I’m a fan of the band, U2. I used to say “big fan”, but then I met some big fans of U2, and realized I wasn’t one. I’ve got a pretty large selection of their music, and have attended concerts. The first concert I attended though, was insanely special. While waiting in line for GA, Bono’s truck stopped next to us, and I got to shake his hand and mumble a few words of gratitude. Then we cheated our way into the centre of the oval b-stage, where we were frequently about 6 feet from the band members. Friends kept texting us as they could see us on the video screens. Then towards the end of the show, we realized the Band manager, Paul McGuinness was standing right by us, so we actually got to have a little shouted conversation. Epic.
So why do I mention this? Well, every time I go to a U2 concert now, I’m like “yeah, that’s good, but it can’t beat that first one”. It’s entirely possible I’ll be saying the same thing for the rest of Toronto Beer Week, “yeah, that was good, but it can’t beat Paddy and Stephen at Starfish”.
Stephen and Paddy, our hosts with the mosts
By 5:30, it was apparent a lot of people had bailed, probably because they have real jobs, and couldn’t carve out a few hours in their busy schedules like us lazy drop-out hippies. Anyways, Stephen and Paddy got things rolling and explained the format: Stephen would introduce the beverage we would be enjoying, and Paddy would take us through the type of oyster. And with that, we were rolling.
Round One
Still Waters Vodka and Hardy’s Malpaque. The Vodka is being made by a new whiskey producer, who is waiting for those pesky casks to mature. This Vodka is basically a single-malt that has spent no time in an oak cask. It’s noticeably sweeter then your average vodka, but lovely. The Malpaque was as balanced as you would expect, but the creaminess went really well with the sweeter vodka.
Vodka and Malpaques
Round Two
Dieu du Ciel! Blanche du Paradis and Lambertini (BC). A great fruity spicy beer, with a great oyster, good salinity, and a clear cucumber/melon rind aroma. Excellent.
Round Three
Hofbrau Oktoberfest and Chopper’s Choice (Wellfort). The Chopper’s Choice are a crazy firm oyster, more complex then I’m used to but delicious and creamy. The weird thing, was they totally subdued the bigger Oktoberfest lager. In fact, it pretty well drank like a normal Helles lager; a very cool effect.
Paddy plies his trade
Round Four
Cannery Lane Blackberry Porter and Blue Point (CT). The bright blackberry notes in this fairly robust porter stand up really well with this killer US oyster. Again, some of the “pop” from the fruit notes gets reduced by the oyster, but it leaves space for some of the more deep porter character to come through.
Round Five
Panil Bariquee and Jersey Rock (UK). Panil is a sour Italian beer, with hints of berries, strangely, it goes really well with the gentle salinity of the Jersey Rock, which is from the Channel Islands, and is actually geographically closer to North France. Paddy and Stephen busted out some bottles that were beyond old and dusty, of Rodenberg Grand Cru, a beer that was produced before I was legal drinking age, and now had more in common with red wine vinegar, though with a massive cherry flavour. And when you sipped the Panil after it, it seemed like a lightly fruity brew.
A plate of Paddy's finest
Round Six
Forty Creek Confederation Oak Whiskey and Loch Ryan (Scotland). So, the distiller at Forty Creek decided he wanted to produce a fully Canadian whiskey. As far as grains go, this is an easy task. But any whiskey fan will tell you, a significant part of the flavour is from the barrel. And most (though certainly not all) oak barrels are made for the bourbon trade in the USA, using USA white oak. So some old Canadian white oaks were found near Brantford that needed to be felled for the health of the woodlot. They were shipped to Kentucky (where everybody either is a cooper or knows one), where the staves were air-dried and then made into all Canadian wood barrels. They now cuddle with an all-Canadian malt whiskey for (I think) 3 years, the results of which are a Whiskey that is clearly not a Bourbon, Scotch, or Rye, but a distinct and lovely spirit. The oysters, Loch Ryan, are from Scotland, and Paddy is the only person bringing them into North America; these oysters are RARE. Mildly fruity and hints of cucumber balanced with the sweet woody profile of the whiskey marvellously.
So that it’s, right? Well, it would be, if Paddy weren’t one of the most hospitable landlords in the city. Instead, Paddy brought out plates of whole roasted sardines, Irish mussels, frites, smoked blue crabs and rolls. Yup, it turns out the tasting was the appetizer, and now it was time for dinner. After a lesson on crab-eating, we all tucked in. Everything was stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much seafood in a single seating, but I didn’t shy away. S0 at about nine, two hours later then I expected to be leaving, I made my thanks to Paddy (Stephen and Maggie had left earlier), and slowly made my way to the subway.
