St-Ambroise Raspberry Ale Launch Tonight
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: Press Release | Tags: launch, McAuslan, Raspberry Ale, St-Ambroise, terrace Leave a comment »
McAuslan’s limited-edition Raspberry Ale is back just in time for summer. The beer will be available in select stores this week and the launch event will be at their terrace this afternoon at 5pm where the ruby red beer will be on tap.
St-Ambroise Framboise is ruby red in colour and brewed with real raspberries and choice hops. This 5% alcohol by volume beer won Silver at the 2011 Canadian Brewing Awards.
“This is a refreshing summertime beer – emphasis on the word “beer”. We brew Raspberry Ale only once a year and when it’s gone, it’s gone” says Peter McAuslan, Founder and President of McAuslan Brewing. “Brewing specialty ales for our consumers’ enjoyment is important to us, and is our way of thanking those who enjoy our beers.”
A four-pack will cost you about $9.99 and it is worth it. This is a great refreshing summer beer. The balance between hops and raspberry is perfect in this beer and it is easily one of my favourite summer fruit beers. It is available at select stores and you can view the list at McAuslan.com. You can visit tonight, May 16th and 5pm behind McAuslan Brewing (5080 St-Ambroise, Montreal) on their terrace for the launch.
About McAuslan Brewing
Established in 1988, and located in St. Henri along the banks of the Lachine Canal, McAuslan’s year-round offerings include: St. Ambroise Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Apricot Wheat Ale, Cream Ale, and Griffon Extra Pale Ale and Red Ale. In June 2011, St-Ambroise Pale Ale and Griffon Extra Pale Ale were awarded the top place in their respective categories by consumer report magazine, Protegez-Vous.
Turn a Watermelon Into a Cocktail Keg.
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Ideas | Tags: Cocktail, Hacks Leave a comment »Here’s a great center price idea for your next summer BBQ. Using a draught Faucet and 5″ Shank Kit, you can turn a watermelon into a cocktail keg.
I would recommend creating some Watermelon Sours
Crosby Tears, The Taste of Defeat.
Posted: May 4, 2012 Filed under: Articles | Tags: Hockey Leave a comment »This sounds great. A Philadelphia bar and brewery called Nodding Head has created a beer in “honour” of Sidney Crosby. I hope it’s nice and bitter like the playoff series was.
CROSBY TEARS – $6.50 tulip
STRONG ALE (8.7%ABV)… WHINE-LIKE IN “HONOR” OF ITS NAMESAKE… ORANGE HUED LIKE THE TEAM THAT SENT HIM HOME FOR THE SUMMER… THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO A PLAYOFF RUN
Brasserie Dunham – Wit Blanche Belge
Posted: May 4, 2012 Filed under: Dunham, Review | Tags: Witbier Leave a comment »
ABV: 5.0% (Bottle)
STYLE: Witbier
I really enjoyed Dunham’s English IPA, so when I saw this in the grocery store I decided to pick it up. Aside from liking their other beer I am also really attracted to the labeling on their bottles. Very simple with the style of beer in big text. And yes, as specified on their website, the pink label is not a misprint.
Notre blanche belge, ou Wit en flamand, est une bière de blé naturellement voilée. Rafraîchissante et légèrement épicée, elle offre des arômes de coriandre et d’écorce d’orange. Et non, ce n’est pas une erreur d’impression, l’étiquette est vraiment rose. Pour vrai.
Appearance:
It pours a hazy yellow straw colour, with a puff of yeast floating like smoke in the middle. It’s a bit clear and not very vibrant though. A one to two finger foamy white head dissipates fairly quickly and leaves a bit of lacing around the edge of the glass. Hard to see the carbonation bubbles but there are there.
Aroma:
Very floral and spicy. Coriander and citrusy notes like lemon and orange. A bit yeasty and earthy. It has a very pleasant smell.
Taste:
Right away I can taste the spices, mostly clove and coriander. Through the middle the fruity esters hit the tongue with a big of lemon and orange. Body is a bit thin and watery and is missing wheat malts from the taste. Nothing spectacular until the nice zesty hop finish and aftertaste. Mostly Goldings hops in the taste come through for me.
Overall:
This is a bit thin for a witbier and not incredibly complex. However it hits the right notes for me with the hop finish. It’s not a go to and at the price it might be a bit expensive but this would be a great summer session beer. Unfortunately, not as good as Dunham’s English IPA which so far is my favourite from them.
Brasserie Dunham – English IPA
Posted: May 3, 2012 Filed under: Dunham, Review | Tags: IPA Leave a comment »
ABV: 5% (Bottle)
STYLE: English IPA
I’ve had this brought to me a few times during tastings and I’ve really grown fond of it. Dunham IPA is a traditionally brewed English IPA with a nice malt backbone and subtle hops.
Appearance:
Pours hazy orange with a off white head. Very nice 2 finger head but unfortunately it dissipates quickly. Good amount of carbonation as the bubbles just float off the bottom of the glass.
Aroma:
This is a well rounded smell of malts and herbal hops. It’s not bursting with aroma hops but there even is a hint of citrus in there I think.
Taste:
Very bitter in the front and finish with a good balanced malt back bone. Sweet caramel malts and a bit of astringency in the middle. This then bites back with a nice bitter finish and after taste. I also tend to get a bit of a smokey after taste. It’s subtle but it is definitely there.
Overall:
This is a great tasting IPA and it is very drinkable. Nicely balanced as to not crush your taste buds with hops. I could probably easily put down a six pack of this without feeling any kind of fatigue. Not sure where that smokiness comes from or it is just me, but I kind of like it and feel it gives it a bit of a unique taste.
I would definitely go back and have more of this any chance I get.
5 Beers I Wish I Could Drink Right Now.
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Featured | Tags: Personal Leave a comment »Here is a list of five beers I wish I could drink this week. Unfortunately a lot of these beers are limited or only available in the US.
Anchorage Brewing – Galaxy White IPA
Just hearing about this whets my whistle. Anchorage seems to be a homebrewers brewery with really extreme beers. This is a mix between a Whit beer and an IPA and is brewed with kumquats, Indian coriander and black peppercorns. Exploding with Galaxy hops at 50 IBU and 7% ABV. It’s soon going to be summer and boy would I like to crack open a bottle of this outside in the sun.
Unibroue – Quelque Chose
I’ve been coveting this since February. Unfortunately it is not brewed anymore and is extremely rare. Usually you can find it at a Unibroue sponsored restaurant or in the US. But this is a beer I would like to have in bottle. One for drinking and one for aging. Quelque Chose is a blend of a Belgian kriek and a brown ale brewed in Chambly with a sweet and tart cherry and spice flavour. It can also be imbibed warm or on ice.
Dogfish Head - 90 Minute IPA
Here’s one that I’ve had before but can’t really get to it since it’s available in the US. One of, if not my favourite IPAs. This beer introduced me to the world IPA and extreme craft brewing. Nothing very extreme about this as it’s a well balanced, bitter IPA without crushing you in hops.
Samuel Adams – Brick Red
Not sure if this beer really fits in with the rest of the types of beers above but I would love to drink it again. This Irish Red beer is only served on tap in Boston. So it’s incredibly rare and hard to get unless you live there. The last two years when I visited Boston I pretty much only drank Brick Red. It’s a good well balanced red beer. One of, if not my only favourite Red.
Rogue – Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale
Smoked Malt, hickory malt, maple flavouring and applewood-smoked bacon. SOLD! The beer that you wouldn’t feel bad about drinking for breakfast. I’m not exactly sure how good this beer actually is. I’ve heard mixed reviews. But I would try it out for the novelty of it. Only available at the brewery I think so I might never get the chance.
Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. – Bucanero Fuerte
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Cerveceria Bucanero S.A., Review Leave a comment »
ABV: 5.4 (Can)
STYLE: Adjunct Lager
When you go on vacation to Cuba you really only get two choices of beer. Cristal and Bucanero Fuerte. Cristal seems to taste mostly of water while Bucanero has a bit more taste and bigger alcohol punch.
Bucanero Fuerte gets its name from old legends of the pirates that roamed the Caribbean Sea. Considering that Bucanero Fuerte is one of the best hidden treasures of Cuban beer, this connection is fitting.
Strong and full-flavored, Bucanero Fuerte is made from the most natural and freshest ingredients, with superior malt and is blended with just a touch of Cuba’s finest sugars.
Appearance:
This poors a golden yellow and is very clear. Cloudy head that dissipates very quickly but a nice half inch of lacing sticks around. Lots of carbonation bubbles flow from the bottom of the glass throughout drinking this beer.
Aroma:
Not much of an aroma. Mostly sweet from the sugars and a faint note of the earth hops. The hops smell a bit grassy.
Taste:
Above they describe the beer as blended with just a touch of Cuban sugar. Which I would argue is not the case. It tastes and feels like there is a lot of high fructose corn syrup in here. The beer is sweet with a bit of a hop finish and after taste and that’s about it. Funny enough, it feels a bit sticky on the lips. This needs to be served at 0°C and then it becomes crisp and manageable. My biggest complaint would be the high carbonation that really sits heavy in the stomach.
Overall:
It’s difficult to sit here while enjoying a glass of this and complain how it doesn’t compare to the great microbrews of Quebec. It doesn’t. Cuba isn’t known for it’s beer. Quite honestly when you go on vacation you won’t even have much of a choice. This is a mass produced lager for a hot country and I would drink this over a coors light any day if I had the choice.
Just drinking this again brings back memories of my vacations to Cuba and everything involved. I drank this a lot there and I prefer it over the other choices. Besides, how can you say no to beer with a pirate on the label?
Trader José – Dark
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: Review, Trader Joe's | Tags: Dark, Review Leave a comment »
On my last trip to the US I stepped into a Trader Joe’s and fell in love with the beer selection. While I contemplated over which new beers I would like to try a clerk said if I wanted I could create my own taster six-pack. I left the store with 12 beers. I figured I would give a nod to the store that allowed me to pick up a variety of different beers by picking up their brand beer.
Also it was dirt cheap.
Trader José Dark Lager is a Mexican import much like Negro Modelo, the go to beer for all-inclusive Mexican vacations. It is an American Amber / Reg Lager style beer.
Appearance:
Beer pours dark mahogany and very clean. Up against a light you really see some of the red shine through the dark brown beer. Head was a nice foamy tan colour that really sticks around.
Aroma:
Sweet malty aroma right off from the start. You can really detect the breadiness and biscuit malts.
Taste:
Taste is what you would expect. Has a nice bready thickness to it that you can chew on. Nothing too complex but it has a very clean finish.
Overall:
This is a simple beer. It’s not complex and bursting with flavour. Simple isn’t bad. It’s the type of beer you can enjoy plenty of on a nice summer day. This beer is also very cheap and at that price point I would recommend it over many other beers in the low price range.
However, it is a bit bland for my own personal taste and I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again.
Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA
Posted: April 2, 2012 Filed under: Videos | Tags: Dogfish Head, IPA Leave a comment »Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA is a blend of their 60 Minute and 90 Minute. Bottle conditioned with Maple syrup in 750mL bottles. 90 Minute is one of my favourite beers and it introduced me to the world of the hoppy goodness that is american IPA. The below video review is the first I’ve heard of their 75 Minute but I immediately want to drink it. It just sounds amazing.
Depressing Map of Dry States.
Posted: March 27, 2012 Filed under: Articles | Tags: prohibition Leave a comment »
The above image shows all the places in America where alcohol is still banned. It’s been 79 years since prohibition ended in the USA yet a good portion (particularly the Bible Belt) of America have since voted to alcohol bans in place.
It makes me incredibly sad. It’s just another example of draconian laws in our society. The only bright spot is that prohibition most likely helped homebrewing explode into what it is today.
In many ways, prohibition was the catalyst for the first (and arguably biggest) large-scale Do-It-Yourself science movement in the nation’s history; home-brewing became extremely popular during prohibition, with magazines like Popular Science publishing how-to guides for assembling DIY distilleries, and measuring your alcohol to keep it within the ABV standards outlined by the eighteenth amendment.
