I hosted my monthly beer tasting at the Sugar Bowl last week, doing a selection from Edmonton’s local breweries, Yellowhead, Amber’s and Alley Kat. My Alley Kat choice was their latest in the Big Bottle series, Bitter Truth ESB. As… Continue Reading →
I have been brewing for more than 20 years now, and I have attempted to brew almost every style under the sun (at least that don’t involve wild yeasts or bacteria such as lambics and Flanders Reds and Browns –… Continue Reading →
A few months ago I received a gift of one bottle of Charlevois’s Dominus Vobiscum Brut.As part of my cellar cleaning project, I decided to open it and see what I found. Before engaging the review directly, I thought I… Continue Reading →
My latest Planet S column is out (you can read it here) and in honour of the ever-shortening daylight hours, I decided to focus on dark beer. But I didn’t want to do the usual winter-y sit by the fire… Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago TAPS Magazine announced through its Canadian Beer Awards that Driftwood Brewing’s Fat Tug IPA won Canadian Beer of the Year. Victoria’s Driftwood, despite only being around since 2008, has quickly developed a reputati0n for uncompromising quality… Continue Reading →
Last month in Beer 101 I started a series on big beer. I wanted to take a closer look at the weighty end of the beer world because I believe these beer are misunderstood. Most of us know they are… Continue Reading →
There is something special about a big barley wine or an imposing Russian Imperial Stout. They are beer you just have to respect, not just for their heft, but for their complexity and subtlety. As a homebrewer my respect is… Continue Reading →
My CBC column last Friday happened to land on the eve of this year’s Oktoberfest in Munich. It seemed an appropriate time to pull out my books and offer a bit of a history lesson. No, not the history of… Continue Reading →
The family fall project is to clean out what has become our somewhat chaotic basement. Too much stuff, not enough space. You know the scene. So we have been sorting through boxes stacked under the stairs and tucked into various… Continue Reading →
I seem to have a theme going these days. Apparently I have a need to admit embarrassing things and re-think long held views on things. My most recent CBC column is a case in point. I, like many beer fans,… Continue Reading →