902 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

Your dreams have come true, my friend:

CNet News
December 31, 2008 11:42 AM PST
Beer straight from the kitchen counter





http://www.nanobrewingtech.com

I want one.

[amor de cosmos]

Instead of Cheap Wine, Drink Great Beer

Anthony Gismondi writes in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun that in these times, it pays to become a more savvy wine drinker. What he means by that is not so much being more knowledgeable about wine itself, but looking for the best-valued wines rather than resorting to buying cheap wine to save money. Of course, you may have to drink less to stay within your shrunken budget.

Fortunately, drinking great beer presents few such restrictions and takes far less effort. How much money will you have to spend trying to find a wine in that crapshoot $10-$20 price range before you find something better than so-so or worse? Will that wine be just as good next year? Find a single bottle of beer in that price range, and you can be confident that the majority will be good to excellent. Most BC craft beer, on the other hand, is less than $5.00 per 650ml bottle. So for every bottle of wine you drink, you can try at least three different kinds of beer, if not more.

Would switching over to drinking more beer represent much of a sacrifice for wine drinkers? If you are sticking strictly to BC products, there certainly aren’t as many craft beers as there are wines. The BC wine industry has more money and government support than our brewers. Consequently, there are more of them. However, as you will glean from my earlier postings, there is no loss when it comes to food pairing. In fact, I would argue that given the flavour palette available with beer, there is a gain. Beer shines where pairings for wine are “tricky:” chocolate, oysters, sharp cheeses, and spicy foods.

I've read (for example) that oysters & stout go together like chips & pop, or cheese & wine. (haven't tried it yet though) When's the next oysters & Guinness night @ Irish Times?

Another thing that you will discover when you apply a connoisseur’s approach (kindly refrain from holding your nose up in the air) to beer is its seasonality — certain beer styles are suited to certain seasons. Jurgen Gothe, wine writer for the Georgia Straight, however, doesn’t seem to recognize that. His ‘Drink of the Week’ for December 30 was Tiger lager from Singapore. (Personally, I’m not too keen on drinking a generic macro lager from the other side of the world, especially after shoveling snow off the sidewalk. If I went to a Singaporean restaurant here, it would probably be the best choice available only because the proprietor likely knows nothing about beer except to stock what will sell and make the most money. In Singapore, though, you would be cheating yourself out of having a great beer if you kept only to Tiger.)

I’m not saying that you can’t drink a lager outside of summer; you can. But there are Bocks, Doppelbocks, and Eisbocks for this time of year that are more appropriate lagers than a Helles, Pils, or Vienna, both in terms of how they make us feel and in going with the hearty foods we eat to give us comfort. Barley wines, imperial stouts, old ales, Scotch ales, and Christmas/winter spiced beer often evolved from nature’s cycle. With respect to wine, I can only think of young wines, like Beaujolais Nouveau, and mulled wine that are consumed during a particular time of year. Therefore, in adopting the seasonality of beer, we become more in sync with our environment.

So to all wine drinkers, worry not. Find comfort in beer. And if your portfolio has taken a dive, seek shelter in a Bailout Bitter.

http://bcbrews.wordp...ink-great-beer/

that reminds me, check out Driftwood's Old Cellar Dweller while it lasts. Upon a 2nd try it was really awesome, and definitely not "like a shot of whisky" as that other guy said that night (above).

[Caramia]

I believe that Swans is having a Brewmaster's Dinner in early February. 6 course dinner made with beer, each course accompanied by beer. Yum.

[julienne]

Phillips is also hosting a brewmaster's dinner on Monday, January 26th, at the brewery on 2010 Government. Chef Jason Leizert of Niche will be cooking and each course will be paired with a different Phillip's beer.
Price is $85, all in. Great deal.

[Caramia]

Nice, we really need to get that Brewery district going!!!

I got some details about the Swans Dinner.

Brewmaster's Dinner at the Swans Wild Saffron Bistro.
6 courses, beer pairings with every course.
February 5th, at 6pm
Price: $49.95
Brewmaster Andrew Tessier and Executive Chef Aaron Lawrence will be introducing the food and beers.
Tickets available at Swans Front Desk (250) 361-3310
info@swanshotel.com
506 Pandora Ave.

I think I might go.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Haven't had a chance to buy a copy yet, but while glancing through the current issue of Douglas Magazine, I thought I saw an article about developing a beer district in Victoria. (At which point I also thought, "hmm, I wonder if Douglas Magazine keeps an eye on the Vibrant Victoria forum?" - There were a couple of ideas that seemed to have had some early voicings here.)

[Caramia]

Oh wow, really? I will have to go pick up a copy.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Yes, I'm pretty sure it was in Douglas.

There were a couple of really interesting items in the current issue - I read a copy that belongs to a facility I was visiting, and would buy a my own copy, but am having a hard time finding it anywhere. Last one I bought was at Chapters, but I've checked Harris Green London Drugs, Market on Yates, and Fairfield Thrifty: nada.

[amor de cosmos]

& maybe people will even want to LIVE in the brewing district, and beer tourists will need hotels to stay in that are closeby also! & it might need pubs also, to take advantage of all the production nearby!

[Holden West]

Living in the brewing district sounds great although people should be aware these are real breweries. They boil grains all day and the aroma wafts through the neighbourhood. Caveat emptor.

[G-Man]

Well I used to live near Bay and Quadra and could easily smell the weekly big boils at Vancouver Island Breweries so I don't think it is restricted to this neighbourhood.

Personally I love the smell of a boilling pot of wort.

[amor de cosmos]

maybe there's enough of a breeze by the harbour that blows away the most "offending" odours...

[Caramia]

I don't mind the smell either, I actually like it. I liked it even before I started drinking beer last year. And I agree - there is going to be some section of the population that wants to live there - at least as renters.

[amor de cosmos]

where is a good place to get good glassware? I think I'd prefer glasses by the same maker, or even as part of a package, sort of like Michael Jackson's set:


I'm especially lookng for a tulip glass (the tasting glass in the pic /\ ) & a trappist glass (a medieval-looking chalice/goblet) & maybe a giant Hoegaarden-style tumbler.

[amor de cosmos]

driftwood won't be the newest brewery on the Island for much longer:

Island's newest micro-brewery almost ready

COMOX - A Comox Valley businessman is about to have his dream become a reality at month's end when he opens Vancouver Island's newest micro-brewery.

Bob Surgenor, owner of an industrial electrical contracting company, says he began seriously considering the brewery when he noticed his business working with forest companies start to decline. Surgenor saw building the brewery as an ideal way to keep his workers busy, believing the process control and project management functions are a great fit for his employees.

The Surgenor Brewing Company is hoping to begin production with a "Steam Donkey Lager" and an "Irish Red House Ale". The products will be available in distinctive aluminum bottles through local pubs, beer and wine stores. Surgenor is hoping it will also be distributed through government liquor stores.

http://www.atv.ca/vi...news_66190.aspx

[Caramia]

This microbrew industry is going nuts. Is this the recession proof investment?
lol

[amor de cosmos]

alcohol consumption goes up when times get bad, so I would say yes:
http://blog.macleans...what-recession/

[amor de cosmos]

here's Canwest's story about that
http://www.calgaryhe...html?id=1210984

[amor de cosmos]

Does anyone know the difference between a Belgian wheat beer (aka wit) & a German wheat beer (aka hefeweizen)? They're both hazy/cloudy wheat beers but the Belgian one is paler (think lemonade) & is flavoured with orange peel & coriander (like Hoegaarden, the original wheat beer). the hef is more straw-coloured & has a slight banana & maybe vanilla flavour (depending on the brewery). The Belgian one seemed to have a slightly lighter body also. I don't usually drink those but I tried a hefeweizen today & actually thought about it for the first time & that's what I found. I think the Belgian one actually might be the best kind of beer to have on a patio in the summer. I can't wait to try it out.

[amor de cosmos]

holy crap Driftwood has been busy. after their 4 originals & their winter barley wine they're releasing yet another new brew. & Spinnakers is having a cask festival also:

CASK BROTHER BART’S AT SPINNAKERS CASK FESTIVAL MARCH 14
Rob Monk over at Spinnakers is putting together a massive cask event which will feature cask conditioned beer from some of BC’s best microbreweries. The event is Saturday, March 14; we will be offering a cask version of our newest release, Brother Bart’s Belgian Brown. This will be a great event, don’t miss what will be one of the biggest poolings of top quality BC cask beer outside of the Great Canadian Beer Festival! The festival will run from 12 to 5pm, with tickets going for $25.00. Bookings are limited, call 250.386.2739 for more info.

http://driftwoodbeer...tival-march-14/

re: /\ according to Wiki a... "Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned (including secondary fermentation) and served from a cask, usually without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure."

I've heard of brewers using old whiskey barrels for their brewing also. It gives the beer peaty, scotch-like layers.