Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Salt in your beer ?



I'm all for a fancy cocktail. There is a kind of delight in going to a tiki bar and guessing how many tiny garnishes are going to festoon your drink of many rums, or being presented with a meticulously made house special. But fancy cocktails aren't an every day occurence for me because of their expense, both in terms of money and in terms of the hangover they tend to extract the following day. More often, I'll go for what I think of as a beach cocktail, which is to say, some other things dumped into a can of neutral-flavored, cold beer that make it just a little bit fancier. Read more...

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

Tuesday, 7 May 2019

Beer making 101



20 of us were educated and entertained by Mr. Norman Gladstone, a retired professional brew master; who has worked in Australia, South Africa, the UK, and Canada.  For some years he was a senior brew master with Molsons.  

Norman gave us a very in-depth lecture on the techniques and technology of brewing beer commercially.  This was followed by a very enjoyable survey of lagers and ales, with focus on the classics.  

Here are some fun facts we learned:

  1. It is best to serve cold beer in a warm/room-temperature glass 
  2. Beer served too cold or containing too high alcohol masks flavour
  3. Local craft beer-makers may make a big deal about hops, but yeast is the bomb!
  4. Flavour, particularly bitterness, is in the foam. Fatty foods are the enemy of foam. 
  5. Lager is great for quenching thirst on a hot day; but ales are meant to be enjoyed socially, and are worth talking about.
This was the second in our "brewmaster's tour" series. We can't wait for number three!



Sunday, 13 January 2019

Join the club !



Many of us were up in the Yukon last week. Taking on temperatures of -40.
As the saying goes "while in Rome" or it should be "while in Dawson City"

This is not a beer beverage, but several of us have joined the sour toe cocktail club and we need to brag somewhere !

Wednesday, 9 January 2019

The Pit at The Westminster Hotel, Yukon

Never mind the tourist stuff. In Dawson, "The Pit" is the place to go. 
Thank you Matt the Moose for being a great host.