russian Imperial Stout, is worth seeking out as well, though maybe it's not so much a patio sipper at 8.5%. And I might suggest shortening the name to LDV when in the presence of more respectable members of society.

If you follow me on the tweeter, you know that I have a bit of a mancrush on Sawdust City. They're the kind of brewery we need more of in Ontario, with a pioneering spirit and a taste for big flavours. Plus: they're flat out bad ass. These are beers that force this reclusive beer dad out of his nest and into the public, where danger lurks. And that's no small feat.

Spring is here, beer is in the air

Hops hops hops goes the rabbit

So, it's spring. And with it comes optimism and short shorts.

This post will concern itself with the former.

I'm an optimistic guy to begin with. In fact, this whole blog is built around highlighting things I like (rather than slagging any things I don't). But my optimism is at a high this spring, because I really do get the sense that Ontario's craft beer scene is blossoming. There's so much going on that I'm psyched about that I can't mention it all in one post. But just to name a few:

Great Lakes in Toronto is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and, to celebrate, they're releasing 4 new beers to the LCBO. The first, to be released pretty soon, will be a Robust Porter (Porter is a brown/black English ale - not sure what the "robust" means.") The folks at Great Lakes know how to brew good beer, and they know how to brew funky beer (good funky, like "cool," not bad funky, like "sweat socks," though that's sometimes desirable.) so this series will for sure be worth a shot.

Black Oak in Etobicoke (which rhymes if you mispronounce Etobicoke) is cooking up another batch of their rare Imperial India Pale Ale (so, a pale ale (hops) + India (more hops) + Imperial (even more hops)) called 10 Bitter Years. Most excitingly, there are whispers that it will be at the lcbo.

Muskoka Brewery in Bracebridge is releasing their Spring Oddity, a new Spring seasonal that they describe as a "dry hopped strong ale with unique flavours a plenty." I've heard rumblings of juniper berries, though that's unconfirmed. It will be available pretty soon. Will be worth a try, for sure, if their other seasonals - Harvest Ale and Winter Beard - are anything to go by.

It's a great time to be a craft beer lover in Ontario. I'll do my best to report back on these beers, when and if I find them-if I like them. And I'm optimistic I will.

Let me know what you think of them too (tweet me @PierreLachaine).

ABOUT A BEER: Muskoka Mad Tom IPA

Wherever you go, Mad Tom goes with it.


ABOUT A BEER: Mad Tom IPA

WHAT IS IT? An American India Pale Ale (IPA) with 6.4% alcohol.

WHO MAKES IT? Muskoka Brewery, in Bracebridge, Ontario.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT? That’s the beauty of Mad Tom, it’s a top notch IPA that you can find pretty much anywhere in Ontario: The lcbo, the Beer Store, beer geek bars, and even some of your bars-with-less-good-beer selections (to put it nicely). I can’t tell you how many times a waiter has been eye rolling their way through an underwhelming tap list 50 beers long when I’ve exclaimed: “STOP! THAT! MAD TOM! MAD TOM! STOP! MAD TOM!” And the reason I’m posting this now (despite the fact that I’ve written about Mad Tom already), is that it’s now available in cans. I know beer in cans has a certain stigma, but drop that stigma for this style: If you’ve never cracked open a can of IPA and had that citrusy aroma snap into the room, you’re missing out. It’s something special.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? Last post, I spoke a bit about American Pale Ales (APA), an American adaptation of the English pale ale using American hops. India Pale Ales are essentially more aggressive APAs. Same hops, but more of it. Plus, more malts (And hence more alcohol, generally around 6.5%) to match the aggressive hoppiness. These ales are all about the balance between the citrus, pininess and bitterness of the hops, and the bready, caramelly malt backbone. And Mad Tom is one tight little package. All hops, no malts, can make for a pretty one dimensional beer. Mad Tom is a great citrusy-without-being-too-bitter IPA we can call our own. And we can find it most anywhere. Plus, it’s called Mad Tom, and that’s pretty cool too.

WHEN SHOULD I DRINK THIS? This is a great spring/summer/fall beer. It’s not SO aggressive that you can’t drink a few on a warm sunny day, but it has enough bite and personality to keep you interested during the cooler nights around the camp fire. In fact, Mad Tom is part of my regular rotation of beers – A year round, Ontario made craft beer that we can be proud to drink.

WHAT ELSE?

-India Pale Ale is so called because the English used to ship a modified version of their pale ales to their troops in India. But for it to survive the voyage, extra hops were added (hops act as a preservative in beer). One day, I guess, the good folks in England broke into a case of the IPA, and yelled “HOPS!” in unison. The style, due to its aggressiveness, is very popular with craft brewers.

-One last note. If you tried Mad Tom last year, and thought it was a good and decent IPA, but haven't tried it since, you really should give it a try. Something about Mad Tom had improved dramatically since then. Not quite sure what, but over the last few months it's been elevated in my books from decent to great.

ABOUT A BEER: Crazy Canuck by Great Lakes

In an effort to focus this blog a bit more, and bring it back to its roots of sharing what I'm learning about beer in Ontario, I bring you this new feature. "About a Beer" focuses on a beer that has marked my oddyssey in beer, and that I really like. These beers are often found in my fridge, and I heartily endorse them. I hope this feature helps you to separate the wheat from the chaff when you're faced with the lcbo/beer store walls of beer, or those chalkboards at the pubs.

WHAT IS IT? Crazy Canuck, a west coast style american pale ale (APA) with 5.2% alcohol.


WHO MAKES IT? Great Lakes Brewing Company. Toronto's oldest craft brewery.


WHERE CAN I FIND IT? It's at most lcbos and beer stores I've ever been to. Great on draft, but also keep an eye out for Great Lakes Canucklehead, which you can also find sometime on draft - it's a doubly hopped (MORE HOPS!) version of Crazy Canuck.



WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? APAs are generally pretty hoppy ales that use american hop varieties. These hops, such as cascade, generally give some good bitterness and a citrus flavour, like grapefruit. Crazy Canuck is great because it has the mouth puckering grapefruity-ness of an ipa (a hopped up apa), but without the higher alcohol content that usually comes with it. For me, the dominant flavours are grapefruity hops, and a bread-like malt backbone. What I find particularly interesting with this beer, other than the hops (HOPSHOPSHOPSHOPS!!!), is that you can really taste the water. Not in a bad way, at all, but in a refreshing, tonic water kind of way. It's really interesting.

WHEN SHOULD I DRINK THIS?

This is a great anytime beer, but particularly excels when it's real hot out (because of the refreshing water taste, and the relatively low alcohol) or at BBQs (for the same reasons, plus the kitschy can).


TELL ME A STORY ABOUT CRAZY CANUCK:

With pleasure.

I was just getting into beer. It was boiling outside. I was going to a Canada day BBQ with people I didn't know, as you tend to do a lot of when you're a new dad. I was faced with the dreaded "wall of beer" at the lcbo, and wasn't sure, at all, what to get. The Crazy Canuck tallboy can was kitchsy, and the name screamed "Canada Day." Plus, I'd heard it was good. But the kitschy-dork can had me doubting what I'd heard. With hesitation, I tucked a few of those bad boys into the diaper bag (after I'd paid for them), like any classy parent does, and we headed to the BBQ.


I was hip. I was cool. I schmoozed. I cracked open the can, poured it into a plastic cup (because even at a BBQ beer deserves to be drunk in a glass), and I tried it. I did not like it. My tastebuds were attacked by bitter. They didn't know what was happening. Neither did I. This did not taste like Keith's. My mouth puckered. But I didn't show it. No, I was cool, hip dad drinking his cool, hip beer. Though my mouth was puckering on the outside, I was making cool lips on the outside. All the other dads wanted to chill with me. Hang, like the kids say. Inside: bleugh. When we left, my wife asked me what I thought of the beer. "It was great," I lied, as I strutted away.


And that was that. Or so I thought. That night, hops came to me while I was in bed and whispered "hops," as it stroked my ear. "hops?" I replied. "hops," hops replied. And so, the next day, I tried it again. And it was good. Better, at least. And I was well on my way to acquiring my taste for hops. It took awhile, but once hops really took, it was like the first time I had sushi, I couldn't get enough of it. I still can't. Crazy Canuck baptized me as a hop head. And now no hops is too much hops. Particularly those west coast, grapefruity hops that are so prominent in the Crazy Canuck.

On my knees...

Ok, enough of the negativity. I started this thing as a celebration of good beer, not a suggestion box.

I'm not a religious man, but last night, a new arrival at the lcbo had me on my knees: Charlevoix's Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus. It's from Quebec. It's more than 10$ for 750ml (the size of a wine bottle), and it is absolutely fantastic. I'm particularly happy about this beer because it rivals anything I've had from the great beer countries, even Belgium. In fact (and I realize I've said this before), I proclaim it the best beer I've had in my life. Or, should I say, my favourite beer-I'm no judge of "best," but I am a pretty good judge of "favourite."

The style is a Belgian IPA. SO, if you like the bright spiciness of Belgian-style Tripels, like Delerium Tremens or Fin du Monde, and the mouth puckering hop-blasts of IPAs, then this is your style. It sure is mine. This feels like the kind of style designed for me, and my taste buds. My first exerience with the style was a Belgian beer called Houblon Chouffe. It was good. Lupulus is fantastic.

A note: supply may be limited at the lcbo, and the bottle is a non-descript green, so it may be hard to find (both in the sense that it's not there, and that it's there but you can't see it.)

The Lupulus is part of the lcbo's spring beer releases. Other standouts from the release for me: Schloss Eggenberg Dunkel Doppelbock (a dark, boozy, spicy german style lager) and Panil (an Italian flanders red ale, which almost tastes more like a sour red wine than a beer. worth a taste for sure, though it's expensive. They don't call the style "The Burgundy of Belgium for nothing.")

But the Lupulus is the real star here for me. Here were my tasting notes from yesterday, after I was able to put my glass down and had said a little prayer:

Lupulus:
10%, Charlevoix, Quebec

Beer (poured into a tulip glass) nearly jumped out of the bottle AND the glass. HUGE soapy head. Cloudy pale, like a tripel. beautiful beer. Aroma: JAm, hops, nuts? perfume, flowers. but not in a cloying way.
taste: flowers, bitterness, sweetness, perfume-all in a smooth, tight package. heavenly. peach. nectarine. pepper. a slight bite, but VERY well put together. 10% ABV not noticeable. head lasts forever. This is one of the best beers I've ever tasted. I could drink this forever. Best. beer. ever. Some french canadian in Charlevoix has seamlessly stitched together the tripel and the IPA, and I love him (or her).

Winter for a malcontent

I like when it's not winter. I really do. In fact, I tend to prefer it when it's not winter. HOWEVER, what makes not-winter so great, is that sometimes it's winter. Without the unmentionable-numbing coldness of winter, we wouldn't get to enjoy the thawing of the unmentionables in the spring, and the exposing of the unmentionables in the summer.

What am I talking about, you ask?

Great question. Here it is: I'm as happy as the next guy that winter has been lame this year. Fewer car accidents. Lower electricity bills. Unmentionables partially frozen, like Timbits, but not totally frozen, like ice cubes. But I have some issues with this lack of winter.

First is the looming dread -- always there, barely noticeable, but rubbing me all over the head and back just enough to make me slightly uncomfortable -- that the end of days is coming. But that's just me (and perhaps a billion other people).

Most importantly, though, I have all this winter beer in my cellar. Spruce beer! Belgian beer! Delicious and dark and spicy and thick stuff! But, alas, the weather has been all wrong. I've been, instead, craving IPAs lately. The other stuff has seemed too heavy for the light weather. It's a shame, really. And that's why, for me, I could have used a few solid weeks of real winter. I would have liked to go out for a long, freezing cold walk in the snow, come home, and reward myself with a thick and warming beer. Then complained about how cold it is and watched a good hockey game. (Which, by the way, as a habs fan, I haven't seen too many "good" hockey games this year. gerk, another reason this winter sucked...)

But I guess I'll look on the bright side: the beers I didn't drink age well, and will be even better NEXT winter. I never thought I'd be able to resist them that long, but I think I will. Next winter: the beers will be open when the unmentionables are frozen. That, I promise*.

*Unless I drink them first.

The Best Beers... & Garrison Spruce Beer

The best beers do one of two things:

a) They force you to stop, and to be, and to pay attention. Whether it's a session beer to accompany conversations with friends, or a solitary beer after a long day at work, the beer enhances the experience, and helps you to enjoy the moment even more.

or

b) They take you away from where you are, in either time or space. Their tastes can take you back in time, such as anytime I taste a beer even remotely similar to the O'Keefe beer my dad used to drink, or when a smooth, pale lager transports you in mind to a cottage waterfront somewhere, even when you're sitting in your own backyard.

When either of these two things happen, the beer has gone beyond a liquid in a glass, and has become an experience. And that's what's truly special, for me, about beer. It's rare, but it's usually a sign that someone has made a fantastic beer. And it's why I constantly push myself to try new beers.

Mercifully, the lcbo recently launched their feature on Garrison Brewery (from Halifax), which featured five new beers. The long bare shelves are stocked again! There is light at the end of the long, winter tunnel! Of the five, two were standouts for me: The Grand Baltic Porter and the Spruce Beer.

I'll start off by saying that, if you see either of these, buy them. Then drink them.

Anyhoo, long story short (too late for that), the Spruce Beer did a b) all over my brain-mouth. As I was drinking, I was taken away to a smoky campfire, in the winter, near a sugar shack. I could just about see it. There were horses nearby (which I couldn't taste). I was in the middle of the winter that we've been spared (so far) this year. That's what it's all about, right?

Anyway, my point, is that there IS a gem at the lcbo during this slow slow winter season, and it's the Garrison's Spruce Beer. Buy it, drink it. And store some, apparently it ages well. And if we ever DO have a winter again, it may a) all over your brain-tongue too.

New beer/old beer: A plea

Dear lcbo: I would like new beer please. Thank you. Come to think of it, I would like old beer too. Your cupboards are still bare from the holidays, and thank you for providing for me then, but my cupboards at home are bare too. It's cold, and I need to be warmed by something delicious and beer-y. Otherwise, I'll dip into the bourbon. I swear I will, and that's not good for anybody. For the sake of my health, and my marriage, please don't make me dip into the bourbon. Please give me beer. New beer I haven't tried before. Old beer that I've tried before and really liked. New Ontario craft beers I hear about but can't get, old Belgian beers like Quebec gets but we never seem to. Please. lcbo? Are you there? Please..... [please]...

One little wish for 2012

If I had one little wish for 2012 (on the beer front), it would be this:

I wish I could go to a store that isn't the lcbo or the beer store and buy local craft beer.

I'd like to be able to buy some delicious local craft beer, like Spearhead or Lone Pine IPA from a central location in Toronto for home consumption, and not have to either:

a) have to trek all the way out to the brewery itself, or

b) wait for them to be able to make enough to make it econimically feasible to send their stuff to the lcbo or the beer store.

To be honest, there's so much interesting stuff going on in Ontario that I don't have access to, that's it's starting to get a little bit frustrating. Let's make it easier for these craft brewers to make money and to survive. Let's give them the breathing room to improve, make more beer, and be creative. Let's stop placing other countries' beers over our own. These things will only happen by making the product available to the consumer.

I'm hoping that this year, with the review of the liquor laws, we at least allow that to happen. Perhaps a "wine rack" equivalent for beer, owned by Ontario's craft brewers? That's what I want - and what I think Ontario's burgeoning craft beer scene needs to be sustainable and to thrive. With the way things are now, we can only get the big sellers from the craft brewers, and to be honest, the big sellers aren't necessarily the most interesting to those who really love craft beer. The little guy needs a leg up. And I want the good stuff.

Wish I could be posting more...

...but I haven't been knocked to my keester by a new beer in awhile. In fact, the lcbo shelves are depressingly bare these days. I think they're still recovering from the christmas rush. And so, I await inspiration from the beer gods, or from the word gods, or from the life gods, to write something interesting. Until then, perhaps a few short blog blurts, like this one, to keep the juices flowing, and so that you know I'm still alive. And, by the way, while this has all been happening, I've rekindled my love affair with an old quest: Buddhism/mindfulness. And it's going great. It can be paired perfectly with a nice Belgian ale. And I'm also a few months into a kettlebell workout called "Enter the Kettlebell!" I'm well on my way to being a Russian superman. This workout regime goes very well with a nice Ontario craft brew. Might I suggest a Smashbomb Atomic or a Mad Tom IPA? Of course, to be enjoyed AFTER the workout. By the way, I read recently that the best post-workout drink to have - better than water - is beer. Sometimes, the good lord gets it right.