And the beer tasting continues...
One of these days, I really will get back to wine, but for the time being...
Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer -- I spotted this on the shelf of the Ajax LCBO on Highway 2, and I had to know what oak aged beer tasted like. As one might expect, it has a very oaky flavour. It almost tastes like whisky in beer form. Very nice. I need to buy more of this.
Some combinations don't work well
The beer of the week so far is St. Peter's English Ale. I have had this nice ale before, but it's sometimes not the easiest thing to find in Durham Region. However, I used the LCBO Website to track it down at the Ajax location up on Highway 2. That location has a Vintages area, and it also stocks a few things the Bayly LCBO doesn't, so I should probably take the extra few minutes to drive up there whenever I go to the liquor store.
Unfortunately, this week I also tasted what I think is the worst beer I've ever had. Trafalgar's Maple Bock is absolutely terrible. The smell, the taste and the aftertaste were brutal. I've had a maple beer before (Red Maple -- not sure who brews it), and it was pretty good, even if the extra sugar did give me a brutal hangover the next morning. Trafalgar's attempt to mix maple syrup with beer is a complete and utter failure. Yuck.
Keeping with the beer theme...
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat -- We fired up the barbecue at lunch to grill some chicken, and barbecuing wouldn't be complete without a beer. I opened up a bottle (and then a second) of the Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat beer, and immediately I was reminded of Hoegaarden. Both in smell and taste, the beer has the taste of coriander, just like Hoegaarden (although it's a stronger smell and taste in Hoegaarden than in the Paulaner brew). Pouring it into a glass produced a monstrous, fluffy head. It's a good thing I used a regular pint glass instead of a smaller glass; otherwise, I would have overflowed it. With the cloudy gold colour comes a smooth, almost creamy texture. Unfortunately, it reminded me so much of Hoegaarden, which has a stronger, preferred taste, that I don't know if I'd buy it again if I can grab a six of Hoegaarden. Still, the Paulaner wheat beer isn't a purchase I'll regret.
And another craft beer...
Gritstone Premium Ale -- With Jacquie out for lunch, I fired up the barbecue and cooked myself a couple of juicy burgers. And what's a barbecue without beer? I opened up one of the Gritstone Premium Ale bottles and poured myself a glass (I'm getting more into the idea of drinking from a glass so I can get the full experience of beer). With a coppery colour and a nice, light aroma, Gritstone goes down smooth, and while it has a nice taste, the flavour could be a little stronger. Still, I could see introducing others to craft beers with something like Gritstone. Yum.
Side treks into beer and spirits
While summer is my favourite time of the year (it's warm and I can sit out on my back deck having a frosty beverage or two, all the while barbecuing up some meaty goodness), it's the least conducive season to drinking and enjoying wine. Enjoying a dry Merlot or Cabernet while the sun is beating down on my head taints the experience. Cool drinks are in order during the summer months, and unfortunately, I enjoy a good beer more than I enjoy the best white wine.
Postings have been rare in recent months, and part of the reason for that is the fact that I have not been drinking very much wine lately. (Another part is laziness, but I'm trying to change that.) To inspire myself, I'm going to refrain from limiting myself to just wine, so expect side treks into beer and spirits here and there -- especially while the weather remains warm.
And now a few words on recent beer samplings...
County Durham Signature Ale -- This local craft brew, which I discovered maybe a year or two ago (I don't remember exactly when), has quickly become a favourite beer. While it's not a dark ale, it's definitely a
very dark amber copper colour with a unique flavour. Originally, a six-pack was purchased because I noticed it was made in Pickering (hometown pride and all that), but after sampling one bottle, I fell in love. In the last week, I've been in touch with the brewer, Bruce Halstead, in the hopes I'll be able to take a tour of his facilities when he's not too busy. Bruce also tipped me off about the Waterfront Bistro (an excellent restaurant at the south end of Liverpool) having County Durham Signature Ale on tap. (As a side note: County Durham Brewing Co. also makes the C'est What Hemp Ale. Cool, eh?)
King Brewery Pilsener -- Frankly, my beer tastes aren't refined enough to pick out the subtle differences between a Pilsener, a lager, an ale or an IPA (but I have been educated enough to know Alexander's Keith's IPA is not a real IPA; it's more of a lager). While I can say I enjoyed the King Pilsener, I can't say if it's a good Pilsener.
Amsterdam Natural Blonde -- My first Amsterdam Natural Blonde was consumed many years ago in one of Amsterdam's pubs downtown. In fact, it was probably the first micro-brew I ever had, so it has a special place in my beer gut -- uh, I mean heart. When I first tried it, I don't think I could even get my hands on it in the Durham Beer Store locations, but now it has become a bit more popular. The Natural Blonde and Nut Brown (which I haven't tried) are both common in Beer Stores in Durham now. On a whim, I picked up a sixer while in the Ajax Beer Store last week. It's a nice, crisp, blonde beer, but not something I'd pick up on a regular basis.
Trafalgar Celtic Pure Irish Ale -- I know Trafalgar Brewing Co. more for its meads, which were served at the sadly-missed Rennaissance Festival in Milton, but I was in the mood for a darker ale during a recent visit to the Beer Store. While wondering if you could rightly call a beer a "Pure Irish Ale" if it's made in Ontario, I took the plunge. It has a dark chocolatey flavour that kicks you in the belly. Translation: I like it. But still, is it really an Irish ale if it's not from Ireland?
Waterloo Dark -- Ah, back to old favourites. It was the Society for Creative Anachronism that turned me onto Waterloo Dark. While I was an active SCAdian, I partook of Waterloo Dark on a very regular basis, but since I became inactive, it has become a rare treat. I recently picked up a six, and I was reminded why it was my favourite beer for a time (with Warthog Ale right up there beside it).
My most recent acquisitions include Niagara Brewing Co.'s Gritstone and Paulaner Natural Wheat (a German beer from Munchen) -- neither of which I've drank before. Those are next on the tasting list.
Guinness ... with a shot of Port?
While catching up on my reading of
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, I read an article about how bartenders are using Port more and more in mixed drinks. The article opened with the mention of someone ordering Guinness with a shot of Port in it.
Curious, I gave it a try. While I'm not a Guinness-with-Port convert, it was a worthwhile experiment. The Port makes Guinness somewhat sweeter, but doesn't change the taste significantly. However, Guinness doesn't really need to be sweeter. It's already fairly sweet for a stout beer.
Speaking of beer, for those who are beer geeks, check out
Beer Advocate. I just joined the site, and it seems like a neat community of beer connoisseurs. If you happen to be a Keith's fan, though, understand that you're entering a community of people who hate Keith's appropriation of the IPA label.
Recent tasting notes
My plans for this blog had been much grander when I started out, but since then, I've found myself falling into the slacker category and risking this site turning into abandonware. My vow is to update it at least once a week with something -- even if it's just a link or a few comments on wine. If I could just get to the point where I'm posting once a week on a specific day, that would be great, but don't count on it.
Here we go -- some recent tasting notes:
Pelee Island Winery Pinot Grigio 2005 -- You'd think I'd just give up on white wines after all my failures at trying to find one I can truly say I like. Unfortunately, this Pinot Grigio turned out not to be the bottle that changed my views on white wine. It was fruity and slightly sweet. The look of the wine itself was nothing to write home about. It had a very light colour of yellow and a few particles floating in the wine. Nothing spectacular, but drinkable.
Magnotta Blueberry Blue -- Blueberry wine -- who would drink that, you ask? Well, me. This is a bottle I'd hoped to share, but I ended up opening it a few weeks back and, well, before I knew it, it was gone. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled very fruity, with a very strong scent of blueberries (no surprise there, but worth noting). Sipping it, it had a smooth texture and a strong, sweet blueberry taste. With some focus, I was able to pick up hints of dark chocolate, especially in the aftertaste. I wish I'd had some actual dark chocolate around. That may have brought out the taste even more. On the next trip to Magnotta, I'll have to pick up another bottle or two.
Jackson-Triggs Proprietors' Selection Semillon Chardonnay -- Out of the blue one night, I felt like having a glass of wine. It was a little too hot to open up a bottle of red, so I chilled the only bottle of white in my sparse collection and popped it open. Maybe it was the heat or maybe I just felt like white wine that night, but it was good. I didn't take any proper tasting notes, but let's just say that I started out with the idea of having a glass, re-corking the bottle and sticking it back in the fridge. I sat back and drank the whole thing. This is the first white wine that I could see myself buying again. I'm thinking it was the mix of the Semillon with the Chardonnay that made it so tasty. Next time, I'll make proper notes.
