The Bar Towel

Reviving an old thread just to point out that another historic (read: old) east end pub is nearing its end. The Noah's Ark stands at the corner of Dawes Road and Danforth Ave. The bar has been closed and "For Sale" signs have been sensitively nailed into its exterior. The sign over the doo...

Article in today's Independent highlighting the growth in the number of quality brewers in the UK. "Hops are hipper than ever" See the title; never mind that the picture accompanying the articles shows grain, not hops, nor that the article does not discuss hops. The sector is growing in th...

Congrats to all the Dads, and to the guys who stay home. These will be the most fulfilling months of parenthood. Or they were for me. The kids quickly get used to coming to you for their meals and other needs, although to some degree you will never be Mummy. Spent two months at home with my oldest s...

See this video from the Guardian's front page -- can we say "on the front page" or "above the fold" on the internet? -- on the micro-economic specifics of running a pub under a "tied house" contract in the UK today. Large corporate breweries ("drinks conglomerates&...

The topic of our old friend, Frank D'angelo, has less and less to do with brewing, and more and more to do with slack-jawed puzzlement and incredulousness. My suggestion: Open this link in one window to listen to one of Frank's latest upbeat and positively messaged pop recordings. Then open this lin...

This article by "The Fixer" highlights the poor outward condition of a Beer Store at Dundas St. W. and Howard Park, and the indifferent monopoly that owns it.

I am going to Ottawa at the end of the month. Arriving late on a Saturday afternoon and staying in the downtown area. Leaving Monday morning. We do this trip annually. Last year we made a beer run at the SAQ to explore the selection, but were less than ideally prepared. We did not find a store until...

Article from the Guardian on an amateur making beer to a viking recipe . Or more accurately, trying to recreate period recipes using the ingredients available to the early settlers of Britain coming from the Nordic countries. And, the announcement of the Champion Beer of Britain for 2011 has been m...

No joke like an old joke. And I keep returning to this old string in need of gratification. Two articles in recent papers put me in mind of this matter. Firstly a profile in the Star of the new, more activist head of the Competition Bureau, Melanie Aitken . If anyone had an issue with the way the re...

Maybe we should all invite him out for a night at Volo or C'est What and help him along. If I can negotiate a night away from the kids with la bosse, I would happily do it. Not that I am particularly knowledgeable about ingredients, the brewing process or tasting. But I know what I like and I am fa...

I read the print version yesterday and didn't think it was too bad an article. He got the cloudiness from protein haze part right, which most people miss. The tasting notes, on the other hand, had me cocking my head. Clove in Blanche de Chambly? Banana in Hoegaarden? Everyone's taste buds are diffe...

Mum, do I hafta play with Beppi...?

...But he wants me to drink Shocktop....!

Beppi, my Mum says I can't play with you.

Looks like I am late to the party. But I just wanted to add my two-cents-worth... Just came back from a rellie's cottage and I had taken a six-pack of Mad Tom away with me. Mad me look really smart and tasteful. Also had a couple of the big bottles of the Weissbier. Also a superb quality beer. Congr...

This article from the Guardian paper in the UK discusses the success that US micros are having in the UK. Everything from where to get them, to flavour profiles, to their aggressive and imaginative branding, to the cross-cultured hops they use.

Josh Rubin's take on the issue from the Business section of the Star last weekend. And here is an article from today's G&M both announcing the opening of the store and the fact that this branch will not accept empties. There is implicit scepticism in both articles, but not nearly as much as the...