The Bar Towel

Jon Walker · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:41 am Post subject:

RB = Ratebeer.com

I also shouldn't leave out BA either since Beer Advocate folks also show up for such events. Same goes for the CAMRA people.
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tupalev · Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 1010 Location: K-W

This event is pretty exciting. One-off's are neat treats sometimes, but certainly not necessary - a patio full of quality local cask ale mid summer at Victory sounds very good to me.
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velovampire · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 544 Location: Parkdale

GregClow · Joined: 10 Aug 2001 Posts: 2933 Location: Parkdale

The list of beers to be featured at the festival has just been added to the first post in this thread.

austin · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 43 Location: Toronto

Thanks to everyone at the Victory Cafe for a good cask ale event and here's to to keeping it going for '09. Forty years ago an event at the "Victory" meant alittle something different in this burg. Anyways..... a great start to hopefully an annual event.

JerCraigs · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1872 Location: North York

Good times at the Victory today. An enjoyable sunny afternoon, beers where lovely.

velovampire · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 544 Location: Parkdale

Good times here too - brought and introduced 3 new people to cask ale. I mainly stuck to the Hop Bomb and the Hop Head, but it was neat to try the Plowman's on cask, and the Granite and the other Durham beers were very nice as well. A perfect afternoon on the patio with friends. Excellent value too, considering the food options.

northyorksammy · Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:45 pm Post subject:

I went to visit my daughter in sleepover camp. How was the fest?

Bobsy · Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 1830 Location: Toronto

I ended up seeing an exhibition on Josiah Wedgwood instead (don't ask). What are the chances of there being any leftovers if I popped in on my way home from work? Slim? Nil?

tupalev · Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 1010 Location: K-W

I would say about half of the casks were empty when I left just before 6.

This was a well organized, well run event blessed by perfect weather. The beer was in great shape as well. Congrats to all involved!
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Pub Style · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 356 Location: Ontario

I'll echo Jeff's post. It was a great event with great weather, great cask, nice pull porked sandwiches and great people. It was also nice to see so many new faces....and old faces as well.

Looking forward to the next one.
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Torontoblue · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

Bobsy · Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 1830 Location: Toronto

old faithful · Joined: 10 Oct 2003 Posts: 986

Sorry I missed this, but partly to make up for it I was sipping beers at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, RI. Its one beer engine was devoted that day to its assertive, (very American) Pale Ale. I liked best their Imperial Stout and Light Lager. The Light Lager was very similar to a regional pils I had in Germany at an airport last December.

Next door at Local 121, owned by the same people, I sampled on draft Magic Hat No. 7, Leine Sunset Wheat, IPA from Trinity and the revived Narragansett lager. All excellent in their own way.

The Narragansett had a good malty base but some adjunct was present and that's fine with me since an attempt was made to replicate the original recipe. In fact, the last brewer for the brand before shutdown of the Cranston, RI brewery (circa '82) was hired to reproduce the original taste. I think they've succeeded greatly and the result surely is exactly like the beer in the 1950's. Amazingly, this same brewer started working for the original company as a young man in 1952! (Now, let's have the 1930's Labatt IPA back!). The adjunct was lightly present in the finish on a tasty, creamy base and added a refreshing edge.

The beer really did bring back the best of the U.S. old school beers of my youth. Why, after one I felt like getting up to Tanglewood to see if I could wangle a lawn seat to see a British rock band - only problem is it's not 1971!

For now anyway the 'Gansett is brewed at High River (Rochester, NY) under contract for the company behind the re-launch.

I'd be interested in any taste impressions of the cask beers at the fest at Victory including any other tidbits (serving temp, brightness or not, etc.).

Gary

Cass · Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 1686

Excellent time, great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Nice to see the familiar faces again.

Congrats and kudos to Victory, great event. I especially liked the cask-cooling BlakeMethod™