Video: Beer Tour in Hamilton

David, Paul and Gord Harrison (Dad) Hit Hamilton

So Many Fine Beers to Sample, So Little Time!!

I like sampling different kinds - all kinds - of beer. Why, last March, on

St. Patrick's Day, I sampled one in Gibbons Park. March Break, eh!!

A nice stout hits the spot! [A GH Video - 10 seconds]

Introduction:

The pandemic has slowed down my thirst for beer tours, and when I watch the video below [52 seconds] the desire returns, especially for a trip back to Hamilton. Merit, Brain and Grit, Fairweathers, Collective Arts - all excellent craft breweries. And The Brain is a sweet little bar with a very decent beer selection. Paul and David found a rare beer from Half Hours on Earth (Wingham, Ontario - now closed) at The Brain... so their interest in another beer tour in Hamilton is high.

Collective Arts lives up to its name; art was everywhere!!

Please link to more photos re Small Pleasures.

Second Video by David Harrison

It Strikes Me Funny: I bought new rain gear, so...

I bought new rain gear for my trip to Halifax, so it’s likely going to rain steadily for the next three years.

For sure there will be rain tomorrow, because not only did I just buy rain gear, but Gathering on the Green in Wortley Village is scheduled to begin at about 9:00 a.m.

Let it rain, I say.

I have a new slicker and a car loaded with birdhouses sitting in my driveway and more packed in banana boxes in the living room. Oh, I’m ready.


["This is one purple martin house before paint and assembly": photo GH]

My wife asked, if I sell 15 birdhouses will I have enough gas money to get to Halifax as well as back home?


["I think red and white are just about perfect together"]

The answer: Yes. But if I sell 20 then I might stay an extra day in Halifax.

(I hear the tour of Alexander Keith’s Brewery is mildly interesting. And the notion of free samples might keep me occupied for at least an extra afternoon).


["Four large units, with two smaller ones on top"]

Rain or shine, I’ll be selling birdhouses tomorrow and I’m sure to have one that will fit nicely in a tree in your yard.

Please drop by, at least to say hello.

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The search for a fine glass of beer continues

Today I definitely found one.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 12 fluid ounces, 5.6% alc./vol., a gift from my son (so - and this is important - no cost to me), delightful taste.


["I love my Guinness glasses. They were free as well": photos GAH]

Many say, free beer always tastes good, to which I would reply, not always. For example, I wouldn’t turn down a cold Bud on a hot day if offered, but I wouldn’t ever buy it because it holds no appeal for me.

Sierra Nevada - as soon as I smelled it I knew I would like it. Nice pop in the nose.

There are no additives, says the label. Only the finest malted barley, whole hops (etc.).

I wish they said what kind of hops. The brewers (from Chico, CA) display a picture of hops but no name, and I’d like to know where the nose and taste of grapefruit comes from.


["I want to know - what kind of hops?"]

The other night my youngest son and I enjoyed a glass of ‘10 Bitter Years’ at Chancey Smith’s (sounds like it was brewed by an unfortunate pair who just couldn’t stand each other, but hung in there for 10 years. Who knows. maybe they're still together. Sorry, I digress.) and after our first sip we fell in love with it (Unlike the aforementioned couple).

This Pale Ale reminds me of that experience and I’m grateful for it.

The colour reveals a hint of orange but the first and aftertaste is grapefruit. Lovely, lovely. So refreshing.


["Everything in moderation; the second one goes with supper"]

I’ve tasted and reviewed another fine American beer (Liberty Ale from San Francisco) and would go back for a seconds of this one and that one anytime. (I just remembered. My son gave me two Sierra Nevadas for doing work in his attic. I’ll be right back.)

Thanks for waiting.

In David kenning’s book, Beers of the World, I read the following about today’s Pale Ale:

“Hops dominate the aroma with a fragrantly spicy, floral character, while on the palate this is a remarkably full-bodied, mouth-filling beer with a lively, complex maltiness...”

Though he later mentions ‘notes of orange fruit and toffee,’ I taste and smell grapefruit. Everybody gets what they get in this game, I guess.

Now, about my second fine glass of Sierra Nevada. It was stored in a cardboard box on the basement floor, not refrigerated. The head reached to the sky and the flavours seemed amplified at their slightly warmer temp.

Would I buy it myself instead of waiting to be asked to work in my son’s attic again?

A resounding, hoppy ‘yes.’

And please visit www.sierranevada.com for more details and buy it at the US/Canada border when you can.

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Please click here to read the last beer review: Upper Canada Lager.

Milos Kral, General Manager of Chancey Smith’s Steak and Seafood Emporium, has started a blog about beer and his adventures related to finding beer that keeps me going back for more.

Please click here to read about ’10 Bitter Years.’ Poor couple!

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Searching For a Glass of Fine Beer: Guinness Draught

I’ve had Beamish. It’s not the same. I’ve had O’Hara’s and Murphy’s stout. They’re not the same, though lovely in their own way.

But when I want stout I’ll generally buy cans of Guinness Draught.


["Do you have any Guinness at home?": photos by GAH]

Today’s purchase started with a phone call from my wife.

“Do you have any Guinness at home,” she asked.

“No,” I said.

She then explained she was outside an LCBO, needed Guinness for a recipe (My gosh, I thought. I am such a lucky guy), and was about to go inside.


I explained she could buy a four-pack of cans for about $12, and she agreed to do that rather than buy just one can. (I thought, thank you!)

I am now enjoying the first of the three cans not needed in a recipe, having just sent in my weekly column before deadline, listening to Closing Time by Tom Waits, and strongly feel (I’m not gently suggesting...) there are few things better than a glass of stout purchased by one’s partner. Try to sway me, if you dare.


For all those from another planet, Guinness is brewed in Ireland.

Though Guinness in other forms has been brewed at St. James’s Gate in Dublin since 1759, Guinness Draught has only been with us since 1959.

And how shall I describe it now that I’m certain I’m spelling it correctly with two nns and sses?

Well, it has a lovely nose. Distinctive, like burnt malts.


The book ‘Beers of the World’ by David Kenning says the taste reflects a burnt-caramel bitterness, so maybe the burnt smell is from caramel. It’s still lovely.

The taste that comes from the 440 ml cans (under $3 per, a good bargain) is lovely lovely, which is, in my humble opinion, twice as lovely as lovely.

“Guinness Draught has a deep, dry roasted malt flavor with a refreshing burnt-caramel bitterness and a slightly sour edge...,” says Mr. Kenning.

Me? I say, I like that the flavour fills my mouth, swirls around my tongue and stays long in my throat.


I’ll add that it’s a meal in itself, a manly stout and was - likely still is - the post-run beverage of choice for most of the marathoners I ever toiled long and hard with in the not-too distant past.

Will I buy it again?

Yes. I’ll have it on my beer list well into my 90s.

***

Do you drink Guinness? Why or why not?

Did a woman you know ever say she drank Guinness after giving birth?

Did she enjoy it? I.e., the Guinness, not the birth.

Please click here to read my last beer review - Alexander Keith's IPA.

See lower right hand margin for the growing list of reviews.

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Searching For a Glass of Fine Beer: John By, an Imperial Stout

I like stubbies. We go a long way back together.

The last beer I drank from a stubby bottle was likely Carling Red Cap ale, my drink of choice in 1968 - 70.

Even at the tender age of 20 I knew that not all beers tasted the same, or were at all good, and I generally drank ale to get some semblance of flavour. I wasn’t always successful.


["I still think stubbies are cool": photos GAH]

I still have a case of stubby bottles (capped) in the basement: Cool Spring Light beer, from June, 1984. My dad bought them (in Formosa) for his friends during the beer strike the same year. Maybe I’ll sell a few online, but I’ll keep some for old time’s sake.

When I saw John By Imperial Stout in a stubby recently at the LCBO I had to try one.

The price, i.e., $2.65 for a 341 ml bottle (equivalent to $3.89 per 500 ml), may put it in the premium price league, but I like a good stout.

The alc./vol. is 8.5%, putting the stout into the strong beer league as well, so I began to expect great things at the time.

I wasn't disappointed.


The label proclaims the following:

We celebrate the work of Lieut.-Col. John By (no relation to Ise the By that builds the boat) and the men who built the Rideau Canal.

(If you’re a history buff, please visit Bytown Museum for more details).

Our John By Imperial Stout is so deep brown in colour you might as well say it is black. This ale’s powerful malt flavour is not overwhelmed by its alcohol content. Just the thing to ward off the cold of a Canadian winter.

(Link to Scotch Irish Brewing Co. for more details if interested).

When I arrived home with the stout I didn’t go online. Instead, I went to the kitchen drawer for the bottle opener because here in Canada it’s winter time and, though I wasn’t cold, I wanted a taste of stout.

So, I popped the cap, poured most of the stubby bottle’s contents into a glass and had a good sniff.

It smelled thick and rich and sweet and familiar, perhaps a bit like Miller St. Tankhouse ale (Toronto) or a can of Jamaican stout I had last year.

Some of my remarks after the first few sips follow:

Rich, yummy mouthful. Is 8.5% alc. overpowering? My head didn’t land on my desk so I’d say not.

Sweet.

(Please note - I don’t produce long, descriptive sentences like David Kenning, author of Beers of the World).


I only bought one bottle, and though I worry the stout may promote hair loss (see the label), I should have bought another, because that’s how I feel after drinking half a glass.

I can say without hesitation I’d buy it again, and not just because it’s in a stubby. The Imperial Stout would be right at home in my shed during a winter time gathering with friends.

I also recommend it to those who enjoy rich, sweet stouts with hearty dark malt flavours.

Good one, By.

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Please click here to read a beer review of KLB Raspberry Wheat.

Please see lower right hand margin for Searching For a Fine Glass of beer reviews.

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Searching For a Glass of Fine Beer: KLB Raspberry Wheat

In my opinion, the enjoyment and appreciation of beer changes depending on the circumstances.

For example, there are times when I would give a beer a score of 75 out of 100 because I have just finished a half marathon on a hot day, am tired, wanting to sit and stay immobile for an hour or more, and after finding a comfortable chair am handed said cold beer and offers of more where that came from, when it really only rates a score of 54.


["Hmmm. I like it. Cranky likes it too": photo GAH]

Not that I’ve been known to score beers out of 100, and don’t plan to anytime soon.

But, and I’m sure many readers have been there, if a bucket of 54-style beer arrived at my comfortable chair with a platter of chicken wings and sweet potato fries and I was sitting next to a piano and handed a songbook along with the encouragement to sing along as loudly as I liked and informed the total bill would only come to $8, then I’m the kind of guy who would say, “You had me at bucket.”

I only share the above because I tried my first can of Raspberry Wheat beer from Kawartha Lakes Brewing Co. as the second half of last Sunday’s Super Bowl was about to start and the Saints were still in the game.

So, I might be unreasonably positive about the beer.

That being said, here are the facts.


["Another fine beer from Kawartha Lakes Brewing Co.": photos GAH]

A 473 ml can of KLB Raspberry Wheat costs $2.40 and comes in at 4.5% alc./vol.

It’s one of the beers that made Peterborough famous, along with Quaker Oats, though brewed by Amsterdam Brewing Co., Toronto.

When I popped the can I smelled raspberries quite plainly, and was reminded of how much I’d enjoyed another fruity beer years ago for the first time, i.e., a St. Ambroise apricot wheat ale, at Mitsy's Sister, a wee pub on Queen St. W., Toronto.

As I poured I was attracted to the reddish orange colour but noticed the lovely head disappeared fairly quickly.

This ain’t a stout , I said to myself as Drew Brees fired a bullet toward a Saints receiver.

I took my first generous sip.

Son of a Gunderson, I said. What they say on the can (‘A perfect balance of German hops and Belgium wheat and pure raspberry essence gives this beer it’s signature aroma and flavour’) is true. I taste raspberry, and it's good.


["Yes, I'd buy it again"]

It wasn't a heavy raspberry taste at all, and I felt the glassful would be very quaffable.

After my second sip I knew I’d enjoy the full can. And I did.

Not only do I recommend others give it a try but know I’ll buy it again myself.

I’d say two cans on the back deck in the fall would be perfect.

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Click here to read a bit about Liberty Ale from San Francisco, and visit ‘Searching for a fine beer’ in the lower right hand margin to link to others.

Cheers.

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