h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well yes, purchased at Sherbrooke...not a collaboration with though(or not that I'm aware of - Very minimal labeling on the bottle).

I may decide to take a break this afternoon and go for a drive.

Any destination in mind? Hmmm?

I've somehow arrived home with a mixed 12-pack from Dieu du Ciel!: four each of La Paienne, Blanche du Paradis and two each of Rosee d'hibiscus and Fumisterie.

And, a bottle of Chaman from Dieu du Ciel!

and, of course . . .

two bottles of . . ..




Athabasca Dick!







(I'm having a Pil while the others chill. It's warm out there!)


I stuck my head into Battista's this afternoon and, although closed, a crowd was sitting about having just finished sampling an upcoming menu item: a chicken and pesto calzone. I was too late for a taste, but it sounds like it has possibilities.

Alley Kat Athabaska Dick
341 ml/5%


Brewed for the centenary of the Town of Athabasca in 2011.

The Pour:

A lovely amber colour, quite effervescent but little head endurance -- just a ring.

The Aroma:

Malty and a little fruity. It almost gives the impression so far of a cider rather than a beer.

The Taste:

Very smooth. Virtually no detectable hopping, but a very nice ale flavour.

A few Athabaska Dicks certainly would be refreshing after a long summer trek up the Athabasca trail from Edmonton or a hard day of flat-bottomed boating on the Athabasca river with a heavy cargo of supplies and bales of fur.

Or just after a hot summer day of doing nothing in particular.

It doesn't have much remarkable about it except its inoffensive, pleasant, refreshing smoothness, which is certainly worth remarking.

Best laid plans and all that...

Alley Kat Athabasca Dick 341ml bottle, 5%abv
-taking its name from a Robt. Service poem-
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/43335/

The pour

A clear pale gold with a rather swirling burst of carbonation. Barely a finger of rapidly diminishing tight white head...nice lacing.

Aroma

Hmm, very clean...yeasty malt.

Taste

Very well-balanced(to the point of erring on the side of caution imho).Yeasty malt as in the aroma rolls over the tongue with only the slightest hint of hops hovering in the background. A trace of wheatiness. Lighter medium bodied with a clean finish.

Last 1/2 of the glass supplemented by a couple generous splashes of Malta Creole from Tienda Latina...*chuckle*hopefully not doing Robert a dis-Service.

but, 'doubling up' pardon the pun.

Paddock Wood Brewing Double Double 2009 vintage 650 ml, 10.5%abv
(brewed in support of Saskatoon's Shakepeare on the Saskatchewan festival
http://www.shakespeareonthesaskatchewan.com )

The pour

Lovely slightly cloudy darker amber with a four finger off-white mounded head. Good carbonation and lacing.

Aroma

Wonderful malty sweet aroma...bit grainy and slightly yeasty. A touch of alcohol.

Taste

Malty sweetness with a distinct toffee edge. Very nice balance of hops in my opinion, aging has certainly helped in that respect. A bit of vanilla...and brown sugar...momentary rum-like note(molasses?). Medium bodied and a drier finish - Very nice! Thanks for aging Jim(Pettinger, owner of Sherbrooke)!

Subtle compliment to the goat cheese on stoneground wheat crackers, leaving a rather sweet/tangy aftertaste. Also somewhat complimentary with the last bit of the Smoky Valley Farmers' goat cheese, eliciting a vaguely 'outdoorsy' sensation. And on a whim, wonderful with a Polish chocolate-covered gingerbread cookie(purchased at The Italian Centre). The malt or perhaps the hops(?) bringing out the apricot marmalade listed in the ingredients.

looks like we had a similar reaction to Athabaska Dick.

Last night I also tried the Dieu du Ciel! Fumisterie Hemp Beer while visiting neighbours for dinner. It was very nice! I have another bottle on which I will make notes some time.



Later today I'm hoping to do a little brewing experiment: I'm planning a modification of the kit beer I usually make, a dark ale kit mixed with dark malt extract. This time I want to try mashing a pound of the honey malt I got from Ambers and adding that to the usual 'recipe'. I'm expecting a lot more body and complexity.

Notes will follow in a month or two.

Yes that Does sound promising. I had noticed just now on Canadian Beer News that Labatts Blue is 60 yeas old! And Labatts are releasing three varieties...not that I'm 'chomping at the bit' eager to try any of them.

http://www.canadianbeernews.com

'Labatts are releasing three varieties'

Bland, Slightly Less Bland, and Slightly More Bland.

In the case of the first/the lime, you could also say 'a rather belated bandwagon-jumping' bland. But yes, not terribly palatable, hopefully-likely hoping in vain-slightly more palatable & unpalatable for calorie-counters.

Garrison Brewing Grand Baltic Porter 500ml bottle, 9%abv
~water, malt, hops, yeast, molasses & dates~

The pour

Dark cola brown, reddish tinges when held to the light. Finger and a bit of tight pale tan head. Bit of carbonation discernable - not too much lacing.

Aroma

Largely malt(some sweetness) & a bit of alcohol

Taste

Initially malty then a toffee/molasses flavour rolls in...kind of burnt sugary. Lighter bodied with a drier finish. A Schwarzbier? Really? Not bad.

I spent about an hour putting bottles on the line at Amber's yesterday.


A bit of scuttlebutt: Amber's is going to have it's label on an IPA before long.


The deep scuttlebutt: Amber's IPA and Roughneck's IPA will be exactly the same product.

and for in relation to the above, for the file:

'Cameron echoes the craft-beer mentality, saying, "Look at Molson or Labatt or whatever. They can come up with a new label, same fricken beer. It seems like something different, people are like, 'I gotta get that! I gotta get that!'"'

http://www.vueweekly.com/dish/story/roughneck_brewing/






And now . . .



Dieu Du Ciel! La Paienne blonde ale
341 ml/5.5%

The Pour:

a cloudy, yellow/orange with a modest head.

The Aroma:

Grassy/spicey hops. A touch of honey. A little mysterious, like the pagan woman on the label. Very moistly summery and earthy.

The Taste:

Very smooth and rich at the beginning. A bit floral and then the hop bitterness kicks in at the finish. And a touch of caramel.

A very interesting blonde. Early summer fields in a very old countryside.

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/alley_kat/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/the_suds_of_time/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/six_facts_about_beer/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/wine_for_beer_lovers/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/yellowhead_brewing/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/ambers_brewing/

http://vueweekly.com/dish/story/roughneck_brewing/

Good link ideas. I've had the paper copy for a while now.

Dieu du Ciel! Rosee d'Hibiscus

Strong wheat beer brewed with spices and hibiscus flowers
341ml/5.9%

The Pour:

Cloudy pink with a thin pinkish head dissipating rapidly. It reminds me of Amber's (no longer available) Mora cooler.



The Aroma:

Malt and fruit.



The Taste:

Malt and a touch of citrus and very floral. A distinct impression of iced tea. The mouth feel is a little thinner than I would like, and there's a little less effervescence than would seem suitable to what strikes me as a summer refresher.

It certainly is easy drinking!

Splendid greyJuly afternoon snack...that's Cookie Monster-ish snack.

Wellington County Brewing Dark Ale 473ml can, 5%abv

The pour

Semi-agressive pour yeilds a medium cola brown ale(abundant reddish tinges). Bit of carbonation & rapidly diminishing two finger pale tan head - very nice lacing, when swirled.

Aroma

Roasty malt & a hint of-raisin/prune-dark fruit. Bit of brown sugar & a distinctly vanilla note.

Taste

Nice rather neutral malt initially-not terribly sweet. Then the flavour takes on a dry raisin quality...well-balanced hop component. Lighter bodied, and a pleasant clean finish. Wonderfully sessionable dark ale, I can envisage one or two of these alternating Quite nicely with a Hockley Dark(or two)- well done Ontario brewers!

The 'cookie portion' - wonderful accompaniement to a Cookies By George Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie, the ale providing a subtle boost to the peanut butter(enhancing the nuttiness slightly). Also lending a fine enhancement to the chocolate-covered gingerbread.

I found myself in Rice Howard Way this afternoon after blood donation and Art Gallery (I enjoyed the Lawren Harris abstracts far more than the Warhol exhibit, BTW) and thought I'd check out that torta place. The place was packed. I ordered a beef torta to go. They handed me my little tarot card identification thing and it didn't bode well: La Muerte.

With satisfying rapidity my order was ready and I went out into the rain feeling very hungry. I started into the meal as I walked. Hmm. This bread is not really very satisfactory, somehow crumbly and spongey/rubbery at the same time. And the beef is a little tough. The cilantro taste came through nicely but that was the only really remarkable flavour: tomatoes and onions and peppers and all very, very mild almost to the point of blandness. There was a little tub of pinto beans, completely unseasoned, but I like `pinto beans so that was alright. And, a little tub of thin and oily salsa which is also very bland. I think there might be a chipotle in the distance. If I'd actually poured this onto the torta in an attempt to up the flavour, the sandwich would have been a soggy mush before I made any progress. Seriously, right now I'm eating spoonsful of this salsa and it is virtually flavourless, and what flavour there is isn't terribly pleasant.

Oh. There was a little wedge of lime as well.


I found this lunch from Tres Carnales a serious, serious disappointment. And I was so excited to try the place out.

So, deadly('La Muerte') or mortally disappointing, I would think largely due to the fact that it was so busy. I was noticing mention on the Chowhound/Prairies messageboard-awhile back-that they had gotten in some fresh snapper for fish tacos - I'll be watching for more of those!

Yes on reflection(hindsight is usually-if not always-20/20,) sounds like some rather inexcusable 'sloppy seconds' you got there - product of a strained/scraping the bottom of the barrel kitchen. I'd suggest trying them between downtown festivals.

I just felt *so* disappointed!


Part of me feels like I should try it again, but another (old and tired) part feels like it can get a dependably flavourful torta twice as big for half the price elsewhere, so why bother?

We'll see.