Ok – so enough with winter beers for a bit, or at least until I attend Festibière d’hiver (WinterBeerFest) next weekend. We’re back to tasting new IPAs. Here’s a beer I picked up awhile back as well when, as I previously mentioned, I went in search of St-Ambroise Citrouille (Pumpkin Ale). I have long been…
“Desérables” (Maple Ale), Microbrasserie Le Grimoire
Wow – so this is a bit of a fortuitous moment. I’ve had this beer from BroueHaHa in my fridge for going on 3 months waiting for the mood to strike me. At 8% alcohol and 660ml, I figured I needed to be ready to open this one. The label will certainly catch the eye of…
“L’Érabière” (Maple Pale Ale), Brasserie Schoune
Yummy. Oh, yeah … yummy, all the way. I could end it there – but I won’t. Brasserie Schoune out of Quebec has nailed this maple-beer, so much so that they’ve cleverly inserted the word itself (érable) into the name. And I must say, they have also very cleverly achieved a pure insertion of maple…
“Black IPA” (American Black Ale), Brasserie DunHam
It’s been awhile since a beer really made me go “Hmm … interesting” and then want another long sip. Dunham’s Black IPA, however, is definitely a palette surpriser … and pleaser. Even with the word “black” on the bottle, I was totally surprised at how this beer poured which you can tell from the overly…
“la Messe de Minuit” (Seasonal/Christmas Beer), Les Brasseurs du Temps (BDT)
In homage to the seasons (just passed) here’s a delicious brew that, admittedly, I’m a few weeks late in reviewing. I bought it at BroueHaHa with the best of intentions, but it was a busier season with less imbibing than I forecast … and cross-country ski season has arrived, so hours are in shorter supply. First,…
“West Coast Pale Ale” (Pale) by Church-Key Brewing Company
I chanced across this beer on tap at the Wellington Gastropub before Christmas and I quite enjoyed it on tap, so when I saw it in the LCBO a few weeks later, I bought a 6-pack with the promise to review it. I’ve since drank it twice and my conclusion of this beer remains the same…
What Makes a Good Cookbook?
Ah, the “cookbook review.” Perhaps not the height of the literary review food chain, but it was inevitable that I would one day mount this bunny hill. So, “hello world,” here I am…. The first question to ask before I take a fateful plunge off this culinary precipice is “What makes a good cookbook?” After…
“Boréale” (IPA) by Brasseurs Du Nord Inc.
In a word, Boréale is “balanced.” Indeed, it’s probably the most balanced IPA I’ve tasted thus far. The first taste is not what I’ve come to expect in an IPA. The carbonation is immediately present – which would make you think, “Wow – too much.” But that’s not the case – sure, there is more…
“Smashbomb Atomic IPA” (IPA) by Flying Monkeys
Ok, so here’s a brew that isn’t exactly new to me but it may be new to some of my readers. The fact that one of two Flying Monkeys’ beers has been a staple in my fridge for the past three or four years should probably be as good an indicator as any that I…
The Evil Garlic Press
Imagine Freddy Krueger with rusty garden rakes for fingers instead of razor sharp blades. Better yet, think of his wrists ending in old-fashioned meat grinders. He approaches you menacingly as you stand there perplexed wondering how he’s going to do you in with these useless tools attached to his arms, daring you to put your…