The Bar Towel

Sipping a Grolsch Het Kanon bought from a grocery store in Arnhem, Netherlands.

The best word I can describe it with is "vulgar". But it is a tradition that I have to have one when I am here.

Buy the way Westmalle Dubbel is .99 Euros at the grocery store.

Finishing up a Rogue Shakspear Stout. God, I love Rogue products.

Just got back from a beer dinner hosted by Garrett Oliver at Fionn McCool's (Esplanade) where we drank some Brooklyn Local 1, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale and Brooklyn Lager.

Garrett is an amazing and engaging speaker who shares more passion for beer than anyone I've ever met.

Very well done.

The Dogfish Head 60 is still a great IPA. It shows a good malt base & for me a bit more rounded hop profile, compared w/ the Southern Tier which seemed spicier in the hops (with almost hints of pine or spruce resin.) Nice to have them both on hand. They are each so different from say CK Sgt Majors or GD Titan (Sgt used to be total dry spruce funk!). Sierra Nevada IPA (or Celebration) I remember being slightly closer to the Southern Tier only in terms of spruce-like notes integrated with the friendly citrus character, a real balancing act (neither super-malty nor punishingly astringent.) I need to do a parallel tasting though!

I hope these two IPAs really catch on, they are both very good.

I had a can of Crest Super lager last night. Laurier homecoming weekend, so of course the whole area is one big drinkfest, day and night, and I figured what a perfect time to try something I'd otherwise never give a second look to. Well, I paid for it, or, my taste buds did at least. What a horrible drink. Probably one of the worst beers I've ever had. Kind of tasted like vodka to be honest.

It was a great night regardless, but wow, man, that stuff is putrid. The Bermudian black rum I had afterwards was more drinkable.

How can Crest be bad, It has super in the name:) Myself, finally got some dfh 60min which i'm sampling right now.

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde
Great Lakes Pumpkin Spice
Rock Art Stump Jumper

Grand River Bumbleberry Wheat this afternoon...about as fresh as beer can be seeing it was bottled today. Not a bad beer, but I was expecting more. As others have mentioned, the fruit flavour was underwhelming.

This evening, going with a sports theme...Ska Ten Pin Porter followed by Cooperstown Strike Out Stout.

Just had a Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale (this year's version, as others have noted, seems a bit more spiced - really nice) and now a St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - a beer I often overlook at the BS/LCBO, but I really need to buy more often, especially as autumn rolls in. Anyway, delicious as always.

Got back from Montreal late last night, and had a fantastic weekend, with lots of chances to try some fantastic beer. Of all the ones I had the most enjoyable were Penombre from Dieu du Ciel and Kozack from L'Amere a Boire.

All this with the added bonus of discovering that Sigur Ros were playing an open air gig at the Old Port. Thank god I was sightseeing down there when I heard the soundcheck!

On Wednesday I had a milk stout from a local brewery in Dunham Massey, England which my dad brought over. It was pretty well done, and reminded me of the restrained character many British beers have.

Old Engine Oil.

It's different than most Old Ales I've had, leaning towards the modern winter-warmer style. Great stuff.

Stone Vertical Epic 070707.
Outstanding beer, very complex, the year of age on this made it just sublime!

Just finished a Maudite, on to a Delerium Nocturnum

Chapeau Kriek. Up until now I've avoided the Chapeau stuff in defiance of the LCBO, but today I gave in to this one, it's been sitting on those damn shelves in such ridiculous quantities for so long, staring at me....mocking me......

Anyways, it's actually OK. Not much of a Lambic, but it's not on the same level as some gross alcopop as I was worried. The list of ingredients is kind of funny too. Good thing they included 'flavour', because you know, I guess otherwise the beer/sugar/cherries wouldn't taste like anything at all .

They couldn't at least bring in something half interesting from this brewery? Their Faro lambic, or one of the gueze's?

C'est What Caraway Rye
Durham Hophead
Black Oak Pale Ale

All very well done, especially the last two which were on cask. The Hophead is a standout for me.