Over the years, debate has raged on regarding what type of glass beer is best served in. Many beer lovers will tell you that every beer style has its own corresponding glass that it should only be drank out of. Although this is often the case, the logistics of being able to do this are not exactly practical. Obviously, during these rough economic times not everyone is interested in spending hundreds of dollars on their glassware. Dimple mugs, imperial pints, American pints, steins, weizens, yard glasses – on and on the investment in a proper beer bar never seems to end. With this in mind, I have set out to find the ideal ‘utility glass’ one can purchase in order to have the best experience from as many beers as possible. Here is what I have found to be the best all around beer glass and how I found it…
A few weeks ago, I posted about attending Beer School at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. Instead of weekly updates, I have opted to do a midterm update as well as a postmortem in order to give you my impressions of the course. Seeing as we are at the half way point of the course, I’d better get summarizing. (note – if you like the beer school homework book you can buy one here)
Class 1 – Basics, History, and Tasting
In the first class we got right down to it by covering the basics of beer, followed by the history, and then tasting techniques. Beer basics should be just that for anyone who actively reads truecask.com – basics. The differences between lagers and ales, what countries are known for what styles, and various other facts and figures mark the bulk of the information. History, of course, covers the first known beer recipes dating back to early Babylonian times, all the way up to the modern North American craft beer revolution. Finally, we got to tasting techniques. Of course when one learns how to taste beer they must, you know, taste beer. Clearly this was the reward at the end of our information rainbow, and becomes a recurring theme in the weeks to come.
This past weekend, a group of us local hop heads piled into a van and ventured across the border into Washington. With brews on the brain, tickets to the Tacoma Craft Beer Festival in hand, and a foot to the floor we headed out on our adventure. What follows is a vague account of the next sixteen or so hours.
Shortly after crossing the border we promptly found what many Canadians consider a hidden jewel for beer buying. Haggen, a local Washington / Oregon grocery store chain, must have some major craft beer fans working in their head office because upon walking into the store we quickly found an outstanding selection of limited release brews. Highlights include the Deschutes Hop Trip, the Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09(we got the last three in stock), and the Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest.
Cask Cast is back! Last week things got a little crazy, and let’s face it, no one would have watched as they were too busy enjoying themselves at the Great American Beer Festival. I must say I wish I were there and am thoroughly jealous of any and all who attended. I want to thank all the great people producing shows and allowing me to repost their excellent content in a collective. Possibly the best thing about the beer scene is the small village-like feeling within the industry. Cheers to you Two Beer Queers, Two Guys On Beer, Beer Tap TV, and Hop Cast!
This coming Saturday a group of us BC hop heads are heading down to the Tacoma Craft Beer Festival. Spurred on by our resident America transplant, we decided to brave the border crossing along with hours of driving in order to taste selections from 40 breweries, many of which we don’t see in stores up north.
I plan on making up the fact we do not see many of these breweries north of the border, and am looking forward to trying as much ‘new to me’ craft as I can. That said, I will still take prolonged stops at Stone, Deschutes, Ninkasi, and New Belgium as I would hate to be rude. See the full brewery list after the break.
Last night after Beer School (update on that coming after the midway point of the course), I made my way up to Firefly Fine Wines and Ales in order to pick up tickets for tomorrow’s CAMRA Oktoberfestat Granville Island Brewery. While I was there, I decided to pick up a night cap or two. Braving the cold room, I poured over the endless supply of delicious craft that they offer. After about ten minutes of letting my body temperature drop like a stone, I emerged with two selections from southern tier brewing company – the jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout and the unearthly Imperial IPA.
Of these selections, I have only tasted the unearthly on a very hazy night right before a close friend’s wedding. Despite drinking many craft beers before this tasting, thus destroying my pallet, I distinctly remember this IPA’s flavor coming up and kicking me right in the ass. Opting for a more sober prespective this time, I bring you my impressions of the southern tier jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout and unearthly Imperial IPA.
Since the Great Canadian Beer Festival things have been somewhat quiet here on truecask.com. Trust me when I say that this is for good reason. That day marks what might become either an enormous paradigm shift in the BC beer scene, or a small blip on the craft radar. At this point it’s hard say what the result will be; however, you’ll be able to track the progress on the way to the end result as I will be documenting the process.
So what the hell am I talking about anyway? Obviously, during the course of this blogging adventure, I have associated myself with not only a ton of craft beer fans, but also some very knowledgeable industry people. Through this network, a collection of us have formed in order to develop possibly the most ‘core’ craft brewery north of the border, or at least thats the goal.
I have had one hell of a crazy week. I’m sure that’s proven by the fact that a week has come and gone between Cask Casts and only one post separates them. That said, I have no complaints about the post that does; Great Canadian Beer Fest was possibly one of the best events I have attended ever. If things continue along the way they are I’ll be able to shed some light on exactly what I have brewing up. Trust me when I say – this could be huge. Till then, I hope you enjoy this weeks Cask Cast featuring Two Guys On Beer, Two Beer Queers, Beer Tap TV, and Hop Cast.
This past weekend the Great Canadian Beer Festival went off with a bang. So much so that it’s taken me a few days to recover and write about it – yes, that excuse will do. Jokes aside, things could not have gone better. That morning I woke up to sunny skies and started my day by meeting Andy The Beer Man and the guys behind Beer Thirst at the ferry terminal. From there we enjoyed a cruise through some of the most beautiful parts of BC while enjoying a Lost Abby Cuvee de Tomme. Pretty good…
Instead of trying to break down everything that happened, all the people I talked too, and what beers I drank I decided to focus on highlights. With that in mind here is my Great Canadian Beer Festival 2009 top 5, or the ‘best of fest’ if you will:
After far too much waiting the day is finally here. I am currently on my way to Victoria and the Great Canadian Beer Festival. I have many brewers, many friends, and many beers too look forward to when I arrive. If you’re in no position to join us, and you probably aren’t if you’re reading this, at least you have Cask Cast to keep you entertained. Enjoy this weeks beer show round-up from the fine folks at Two Guys On Beer, Two Beer Queers, Hop Cast, Beer Buzz, andTaste BudsbyBeer Tap TV.
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