Style: Double India Pale Ale
ABV: 8%
Presentation: Single 341 ml brown bottle, green wax seal
Brewery: Half Pints Brewing Co.
Country: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

I may not be overly fluent in Latin, but my taste buds know that Humulus Ludicrous indirectly translates into English as “contains a ridiculous amount of hops.”  To slip into a quick lesson in botany, the Latin name for the common hop is Humulus lupulus, which has a nice ring to it all on its own.  Hops are small green pinecone-like nuggets that grow on vines, and provide the balancing and bittering ingredient to the otherwise cloyingly sweet malt in the brewing of beer.  Besides acting as a balancing agent they can also provide aroma and flavour, depending on the beer style and the brewermaster’s discretion.

That being said this Double India Pale Ale from Half Pints should probably be filed under “For The Adventurous” for many of you in the crowd.  However for the die hard “hopheads” it’s time to step right up.  This rendition of the style is a whopping 100 IBU’s (IBU stands for International Bitterness Units, a universally recognized scale used to measure how potent the alpha acids found in hops are), which is nearly double the amount found in many regular India Pale Ales.  Before you start involuntarily puckering from the very thought of it, the tendency with the DIPA style is to have nearly as intense of a malt presence in order to balance out the massive hop whollap, or at the very least to keep it in check so it’s not some one-sided runaway train of bitterness.  The beauty of Humulus Ludicrous-which was brewed to mark the Half Pints Brewery’s anniversary–is that it manages to pull this off while still delivering the goods promised.  It’s one of the few times a beer label doesn’t lie to you or offering false promises.

For glassware the usual suspects of a mug or a pint glass will fit the bill, although if you wish to accentuate the floral and citrus aromatics awaiting you the moment you open the bottle, us an oversized red wine glass, or a Belgian chalice or tulip glass if you have one handy.  Keeping those aromatics in mind let the bottle stand at least 10 minutes after you take it out of the fridge.  Once poured you’ll be introduced to a beer that is cloudy deep amber in appearance, with a short tight creamy off-white head.  As you gaze you will have already noticed fairly intense aromas of lemon and orange, possibly even the moment the bottle cap was pried off the bottle and you had a chance to pour it.  A deeper inspection will unearth hints of sugary sweet malt, burnt toasted notes, then a parade of hops including tangerine, light lemon zest and fresh white grapefruit, with faint traces of pine and spicy earth.  This all carries on in the flavour with sweet, toasted mildly bready malt that effortlessly blends with grassy, herbal, earthy, citrus rind hops, almost equally as sweet on the finish, with the hops eventually lingering on longer in the aftertaste.  Deceptive enough that, while hoppy, you’d never guess there was 100 IBU’s of hops lurking in there.  As intense as the flavour is the mouthfeel is not as overwhelming, being a user-friendly medium-body without much carbonation.

With such a strong hop presence Humulus Ludicrous would match well with old, sharp cheeses, matching it blow for blow in dynamic tango of flavours.  Spicy dishes are the ultimate dance partner however, take your favourite personal pick from the Mexican, Thai or Cajun styles, or set it head to head with the most daring serving of Buffalo wings you can muster up.  This will also slice through a pesto based pasta dish.  For dessert?  If one of your favourites is carrot cake like mine this DIPA will prevent the richest of cream cheese icings from overwhelming your palate.  It will also harmonize with and balance out any sweets of desserts with a prominent ginger component.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Burley Wine
Humulus Ludicrous
Phil’s Pils
Little Scrapper IPA
Sweet Nikki Brown

In-Style:
90 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head
Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. - He’Brew
Hardcore IPA - Brew Dog
Storm IPA - Brew Dog
Bad Hare Day - Sherbrooke

Other Hoppy Beers:
US Alive - Mikkeller
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Santa’s Private Reserve - Rogue
Lagunitas Imperial Red

For The Adventurous:
Old Crustacean - Rogue
Paradox - Brew Dog
Samichlaus Bier

Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Wild Rose Brewery
Country: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

The Brown Ale style was the first to become my personal favourite when I initially discovered there were so many different styles to begin with, and remained a long time favourite for years and years.  After all, they were not too intense or intimidating, offered a welcoming malty flavour with a minimum amount of any discernible hop bitterness, and in general provided a fantastically friendly session beer for any occasion or season.

Really, for the past 800 years Brown Ales remained a ubiquitous, if not practically anonymous style since it was so common and standard.  Until more modern kilning techniques were developed (introducing the world to “Pale Ales” as a result), almost all beers were some sort of denomination or variety of a Brown Ale, although not necessarily similar to the kinds we know of today.  Perhaps as a result of that sort of forced monotony the lighter styles that developed over the subsequent centuries-English Bitters, Belgian Golden Ales, Hefeweizens, Lagers of all kinds!-became more and more popular.  On the other end of the spectrum even the Porter, the grand daddy of the Stout, developed from the near universal Brown.  Although it’s still one of the most approachable and accessible of all styles, especially ales, the Brown Ale has turned into something of a wall flower in comparison these days.  A shame, since it knows most of your favourite dances, and is always up for a lengthy make-out session, really it’s almost the ideal low maintenance date!

In the case of Wild Rose’s Brown Ale, it has been there since day one since 1996 as part of their original line up, and was their initial best selling beer.  What helped it stand out from the crowd was that it was much more robust and flavourful than most of the lukewarm Brown Ales available at the time.  Even now that there is more healthy competition on the shelves these days, it still holds its own in good company.

As stated earlier, Brown Ales are pretty versatile and low maintenance.  Your favourite beer glass, or the closest drinking receptacle within arm’s reach, hell, even a flower vase will serve the purpose, it’ll taste good out of practically anything.  Browns are warm and attractive to look at however, so a clear and classy glass will accentuate it, going from Sandy Olsson at the beginning of Grease to the belle of the ball, no tight leather pants required.  Allow things to warm up a bit as well, the reward for your patience will be more complexity apparent from the malt.

The Wild Rose Brown Ale greets you with a ruby brown body in appearance, capped by a loose frothy beige head.  Greeting your nose will be a toasted aroma of nuts and soft coffee notes, even hints of smoky char.  Keeping that same theme but expanding more in the flavour is toasted, nutty malt up front, with a mild dry chocolate finish, some roasted coffee, while dry wafer crisp cocoa lingers on in the aftertaste.  In contrast the mouthfeel is on the lighter side, making this an easily quaffable session ale.

Where’s the beef?  That’s what you should be asking when searching for an ideal food pairing with this Wild Rose version of Brown Ale.  Look no further than beef based stews, chili, roasts or grilled steaks.  Fajitas and burritos with a healthy helping of cheese will be carried into another realm of dining experience.  On its own soft, earthy and nutty cheese will combine so well you’ll think you’ve discovered a secret recipe for the ultimate comfort food combo.  Camembert is a good starting point.  Along the lines of earthiness, most mushroom dishes will provide a surprising and complimentary dining companion for this Brown Ale.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
WRaspberry Ale
IPA (India Pale Ale)
Velvet Fog
WRed Wheat
SOB (Special Old Bitter)

In-Style:
Newcastle Brown Ale
Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Brooklyn Brown Ale
Mt. Begbie Tall Timber Ale

Lateral Steps:
Warsteiner Premium Dunkel
Negra Modelo
Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Lobkowicz Baron

For The Adventurous:
Aventinus
Rogue Mocha Porter
Fuller’s Vintage Ale
Midnight Sun Espresso Stout - Yukon Brewing

Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 11%
Presentation: Single 341 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

“My legs may be tottery, I must go slow/And be careful of Old Deuteronomy!”  Well then, it will most certainly help if you are in a seated position when sampling Alley Kat’s eponymous tribute to one of the main character’s of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.  Olde Deuteronomy is a barleywine that this brewery has been producing as a seasonal every year or two since 1995, and landed Alley Kat a gold medal in 1997 at the World Beer Championships.

As far as the pedigree regarding this unique ale of British origin is concerned, in a way it comes down to the case of “the butler did it!”  Following the centuries after the Norman invasion of England the nobility of the land acquired a taste for wine, which their new ruling class would import from back home in France.  Of course all of those irritating subsequent wars between England and France would continually cut off steady supplies of their grape goodness.  However by the early 1700’s the scientific knowledge and technology of British brewers was at a level to match the quality of what their vintner rivals could produce, and provide a homegrown, complexly flavoured, high alcohol substitute.

Now while the actual name “barley wine” was only coined sometime in the early 19^th century, this style also went by several other names since its inception, such as malt wine, malt liquor, October beer or Dorchester beer.  Most certainly a product for and of the aristocracy, you wouldn’t find a barley wine in a public house for centuries to follow.  Since most country homes of the gentry had their own personal brew houses on site, it came down to the responsibility of the household butler to craft these barley wines, not just for the enjoyment of their masters, but also to represent the entire estate and impress dinner guests and visiting nobility.  Imagine several generations of butlers competing and trying to out-do one another to bestow bragging rights and regional recognition for the manor by the beer that they produced.  No pressure Jeeves, no pressure….

A  note of interest here, the first beer to actually be commercially marketed as a barleywine was Bass No.1 in 1903, from Burton on Trent.  Chances are there were no butlers involved with it.

Due to its intricacies and above normal alcohol content a barleywine could take months, if not years in order to age and mature properly, adding yet another element to its exclusive status.  It could then be aged for years more, providing the opportunity to create annual vintages, and allow for vertical tastings in years to come.  Usually considered the richest and strongest in character of the traditional ales, the newer American craft version of barleywine tends to be even higher in alcohol, and of course with a liberal hop presence as well.  Olde Deuteronomy falls into the latter category.

Barley wine is a style whose nomenclature directly hints towards proper glassware.  Stemware is highly recommended, be it a goblet or chalice, while a large brandy snifter will also offer the best of all worlds.  While this style was traditionally served at room or cellar temperature, it wouldn’t hurt to allow the bottle to warm for up to half an hour after pulling it from the fridge.

Since it will be the most accessible version available at the moment I’m going to go through a specific description of the 2009 vintage of Olde Deuteronomy.  After the pour expect a short creamy off-white head capping a bright translucent ruby-brown body in appearance.  Rising from the glass can be detected notes of caramel and toffee malt, raisin sweetness, some alcohol warmth, with the slightest hint of grassy hops.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied across the tongue and palate, starting off a bit sticky yet finishing with a sherry-like dryness.  While this style is bold yet full of nuance, most people’s palates will be able to detect some caramel malt up front in the flavour, date-like sweetness in the middle, with an earthy dry finish.  Since this vintage has only been released the past little while, as it ages the flavour and character will grow and change at an intermittent rate.

Such a bold ale tends to usually be consumed on its own, and nursed for a good chunk of time at that.  Yet the British aristocracy had been pairing it with some robust Stilton for centuries, given you feel the urge to nibble a bit while you sip.  On that note consider other aged, sharp, ripe cheeses to match Olde Deuteronomy up with, such as Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola.  A rich carrot cake or Christmas cake should hold up well enough too.  In fact it wouldn’t hurt to start out with a full stomach to begin with if cheese or cake isn’t your thing.  Moderation is also suggested, lest you end up quoting the venerable T.S. Eliot poem yourself:  “My sight’s unreliable, but I can guess/That the cause of the trouble is Old Deuteronomy!”

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale

In-Style:
Rogue Old Crustacean
Brooklyn Monster Ale
Mill St. Barleywine
Thomas Hardy’s Ale

Style: Flavoured Porter
ABV: 6.5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Co. exclusive for Sherbrooke Liquor
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

DI!  ECCE HORA!  UXOR MEA ME NECABIT! Found on the label of this porter, which translates from Latin as “God, look at the time!  My wife will kill me!”  Lucky for you guys out there that this beer comes with its own built-in failsafe measure.  What’s that, you ask?  Well my friend, this happens to be a chocolate cherry Porter, blended and produced so well by the talented folks at the Alley Kat Brewery that this is practically black forest cake in a bottle.  The perfect cure for getting anyone out of the hot seat with their significant other.  Or if required, to help assist in wooing a potential significant other, this is certainly a mood-enhancing libation that’s well worthy of sharing.  For those worthy of sharing with that is…it’s so good you’re going to want to keep it all for yourself otherwise.

For those of you still wondering, “Ostiarius” stand for “Porter” in Latin as well, keeping with the loose theme.  First produced exclusively for Sherbrooke Liquor by Alley Kat in 2007, a third batch is in the works now for early 2010.  Although there isn’t a significant change in the recipes between batches, or “vintages”, Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius is constantly being fine-tuned from year to year, so if you have the intestinal fortitude and self-control to put a bottle or two away for a few years a lateral tasting can be performed to see how each batch has aged and improved from year to year.

Your favourite mug or pint glass will do the trick to serve this savoury Ostiarius, however if you’re sharing and feeling romantic a pair of red wine glasses will help assist setting the mood.  The balanced additions of chocolate and cherry are robust enough that they’ll still be apparent if the bottle is consumed straight out of the fridge and still quite chilled, although be aware that this porter can be consumed even at room temperature without detracting from the experience, so consider yourself informed of your options.  As you know by now the warmer a beer like this gets the more intense and open the inherent flavours become to your nose and your tongue.

Once transferred to your chosen drinking vessel you’ll see a dark black opaque beer, yet when held to light it will illuminate a bright reddish cola-like hue.  The head will be fairly short, beige in colour, that will settle somewhat quickly.  Forget trying to find any distinct aspects of a porter in the aroma, all you’ll get is indulgent rich potent chocolate and cocoa, and the unmistakable smell of cherry extract, although none of it seems artificial in nature.  The flavour is a big hit of milky chocolate, with sweet cherry appearing close to the finish. The finish is actually a dry sweet hit of cocoa, which blends with the cherry again on the aftertaste.  Yet no fork or spoon are required for this porter, the mouthfeel is only a manageable medium body, and on the lighter end of that to boot.  Deceptively quaffable.  Like I said before, almost literally black forest cake in a bottle.

In fact forget pairing Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius with anything, serve it as dessert on its own instead.  Whether in a mug or wine glass, give it a liberal topping of whipped cream, add powdered chocolate or sprinkles, and for flourish top it with a maraschino cherry, except all bets are off how long it lasts there before it settles to the bottom of the glass.   If that sounds like too much effort you can pour it over a scoop or two of ice cream, be it vanilla, chocolate, or some sort of chocolate cherry fudge concoction.  Even the strawberry in Neapolitan will accentuate the cherry.  Options, options!  If you still feel the urge to serve this alongside something, then stick with dessert, it’ll add some healthy companionship to chocolate or berry based sweets, baking and pastries.  If someone is insistent on serving this beer with an entree then make it a chocolate fondue!

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Alley Kat Amber
Alley Kat Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale
Olde Deuteronomy

Also From Sherbrooke:
Sherbrooke Shamrock
Bad Hare Day
Pi Jiu
Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!
Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash

Other Porters:
Rogue Mocha Porter
Mill St. Coffee Porter
Fuller’s London Porter
Samuel Smith’s Old Taddy Porter

For The Adventurous:
Mort Subite Kriek
Trois Pistoles - Unibroue
Brooklyn Monster Ale

Pelee Island Winery is located on the Southerly most point in Canada.  It is on the same latitude as Northern California.  The climate is one of the mildest in Canada.  In fact, winemaking is not new to the area.  There is a history of winemaking there since the 1860’s.  Sadly the industry died out in the early 1900’s, but it came to life again in the 1980’s.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise we would have missed out on some very spiffy wine (technical terminology J). Map is courtesy of Norman Einstein

You know, in this industry we learn something new every day.  Although we have tried many of the Pelee Island wines, we did not know that the vineyards 550 acres make up Canada’s largest private estate.

One thing you will notice about the labels of Pelee Island wine is that there are various plants and animals on them.  The winery promotes the diversity of life on the island.  It is home to many rare insects, snails, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians as well. But still many more stop off at Pelee Island on their travels south.  It is the meeting place of two different migration routes.  The island is a major stopover point for many groups of birds and insects on their way to their winter homes down south.

Take for instance the Monarch Butterfly, which is featured on Pelee Island’s Monarch Vidal.  The butterfly stops at Pelee Island on its long journey to Mexico.  Isn’t that truly amazing how that tiny winged being takes that long journey!  The Egret is featured on the Umbrella Gewürztraminer-Riesling.  The islands are home to one of the largest populations of nesting Egrets in Canada.  These are just two small examples of the diversity of these islands… not just in the winemaking.  The viticulturist at Pelee Island works hand in hand with the World Wildlife Fund with regard to their pest management.  This gives you just a small glimpse into how Pelee Island Winery takes care of everything on the island from the ground up.

Pinot Noir Reserve VQA

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 13%
Blend: Pinot Noir
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

They call the Pinot Noir grape the heartbreak grape.  It is a  very tough grape to grow.  As an example:  If the grapes don’t get enough heat, the wines can be very light and thin tasting.  If is gets too much heat the wines can taste more like cooked fruit.   When all goes right, however, it can make some of the most incredible wine and Champagne you have ever had the pleasure to try.  The price can vary from the teens to ad infinitum (infinity). Associated mostly with the region of Burgundy in France, the grape now grows in a number of countries around the world including our wonderful country of Canada.

This wine was matured for about eight to twelve months in European-style French Oak barrels with about 25 to 30% of the wine experiencing a malolactic fermentation (also known as MLF).   Why is that good and how does it change the wine?  The winemakers want to reduce the amount of the harsher acidity in the wine.  In order to do that, they will change some of the Malic Acid into the softer Lactic Acid.  This MLF takes place after the primary fermentation (during which the grape juice sugar is converted into alcohol).  The wine undergoes a secondary fermentation to change the Malic Acid into the Lactic Acid.  This not only reduces some of the acidity, but it makes the wine a little more balanced and palatable.  They also want to maintain the lovely fruit characteristics of the wine, so in this case only 25 to 30% of the wine goes through this MLF.

This is an easy drinking Pinot Noir and if people are just starting to drink red wine, Pinot Noir is a lovely place to start.  This wine is not overpowering, it is just simply pleasant.  You get some of the strawberry and other red berries, plus there is a wee bit of earth aromas in there too, and can be quite typical of Pinot Noir.

Food Pairing:

Turkey; salmon (broiled, roasted, grilled, or poached); grilled or roasted red meat; mushrooms (eg: grilled Portobello) and mushroom sauces; pork.

CSPC:     458521
Price:

$16.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Umbrella
GewÜrztraminer-Rielsing

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Gewürztraminer 50%, Riesling 50%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Okay, you have the best of both worlds here.  You have the Gewürztraminer and the Riesling.  Now I know that everyone thinks that there are basically two different colours of grapes, well there are other colours, as well.  The Gewürztraminer can actually be a pinkish colour. This grape ripens a bit on the earlier side.  The Riesling, on the other hand, is green in colour and it ripens rather late.  These two grapes make great wine all on their own, so bringing them together would bring out all the great qualities of each of them.

The history of Gewürztraminer  (guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-nur)can be dated back to Italy near the village of Termino (Tramin) in Alto Adige.  It is considered to be an aromatic grape variety.  Now I know you are thinking that the name certainly doesn’t sound Italian, and you would be correct… it is German.  Gewürz in German is translated to mean ‘spicy’.  The grape is quite well known in the Region of Alsace in France, but can be found in California, Oregon, Washington, Germany (of course), Canada and recently New Zealand.

People think of Riesling and they think of Germany.  Though its history is a bit mysterious it can be said that Riesling goes back to the Rhine in Germany.  It too is considered an aromatic grape variety and brings a lot to the table when you get a whiff of the wine.  It grows quite well in cooler climates.  In Canada it is one of the grape varieties that we use for making Ice Wine… that yummy delicacy.

This Gewürztraminer-Riesling is considered off-dry, but it has a nice bit of acidity to it, so it isn’t going to taste as sweet as you would think.  There are some floral notes to the wine with a little honeysuckle and lychee and even a wee bit of rose.  The aromas of tropical fruit like mango are noticeable with some lovely peach, as well.   You will have fun pairing this wine with food.

Food Pairing:

  Baked ham; turkey; Thai, Chinese or Indian food; fresh fruit (especially tropical fruit); fish; pork.

CSPC:     738935
Price:

      $12.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week Richard and I are heading off to Marlborough, New Zealand.  Come join us.

Style: Double India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.8%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Co. exclusive for Sherbrooke Liquor
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This one’s for you dedicated Hopheads out there, and the adventurous amongst the crowd.  The name, the label…..loaded with puns, I’ll let you connect the dots yourself.  Instead let’s start off with pedigree:  Bad Hare Day was the first Double IPA brewed in Alberta, back in the Spring of 2008, and remains a rotating seasonal offering in the Sherbrooke beer pantheon, and currently on the shelves in its second run.  I’ll be honest with you folks, this is my personal favourite style, as rare as it is around these parts, although it took me years and years to develop a palate that appreciates its intense hoppy nature.  I’m well aware that many people out there consider India Pale Ales as too much to handle as it is, trust me, I used to be amongst you on that one.

In the case of a “Double” or “Imperial” India Pale Ale (an IPA being a hoppy enough style on its own!), we are pushing the ticket and adding even more hops and bitterness to produce this style.  Truly an invention of the American craft brewing scene, more specifically the West coast (where the mentality usually tends to be go big or go home to say the least), the Double IPA was said to have originated in the mid-1990’s at a brewery in San Diego completely by accident, when a recipe was slightly botched and then entirely overcompensated for.  The end result was the epitome of hophead heaven.  They tasted the finished product and deemed it not only drinkable, but worthy of mass consumption and repeated production.  Yet another historical incident of a happy accident that became a groundbreaking milestone.

For a lot of people an India Pale Ale seems like a daunting style, hoppy and bitter and beyond the capacity of where their taste buds are able to humanly endure, whereas a Double IPA should be twice as intimidating based on theory.  Fair enough, yet allow me to bust and elaborate on certain myths and misconceptions.  First off most DIPA’s are produced with American variations of hops, it being an American invention in the first place.  A lot of people tend to overlook that the predominant domestic varieties of hops tend to be the citrusy ones, lending characteristics of tangerine and lemon, to the more common and familiar grapefruit qualities.  Also being rounded out by earthy pine notes.  And whereas many regular IPA’s can be a bit on the lopsided scale sliding dramatically towards the bitter end of the spectrum, what makes Double IPA’s more unique is that with more hops comes a necessity of more malt to help keep it all in check, if not to lend a more cohesive balance.  A proper DIPA requires a strong enough backbone of malt to help keep everything in check.  From earthy grainy malt, to sweet toffee malts or anything in-between, it will be there to greet you up front in the flavour even if the hops manage to get a leg up and a head start on things too.  Sometimes they can even seem like young tasting barleywines.

Given that sort of background, let’s see how Bad Hare Day holds its own in light of it all.

Allow about 10 minutes of warming up after pulling a bottle right out of the fridge, there’s a lot of flavour and aroma to be discovered within.  A pint glass will be the most ideal receptacle as well, unless you want to accentuate the aroma more, then grab an oversized snifter or wine glass.  When poured the appearance is an inviting hazy deep amber, topped by a tall spongy cream coloured head that slowly settles to a thick frothy cap.  Things jump up several levels in the aroma with an intense hoppy profile revealing notes of citrus, blood orange, pink grapefruit, even some papaya and pineapple, rounded out with some fresh pine. When I close my eyes it almost smells like a bowl full of gummy bears.  A bit of bready caramel malt manages to come through in the flavour before the hops grab the spotlight for the rest of the show. Yet it’s fairly refined, not out of control. It tastes like a few layers of hops as well, with the citrus coming up first, but notes of floral and herbal hops wash up to shore as well on the finish. The lingering aftertaste is more herbal, but also combined with white grapefruit rind, and a bit of sticky pine. Yet as it warms even more the malt becomes even more apparent, adding a refreshing balance to it all.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, but somewhat sticky on the finish.  Complex yet refined, this is a big beer with manners.

Keeping that in mind this bold beer requires fairly intense foods to pair up with.  For the cheese lover this balanced hoppy beer will compliment something sharp like Gorgonzola better than most wines.  Tex-Mex and Thai cuisine, with its contrast of chills and lime, spice and citrus, have also found their match with a beer like Bad Hare Day.  If dessert is on the menu consider something rich and savoury such as carrot cake, cream cheese icing and all.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Olde Deuteronomy
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale

Also From Sherbrooke:
Sherbrooke Shamrock
Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius
Pi Jiu
Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!
Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash

In-Style:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Rogue XS India Pale Ale
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
Hardcore IPA - BrewDog
Storm IPA - BrewDog
Half Pints Humulus Ludicrous

Distiller: Tullamore Dew
Age: 12 Years Old
Location: Ireland
Alcohol: 40%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Now what would St. Patrick’s Day be without a little Irish Whiskey!  Irish Whiskey dates back to the 6^th century.  If you are doing your math right now, you would be correct in realizing that Irish Whiskey was being made before Scotch Whisky, “hence the broad similarities between the two nations’ products.”  “The monks, who were the healers of their day, used spirit as a base for medicines, rubs and liniments. Why wouldn’t they? Here was a substance as clear as water; that burned like fire and literally preserved flesh. It was nothing less than the legendary ‘Uisce Beatha’ or Water of Life in English, eventually anglicized to give us Whiskey.” *

Now as you are reading this, you are probably wondering what the heck is wrong with me and my spelling ability.  I write ‘Irish Whiskey’ and then ‘Scotch Whisky’.  Actually, they are both correct.  The Irish and Americans spell theirs with an ‘e’ and the Canadians and the Scots spell theirs without.  It is enough to make a spell checker go mad!!!  That isn’t the only place where these two wonderful drops of pleasure differ.

The Production Process:  In Ireland the malted barley is dried in enclosed kilns.  With Scotch Whiskey the malted barley is dried over peat fires.  The Irish use both malted and unmalted barley in the pot still and the Scots use only malted barley.  The Irish distill 3 times and the Scots distill 2 times.  The result is totally different.  I will explain it the way a gentleman said it to me the other day.  ‘Irish Whiskey is gentle, soft and round.  Scotch Whisky is still a clean good tasting whisky, but it can be smoky, or peaty and even a little bold too.  What you want to sip on depends on how your liver feels on that particular day.’  That kind of says it all.

Now this is only a short blog, so there isn’t a lot of time to go much further into this spirit.  Whiskey (or whisky) is a great sip to enjoy whether it is Irish, Scottish, Canadian or American.

Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey dates back to 1829 when the distillery was founded in Tullamore, County Offaly by Mr. Michael Molloy. Daniel E. Williams, was “the major influence on the development of the distillery.”  “His initials, D-E-W, inspired the whiskey to be named ‘Tullamore Dew’ with the original slogan “Give every man his Dew” still in use today.”  The Williams family later became shareholders in the distillery.

The trade war with England (1930’s) and The American Prohibition (1919 - 1933) dried up Irish Whiskey sales not only in the United States, but throughout the British Empire.  The 1950’s and 1960’s saw major changes.  The Tullamore Distillery closed and was bought by Power’s about 6 years later.  “Between 1966 and 1972, all the remaining Irish distilleries came together to regenerate the industry - ultimately under the name of The Irish Distillers Group. Production was also consolidated into two distilleries in County Cork (where Tullamore Dew is distilled today) and County Antrim.”

As of 2009, Tullamore Dew is the No.2 Irish whiskey brand in the world”.  ”It is currently the fastest growing Irish whiskey brand globally in the fastest growing spirits category.”

Just a little note on the logo for Tullamore Dew:  You will notice two dogs on their trademark logo.  One is lying down and the other is standing.  The breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound.  I have been owned by Irish Wolfhounds for 27 years.  (yes I meant ‘owned by’ because they truly get into your heart)  Why would an Irish Whiskey company put dogs on their logo?

Well, originally there was a red jug, which was related to Red Cup Tea.  Daniel E. Williams was the head of the Red Cup Tea commercial venture.  However, when Desmond (Daniel’s grandson) came into the picture, he decided on a change.  Desmond bred Irish Wolfhounds and he felt that the wolfhound’s loyalty and courage (I can confirm those traits from my personal experience) would make a good symbol for his Irish Whiskey.  The Irish Wolfhounds remain as a symbol on the bottles even today.  The connection between the Irish Wolfhound and Tullamore Dew is still very strong.  They still sponsor the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland.

The Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve is our drop of choice for our tasting.  This particular one has won so many awards including Gold medals at the World Spirits Competition and International Spirits Challenge plus Double Gold at the World Spirits Competition.

There is a lot of flavour in this whiskey.  Nuts, vanilla, spice and even “faint notes of Christmas cake”.  Now for those of you who are not big fruit cake fans (I am a fruit cake addict, by the way), notice the word “faint”.  When you smell this whiskey, you will fall in love long before it even touches your lips.   The whiskey is aged in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks.  This will bring out some of those great aromas and flavours.  The taste will have just a wee touch of sweetness.  Now I don’t mean sugary sweet, it is just a hint sweet flavour from the fabulous Sherry casks that they use.  It will almost be mellow.

Wait till you get a taste of this heaven.  Yum.  Now if you are so inclined to have a little Irish Coffee on St. Patrick’s Day, or if you have never tried one before, we will also be serving a little bit of that, as well.  By the way… the cream is totally non-fattening (in my dreams only).

Come by on Wednesday from 4:00 until 7:00 to try this wonderful Irish treat.

CSPC: 719398
Price:

$41.99 (minus the 10% Winesday Discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

SHERBROOKE SHAMROCK

Style: All-Malt Lager (Bavarian style lager)
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 Packs - 341Ml bottles
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Company
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

St. Patrick’s Day, being the special day that it is… well, we have two products to try.  The second one is the perennial favourite Sherbrooke Shamrock.  A few years ago Jim from Sherbrooke approached Neil Herbst, founder of Alley Kat Brewing Company and asked if they could come up with a special St. Patrick’s Day themed beer specifically for Sherbrooke.  Sherbrooke Shamrock came to life.

Now Sherbrooke Shamrock is not the only beer that Alley Kat has brewed for Sherbrooke Liquor.  They have also made:  Big Al’s Red Kiss, Bad Hare Day, Chocolate Osterious, and the famous Pumpkin Pi to name just a few.

Neil from Alley Kat told me that “up until this year, Sherbrooke Shamrock was brewed in the style of a Belgian lager.”  Sherbrooke decided this year to shake things up a little and do a Bavarian style lager.  It is still brewed by Alley Kat, in fact “it is Alley Kat’s Charlie Flint lager”, with a smidgeon of green to add to the festivities.  After all, what would St. Patrick’s Day be without a little green?  So if you think you have tried Sherbrooke Shamrock before, you have to come back again to try the new one.

Jeff Werstiuk of Sherbrooke Liquor gave me some insight into who Charlie Flint was.  Charlie was ‘the first successful small craft brewer in our province, which was actually part of the Northwest Territories’ back in his day.  You should read Jeff’s blog on the history of this great guy and the great beer that Alley Kat has brewed in his honour.

In a few words, Jeff described the style of beer this year.  He said that the Bavarian style lager “is more malty” and has “like a bread and butter sweetness”.

The beer is still available in 6-packs this year and there will be lots in the cooler for you.  However, as always, Sherbrooke Shamrock is in limited quantity.

CSPC:  726080
Price:

  $14.99 (minus the 10% Winesday Discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Come by on Wednesday and try this ‘new’ Sherbrooke Shamrock.
We will be there from 4:00 - 7:00 pm.  See you then.
Sláinte (to your health).

Next week we are leaving the greens of Ireland and heading off to Germany.   Spreken ze Deutsch?

Style: American Amber/Red Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Yukon Brewing Company
Country: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

When I first met this red ale over a decade ago it used to be called Arctic Red.  Due to some legal issues a couple of years ago, regarding Molson’s apparent trademark over part of that name for some of their own defunct products, Yukon Brewing chose to tweak things around a bit.  Fortunate for all of us they simply dropped the offensive aspect that was causing all the litigation, but the beer itself stayed the same as it has been the past 13 years.

With all that behind them now this Red Ale from Yukon Brewing gained national recognition the  past year, bringing home not only a gold medal for its style, but also beating out all other gold medal winners to take the best in show and “Beer Of The Year” award for 2009.  The event was the Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto, which has been running the past 7 years, although this year was the first to be sanctioned by the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program), with certified and seasoned beer judges picking out the cream of the crop this time around.  That’s the kind of street cred that gives Yukon Brewing even greater bragging rights in light of this newfound exposure.

After this sort of build-up here’s a beer not to be missed if you haven’t tried it before.  Really, it offers the best of all worlds, a balance of sweet malt, some crisp hops with a dry finish, yet not too complicated.  It’s even a safe way to start accustomizing your palate to a bit hops without being overwhelmed.   Let me help walk you through your first glass of this award winning ale from the frequently frozen North.

This particular style is pretty versatile as it is, you can grab your favourite glass to enjoy this one.  And even though there’s some hearty flavoured to be discovered, you can still drink it fairly chilled and not miss out on all it has to offer.  When this red ale makes its way into your favourite glass you’ll get a nice big hello from the clean mahogany appearance, and when held to light will reveal a rich clear garnet hue.  Rounding off that hello is a thick, creamy off-white head that will retain for a short while but will leave lacing down the inside of the glass as it recedes.  The texture is as enticing as it looks too, creamy and smooth mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.  There’s a simple yet effective bouquet on the nose, sweet, caramel malts with some green floral hops.  This balance continues on in the flavour with a healthy dose of toasted and caramel malt notes at first, ending with crisp spice and citrus from the hops in equal measure, the two blending once more in a dry aftertaste.  There’s something for everyone in here, enough hop bite to draw the hopheads away from their precious IPA’s for a spell (no offense, as I’m one of them, guilty as charged….), and enough backbone from the malt to keep those hops in check in order to keep this red ale still approachable for those who are still exploring and defining the boundaries of their palates.

Yukon Red remains just as versatile and user-friendly when it comes to serving with food.  The healthy combo of the malt and hop present will do well to both compliment and contrast beef or pork roasts, along with almost anything you can think of pulling off the barbecue grill.  The hops will accentuate mildly spicy dishes, although the malt might be a bit of a third wheel when too much heat is involved.  However anything you choose from an appetizer menu will play well with this red ale, especially saltier choices.  I also noticed that the Springbank Cheese Co. recommends pairing this particular ale with some Cambozola, which makes absolute sense as they are both somewhat sweet yet sharp, it’d almost be like the two were double dating.  All that aside this has been one of my favourite session beers since I first tried it several years ago, it seems to hit all the right spots without making me have to work too hard in the process.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Yukon Gold
Chilkoot Lager
Chilkoot Lead Dog Ale
Yukon Cranberry Wheat
Discovery Ale
Ice Fog IPA
Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

In-Style:
Lagunitas Censored
Santa’s Private Reserve Ale - Rogue
Broken Rake Amber Ale - Pyramid
Fish Tale Amber Ale

Lateral Steps:
Fuller’s London Pride
Warsteiner Dunkel
Tall Timber Ale - Mt. Begbie
Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Ale
Full Moon Pale Ale - Alley Kat

For The Adventurous:
Trappistes Rochefort 6
Paddywhack IPA - Nelson Brewing
Shakespeare Stout - Rogue

Winery: Quails’ Gate
Vintage: 2008
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Chenin Blanc 92%, Sauvignon Blanc 8%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

To get the whole picture of Quail’s Gate Winery, we have to go back almost to the beginning of the 20^th Century.  Back to 1908, to be precise.  That is when Richard Stewart Sr. arrived in British Columbia from County Kildare in Ireland.  Richard had worked in the greenhouses of Lord Guinness in Ireland.  When he arrived in British Columbia, he set his eyes on some greenhouses in Gellatly Bay.  Together with his brother Bill, Richard started Stewart Brothers’ Nurseries in 1911.  That love of agriculture would be passed down through the decades.
In 1956 Richard’s son, Dick, purchased land on the slopes of Mt. Boucherie in Kelowna, “which is now the home of Quail’s Gate Winery”.  The first vines were planted in 1961.  The land also had orchards abound.  There were peaches, pears, apples, cherries and vineyards of table grapes too.  Dick knew that the land that he was so blessed to have would be “destined to be some of the most sought after vinifera vineyards in North America.”

Many years passed and Dick was starting to reach retirement.  Ben, Dick’s oldest son, came home and over the next ten years, together with his dad, transformed the whole property.  They went from a “grape grower to a wine producer”.

In 1992, Ben’s brother Tony joined him at the winery.  Both Tony, his brother and their sisters have worked hard to make this family farm into one of the most recognizable names in the Canadian wine industry.
Grant Stanley is the winemaker at Quails’ Gate.  Grant is a Vancouver native, but was trained in winemaking in New Zealand.  He returned to North America and then worked in Oregon honing his Pinot Noir winemaking skills.  He started working at Quails’ Gate in 2003.

The winery has a relatively short history, but people have taken notice of this family owned winery.  Wine Enthusiast magazine gave their 2005 Quails’ Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir 93 Points. Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc was served to President Barack Obama during his first state visit to Canada in February 2009.  What an honour indeed!!

Talking about Chenin Blanc… that is exactly what we will be tasting this week.  It isn’t a grape that we hear a lot about.  The grape originally came from France.  It is grown extensively in the Loire Valley in France. Chenin Blance makes some wonderful wine going from dry to quite sweet and even some sparkling wine.

The 2008 Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc is a remarkable white wine that tastes nice and juicy fresh.  Lemons and limes for sure, but also some gooseberry.  The gooseberry most likely comes from the Sauvignon Blanc in the wine.  When you taste it, you get the nice fruit taste with the crispness of the acidity.  It left me wanting more after the first sip.

Food Pairing:

Oysters (especially British Columbia Oysters); chicken with a cream sauce; roasted pork stuffed with fruit; fish prepared with lemon.

CSPC:     391854
Price:

$19.99 (minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week we will be staying in Canada as well as travelling across the pond to good ol’ Ireland.  We will get lots of air miles for this trip!

Come join us for St. Patrick’s Day.

Style: Vegetable Beer
ABV: 5%
Presentation: Single 341 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Co. exclusive for Sherbrooke Liquor
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

In the quiet fog of a chilly, hushed morning a lone small wooden craft deftly sliced through the currents and eddies of a glassy, indifferent surface belonging to the North Saskatchewan River.  All along the river valley dogs barked and birds alit from the skeletal branches of the endless trees as this foreign dilapidated vessel ominously sailed by haphazardly, as if on a crash course with destiny, or perhaps its untimely doom.  Old, nearly rotted boards creaked, some hanging out with protesting nails exposed for the world to see that they had already outlived their simple yet vital purpose.  Without warning this ferry of uncertainty ran aground with a sudden jarring thud, while in the space of a heartbeat a massive feral beast leaped ashore, pausing only long enough to let out an unearthly howl before it disappeared into the shadow and brush.  Further inspection of this pitiful, desolate boat would reveal the occupancy of a single, ashen figure;

a woe-begotten soul with sunken, hollow eyes who was clothed solely by the sun bleached tatters of what once could be assumed to have been human clothing.  With both hands lashed to the boat wheel by rags, he clutched a solitary brown bottle with what could only be assumed the last of his mortal strength.  Gasping a long held sigh of relief the bottle dropped to the decrepit filth-strewn deck where it rolled off the edge and landed hard enough to mount itself upright into the muddy riverbank.  The label read Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash.  And it’s the cure for whatever ails you, no matter how fiendish…..

Fortunately the kind and talented folks at the Alley Kat Brewery were able to reproduce this miracle liquid to assist us decent folk of Edmonton to keep the bogeys and the ghastly shadows at bay.  And while I only play a doctor on television, there may be a good chance that this may be the closest thing we have for a cure to the common cold so far.  If nothing else it goes great with pasta!

The prognosis of this miracle liquid can be summed up thusly.  After removing the seal and transferring the contents to a prescribed drinking vessel be prepared to be greeted by a libation of a deep golden hue, lots of carbonation present, and a decent amount of creamy white head that settles to a thin frothy cap.  Depending on your taste you may fish out the garlic clove found within the bottle and add it to the awaiting drinking receptacle, or leave it be where it is, or save it to cook with later on in the day since it will already be pleasantly marinated from the malty goodness it had been resting within.  Several precautionary inhalations will exhibit a faint biscuity malt, however the predominant characteristic shall be that of a healthy dose of warming garlic-not too slight, and not too overwhelming, but just right.  The Baby Bear’s version of Italian bliss.  Yet for those faint of heart the flavour has a healthy dose of biscuit malt that carries an essential yet refined infusion of garlic.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, rounded, yet with some carbonation kick and bite.  If you are one of the few who can’t stand the flavour of garlic, you are out of luck here, and perhaps this is an elixir best avoided.  For you I would recommend sleeping with the lights on from now on, with sharpened stakes close at hands and your windows and doors nailed shut.  Perhaps some holy relics resting under the pillows.

As wonderful as Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash is at repelling creatures of the night, bogarts and ghouls (along with first dates and potential employers), it is an amazing compliment for fine dining as well, truly versatile.  It does wonders alongside Italian, Thai and Chinese dishes, and is the perfect dance partner for any garlic-laced dish you can imagine and whip up.  Repel the undead and entice fellow garlic lovers at the same time, Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash will help you keep all your bases covered.  Beware and drink well!

The next steps in the cooler:

Also From Sherbrooke:
Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius
Bad Hare Day
Sherbrooke Shamrock
Pi Jiu
Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!

Also From Alley Kat:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale
KGB Imperial Stout

Other Unique Beers:
Midas Touch - Dogfish Head
Rogue Chipotle Ale
Rogue Juniper Ale