So after a disturbingly warm season to date, Alberta was smacked with full frontal winter last week. Some complain, but I see it as just part of the price of living in the ungodly north. Bundle up and you are… Continue Reading →
After missing an issue due to a lack of space (January can be lean times for alt weeklies), Vue Weekly has finally run a piece this week that was originally slated for late December. Most of you know that Victoria’s… Continue Reading →
Quietly over Xmas, Calgary’s newest microbrewery, Village Brewery (which launched this past fall), launched its first beer, Village Blonde Ale. Now this week, I just learned that a second beer is heading out the brewery door. Blacksmith India Black Ale… Continue Reading →
I know that half the world has already reviewed the Oxford Companion to Beer, the voluminous tome edited by Garrett Oliver supposedly about everything beer. It is organized more like an encyclopedia (alphabetic entries) than a coherent book. A review… Continue Reading →
This will come as no surprise to any of you, but it is a real pet peeve of mine to see ads that over-hype a beer, or, worse, come up with complete pretend concepts just to sell beer (microcarbonation, anyone?)…. Continue Reading →
For the past couple of months, my CBC columns have not been posted on their website. This is due mostly to RadioActive being a bit shorthanded. It is a bit of a shame, as the rest of my beer personality… Continue Reading →
Mainstay craft brewers in each of Alberta’s cities are releasing their new seasonals within days of one another, and both are Belgian-inspired. Belgian-style beer are rare in Alberta, as the province’s brewers seem to dabble in the complex style infrequently…. Continue Reading →
In addition to ensuring I have a few special holiday beer (like a barley wine or a nice tripel) for sipping at pristine moments, in the lead up to Xmas I also try to pick up some general drinking beer… Continue Reading →
It may only be January 2, but it is not too early to offer some thanksgiving for the bounty the prairies provide. I had an opportunity over the holiday season to crack open a bottle of Half Pints’ Demeter’s Harvest,… Continue Reading →
As we (or at least those of us who doggedly stick to analog date keepers) poise to toss our old calendar in the recycling bin and replace it with a new collection of 12 wildlife scenes / political posters /… Continue Reading →