Let’s call it Monday-Friday

Well, it’s nice to blame missing a post on something other than being sick.  Friday slipped by with no post, simply because it’s that time of the year when other stuff keeps popping up.  But we still have plenty to look forward to in the beer world, so let’s get cracking!

Volo

In April 1997, Tiger Woods won his first Major, The Master’s, becoming the youngest winner ever.  He was tearing through the PGA, hitting longer than most players, winning events and signing huge endorsements.  He was the biggest deal in golf, if not sports.  So what did he do?  He rebuilt his swing.  Seriously.  Working with swing-coach Butch Harmon, they totally re-worked his swing, giving him even better accuracy and better mechanics to protect him from repetitive strain injuries.  This might not sound like a big deal, but changing fundamentals of your swing, even for a pro, is an immensely difficult under-taking, and it doesn’t always work out.  But in the pursuit of excellence, he had to tear down a lot and rebuild.  Bar Volo has become the Mecca of craft beer in Toronto.  One of the biggest driving forces in the popularity of cask conditioned beers in Ontario through Cask Days, they have a nano-brewery in-house, they import beers from all over the country, and at the end of the day, the bar is still one of the nicest little places to grab a pint with some friends.  So I immediately thought of Tiger’s swing rebuild when I heard that they were closing for a few days at the start of December for some renovations.  I haven’t been in yet, (perhaps tonight?), but there are a lot more taps.  Like, there’s 26 of them.  And they doubled their cask lines to 6.  That’s a lot of beer!  I’ll report back once I’ve been in, but if you’re in the Yonge/Wellesley area, do stop in.

Giving Back

In celebration of the holiday season, Guinness has released a new beer (Generous Ale) and a campaign to encourage people to be generous with their time.  They are encouraging folks to plan to give 10 hours of their time, doing anything from charity work, to hooking a brother (or sister) up, literally.  I like the campaign a lot, and would encourage people to give the program a look, and post your own pledge.  I pledged 10 hours of time fund-raising before Christmas for the trip the youth group at my church is taking to Nicaragua in March.  Oh, and I’ll have a review of Generous Ale for New Brew Tuesday next week.  I’m excited, being a Guinness fan from way back.

GuinnessGivesBack.com

Tis the Season

Yup, Christmas parties abound.  Both Black Oak and Great Lakes are partying it up this Thursday.  Great Lakes is hosting their “Ugly Sweater” Project X at The Monarch Tavern, and Black Oak is celebrating at their Etobicoke brewery. Great Lakes info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/176841852457283/ and Black Oak here: https://www.facebook.com/events/385058131576017/.  Sunday Caplansky’s is hosting their 3rd annual Latkepalooza, with latkes and craftbeer and possibly some dradles.  Deets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/107461362750678/. I also have no less than 8 invites to personal holiday parties that are being hosted at various bars around the city.  I would encourage you to follow suit: if you want to hook up with friends, pick your friendly local craft beer joint, and do it up.

It’s the end of the world as we know it

So, it’s finally here, the end of the world.  At least according to the Mayans.  Except that most people would agree it’s not.  But that won’t stop huge swathes of the population from going slightly nutty on December 21st .  The good news is, marketers have jumped in with both feet, with a variety of campaigns (I saw one to make KD your last meal; oh dear).  Of course, Unibroue is doing one up with La Fin du Monde, which makes me happy. Check out http://www.lafindumondeday.com/

Now get out there and enjoy the festive season!  Partake in some lovely beers, but be safe out there!

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