KANPAI! with Jeff Werstiuk
Welcome to KANPAI!, a new weekly addition to the Sherbrooke Liquor Store website. The title stems from a Japanese drinking toast, akin to “Cheers!”. However I’ve never heard anyone utter “Kanpai!” without a bit of excitement and passion in their tone, if not out right enthusiasm and passion. It’s that same tone I wish to carry and maintain through this weekly column, and hopefully pass along to you, if you don’t already share it.
In fact KANPAI! is aimed mainly at those of you out there who walk into the beer cooler here at Sherbrooke Liquor and feel a bit lost, staring wide-eyed at the largest selection of beer available in Western Canada, and not sure where to begin.
Each week I’ll feature one beer that is available here in the vast Sherbrooke beer cooler, ready and waiting for you to sample if your interest is piqued. I’ll tell you a bit about the particular style, and the part of the world it’s from. You’ll even receive recommendations for glassware to pour your beer in to help highlight the full experience. You do serve your beer in a glass, right? If not, it’s a good habit to start getting into. That way you can marvel at the unique individual appearance of each new beer that you try, as well as enjoy the aroma, which is an important and enjoyable aspect of many beer styles. A glass will also help accentuate many different layers and nuances within the flavour of the beer, much of which gets masked and overlooked when beer is drunk straight out of the bottle or can.
With that taken care of, I’ll provide you a brief description of what to expect. What the beer looks like, what general smells and flavours to expect, even the texture of it in your mouth. Practically a full sensual experience (feel free to hold the glass to your ear and discover whether it has any secrets to share only just with you). This way you can get a better idea whether that particular beer is something you think you might enjoy, or possibly pass by and try a different one more suitable to your liking–there are certainly more than enough to choose from. Lastly I’ll offer you recommendations of other beers of that style available in the cooler, similar styles to branch out and try, along with a few more robust adventurous beers for those interested in challenging their taste buds.
Hey, I’m not some hoighty-toighty beer snob, and have no intention of talking down to anyone, or over their head, my purpose here is to help educate. My experience started from a similar interest in beer to yours, and expanded over the years through sampling everything I could get my hands on. Palates develop at an individual rate, and everyone’s taste buds have their own particular preferences. However it’s an interesting, fun, and very tasty journey to embark on. I hope I can help make your own adventure in the Sherbrooke Liquor beer cooler a more enjoyable and educational one, and a bit less intimidating. KANPAI!