Drinking! Of course! My personal highlights over the past 9 months are listed below, with not nearly enough time or energy to detail, but in the future perhaps I won’t fall so far behind.

We’ve taken multiple beer-cations, with the following standing out:

• Great Taste of the Midwest, combined with a beer trip focusing on Michigan breweries
• Brewgrass, and all of the fabulousness that is Asheville, NC
• Portland, OR for a long weekend of beer touring
• Montreal, QE for the American Thanksgiving weekend
• California for the release of Pliny the Younger at Russian River
• St. Patrick’s Day in Philadelphia (always drinking across the street from the Bud-swilling crazies)

There have been a myriad of local changes and releases including:

• Tröeg’s opening of a 150-seat tasting room in Hershey (which continues to evolve each week!)
• Pizza Boy Brewing releases by owner/brewer Al Kominski
• additional local brewery openings like Millbock and Liquid Hero (and lots more if you look state-wide!)
• and most recently Friday the Firkinteenth (25th session) at Grey Lodge Pub.

We’ve also had some great tasting experiences with friends, including but not limited to:

• a clean-out-the-cellar event in our own backyard (we didn’t make a dent)
• a night of Bullfrog rarities from the cellars of Team D(r)INK members (YUM!)
• the 15th Anniversary of Selin’s Grove Brewing Company, plus releases of their first Sour Red and Black IPA
• Gueuze-a-Palooza – an amazing night of sours
• our second annual Imminent Liquidation event
• the Hill Farmstead Mimosa release (and fabulous winter weekend in VT!)
• a weekend in the Finger Lakes (I know you are thinking “wine country”, but guess what?!?)
• and our first Weekend Starts on Thursday event at Backstage Brewing Co.

Thanks to those who have been asking, “When are you going to post an update on your blog?” My typical response is that there are so many excellent beer bloggers out there, I’m not sure I make much of a contribution. It is your interest that brought me back, and hopefully I’ll keep it up!

Well, I have a brew schedule that I am trying to stick to. I didn’t want to try to move my fermentation fridge and carboys while they were in mid-fermentation. So I did what any slightly crazed beer obessessed homebrewer would do. I got up extra early Friday morning and started brewing. I ended up mashing in around 5:30 am. I figured, if I was going to move full carboys that I should do it right after brewing so the sloshing caused by the car ride would help oxygenate the wort. Yeast needs oxygen to help get it going. So as I brewed, I cleaned. I moved my small lagering chest freezer into the back of the van. Once I was done brewing my Maibock, I drove the whole set up to, and set it up in, the basement of the house I’m moving in to. I plugged in the fridge and thermostat control and put the two 5 gallon carboys to ferment at 48 degrees. I was done completely around 11 am. I then went over to the Downtown Grill and Brewery and picked up the Woodruff Brewing beer that I took to the festival.

I than went home and packed the van full of tubs, beer, kegs, ice and merchandise.  I then drove to Johnson City. Arriving there I quickly checked into my room. The festival site was at the Mellow Mushroom just down the road, so I headed there to meet with the organizers. I stashed the kegs in the walk in cooler, had a beer and taked plans for the next day. Well as you can imagine, I was exhausted from getting up at 4:45 am that day to brew. I knew Saturday was going to be hectic, so I went back to the hotel and passed out early.

Saturday morning, I rolled out of bed, made some crappy hotel coffee and headed to the site. I was still pretty tired and the crappy hotel coffee just wasn’t kicking in. Thank goodness one of the guys there, Andrew, had brought a carafe of great coffee to share. After “irishing up” a cup of it with a shot of baileys, I was good to go.

While crews set up tents and generally prepared the site for the days festivities, I worked on getting my table, kegs and jockey box set up. I was also on infuser duty. I had my own infuser to run beer through and the festival had it’s own. Responsible for the festival’s infuser was a cool dude (who I had the pleasure of working with) that they called Flipper. I showed him the ropes on how to pack it, how to set up the lines, etc. He picked up on it rather quickly and was able to take the infuser around  and fresh infuse different beers with different ingredients all day. It was definitely a hit of the festival.

Well once the gates were open, things were hectic. I still hadn’t completely set up my merchandise when a line began to form at my table. I was very greatful that the festival organizers had provided me with someone to assist me at my booth, as I honestly could not have done it by myself. Right at the start, I had a beer line break in my jockey box. My first clue that it occured was when beer started pouring out the sides. I lost the whole keg of chocolate ale that I had brewed for the Iron Brewer challenge. I had to cut the bad section of line out and rehook it up to a different keg.

Once all the kinks were worked out, the festival went really well. I did my share of drinking, slipping away from my booth a few minutes at a time to try other beers. I met more then a few really cool people, fellow homebrewers from all over and tried many great brews. It was also really good to see and hang out with my Knox Beer Crew friends who had made the trip up from Knoxville. They left before the end of the festival, but we did have time to squeeze into the on site beer photo booth and get our pictures taken.

Well I stayed until the very end, and was the last brewer set up and pouring until my ride came and got me. I packed up, said my goodbyes and went back to the hotel. After settling in, I went downstairs to get something out of the van and realized that there was a comedy show taking place in the hotel’s restaurant. I drunkenly wandered in and sat in the back unlit portion of the space and laughed for awhile. Then I wandered back upstairs and passed out.

It was a great festival and Aaron and his crew always put together a good event. As far as I could see, everything went smoothly and everyone had a fun time. If this happens again next year, you can count me in to be there.

Ok, will this is all for now. I don’t feel like this write up is all that good, but I had to post something. If you read this and were at the Thirsty Orange, please leave a comment with your thoughts below.

Cheers,

Ratchet

Announcing some of the Homebrew contest winners at Thirsty Orange

In case you haven’t heard (and most normal people probably didn’t), Ithaca Beer Company released two of their Excelsior series beers on Saturday, April 14th.  The first, and most sought after, was Le Bleu.  It is a blueberry sour ale, aged in wine barrels with brettanomyces, then finished off in the bottle with champagne yeast.  The beer ages for a year or two in the barrels before bottling, so you can imagine it’s not released in large quantities.  With a release this small, you have to get it straight from the brewery, as most distributors won’t even get their greasy paws on it.  The other beer being released from the Excelsior series was the Excelsior Fourteen, AKA the 14th Anniversary Ale.  Fourteen is described on the bottle as a “hoppy black ale,” or a Black IPA.  While some of Ithaca’s year round beers are just average in my opinion (although I do always enjoy Flower Power and Cascazilla), I have always been impressed with the beers from the Excelsior series, several of which are near impossible to come by.  With my wife developing a love of sour ales, and it being the rare style that it is, I figured this would be a great road trip down to Ithaca to pick up some fantastic beer and spend a night in the Finger Lakes.

Ithaca Beer Company’s website said that the tasting room would open at 11:00 am to begin selling the new beers.  My wife and I hit the road, planning on arriving sometime between 12:00 and 1:00 pm.  We took a leisurely drive through the Finger Lake region, stopping in Geneva, NY for a light lunch and a stop at a home design store (sometimes you’ve gotta give in if you’re dragging her along for a beer release).  We pulled up to the brewery just before 1:00 pm, seeing a line of people backed up well beyond the doors.  Mrs. BrewHound grumbled some incoherent slurry of words (these were no compliments), while I kept my spirits high, jumped out of the car and claimed our place in line.  After standing in line for a good 10-15 minutes, and not really moving at all, I began to check my twitter feed to pass some time.  Just as soon as I did that, I noticed that Ithaca Beer Company had just tweeted that Le Bleu was SOLD OUT.  I instantly became nauseous, kind of like the feeling when you’re about to win a bet, but the other team scores a bullshit garbage time TD to cover the spread.  A worker from inside came out to announce the news, and many people left the line to probably go home and cry in their beds.  I wanted so badly to do the same, but my bed was 3 hours away, and I also had an unruly spouse on my hands.  I tried to make the best of the situation, and continued to wait in line (about an hour), to pick up a case of the Excelsior Fourteen, and a pair of Excelsior tulip glasses.  With dissapointment at an all time high, we headed into town to our hotel and to check out the town on foot.  Our room wasn’t ready for check-in, so we went for a little walk, upset by the turn of events over the last hour, with looks on our faces like we’d just eaten a bucket of rusted nails.  The decision was made to check if we could still cancel our hotel reservation.  In an age of customer service departments being in far away distant lands, where English might be the third language if you’re lucky, hotels.com had our room cancelled and a full refund confirmation email in my inbox in no time at all.

And so we were on the road back to Hamburg, after spending as much time in Ithaca as you might at the grocery store.  We stopped at a gas station just outside Ithaca, to fill up on gas and get some drinks for the ride home.  With enthusiasm on life support, my mood was boosted when I noticed the Slush Puppie machine (Blue raspberry + lemon-lime, AKA Grasshopper).  The gas station also had a pretty decent beer selection, and I picked up a 22 oz. bottle of Rooster Fish Brewing’s Hop Warrior (an imperial IPA) and 22 oz. of Horseheads Brewing Hot-Jala-Heim (a chile beer).  Never seeing either available back home, I was happy I had something else to show for the journey other than the Fourteen.  While we were heading up route 96 to the NYS Thruway, I remembered reading on Ithaca Beer’s website about a tap takeover taking place at a bar in Rochester called Tap and Mallet.  It was staged as Ithaca vs. Stone Total Tap Takeover with 17 Stone beers on tap and 15 Ithaca beers on tap.  My wife (whose sour mood was adjusting rather nicely, even coming up with a game where I name a beer, and she has to tell me the brewery and where they’re located), agreed to make the detour into downtown Rochester to see what was up.

When we walked in Tap and Mallet, the first thing I noticed through the crowded bar was the breathtaking look of all the Stone tap handles, in their muted black and white glory.  I grabbed a beer menu to check out all of the available options, and was even more excited to see a couple beers on cask (the Fourteen we had just bought from Ithaca and Stone Ruinaton IPA).  But what really caught my eye was that they had a tap of Ithaca Brute.  Brute is a similar beer to Le Bleu, in that it is an extremely rare sour beer aged in oak barrels with brettanomyces.  Completely stoked at this point, and almost forgetting our earlier transgressions, I ordered two 8 oz. glasses of Brute.  About half way through her glass, Mrs. BrewHound declared it to be her new favorite beer of all time (lofty praise to be sure, but it was an outstanding beer).  We decided to grab dinner at Tap and Mallet, where after being seated we found out that in honor of the tap takeover, they had done a pig roast earlier in the day (the beer gods were definitely looking over us at this point).  Freshly roasted pig, with some crispy pig ears to boot, and Stone Ruination IPA on cask, I was now a happy camper.  While waiting for our food, I perused the extensive beer menu (tons and tons of bottles to go along with the 32 taps.  Even a lengthy list of bottled aged beers).  I also noticed that they sold 32 oz. “grumblers” to-go.  After eating, we asked our server if we were able to get some Brute to-go.  In the loud dining area, he misunderstood and replied, “Blue? Yeah, we have some bottles.”  I’m thinking he is under the impression that we want Labatt Blue bottles to take home, I say, “No, BRUTE! Can we get 32 oz of Brute to-go?”  My wife, realizing what’s happening here asks the server if he said LeBleu.  The server confirms that yes, they got some bottles from Ithaca that morning, and they were for sale for $39.99 a bottle.  We looked at each other, knowing that nine hours into our journey at this point, we needed to get one of those bottles.  And so we left Tap and Mallet (a really fantastic beer bar right in the South Wedge neighborhood of Rochester… check out this event they’ll be having right outside the bar this summer ) with 32 oz. of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and one bottle of Ithaca Le Bleu (Brute was not on the to-go menu).  Feeling redeemed at this point with a bottle of Le Bleu, we set out for home, ultimately concluding this beer trip to be a success.

Check out this article.  It’s a bit reassuring to know that others share your pain.

This post was written while enjoying Troegs Nugget Nectar

One of the things that has surprised me since I’ve started this blog is the people from outside our region who have contacted me or referenced this blog.  I’ve exchanged a series of emails with one particular couple from Pennsylvania and the more I read the more I realized they really know their stuff as it relates to beer and general travel.  When I found out one of them blogged previously I had to ask them if they’d be willing to do some guest beer travel related posts for my blog (as few or as many – I’m hoping they latter – as they’d like).  To establish some Atlantic Canadian “street cred” for the couple, they are HUGE Great Big Sea fans which by most definitions make them honorary citizens anyway.  Introducing Raven & Sierra:

Atlantic Canada Beer Blogger (ACBB): How long have you been mixing your love of great beer and travel?

Raven & Sierra (R & S):  It started for me in 1993 with a 3 month long 25,000 mile trip to the western USA and Canada. The trip was primarily for nature, hiking, sightseeing, camping, etc. I had already discovered European imports in 1991 (when I turned 21). My first love was Chimay Red…from there the ball started rolling. On the previously mentioned trip I hit, now old stalwarts, Anchor Brewing, San Francisco (even got to meet and chat with Fritz Maytag!), Widmer in Portland, OR, Pike Brewing in Seattle, WA and Wynkoop in Denver, CO. After this eye opening and palate awakening experience I came home with a sense of purpose to find beer like what I had on the trip in my home area. Lucky for me Stoudt’s Brewing, which was founded in 1987, located 45 minutes from my house was doing this very thing! I quickly became a fan of Stoudt’s Brewing and searched  out for similar places. Good thing, the time period of mid 90′s  was the first wave of craft beer expansion and around me places were popping up almost monthly! Dogfish Head, Bullfrog Brewery, Selin’s Grove Brewing and Troeg’s Brewing all fueled my initial years of craft beer passion.

ACBB:  What are some of the beer related trips you’ve taken and what are your favorite spots?

R & S: Wow–you just about name it in the USA and Canada and we have been there. I have drank a craft beer from every state and province that produces craft beer. In addition we have drank a craft beer IN every state and province save Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi and The Yukon.  There are not any craft breweries in N.W.T. (use to be one in Yellowknife but not currently that I know of) or Nunavut.

The only trip we have made afar primarily for beer was a week long trip to England where we did NOTHING but drink cask ales and cider! Plans are in the works for a trip to Belgium and Germany in the not to distant future.

As far as favored places….oh boy, in the USA, I would have to say San Diego, CA and Portland, OR are two cities that are VERY hard to beat. As far as a region I am very fond of Vermont. In Canada our favorite location has been, without question, Montreal, QC.

ACBB:  How familiar are you with the Atlantic Canadian beer scene and what are your impressions of the beer here?

R & S:  We are very familiar with the craft beer scene in Atlantic Canada having taken some half dozen trips to the region over the last 10 years. We have been to just about every craft brewery or related outlet (like Marky’s Laundromat Espresso Bar) that there is. Some of the newer ones have escaped us but we hope to hit the locations missing from our list this coming summer.

My impression of the craft scene in Atlantic Canada is the region seems to be behind the times but is trying hard to catch up and break through. I know availibility of outside product is a challenge due to Provincial laws and control of the inventory. It also seems the notion of pushing boundries regarding styles and flavours is also lagging
behind, at least compared to what is going on here in the USA. I see places like Garrison, Rogue’s Roost and Acadie-Broue trying to change that notion. My impression is the staunch ideals of old school English style brewing is strong in Atlantic Canada….and you need places to SHAKE things up!

ACBB:  What are your next planned trips and what breweries are you planning on visiting / beers you are planning on trying?

R & S:  Over that past 6 months we have been to Portland, OR, Montreal, QC, Northern California (to include the opening day tap of Pliny the Younger at Russian River Brewing Company)  and Vermont. Near future trips look to take us to Pittsburgh, PA for East End Brewing Company’s final installment of Gratitude, their amazing barleywine and to The Gaspe Peninsula, The Magdalen Islands, P.E.I and New Brunswick over a 3 week long expedition in June.

ACBB:  What resources to do you use to plan your beer related travel?

R & S:  Other than simply saying “the internet” my primary resources for travel information are BeerAdvocate.com, Beermapping.com, MyBeerBuzz.com and BeerPulse.com. Also, word of mouth from fellow beer geeks that I am in contact with has been very helpful too.

Future posts from the couple will be identified with the Raven & Sierra handle at the top of any of their post.  If you’re interested in reaching the couple directly you can email them at:  deuane.hoffman@gmail.com

Teklad Pavisian or Tico as he is known to all, is originally from Iran and has been living in Montreal since 1987.  His stay in Montreal was expected to be a short one.  He arrived that Winter with the intentions of making and saving a bit of money and eventually moving to Chicago where his uncle lived.  When Summer came, and he saw what a great spot Montreal is at that time of year, there was no way he could leave.  Tico is definitely an authority on beer and the specifically the Montreal beer scene.  He is a brewer at Benelux, a long time home brewer and is Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Certified although he is quick to point out he is not a “style Nazi”.

Anthony Wilson or Jaf as he is more commonly known, is a native of Melbourne, Australia and has lived in Montreal for roughly the past five years and really developed his love of craft beer since moving here.  Throughout our conversation it was very apparent that he has a thorough knowledge of the local scene including detailed knowledge of individual brews offered at different spots.

The balance of this post is based on my discussion with the two of them.

Overview of the Montreal (and broader Quebec) beer industry
There are currently approximately 40 breweries in Quebec of various sizes with 25 permits pending for new brewpubs and microbreweries.  When I asked Tico about collaboration between micros he indicated that there isn’t much formal collaboration resulting in official production but a great deal of knowledge sharing and “backstage” collaboration.  There are a lot of friends within the industry and they tend to show respect by supporting special events and after parties put on by other brewpubs. Most brewpubs bring their own unique character and there is no fear of market saturation.  He also definitely agrees with the idea of the craft beer industry being a brotherhood and that the more people discover great craft beer, the better it is for all.  They way he described it craft brewers are looking to “enlighten” customers about the great brews that they offer.

The Montreal craft beer scene is still relatively young with many of the players only being around the past 10 to 15 years and still developing their expertise.  Jaf’s advice for anyone looking to try the best beer in the market was to stick to draught as many of the very small bottling micros are experiencing quality inconsistencies from batch to batch.

As is commonly known, the Quebec beer scene is greatly influenced by Belgium tradition.  This influence is driven primarily by language.    Technical literature from Belgium is available in French, whereas information from most other parts of the world is most commonly available in English and to a lesser extent German.

Top 5 spots in Montreal
When I asked Tico and Jaf to list off the top 5 spots in Montreal for great beer they agreed on the list with the disclaimer that they were in no particular order.

Vices et Versa (6631 St-Laurent) is not a brewpub but has the broadest range of Quebec craft beer with over 30 taps.  If you only had the time to get to one, Jaf suggested this one due to its wide selection.

Benelux (245 Sherbrooke Street West) was identified due to its broad range, accuracy for style and excellent brewing craft.  This may seem as a homer pick as one Tico is one of the brewers but after sampling 5 of their beers during my visit I certainly vouch for their quality.

l’Amère à Boire (2049 St-Denis) was another spot identified by both.  One of the unique aspects of this location is that many of its beers are of the lager variety which is quite rare for micros due to the longer brewing and holding time of beers of this style.  Jaf mentioned their Czech Pilsener, Kolsch, and banana flavoured Hefenzweizen among his favorites.

Cheval Blanc (809 Rue Ontario Est) was identified as they like to experiment and make very interesting beers.  They also noted that their brewer was very approachable and often there.

Last but not least, the original Montreal brewpub, Dieu du Ciel (29 Laurier Ouest) was mentioned very fondly.  They described it as a brewpub with great character and always have a great mix of basic and experimental beers.  Jaf mentioned their Black IPA Chinese tea blend and a Ginger & Mustard Seed Blanche (with very subtle ginger) as some of their recent innovations.  As per RateBeer.com, they offer 15 of the best 50 beers in Canada including #1 and #2.

Beer Clubs
MontreAlers is an English local home brewing club that has been in existence for the past 15 or 16 years.  Tico has been a member for the past 14 years and this is how he met Benoit Mercier who is the Head Brewer and part owner of Benelux.  Jaf has been a member for the past few years and is the current president of the organization.  Many of the professional brewers in the area got their start as members of this club.  Nathan McNutt is another noteworthy member who is brewer at Reservoir Brewpub and the only National ranked BJCP Member.

The Club currently has 55 paid members with and additional 75-100 on their mailing lists.  The club meets up once a month at someone’s house to sample beers and have general beer discussions. They generally do blind tests of members’ brews and provide constructive feedback on the brews with the intent to help them correct any flaws.  The experience is as serious or as laid back as the individual wants.  After sampling some home brews they then normally sample some commercial beer.  The group encourages members to push the limits of extreme styles only once the basics of brewing are well understood.

A French beer enthusiast club called Biereapholie also exists.  This particular group isn’t based on home brewing but are general beer lovers.  They have beer tastings and organize importations from other areas with purchases normally being full pallets at a time.

Beer Festivals
Tico indicated that brewers are generally very supportive of festivals and that most brewers attend most events.  Here is a quick run down of Montreal and broader Quebec events:

The Winter Warmer festival is in its second year and takes place in Montreal and is put on by Brouhaha Brewpub.  Tico would like to see them tweak the format.  Tickets for this year’s event were $95 + tax.  Many find this a steep cost to sample 30 or so heavy alcohol beers although he did mention the festival also offers excellent food.

The Mondiale de la Biere is the largest beer festival in Montreal and takes place in June.  This year’s event will also serve as the backdrop to the Canadian Brewing Awards and related conferences.  This promises to be a road trip worthy event and if possible would be more enjoyable earlier in the festival when the crowds aren’t as large.

The Chambly Bieres et Saveurs Festival is near Montreal and is an event that Tico described as “beer lovers meet food lovers”.  Several American brewers come up for the event and offers good quality beer, cheese and sausage.  It is also a very family friendly event as you can leave your kids in a supervised park for free during the event.  This festival takes place Labour Day weekend.

Outside of Greater Montreal there are a few festivals that they mentioned as well. Festibiere de Gatineau will take place in May. Festibiere de Sherbrooke will take place in late August.  The Oktoberfest des Quebecois takes place in Repentigny in early September.

______________________________________________________________________________________

This profile is based on information learned during the tour, emails exchanged with Dean Petty, the Atlantic Accounts Manager for McAuslan Brewing Inc., and other research.

Background
In the 1980s Peter McAuslan began considering opening up a brewery after 25 years as a home brewer.  In 1987, Peter and his wife and eventual McAuslan Master Brewer Ellen Bounsall, began serious research by looking into funding and equipment which included travel to Europe to visit small breweries.

In mid 1988, Alan Pugsley who was trained in England and had experience building, designing and installing breweries all over the world was engaged to help develop their initial recipe.  Ellen, who has was trained as a biologist, made a total of four batches of beer with the help of Puglsey and was then on her own.  In February of 1989 McAuslan enjoyed its first sales of St-Ambroise Pale Ale.

Production
McAuslan currently brews about 85,000 HL of beer per year or approximately 3,000 cases of beer per day.  Approximately 75% of their sales come in bottles with the balance coming in the form of draft sales.  Taylor explained during the tour that for the mega breweries this split is typically closer to 85-90% bottled.

McAuslan brews both ales and lagers.  The ales are for their St-Ambroise and Griffon brands with the lagers being for beers they make on behalf of other breweries.  McAuslan is the official brewer for New Brunswick’s Moosehead Brewery for its Quebec distribution.  Moosehead was actually a minority shareholder in the brewery from 2002 to 2008 before selling their shares to Les Brasseurs RJ which is the other company that McAuslan brews lager for (the Belle Geule and Tremblay brands among them). The ale to lager production is fairly evenly split.  From start to finish it takes about 12-14 days to brew the ales and about 40 days of total time for the lager which is why the lager tanks in the brewery are so much larger.

McAuslan uses about 8 litres of water for every litre of beer produced (the typical Canadian brewery uses about 10 to 1).  Taylor explained how the ratio can be as high as 20/25L to 1L or as low as 3 to 1 in countries where access to water is more challenging.  McAuslan is looking to reduce the amount of water they use in their production.   He also explained that each bottle of beer is normally good for 12 fills / bottle.

The hops they use for their production are mostly from the United States (Oregon / Washington) but also use hops from Southeast England.  They do use some adjuncts (mostly corn) in their beers.

Their operations are supported with approximately 80 employees.

Their Beer
McAuslan uses both the St-Ambroise and Griffon branding for their beers and has won numerous international and national awards.  St-Ambroise is their core brand and is used for most of their products.  Griffon was a brand that was developed in the early 1990s and geared towards the “less experienced” consumer pallet more accustomed to macro brews.

Now the really fun part….  Here’s an overview of the beers based on the sampling part of the tour:

Griffon Red Ale – This is an English style red and one of the first to be bottled and sold in Canada. During the tasting Taylor discussed how Richard’s Red really served as “training wheals for craft beer” by changing the perception of how darker beers taste and essentially helping out craft brewers with different looking and tasting beers.

St-Ambroise Pale Ale – This is the company’s biggest seller and is an American Pale Ale (APA). This has similar malting but higher carbonation than similar English ales in order to align with North American tastes.  This brew is made with two types of both American and British hops.

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale – This is essentially the McAuslan version of a winter warmer.  It is lightly hopped as they want to stay true to the style with a smokey flavour to balance the sweetness of the hops.  Taylor mentioned how this can be described as a “wee heavy” which is a Scottish way of describing a strong beer.

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout – This is their most decorated beer including winning two Platinum Awards at the World Beer Cup and is also extremely highly marked by the beer enthusiasts on ratebeer.com.  It is made with a mix of black and chocolate malts and is an excellent example of a difficult to get right style.  If you’ve never tried this beer, you owe it to yourself!

St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale – Taylor described this as “pumpkin pie beer” and it is a very fitting description.  This is made with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.  It is brewed once a year starting in Summer and ready for sale in late Summer / early Fall.

St-Ambroise Apricot Wheal Ale – This is a product that they sell more of proportionally outside of Quebec that they do within.  They’ve used this beer to get their foot in the door with different liquor commissions due to its uniqueness and has helped get their brand established. Taylor commented that he figures that sales for this product are pretty evenly split between men and women and he’s surprised by how many “NASCAR / UFC type of guys” seem to really enjoy this beer.

I also asked about the St-Ambroise IPA that I was able to purchase at one of the Halifax private liquor styles last Fall.  This is a fairly new brew for them and one they plan on doing year round. When I commented that I was surprised it wasn’t hoppier Taylor described how they brewed it as a more traditional IPA and toned it down relative to many of the hop heavy IPAs you’ll find on the market now (somewhere Greg Nash is cringing). Apparently the tap version of the brew tastes quite a bit hoppier.

There are also a few other brews offered that we didn’t sample or discuss:  Griffon Extra Pale Ale and St-Ambroise seasonals:  Raspberry Ale, Strong Ale and Vintage Ale as well as their Cream Ale. There are currently no plans for any new brews.

Distribution
McAuslan beer is currently sold in all provinces but Newfoundland with approximately 70-80% of their sales within Quebec.  Overall, the Apricot Wheat Ale accounts for approximately 40% of their branded sales, the Pale Ale accounting for 30% with the balance coming from their other beers.  Within the Maritimes,  over 50% of their sales are for Apricot, with the bulk of the other half being made up of St-Ambroise Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

They currently sell about 1700 HL/ yr in the Maritimes with their best clients being Henry House in Halifax, Brooklyn Warehouse in Halifax, Foggy Goggle in Halifax, Wooden Monkey in Halifax, Spitfire Arms in Windsor and Library Pub in Wolfville.  Unfortunately, Dean Perry informed me last week that the NSLC has decided to de-list St-Ambroise Pale Ale.  The beer will continue to be available at the Private Nova Scotia outlets (Harvest Wine and Spirits, Premiere Wine and Spirits, and Bishops Cellar).  If you would like to contact NSLC to pass on your thoughts about this great beer being removed from their shelves here is the link.

Brewery Tours
As mentioned at the start of this post, I gathered most of my information from a guided tour. The tour costs $20.00 and is worth every penny. The tour lasted about and hour and 45 minutes and was a guided tour throughout all areas of the brewery, detailed aspects of the operations discussed, a sampling of six excellent beers and a gift bag containing a glass, a winter scarf, coaster and two lanyards.

The brewery is about a 15 minute walk from the Place Saint-Henri Metro station (Orange Line). Tours are offered by appointment only on Wednesday nights at 6:15 and 8:00 pm.  There are 3 shifts / day other than Wednesday which is cleaning day which is why tours are only available then as there are less staff on the floor.

Internet presence
McAuslan was the first Canadian brewery on the internet launching their website in 1995.  They also have a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter (@bierestambroise )

Atlantic Canadian Beer Festivals
St-Ambroise beers will definitely be available at three Atlantic Canadian beer festivals this year.  Dean has confirmed they will be attending the Saint John Beer Fest, Atlantic Beer Festival and Seaport Beer Festival.  They may also attend the PEI Beer Festival and OktoberFest des Acadiens but cannot confirm as of yet.

Community Involvement
Peter and Ellen have been heavily involved in their community supporting a variety of arts, educational and community development projects.

Peter has been the President of the Concordia Alumni Association, sat on the Board of Directors for the Empress Cultural Center and has been involved in projects related to the development of the South West sector of Montreal.

Ellen is a founding member of the Tree Within, a group dedicated to helping battered immigrant women and past member of the Board of Directors for the Montreal Chamber Orchestra.

McAuslen also randomly pays out 5 individual $1,000 bursaries to artists who perform at their Centre St-Ambroise throughout the year.

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This is the third in a series of profiles of breweries I’ve completed so far with the first two being for Shiretown Beer and Garrison Brewing Company.  If you’re a brewer and interested in being featured on this site please contact me at:  atlanticcanadabeerblogger@gmail.com

I’ve planned my trip to Bryson City for Nantahala Brewing Company’s Trail Magic Ale bottle release as soon as I first read about it online. This was shortly after the Winter Warmer Beer Festival in Asheville this past January. It was at that event where I had my first experience with Nantahala’s beer. After so many samples at a festival like that, things tend to get fuzzy for me. My distinguishing of beers pretty much degrades to “like” or “do not like”. When I tried Nantahala’s brews near the end of the event, they were definitely in the ”like” catagory. In fact, I remember having the Noon Day IPA and ATX Pale Ale, and how they really caught my attention. So when I got home and wrote my Winter Warmer post, I looked up Nantahala Brewing Company online. That’s when I found out about the Trail Magic Ale bottle release. Being the beer tourist that I am, this event seemed tailor made for me. I’m always looking for an excuse to get out and visit breweries. A limited edition release of a Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout by a brewery not to far away? By one that makes really good beer? For me, that’s a sure shot.

Originally my plan was to arrive early Friday afternoon, spend the night at the Motel and then go to the bottle release the next day. I would follow that with a quick visit to Heinzelmannchen 30 minutes away then head back to Knoxville and be home by mid afternoon on Saturday. I had planned to brew another batch for The Thirsty Orange Beer Festival on Sunday. As far as my traveling partners, it flipped back and forth. First my son and his mom were going to go. Then they wanted to stay at home since they just got back from the beach and long driving times a few days prior. Then one of my Knox Beer Crew buddies was going to accompany me, but couldn’t get his weekend work shift covered. It looked to be a solo trip. I’ll tell you what happened, but first another story.

Last week I poured my heart, soul, money and time to brew a batch of Rauchbier. This style is a lager, which means it has a very specific temperature range the yeast ferment at. I have a old chest freezer that I got off of craigslist about a year ago that I use as a beer fridge and lager fermentation cabinet. This thing is a beast. I did have some problems with it several months ago. A repair guy came out, told me it had a leak and charged me an arm and a leg to refill the freon. My thoughts were that the fridge had worked well for the 8 months I owned it. If I had to get the freon refilled once a year, then it was still cheaper then buying a new one. During my beer’s fermentation, I was constantly checking the inside temperature with my infrared thermometer. The 1st couple of days it was spot on. The next  day the temp had gone up a couple of degrees. No big deal, I just adjusted the thermostat down. The next day it was a few more degrees higher. Ok, more tweaking of the thermostat. Thursday it was even higher. Oh crap, I thought. At this point the compressor was running non-stop. Thursday night before bed, I unplugged the thermostat interruptor and put the freezer on full blast. Than night I had nightmares of unpleasant off flavors developing in my beer. I seriously had dreams that were like a scene in a movie where the main character has every bad home brew cliche happen to him. I woke up in cold sweat at 4 am, hopped out of bed, went to my chest freezer and put my thermometer on the carboy. It was at 58 degrees, the upper temp range for that yeast. No, this can’t be happening!!!! Argh! There is no way I could sleep now. I got online and researched models, prices, locations and reviews of every chest freezer for sale in the greater Knoxville Area. Lowes and Home Depot seemed like my best bet. They are both near each other a short drive away from where I live. They both opened at 6 am. I took measurements of my freezer, my doorways, my carboys and my kegs. Then I drove down and did some comparison shopping at both locations. I ended up settling on a nice Maytag that had the capacity to fit several carboys and kegs at the same time. How could I get it home? My pickup truck died 2 months ago. Home Depot did have truck rental, but then I remembered that my son’s grandma had a van. I measured the inside of the van and realized a chest freezer could fit. That all being figured out, I still had to go to work. Originally, I arranged to get off work at 2:30 to head to Bryson City. When my boss came in to the office, I explained my appliance emergency to her. Lucky for me, I have the coolest, most supportive boss ever. She told me to go home and get it taken care of. I appreciated her offer, but being a good employee means not leaving my work unfinished. I worked quickly through my task list which included getting the billing out, and going to court to get a subpoena issued. I got home around one and borrowed the van. I went and purchased my new freezer, brought it home and quickly swapped it out. While this was going on, I somehow convinced my son and his mom to go with me on this trip. We ended up on the road around 5 pm, which was 2 hours later then originally anticipated.

Bryson City NC is nestled in the middle of the Smoky Mountains not to far way from Cherokee. The drive includes great views and scenery, combined with curvy mountains roads. We arrived around 7 pm. I checked into our motel and went over to the brewery. The Friday night pre-bottle release party was promoted as a beer geek bottle swap, so I came prepared with a cooler full of goodies. As I arrived at the brewery, the first thing I noticed was the building. It was huge space and beautifully done. I found a place to put down my cooler, went to the bar and ordered a glass of the Trail Magic Imperial Stout. As soon as I had my first sip, I knew I made the right decision to visit. After a few more minutes I went up to a group of guys wearing Nantahala shirts. I started talking with them, and they introduced me to the head brewer, Greg. We hit it off right away and he gave me a tour. Natahala Brewing Company uses a 10 barrel brewing system and several conical fermenters. As an interesting note, this system is the same one that R J Rockers started off with. When they upgraded, they sold their old equipment to Nantahala. Greg also explained to me about their system’s size limitations.  They could only fit so many pounds of grain in the mash tun at a time, so they have to do smaller batches if they want to brew a high gravity beer like Trail Magic. Due to the size of the building, they easily have room to install a bigger system with taller fermenters as they grow. We talked more about beer, and I showed him my cooler full of brews. I ended up making an incredibly amazing trade with him. As the night progressed, the party moved from the front tasting room to back in the brewing area. I met some really great beer lovers from all over and several homebrewers as well. There was a great couple from Upstate NY, some guys from Atlanta, a fellow homebrewer from Walland and another from Sylva.  There was even a couple who were hiking through the area who were invited by the brewery. So big shout out to Joe, Mike, Dan, KP, Kwesi, Dave, his wife and everyone who’s name I either forgot or got wrong. It was truly an honor to drink with y’all. Since it was a beer swap party, everyone brought absolutely amazing beers to taste and share. I opened a bottle of Sweetwater’s Dank Tank 420 IPA. The guys there from Atlanta told me that they couldn’t even get this there. I was astounded. They explained that word on the street was that it was so rare because something happened at the brewery and Sweetwater lost half of their batch. In addition to the Sweetwater Dank Tank, I had also brought homebrews. Some others did as well. Joe from Walland brought a great selection of Brettanomyces based brews that were really well done. I ended up trading hima couple of my homebrews for a bottle of his saison and a lambic. One of the brewery volunteers, Mike, traded me his Heinzelmannchen growler for a Sweetwater 420 IPA and a homebrew. That growler would come in handy the next day. After many hours of conversation and so many rare and amazing beers, the night ended. I walked back to the hotel and slept soundly.

Saturday at noon was the bottle release. To kill time beforehand, my son, his mom and myself walked around downtown Bryson City. We stopped for coffee at The Cork and Bean which is a really nice coffee shop in an old bank building. I really liked this place, and the employees there were super friendly.  At 11:30 or so I went to the brewery to hang out until it was time to buy bottles. They were offering to sell 4 bottles per person. All the fellow beer geeks from the night before were there, and my Knox Beer Crew buddy, Cutter, Showed up for the release. Noon came and we lined up for our bottles. I got my four and my son’s mom got 4 more for me. I overheard talk of them waiting until later that afternoon and possibly letting people buy up to a case. I was kidding with my son about needing a disguise so I could get back in line. Leave it to kids to take you serious because he immediately ran to the van and came back with Groucho Marx glasses with the fake nose, mustache and eyebrows. I went to the end of the line, and people were smiling and laughing at my attempt to get more bottles. The guys must of thought it was a good attempt too, so they let me get 4 more. All in all, I did end up with a case, which is good because I plan on sharing and trading them with friends who couldn’t make it.

Well, after saying goodbye to my new friends, we headed towards Heinzelmannchen in Sylva, NC. Let me help you out with how to pronounce the brewery’s name. It’s Hein-zul-man-chen. The brewery has a saying to help you remember. It’s “People pay attention when you ask for Heinzelmannchen“.  It’s pretty clever if you ask me.

I’ve met braumeister Dieter at last year’s Kingsport Oktoberfest. At that event he had a cocoa porter called “Chocolate Covered Gnome“. It is an amazing beer that blew me away the first time I tried it. I had a long conversation with Dieter who told me how to get the cocoa flavor in the brew. I’ve know many homebrewers that have tried, only to have the cocoa powder settle out in the fermentor. I have tried brewing with cocoa nibs as well but had some unexpected issues. He let me how he figured it out through trial and error and told me if I told anyone, he’d have to kill me. I know he was kidding, but when a big German guy with an accent tells you something like that, it’s best not to chance it. Seriously though, Dieter is one of the nicest guys in the brewing world that you’ll ever meet.

Well I was glad to finally get to stop in and check out his operation. Dieter brews oon a 7 barrel system that he described to me as being “Frankenstiened”. His brewery is small, offers samples for sale, but does not have an actual tasting room. His beer is sold by the keg and by the growler. They also sell jugs of soda, root beer and birch beer. My son got a jug of the root beer, and I had my new growler filled with Chocolate Covered Gnome. After giving Dieter a bottle of my home brewed Spicy Cocoa Stout and taking a few pictures, we headed out. Our next stop was Waynesville, NC where I visited Frog Level Brewing.

Frog Level Brewing is relatively new, having opened their tasting room just in the last few months. I walked in right at 2pm on Saturday which is their listed opening time. I could tell they weren’t expecting anyone that early, as the place was empty and the bar stools were still up off the floor. I saw someone on the back patio and went and spoke with him. It turned out to be the brewer, Clark Williams. He was as nice as he could be and apologized for not being ready. I told him it was fine, that I was passing through on a beer tour and wanted to drop by and check things out. He was painting tables on their beautiful back patio. He said that his assistant brewer should be in any time to pour beers, but if I wanted he was more then happy to wash his hands and come in and help me. I’m not one to interrupt a man in the middle of a project, so I thanked him and told he I’m in no hurry and was happy to wait.  Not a minute later the assistant (whos name I forgot, sorry) came in and we started talking. Frog Level is truly a nano-brewery that brews on a 1 barrel Sabco System. They have three beers that they brew. They also have a guest tap that had Heinzelmannchen’s Gnarly Gnome on it. The beers offered by Frog Level Brewing are: Catcher in the Rye (a Rye P A), Tad Pole Porter and Lily’s Cream Boy (a Cream Ale). I opted for a sample pour of all three. I enjoyed speaking with the assistant brewer who’s name I feel like an ass for forgetting. Half way through my sampling I felt a presence and looked over. My new buddies that Ihad met at Nantahala, Dan and KP  from Atlanta had wandered in. The Brewer, Grant,  joined us and we talked some more about his beer and the brewery. I could have stayed there all day, but I knew my son was hungry and eager to get to his favorite place to eat in Asheville, the Pizza & Brewing Company. Dan told me about a beer store that I should check out in Asheville, Appalachian Vinter. I told him I am a big Bruisin Ales fan. He insisted that I check out this new place. I felt conflicted by my loyalty to Bruisin, but took his advice. 

I drove to Asheville and arrived at Appalachian Vinter, which is near the Biltmore Village area of town. It is a great spacious store that sells wine and craft beer. In the middle of the store is a bar that had several taps of greatness. Their selection rivals Bruisin Ales, and the prices were lower as well. The store is owned by 2 brothers and I got to talking with one of them who turned out to be a really cool guy.  He said that he had just moved the store into that new place, and still didn’t have all his shelves put up. I dug the layout and the vibe. If it wasn’t for the waiting kid and his mom in the van, I could have spent hours sipping and talking beer. I plan on doing just that next time I go. I still got love for Bruisin Ales, but I think Appalachain Vinters will get most of my beer purchasing dollars in the future based on the prices. So thanks Dan from Atlanta for the heads up. I made my purchase and heading to my next stop, The Thirsty Monk.

Knox Beer Crew founder Matt Crowell and his wife Kristen were in Asheville for the day, so we planned to meet for beer at The Thirsty Monk in Downtown. While my son and his mom went to French Broad Chocolate, I went and had a quick flight of samples with Matt and Krissy. It’s always a pleasure to hang with local buddies while in another city. One of the things I love about that bar is that everyone there is a beer geek. Don’t expect to find multi-national corporate macro brews on tap, only the finest in craft beer. I met a really nice couple sitting next to me at the bar and we had a great conversation. I told them about the upcoming Beer City Fest, and the Thirsty Orange Beer Fest. I believe that they said they live in Maggie Valley and travel  often to visit nearby breweries. They were big fans of Frog Level Brewing as well. They seemed like genuinely good people, and I hope to run into them again sometime.

Well, I finished my flight of beers and said goodbye to Matt and Krissy. I met up with my son and his mom who were adventuring through downtown. We drove down Merrimon Avenue to Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. My son was happy to finally get to play video games and have dinner. I only had 1 beer with my dinner, Shiva Ratri, a double IPA. By that time I was pretty tired from all the traveling and beer sampling. On the way out, I purchased a six pack of Shiva IPA cans. My son’s mother drove us home and I slept for most of the ride. I woke up when we were on the outskirts of Knoxville. I thought of the great adventure that I just had.  I might have spent all my savings this weekend, but I’m grateful that I had it to do what I did. I am grateful for the company of my son Orion and his mom, Mary.

 I’m glad I made some new friends this weekend and I hope we have the opportunity to enjoy beer together in the future. Thanks for checking out my adventure. If I met you this weekend and you are checking out my little hobby of a website, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you all. Until next time…

Cheers,

Ratchet.

(click on pictures below to enlarge).

EDIT: A SECTION OF THIS BLOG WAS REMOVED.

In other news, local craft beer market The Casual Pint has recently doubled the amount of beer they on tap. This place has really grown on me. The owner, Nathan, really goes out of his way to bring in some unique beers. They have also added patio furniture just in time for spring. They have some of the best craft beer happy hour specials in town, so head down there, grab a pint and relax. Tell them Ratchet sent you.

The Casual Pint, now with even more beer on tap!

Speaking of craft beer stores, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Bearden Beer Market. The weather is getting nice, there are more daylight hours and now is the time to get in shape. Every Monday at 6:30 is the fun run. Run, jog or walk, go at your own pace and have fun. $1 off all drafts when you get back to the shop. They are also having a Bar Stool decorating contest. If you have a structally sound bar stool that you’d like to decorate and donate, the Beer Market will give you a BBM shirt, growler and you could win other prizes. Make sure to check out their website for more details.

Go to Bearden Beer market’s website for more details

One other local beer news of note. Rumor has it that a new high gravity beer bar will be opening in Downtown. I know the name of it, I know where it’s located and I even know who is running it. I don’t know how much information the owners want announced about it at this point, so I’m keeping all this under wraps until I get the go ahead from them. With any luck I’ll get a Friday and Saturday night bartending gig there.

A few events of note coming up. Next weekend Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City, NC is having a bottle release party for their Trail Magic Imperial Stout. I plan on going Friday night for the beer geek bottle swap party, and Saturday at noon is the actual bottle release. I plan on going with a friend and fellow member of the Knox Beer Crew. If anyone else wants to go, I recommend booking your room now at the Relax Inn. The rooms are cheap and it’s only a block away from the tap toom. After the bottle release on Saturday, I plan on taking a short trip to Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva, NC before heading back to Knoxville. I’ve also Just learned of Frog Lvel Brewing Company in Waynessville, so I muight as well visit there and end my trip in Asheville. I’ll have to see what my finances look like.

Coming up April 14, 2012 is The Thirsty Orange beer festival in Johnson City. I keep saying I am going to dedicate a whole post to this. For now, I encourage everyone to check out the website. I will be serving my homebrew at this event.

June 23rd 2012 at the Southern Railway Terminal in Knoxville is the Knoxville Brew fest. I will be serving homebrew there as well.

On the Home brewing front, I have been busy. Last week I brewed my entry for the Thirsty Orange Iron Brewer Competition. Tomorrow I am brewing a tradition German Rauchbier. I went all out when it came to the planning of this one. I have been researching the style for awhile, even going as far as buying and reading the book, Smoked Beers by Ray Daniels and Geoff Larson. I want this beer to be perfect. I even made an all malt starter, which basically a mini batch of beer to get my yeast going. My lager yeast is happily fermenting away at 50 degrees in beer fridge. This is the beer I plan on entering in this year’s Knoxville Homebruin Competition taking place in May. The stakes are high, with the best of show beer being scaled up and brewed commercially at Smoky Mountain Brewery. I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations, but even if I don’t win, it’s still a style I don’t mind having on tap at home. Speaking of home taps, my used fridge I turned into a kegerator is working out nicely. I have room in it for 6 homebrew kegs. I currently have 4 taps installed. My stout faucet will be here next week, and I look forward to have a my cocoa stout on nitrogen.

This is all for now. I will report back on my trip next weekend. One more thing to add before I go. If you are a craft beer lover in the Knoxville area, you should really consider joining the Knox Beer Crew. We are having monthly sampling sessions at Bearden Beer Market where members bring hard to find beers from their adventures and trades around the country. Last month’s sampling was a stellar line up. Hanging out with fellow beer geeks and drinking great brews? How can you resist? I plan on having some killer Imperial Stout at our next meeting. Hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Ratchet

Mike Azzalini and the whole team at La Trappe in North Beach went all out to make the sour blending seminar a memorable event, and sent each participant home with his or her own custom self- blended growler. The session was a rare insight into a remarkable craft.

What’s next?

There are plenty of good events to come, up to and including the final festival that is the Celebrator Party.  [Here's how to walk to and from Trumer and North Berkeley BART. They will run a free shuttle bus to and from BART, and the event is over at 8:00 PM Sunday, so regular stops and schedules apply.]

The final weekend adds a new challenge:  This weekend you can leave San Francisco by the Bay Bridge but due to construction you can’t enter — or get back  — that way.  Drivers will have an option of going way around by the various other bridges, but ditching the car and taking BART remains a good option.

A limited number of BART stations will remain open for special all-night trains. The normally-scheduled final trains will leave their terminals between midnight and one and make all stops.

In the City, the late night stations are Embarcadero, Powell and 24th Street.  You will find late night buses on the MUNI system can get you to an open BART station, or you may be able to grab a cab.  The 511 system is good for finding connecting buses, as is Nextbus.

The special late trains will only run hourly, so it will be useful to get a precise bead on when they get to your after-hours station. You can get that by downloading one of many mobile BART apps, (choose a real-time app from lists here) or point your mobile browser to m.bart.gov, or by looking at the full  BART or 511.org websites to plan a late trip.

No smartphone…no problem. You can phone 5-1-1 and use the interactive voice menus.

Have fun!

Explore Beer By BART; use our list of some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best beer places with detailed transit info, so you can get out there to enjoy without driving.

To get to the Opening Event by BART… just in case you are checking this site for that tidbit:

• Go to CIVIC CENTER BART Station.
• When you exit the paid area, continue underground down towards the 8th and Market exit.
• When you emerge onto Market, turn around, and then come back around the corner to your right.
• You’ll see a bus stop right there on 8th street beside the Chase Bank building.
• You want the MUNI number 19 bus, and you will take it to Brannan street for $2 cash or Clipper card.

The bus returns to BART up 7th street later, or share a cab for light night convenience.

Resources:   mobile BART apps, (choose a real-time app from lists here) or point your mobile browser to m.bart.gov, or look at the full  BART or 511.org websites to plan any beer week trip in the extended urban area. You can also phone 5-1-1 and use their interactive voice menus to get transit info.

Enjoy!

Explore Beer By BART; use our list of some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best beer places with detailed transit info, so you can get out there to enjoy without driving.

This year will also see the expansion of the Awards Ceremony to include an additional daylong conference featuring speakers, seminars and networking events.  Speakers will include brewing pioneers, beer educators and more.

Atlantic Canadian Breweries have traditionally been very successful at this event.  Fredericton’s Picaroons is the 2011 Brewery of the year with Moncton’s Pump House Brewery having won the Award in 2005.  Garrison Brewing Company has also enjoyed success winning the Beer of the Year for their Imperial I.P.A. in both 2007 and 2008.

This is an event that is sure to be worth a trip to la Belle Province for any Beer Enthusiast.

Okay, it was like three weeks ago, and I’m only blogging about it now. What can I say? I’m a lazy procrastinator. When people see me walking down the street they say, “hey, check out that lazy, devastatingly handsome procrastinator!”

Where was I? Oh yeah, Seattle.

Every beer geek in BC dreams of heading south on a great beer pilgrimage – and those of us who have already been on one dream of going again. Usually we’re thinking about Portland, but I can tell you that Seattle is a fine option as well. Seattle isn’t quite the brewing mecca that Portland is, but it does have awesome breweries and it has beer bars that have access to American brews and European imports that we in Canada have never even heard of. It has a major advantage in being closer than Portland, and if you have a limited amount of time, you don’t necessarily want to spend it travelling.

My brother and I equipped ourselves with overnight bags and advice from other beer geeks, and we jumped on the morning Amtrak to spend about 30 hours in Seattle. We studiously avoided the suburbs and we didn’t really know where we were going half the time, so I can’t pretend to give you the complete Seattle experience, but below are some fine beer bars and breweries in and around downtown.

1. The Taphouse

So many taps...

You could pretty easily spend your entire time in Seattle sitting at the bar in the Taphouse, never drink a bad beer and never drink the same beer twice. The atmosphere pretty much sucks and the food I ate there last year was bad enough that this time I made sure I had lunch before going, but the place has 160 friggin taps, about half of which are beers you’d love to try. Sure, they have some pissy industrial lagers for people whose tastebuds are located inside their assholes, but they also have about 15 different northwest IPAs.

The Taphouse offers so many choices it’s oppressive. There were so many beers on tap that I absolutely had to try that I felt like someone was trying to kill me. I finally understood what Hugh Hefner’s life was like. Every delicious beer comes with the regret of the choice you didn’t make, the beer you will never drink.

We had about two beers and left.

2. Quinn’s Pub

Wild boar sloppy joes! Just when you think the gourmet comfort food has gone too far with its fancy meatloaf and its five-cheese macaroni and cheese, you find something like this. Wild boar is so delicious it makes me feel like running out and liberating every pig in the world. Sure, at least half of them will become roadkill, but if wild boar is any indication, the rest of them will become super-delicious versions of their former selves.

Quinn’s has something like a dozen taps. I had Cuvée des Jacobins rouge Flanders red.

3. Pike Brewery

Pike brews awesome beer. We got their Dry Wit up here last summer and it’s probably my favourite witbier. Their double IPA is great, too.  Their brewpub is a bit disappointing, though. It’s located in a small downtown shopping mall and the atmosphere is a bit like a TGI Friday’s, or how Earl’s used to look about 15 years ago. It has never felt right to me to go into a shopping mall to get a drink, but Pike is worth a visit.

4. The Collins Pub

Located near the train station, The Collins is a good place to stop for a beer and lunch after getting off of the morning train from Vancouver. They’ve got a fine selection of craft beers and a menu that will help you lay down a layer of grease to prepare you for a day in Seattle.

5. The Stumbling Monk

This is my favourite spot in Seattle. It looks a bit like a student bar and in the evening it gets pretty crowded with students, but the tap list is way too good for students. They only had 8 or 10 beers on tap, but what beers! They offered a collection of Belgians and Belgian-style beers the likes of which I’d never seen.

They had Saison DuPont Avec Les Bon Voeux, which is basically an imperial-strength Saison Dupont that was once brewed in small batches and given as a New Year’s gift only to favoured customers and employees of the brewery. They had this on tap! And students were drinking it! Oh, the humanity!

The only non-Belgian-style beer they had on tap was Pliny the Elder, Russian River’s legendary imperial IPA. Students were drinking that, too.

6. Elysian Fields

The evening train from Seattle to Vancouver departs at 6:50PM. By mid-afternoon, you’ll have gotten up, had a greasy breakfast and then had a beer with lunch. You’ll wander in the direction of the train station not quite knowing what to do with yourself, and then you’ll spot Elysian Fields across an enormous stadium parking lot from the train station.

Good beer, good food, huge, beautiful room. Sit at the bar and marvel at the kind of space that craft breweries can afford to buy in America. Order supper early so you don’t miss your train.

7. The Amtrak

You could take a nap. That’d be the smart thing to do. However, the dining car has Pyramid Thunderhead IPA and Deschutes Black Butte Porter, which, for a train, is some pretty awesome beer. The food is all microwaved preservative-laden garbage, though, so make sure you have supper at Elysian Fields before you get on the train.

The one puzzle piece that’s missing from this trip is a good bottle shop near downtown where you can load up on the 24 12-ounce bottles (or equivalent) you’re allowed to bring back to Canada. I don’t know where that is. We ended up going to IGA, which had some surprisingly decent beers, but didn’t offer much selection. Do you know a good beer store in downtown Seattle?

On my resent trip to the Saint Louise area I scheduled a visit to Highlands Brewing Company in Kirkwood, a suburb to Saint Louise. My wife insisted on that I had been there before but I couldn’t find anything in my notes and I couldn’t recall that I had ever been there. As I arrived my memory caught up and I started to recognize it. When I did my research on-line I found multiple names of the place. Allandale Brewing Co., Highlands Brewing Co., and Kirkwood Station Restaurant & Brewing Company. Inside I could see both Highlands and Kirkwood Station so I asked about what the name actually is. The waitress told me that they just two months ago needed to change from Highlands Brewing to Kirkwood Station Restaurant & Brewing Company. Highland Brewery in Asheville, NC had asked them to change, as they are the older of the two breweries.

Mid-West brewers seem to have chosen another route than their fellow brewers on the West Coast. Hoppy and citrusy beers have become the signature flavors of the West Coast breweries. In the Mid-West they seem to let the malty flavors take a more predominant place than on the West Coast. I don’t mind that at all. Not that I don’t like hoppy beers, on the contrary. I just think there are to many of them that lack balance. Kirkwood Station’s English Pale Ale is a good example of a well-balanced beer. It’s 5% ABV and 35 IBU with a good balance between hops and malt in the aroma and a hint of caramel. The body is lightly fruity with a medium bitterness that is not overpowering the malty base.

You can of course find an IPA at Kirkwood station. The aroma has some citrus with a hint a cat-pee. The body has a medium hopyness that mellows in to some citrus. The malt flavors are low. The finish is dry and bitter. The IPA has and alcohol content of 6.3% and 65 IBU, which is fairly low, compared to West Coast IPA’s. My two favorite beers at Kirkwood Station is the Vienna Lager and Scottish Ale. Both balanced and true to their style but still with interesting flavor combinations.

In the latest issue of All About Beer Magazine on the What’s Brewing page there is a peace on the “boring” beer in the Midwest. Jeffrey Glazer editor of Madison Beer Review said that “the Midwest is often dismissed as the ‘red-headed stepchild‘ of the industry – good, occasionally great, but often boring”. He continues saying that “our ‘boring’ beer is far better, on the average, than “boring” beer made by every brewery known in the know universe”. I have visited the Midwest a few time the past years and always try new local beers there. Yes, the Midwest beer is boring if you only drink West Coast beer. But the flavor in a beer is so much more than barrel aged and over hopped. To me the Midwest beers can be characterized in one word, balance. Instead of “good, occasionally great, but often boring” I would say “occasionally good, but often great and with balance”.

The second annual Winter Warmer Montreal will take place February 23rd, 24th and 25th.  The event will feature thirty two craft breweries offering a variety of beers including Barley Wine, Scotch Ale, Baltic Porter, Imperial Porter, Imperial Black IPA, Cherry Imperial Stout, Double IPA, Christmas Beer, Honey Imperial Stout, Weizenbock and others to be announced.  A gourmet menu with items such as smoked salmon mousse in dill cream, cherry and Imperial Stout cupcakes, an assortment of Quebec cheese and other items will be offered to match with the beers.  The event will take place at the Théâtre Plaza with tickets going for $95 each plus taxes.

Anyone of thinking of combining a trip with a Canadiens game will be disappointed to hear they are out of town on these dates.

Now for the Atlantic Canadian content:  who’s going to organize something similar out this way?

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Plainfield Illinois might not be at the top of your vacation list. But if you are in the area it’s worth a detour to Limestone Brewing Company. You can bring your family and friends and they don’t have to be beer connoisseurs. Limestone has a wide variety of their own beers, guest craft beers on draft and an impressive selection of domestic craft bottles. Something for everyone!