I appreciate fresh hop beer, often called wet hopped, as in general these beer bring out hop characteristics I enjoy. I find the hop flavour to be fuller, less harsh and the bitterness more rounded. In a well-made fresh hop… Continue Reading →
I mentioned a couple posts ago that I was in Montreal on a family trip recently. While that meant not much time for beer exploration, I did wheedle (whine?) a couple of hours of beer time. With such a limited… Continue Reading →
My most recent Vue Weekly column is a review of Hog’s Head’s (hmm, two possessives – that can’t be right) Hop Slayer. I reviewed their flagship IPA shortly after its release, but thought I should offer it a bit more space… Continue Reading →
The first slate of winter releases have been popping out over the past couple weeks, so it seems time for another news roundup. I suspect there will be a few more announcements in the coming weeks, but this is what… Continue Reading →
I flew home last night after a few days in Montreal. Mostly a family trip, so minimal beer opportunities. Although I did partake in a couple new things on which I will report in upcoming posts. For now, though, I… Continue Reading →
Almost ten years ago, I tried a bottle of something called Fraoch Ale, from Scottish Brewer Williams Brothers, who specialized in traditional Celtic ales. They made beer with gooseberry, pine needles and various other ancient beer ingredients. Fraoch, of course,… Continue Reading →
As I mentioned in my most recent news round-up (here), Hog’s Head Brewing has begun supplying a house beer for the Sherlock Holmes pub chain, which includes local Sherlock Holmes, Rose and Crown, and the newly renamed Duggan’s Boundary. Now,… Continue Reading →
Vue Weekly last week ran the latest in my series of columns produced from my summer travels, this time on the few days I spent tramping around historic Edinburgh (you can read the piece here). What struck me about Edinburgh… Continue Reading →
In my latest Beer 101 column (which you can read in its entirety here), I contemplate the nature of “beer culture”. I found myself considering the term more carefully after my summer full of travels. It is one of those… Continue Reading →
The year 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Edmonton’s Labatt plant, the only of the big boy breweries still operating in the province. The Edmonton plant isn’t much to look at – it is a great example… Continue Reading →