OT: Beer Thread

[HannuJ]

[mod]

to reitterate: no one says your choice in Bud or Coors Lite is a wrong choice. it's likely not the tastiest choice, but if you're fine with that, cool. we're just stating that hey, for those who want it, here are some tastier options you can try if you want.

but...to be fair, thanks to our awful government-run liquor agencies, i occasionally find myself saying "we don't get this beer in Ontario, so you probably haven't heard of the brewery." if you're not stocking up on beer in Buffalo or Detroit or a beer traveller, then yes, you probably haven't heard of the beer and don't know the difference between Rasputin and Cease and Desist (beer geek joke).

but i kind of understand Winnipeggers not being into beer. next to no local craft options, and Half Pints is good but not amazing. plus, your closest US option's MInneapolis, and they aren't known as a beer mecca, and the LC options are usually pretty pathetic. but you do have some odd, interesting options.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/brasserie-de-st-sylvestre-3-monts-flanders-golden-ale/750-ml

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/brouwerij-verhaeghe-duchesse-de-bourgogne/330-ml

i mean, having the Duchesse is a lovely luxury.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/deschutes-black-butte-porter/650-ml

Black Butte's THE perfect BBQ beer. brings out the flavour in burgers, steak.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/orval-trappist-ale/330-ml

age orval for 1-2 years and it's amazing.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

If we can't play nice we are not playing at all.

No more personnal attacks guys and gals.

 

[sully1410]

Apparently taste in beer is a very touchy subject around here.

 

[nobody important]

[mod]

to reitterate: no one says your choice in Bud or Coors Lite is a wrong choice. it's likely not the tastiest choice, but if you're fine with that, cool. we're just stating that hey, for those who want it, here are some tastier options you can try if you want.

but...to be fair, thanks to our awful government-run liquor agencies, i occasionally find myself saying "we don't get this beer in Ontario, so you probably haven't heard of the brewery." if you're not stocking up on beer in Buffalo or Detroit or a beer traveller, then yes, you probably haven't heard of the beer and don't know the difference between Rasputin and Cease and Desist (beer geek joke).

but i kind of understand Winnipeggers not being into beer. next to no local craft options, and Half Pints is good but not amazing. plus, your closest US option's MInneapolis, and they aren't known as a beer mecca, and the LC options are usually pretty pathetic. but you do have some odd, interesting options.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/brasserie-de-st-sylvestre-3-monts-flanders-golden-ale/750-ml

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/brouwerij-verhaeghe-duchesse-de-bourgogne/330-ml

i mean, having the Duchesse is a lovely luxury.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/deschutes-black-butte-porter/650-ml

Black Butte's THE perfect BBQ beer. brings out the flavour in burgers, steak.

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/orval-trappist-ale/330-ml

age orval for 1-2 years and it's amazing.

3 Monts is my house ale. Would love to be able to brew it. I'll take that discussion offline. The only way Orval will last 1-2 years in my house is if I buy up several cases of it. No willpower. Wish they would bring back Rodenbach Grand Cru, preferred that to the Duchesse. Never been a Porter fan, but will try the Black Butte.

And our local options are improving. Barn Hammer is now brewing, I had their 7th Stab and looking forward to trying more. Torque is on the way and who knows? Maybe PEG Beer Co will actually start brewing one day.

 

[HannuJ]

3 Monts is my house ale. Would love to be able to brew it. I'll take that discussion offline. The only way Orval will last 1-2 years in my house is if I buy up several cases of it. No willpower. Wish they would bring back Rodenbach Grand Cru, preferred that to the Duchesse. Never been a Porter fan, but will try the Black Butte.

And our local options are improving. Barn Hammer is now brewing, I had their 7th Stab and looking forward to trying more. Torque is on the way and who knows? Maybe PEG Beer Co will actually start brewing one day.

the PEG thing is weird, but i don't pretend to know Manitoba's messed up laws (zoning or liquor or whatever the issue is). i think Kevin will brew solid but boring stuff at PEG. hate that name, though. goes well with Nicole's Transcona Tuxedo that she always wears

Blacke Butte gets rave reviews. i find most porters to be boring. but i'm moving towards solidly pairing food and beer and porters plus bbq'd meat equals delicious. dubels and quads work as well, but porters are more subtle and less sweet.

i bought a case of orval 2.5 years ago. had 1, hid it. then the LCBO discontinued it, as they stupidly do. i refused to touch it. now, i have a glut of it. completely forgot. it's also a nice bbq beer, surprisingly.

i have beer geek cellaritis. if i posted pics of my beer cellar, you'd probably be a bit mad. plus, a draft fridge on the go. too much beer, man. too much beer.

 

[rahzar]

Half Pints had a beer available last month called Bikey McBikeface. It was similar to a radler, but had a stronger citrus flavour. Loved it, and the name!

It's a limited edition, so may not be currently available. You can check with the MLCC to see if it is carried in another province. They will special order in a full case for you.

Yeah, I took a look on Innis and Gunn's website and it isn't listed there. Unfortunate, since it was great!

 

[Jet]

What's with the constant denigration of people's beer choices. There are many out of the ordinary / high end beers that I enjoy and prefer, but I'll admit that on a hot day if someone offers me a Bud, I'll still drink it and enjoy it.

Bud Light Lime ftw!!!

 

[Jet]

Ever thought of making your own cider? You've got a very nice cider kit manufacturer right in your backyard.

http://mangrovejacks.com/collections/cider-1

The kits come with an artificial sweetener pack that you can add as much or as little of as your taste dictates. I like their apple cider, but don't much care for the pear. No real pear flavour to it, IMO.

I've always liked apple cider but I had one at Barley Bros last fall that was infriggincredible.

Not sure what it was, I should have found out.

 

[Repoman]

but i kind of understand Winnipeggers not being into beer. next to no local craft options, and Half Pints is good but not amazing. plus, your closest US option's MInneapolis, and they aren't known as a beer mecca, and the LC options are usually pretty pathetic. but you do have some odd, interesting options.

This time x1000. I love when i'm in the GTA I can get some pretty good quality beers from the local breweries such as Bolshevik *******, Malevolent, Thrust just to name a few off the top of my head.

 

[chaos4]

This beer talk is interesting. I cannot drink it. My daughter tries to get me to taste it, no thanks. I think I am in the minority.

 

[HannuJ]

This time x1000. I love when i'm in the GTA I can get some pretty good quality beers from the local breweries such as Bolshevik *******, Malevolent, Thrust just to name a few off the top of my head.

Bellwoods.

 

[Repoman]

Bellwoods.

I love their art style. Their only beer I've tried is boogie monster.

 

[rahzar]

To the beer lovers here, I noticed the building at the corner of Roblin and Dale is going to be opening up as some sort of beer market.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/brouwerij-verhaeghe-duchesse-de-bourgogne/330-ml

i mean, having the Duchesse is a lovely luxury.

Haven't really got into the Belgian beer game, more of an IPA guy. Tried a Duchesse at the Belgian Pavilion tonight. My goodness. I think I'm in love.

Also had a Gulden Draak (something that a few beer aficionados had recommended to me) and tried a few sips of Delirium Tremens pale ale. Meh, not bad by any means, but nothing spectacular. Remind me more of those decent Unibroue beers than anything else.

But that Duchesse. Wow. Would love some recommendations on beers that are similar to it.

 

[HannuJ]

Haven't really got into the Belgian beer game, more of an IPA guy. Tried a Duchesse at the Belgian Pavilion tonight. My goodness. I think I'm in love.

Also had a Gulden Draak (something that a few beer aficionados had recommended to me) and tried a few sips of Delirium Tremens pale ale. Meh, not bad by any means, but nothing spectacular. Remind me more of those decent Unibroue beers than anything else.

But that Duchesse. Wow. Would love some recommendations on beers that are similar to it.

Delirium uses a really odd tasting yeast strain. tastes meaty to me, or like mushrooms. don't like it.
Gulden Draak's alright. wouldn't kick it out of bed, but i wouldn't run up to it and buy it drinks at a bar.

the best beer to buy in those styles that you should have?
Rochforte 10 - tastes like gingerbread castles and fig pie. drink at 15 C.
Chimay Blue - a very neat and cheap beer to buy and use for long-term cellaring. hits its peak in years 5-10. $3 or whatever for a neat experiment on how dark, high alcohol beer ages well.
St Bernadus Abt 12. Great now, amazing after 1-2 years cellaring.

Duchesse. you like the Duchesse. congratulations! you're now entering the dangerous world of sour beer!
other than Half Pints doing a flander red, i think, last year, you can't really find anything in Manitoba or your surrounding cities. In Toronto, we have Bellwoods that is regularly putting out sour beer (not necessarily like Duchesse i.e. not red and with that balsamic vinegar hit to it, but in the same vein). Vancouver has Driftwood that puts out some very nice sours on occasion. 4 Winds puts out their famous Nectarious.
so i'm listing beer and you're like "so how the hell do i get it??"
welcome to the world of beercations and beer trading. you find friends going to these cities and get them to buy some bottles for you. stick 'em in their luggage.
or when you go to the US (and i don't mean Fargo) you do research on Ratebeer. look for their best bottleshops and pay them a visit. talk to staff.

the easiest reds like Duchesse that you can get would be:
Rodenbach (any of them)
Cuvee du St Jacobins (that may have been in Wpg at some point)
DeuS (champagne-like beer that i saw in Wpg 2 years ago)

the big boys that you want to look for when you travel (and you can apparently get in Calgary and Vancouver?)
Cantillon - look for Lou Pepe Frambois. 400 g of raspberries used per litre. a magnificent, complex beer
Tilquin
3 Fonteinin

those 3 are called lambics. the lemonade-meets-blue-cheese part of the beer world that's absolutely stunning.

more importantly, glad you branched out and enjoyed a new beer. Duchesse is great to pair with food - steak tartare, bbq duck, hell, even meatballs.

 

[GJF]

Interesting. I know none of those even though I'm a Belgian beer fan. Just know the typical ones I guess... Duvel, chouffe, leffe etc

 

[HannuJ]

Interesting. I know none of those even though I'm a Belgian beer fan. Just know the typical ones I guess... Duvel, chouffe, leffe etc

out of those listed, Duvel's probably the most respected/tasty one.
Leffe's owned by InBev i.e. budweiser. it's so-so (brun and blonde).
Chouffe, i used to like. i find that it tastes buttery as of late. Choufe N'ice now tastes like licorice. Chouffe Houblon, if fresh, is still nice.

for belgian beer, i'd separate them into 3:

Macrobreweries like Sapporo and InBev (Stella, Leffe)
Belgian macrobreweries, including trappist beer (Chimay, Duvel, Rodenbach, Gulden Carlos Kaiser de Blau, etc)
smaller Belgian breweries - these are the really great ones, like De Dolle, De Struise, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinin, Tilquin, Fantome. These are the breweries that are making really special beer.

so yeah, you have to dig a bit and it's probably not beer that's on tap at most bar

 

[HannuJ]

for those interested in Belgian beer and seeking them out, here are my faves:

Fantome saison
Fantome Hiver
Cantillon FouFoune
Cantillon BioLambic
Rodenbach Vintage (any year)
De Struise Black Albert
De Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva
De Dolle Oerbier
De Dolle Oerbier Reserva
De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva
de Dolle Evil Arabier
Tilquin Quetche
Tilquin Squared

Rochefort 10
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw

maybe later on i'll post a picture of my beer cellar. around 300+ bottles

 

[nobody important]

for those interested in Belgian beer and seeking them out, here are my faves:

Fantome saison
Fantome Hiver
Cantillon FouFoune
Cantillon BioLambic
Rodenbach Vintage (any year)
De Struise Black Albert
De Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva
De Dolle Oerbier
De Dolle Oerbier Reserva
De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva
de Dolle Evil Arabier
Tilquin Quetche
Tilquin Squared

Rochefort 10
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw

maybe later on i'll post a picture of my beer cellar. around 300+ bottles

I'm in Calgary today, heading to Heritage Park. Might be worth a little side trip to Willow Park if the weather doesn't get too crappy later. Scored a 750ml of La Trappe Quadrupel at a little liquor store in Banff. Dated 12-2018 so maybe should let it age a bit. Also picked up a case of Banff Brewing Co beer. 6 types including a NA style Hefe, an IPA and a Schwarzbier. Nice enough beer, on a par with Bushwakker's I would say. The brewer there was nice, interesting chap from Sheffield who gave us a tour of the brewery.

 

[sully1410]

I'm in Calgary today, heading to Heritage Park. Might be worth a little side trip to Willow Park if the weather doesn't get too crappy later. Scored a 750ml of La Trappe Quadrupel at a little liquor store in Banff. Dated 12-2018 so maybe should let it age a bit. Also picked up a case of Banff Brewing Co beer. 6 types including a NA style Hefe, an IPA and a Schwarzbier. Nice enough beer, on a par with Bushwakker's I would say. The brewer there was nice, interesting chap from Sheffield who gave us a tour of the brewery.

Hopefully it clears up for ya.

 

[HannuJ]

I'm in Calgary today, heading to Heritage Park. Might be worth a little side trip to Willow Park if the weather doesn't get too crappy later. Scored a 750ml of La Trappe Quadrupel at a little liquor store in Banff. Dated 12-2018 so maybe should let it age a bit. Also picked up a case of Banff Brewing Co beer. 6 types including a NA style Hefe, an IPA and a Schwarzbier. Nice enough beer, on a par with Bushwakker's I would say. The brewer there was nice, interesting chap from Sheffield who gave us a tour of the brewery.

la trappe quad aged is much better than fresh.
i visited the brewery 3 years ago. nice property.

Willow Park's a great store.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Delirium uses a really odd tasting yeast strain. tastes meaty to me, or like mushrooms. don't like it.
Gulden Draak's alright. wouldn't kick it out of bed, but i wouldn't run up to it and buy it drinks at a bar.

the best beer to buy in those styles that you should have?
Rochforte 10 - tastes like gingerbread castles and fig pie. drink at 15 C.
Chimay Blue - a very neat and cheap beer to buy and use for long-term cellaring. hits its peak in years 5-10. $3 or whatever for a neat experiment on how dark, high alcohol beer ages well.
St Bernadus Abt 12. Great now, amazing after 1-2 years cellaring.

Duchesse. you like the Duchesse. congratulations! you're now entering the dangerous world of sour beer!
other than Half Pints doing a flander red, i think, last year, you can't really find anything in Manitoba or your surrounding cities. In Toronto, we have Bellwoods that is regularly putting out sour beer (not necessarily like Duchesse i.e. not red and with that balsamic vinegar hit to it, but in the same vein). Vancouver has Driftwood that puts out some very nice sours on occasion. 4 Winds puts out their famous Nectarious.
so i'm listing beer and you're like "so how the hell do i get it??"
welcome to the world of beercations and beer trading. you find friends going to these cities and get them to buy some bottles for you. stick 'em in their luggage.
or when you go to the US (and i don't mean Fargo) you do research on Ratebeer. look for their best bottleshops and pay them a visit. talk to staff.

the easiest reds like Duchesse that you can get would be:
Rodenbach (any of them)
Cuvee du St Jacobins (that may have been in Wpg at some point)
DeuS (champagne-like beer that i saw in Wpg 2 years ago)

the big boys that you want to look for when you travel (and you can apparently get in Calgary and Vancouver?)
Cantillon - look for Lou Pepe Frambois. 400 g of raspberries used per litre. a magnificent, complex beer
Tilquin
3 Fonteinin

those 3 are called lambics. the lemonade-meets-blue-cheese part of the beer world that's absolutely stunning.

more importantly, glad you branched out and enjoyed a new beer. Duchesse is great to pair with food - steak tartare, bbq duck, hell, even meatballs.

Thanks for the recommendations. All of those ales that you mention (St. Bernardus, Chimay, Rochforte) are available here at the MLCC, so I'll have to give them a try.

Never tried a lambic before, but I'm intrigued. I take it they're not readily available outside of Belgium?

 

[HannuJ]

Thanks for the recommendations. All of those ales that you mention (St. Bernardus, Chimay, Rochforte) are available here at the MLCC, so I'll have to give them a try.

Never tried a lambic before, but I'm intrigued. I take it they're not readily available outside of Belgium?

i'm making burgers tonight. St Berny 12, Rochefort 10 or the Caizer de Blau will be the beer of choice. maybe the Oerbier if we're up to it.

just a note: in my opinion, drink Rochefort 10 now to 1 year from now, Chimay now to 15 years (!!) from now (store somewhere dark and cool, not cold) and St Berny now to 3 years from now.

Lambics are incredible, depending on the brewer/blender. my taste? Cantillon's the best. St Louis and Cuvee Renee will do it in a pinch, but they don't have the cripsness or depth.

we got Cuvee Renee here in the summer. i bought a dozen to age. Cantillon = Toronto gets it once a year and you can only get it at select bars. you can find it more readily in Europe and in some states. good news is, come 2 years from now, Cantillon will double their production.

some Cantillon reviews: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/388/1703/

 

[puck stoppa]

Hannu, I'm waiting for this cellar pic. Do you need to go to your neighbours house to snap it first

 

[HannuJ]

Hannu, I'm waiting for this cellar pic. Do you need to go to your neighbours house to snap it first

working an 11 day in a row stretch.
pretty simple to explain, though.

1 draught fridge with 1 tap of homebrew on tap.
5 industrial shelves that go 6 ft high. full of beer, except for 1 of the shelves, which has a wine rack.
1 closet shelved to hold beer.
i have 2 shelves dedicated to premium canadian beer (Bellwoods, Driftwood, Amsterdam, A La Fut, Les 3 Mousquatiers).
2 shelves dedicated to premium US beer (Bruery, Jolly Pumpkin, Green Flash)
on my other racks, i have 4 shelves dedicated to aging Belgian beer (Chimay Blue, De Struise, De Dolle, 3 Fonteinin).
i have 1 shelf dedicated to horizontally aging 8 bottles of Cantillon bio-lambic.
i also have 60 litres of homebrew aging in carboys (2 barleywines).