No one gives much thought to sediment in beer. That sludgy light brown layer at the bottom of some bottles of beer, that can rush into your glass as you finish pouring. That goo is actually dormant yeast (and some… Continue Reading →
One of the areas of beer, style-wise, that Alberta has been fairly under-represented is sour beer. Recent years have improved, with the arrival of a handful of world class lambics, including Cantillon. In the Flanders sour department (EDIT: Flanders Red… Continue Reading →
I mentioned a month or so back that Half Pints was brewing up a holy trinity of Oktoberfests to celebrate the annual celebration of beer. At the time, it didn’t look like any of the beer would make their way… Continue Reading →
Last Friday I used my CBC column to highlight a style that has long been one of my favourites, but only recently did I get a taste of just HOW good the beer can be. Of course, I am not… Continue Reading →
Some beer fans consider themselves “hopheads” – where they seek out ever more interesting and intense hop experiences in their beer. Some might be called “Belgo-philes” – those who seek out the wonderful, bizarro flavours of Belgian Abbey-style ales. There… Continue Reading →
I have become convinced that few appreciate a subtle beer anymore. We are so into the Imperial IPAs, Belgian Strongs and Russian Imperial Stouts that we are likely to dismiss a small beer as boring and watery. The torrent of… Continue Reading →
It will surprise you not that I once again blew by my latest Beer 101 column on the Sherbrooke website, which is now almost a month old. (Sorry.) In this/last month’s installment I pondered fruit. You can read it here…. Continue Reading →
Last month in my Beer 101 column, I started a conversation about the joys of small beer (read the first part here). Despite their rarity these days, I believe quite strongly they can still play an important role in the… Continue Reading →
One of the basic divisions in beer is between ale and lager. Ales, of course, are fermented near room temperature with species of yeast that prefers warmer temperatures. Lagers are fermented cooler (9-12 degress Celsius) with yeast evolved to prefer… Continue Reading →
A few months ago, when planning for a tasting, I wanted to find an example of a well-made, lower-alcohol beer. The search – and how surprisingly difficult it was to find one – got me thinking. We have become enamoured… Continue Reading →