Let’s just get this part done and out of the way right now: Yes, I know Goose Island is owned by ABIB, and no, I don’t like ABIB in even the tiniest way. Yes, I know many people were outraged (OUTRAGED), when Goose Island sold to ABIB, but want to know a secret? I’ve had […]
In the beer scene, beer names are often based off of puns, or pop culture references, or sometimes inside jokes. Sometimes, understanding the reference is like a rite of passage. Do you know who Johnny Simcoe is? Maybe. Do you know what river got lost near Bellwoods? If you’re a history buff, probably. But who […]
Long before hipsterism brought a self-righteous disdain for pretty much everything to our pop culture, Stone Brewing Co. was brewing beers the way they liked them, and telling people who didn’t that they could, effectively, go fuck themselves. While that attitude has nearly become normal in today’s craft brewing scene, when Stone did it in […]
A second-generation professional hockey play, Theodore “Terrible Ted” Lindsay played on the famous “Production Line” of Gordie Howe and Sid Abel. I think I most like him, though, because his gameplay was a key part in the league instituting penalties for elbowing and kneeing. He also was one of the primary players in organizing the […]
With the explosion of craft breweries here in Ontario, it can be hard to keep up. Indeed, especially with my Toronto-centric view, breweries like Big Rig often float under my radar until somebody thrusts them into my line of sight. I’ve now sampled a couple of Big Rig’s beers, and all have been decent to […]
As much as I evangelize the goodness of drinking a variety of types and tastes of beers, I must confess: the beers I tend to keep on hand and reach for time and again, are hoppier pale ales and IPAs. And I know, everybody who hasn’t drank the koolaid is probably pretty sick of hearing […]
Brewing unique craft beer in Hamilton sounds like a Herculean task. And yet, I think I know the people who could pull it off. Meet Victor and Sonja North, the couple behind Garden Brewers. They were recently pitted against Mark and Mandie Murphy in a cute/sincerity-off, but both couples simultaneously elected to make cheese fondue […]
Eat fresh; eat local. Right? How about drinking a beer made with hops picked the day it was brewed? Amsterdam’s Autumn Hop Harvest Ale is exactly that, a “wet-hopped” pale ale. Wet-hopping is a term you may well have heard, if you’re a craft beer loyalist these days. And it’s a bit of a confusing […]
While some craft beer snobs turn up their noses at the Marzenbeirs served at Oktoberfest for their lack of IPA-level hops, these beers are fantastic, and make at least one beer writer more than a little giddy. Yes, Oktoberfest is upon us once again. The festival is an anniversary celebration of the marriage of King […]
In the onslaught of all the new fall beers at the LCBO, it’s easy to overlook those classics that also come back every fall, like Muskoka’s lovely Harvest Ale. Believe it or not, this was Muskoka’s very first seasonal special offering, now joined by such illustrious beers as Winter Beard, Spring Oddity, and Summer Weisse. […]
