A few weeks ago I wrote about one of my latest favourite easy beer. Bierbrier is a Montreal-based brewery with a Creemore-esque approach to selling beer. Well-made, all-malt but easy to access. Whenever I permit myself a glass, I find myself appreciating its simple elegance. It is not a perfect beer, by any stretch, but it finds a way to worm its way into your palate.

And so, while most of the time this website is my outlet for writing about things I don’t have space for in my formal columns (actually the site’s mandate is broader than that, but part of it is to give me a free outlet to write whatever I feel like), occasionally the two worlds – my formal beer journalism and this site – collide. Bierbrier caused one of those collisions. I first wrote about it here, because I bought a six-pack and was moved to write about it. A little later, I decided to turn it into a Vue Weekly column, which came out last week and you can now read here.

My thoughts on the beer are very similar across the two pieces, which is not surprising, I guess. This is a beer that I would readily encourage newbie beer explorers to sample, alongside Creemore Springs and Sam Adams Boston Lager. In fact, I like that it is an ale, so I can use it to distinguish the differences between ale and lager fermentation. That will come in handy.

In the interests of honesty, I didn’t just crib the onbeer post with Word’s cut and paste functions. I did buy a new six-pack and try the beer fresh, taking new notes. I then made a rough draft of what I would write for Vue. Only then did I refer back to the original post. I found the tasting notes were almost identical and that I preferred some of the phrasing in the original post, so at that point worked it into the piece.

This gives you a bit of insight into my process. I am not adverse to transferring my words from one venue to another – if I like what I wrote, why force an inferior re-creation? The important aspect is that they are all MY words. What I am clear about, however, is that each time I write about a beer, I need to sample it anew to ensure a fresh opinion (unless I indicate otherwise in the column). I need a fresh take on its flavours and aromas. As that is the core of what I do, that is where I need to be uncompromising.

As it works out, this post has been more about my process than the beer itself. Be that as it may. But my opinion doesn’t change – Bierbrier is a good example of an accessible, easy-to-drink beer that sticks steadfastly to craft beer standards. A nice addition to my beer fridge.