Oh Regina, Yo Mamma done got me drunk....

Good day to all you faithful followers of the blog and welcome to friendly friendly Regina.... Now, the microbrewery scene is a little scarce here in Saskatchewan (not counting Paddock Wood and Great Western Brewing Co. in Saskatoon), however, Saskatchewan is home to the most microbrew pubs per capita in the country! The most famous brewpub in Regina is Bushwakkers but I didn't end up going there; rather, I got my microbrew pub fix at a small place called Slow Pub....

This place is great! Friendly staff and good beer brewed by cool people! I sampled their Yo Mamma Pilsner.... a lot. Oops! Luckily, I wrote legibly enough in my notebook that I can share my thoughts with y'all!

This tasty elixer pours a golden yellow and has only a slight hops on the nose. You get a bitter hops (of the noble Hallertau variety) bite at the beginning which mellows out quickly and finishes clean and refreshing. There's also a nice grapefruity quality to it, which I always dig. Like I mentioned before, this beer is VERY DRINKABLE, I had more than a few, which led to my decision to hold off on the beer for the rest of my time in the city.... I'm not trying to get fat here! Besides, missing Bushwakkers gives me a reason to come back to Regina, which is really lovely.... I even wrote down I LOVE REGINA!!! in my notebook while sampling this brew, so it must be true. Oh me!

Here's a picture of J.D, the brewmaster and chef at Slow Pub. A very nice, knowlegeable, and passionate guy....

I will leave you all with a look at some of the labels they use for the off sales of their brews.... I'm a fan! And I think most of you will be too!

Next up, Half Pints of Winnipeg!

Home for a rest..... of sorts.

On my epic bus/beer journey to the great expanses of the East I stopped in Edmonton for some hugs, a proper shower, and to do laundry. It was a grand old time!

Edmonton is home to three microbreweries: Alley Kat, Ambers, and Yellowhead. While home I had some delicious Aprikat Wheat Ale from Alley Kat. It's their original beer and it does not disappoint! It's a filtered wheat ale so it pours out a nice clean straw yellow, you get the apricot right away in the nose, and the apricot is very very present in the flavour. It's crisp and refreshing and you get a good tang, not a sickly sweetness. Finishes smooth.... great for the patio!

Ani Difranco enjoyed an Aprikat while playing at the Edmonton Utopia Festival over the weekend.... she called it tangy.... And I agree.

Also, while back in E-Town, my sister Danielle and I tried Ambers Lunch Pail Ale

This bad boy pours a golden amber type of colour and you get a hint of banana on the nose. There are four kinds of hops used and you get a nice light bitter bite that finishes off mellow and smooth. Easy to drink.

Danielle deems is worthy for her lunch pail

Finally, the siblings and I tried what is probably the strongest beer ever bottled in Canada. It's an offering from Alley Kat made specially for Sherbrooke Liquor Store, which has over 900 beers in the fridge! GO TO THERE!!!! sherbrookeliquor.com

It's called Glenda Sherbrooke and it's a Barley Wine aged in oak barrels from Glenora Distillery in Nova Scotia.

This strong (18.5%) libation pours an orangy/amber colour and has a bit of a floralish citrus on the nose as well as a hint of sourness. You get oak flavour right away as well as a warming feeling from the alcohol. You don't get a lot of alcohol in the taste, rather you get a strong sweetness that is rounded out well in the end..... I do suggest sharing a bottle with someone or taking your time with it if you're drinking it on your own.

Next up: Regina!

Greetings from the West..... the far West

Well, I've made it to the Pacific! Coast number one of the cross-Canada journey has been reached.... now to head for the Atlantic.... but first, BEER!!!

I hit the Tofino Brewing Company, which opened in April, and tried their two beers: Tuff Session Ale and Hoppin Cretin IPA. The IPA is pretty standard for the style: good bitter grapefruity flavour at the beginning that gives way to a smooth finish. The brewery's other offering, which I was able to sample at one of the local bars, is a super drinkable pale ale. When you're in Tofino give 'em both a try for sure because you're not going to find it anywhere else for a while.... Tofino Brewing Company is still without a bottling line... They do, however, get a special thumbs up for using hydroelectic power and a water recovery system that saves 1200 L per batch brewed. Right on!

And here's a pic I took of some cool people a met from Montreal who I enjoyed a few pints of Tuff Session with... Evan, Stephanie, and Sarah all give it a thumbs up.... or the general equivalent of a thumbs up. I wouldn't personally choose either of Tofino's beers as a zombie apocalypse pick... but I'll take it over a surfboard to the face. So I will rate both brews from Tofino Brewing Company 6 embarrassing surfing wipeouts out of 10. Pretty good.

I will, however, give 10 out of 10 embarrassing surfing wipeouts for the view!

Lisa's stamp of approval!

Brewtoria Part II

Well, as promised, here is the rest of my beer quest through the lovely city of Victoria.... I hit the two spots which people were really turning me onto: Spinnakers and Phillips.

First, Spinnakers!
I walked into this beautiful brewpub at 11am and was greeted by some friendly and very knowledgeable staff who offered me several samples of their fine fermented heaven nectar....

I tried their IPA, their Blue Bridge (double IPA), their Extra Special Bitter, their Hefeweizen, and their Tsarist Stout.... The IPA, Blue Bridge, and Hefeweizen are all served at 4 degrees celcius, which mean you can actually taste everything in the beer... and man do you want to! My zombie apocalypse pick is the Blue Bridge; it pours a pale yellow and has some serious citrus on the nose, not really floral at all. Also, the aftertaste is not a lingering one so you're dipping in for more just as soon as you come up for air..... I rate this DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS at 8.2%!!! YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF!!! This was also, consequently, the zombie apocalypse choice of bartenders Marc and (Ryan? I think was his name). Compared to the IPA, the Blue Bridge wins out for me because its more complex in flavour. With the IPA you get a lot of hops at the beginning and then a long lingering aftertaste. It's still really good.... but the Blue Bridge is better!

For waitress, Morgan, the zombie apocalypse beer is the Extra Special Bitter, which is poured at 10 degrees celcius.... It's not my choice but it is a fine beer. You got a nice bitter bite at the beginning and then the malt comes to play and you can a sweet kiss at the end.... not bad for a pint of beer! Good for a cool evening sippin', perhaps after an evening of dogsledding....

Final comment on Spinnakers: GO TO THERE!!!!

O.k, so after my pre-noon fun at the brewpub, I hit Phillips, which was a ton of fun! It opened in 2001 and was created by Matt Phillips, a former brewmaster at Spinnakers. He got his brewery off the ground by maxing out all the credit cards he could get a hold of because he couldn't get a loan from the bank... and now he owns one of the coolest breweries on the island! Awesome!

The tour was a ton of fun! Beer is pouring right from the beginning and comes with you as you take a peak at where the magic happens! I recommend the tour for sure! These people are passionate about beer and it shows... it really does.

I tried many a beer at Phillips but the one that stood out for sure was their Longboat Chocolate Porter. It's unlike anything I've tried before... tastes like chocolate milk! It's really interesting for a porter... not smokey or roasty at all..... just chocolately goodness! It's sweet but not sickly sweet, although I think this is a one pint every once in a while kinda beer... you don't want too many of them... then the sweetness will get you..... get you good!

I didn't make a zombie apocalypse pick for Phillips, but Bill's was the Cascadian Brown Ale, which wasn't available for tasting so I'll just take his word for it!

O.k, next up I'll be in Tofino.... see you at the edge of the western world!

Victoria (or to quote Candace: 'Brewtoria') part 1

I'm in Victoria today and tomorrow visiting a couple of the craft breweries on the island. Today I hit Vancouver Island Brewery. I wasn't able to get a tour (they only do them on Saturdays) but the lady working at the brewery store, Candace, was gracious enough to give me a private tasting of their beers!!!

Vancouver Island Brewery opened in 1984 and is well loved and enjoyed on Vancouver Island and in various locations on the lower main land.... you won't find this is Edmonton! When I asked Candace what her 'zombie apocalypse' beer pick is she told me the Spyhopper Honey Brown. When I tried that one, I must admit, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be..... It's not sickly sweet like a Sleeman's Honey Brown; rather, it's more a light ale with a subtle honey tang. It's not a cooler drinker's beer but it's got a nice mild quality to it... very balanced.

Just to be clear: When I say Zombie Apocalypse beer pick, I mean you're being chased by zombies and you have time for one last beer..... which do you choose!?!?

Out of the Vancouver Island beers, my Zombie Apocalypse choice would be the Double Decker IPA... it's hoppy and I love it! The hops bites you in the ass for a second and then it's gone.... like a mirage.

Another fun beer is the Piper's Pale Ale named after James C. Richardson, a local war hero. He was a Piper in the 16th Battalion and died during the Battle of Somme in 1916. His pipes were thought to be forever lost but they were found eventually and repatriated to Canada in 2006. His pipes and the Victoria Cross he was awarded are on display at the Legislature Building in Victoria.

That's it for today. Tomorrow I'm hitting the Phillip's Brewery tour, which should be a ton of fun! That's place has got some fun history to it.... but I'll get to that tomorrow.

Also, sneaky side note: Granville Island was bought out by Creemore Springs in 2009, which is owned my Molson-Coors! They forgot to mention that on the tour.....hmmmmm. Interesting.

Rapid Fire Beer Review: Nelson Brewing Co's Harvest Moon Organic Hemp Ale

Harvest Moon Organic Hemp Ale from Nelson Brewing Company sort of tastes like you're licking a hippie..... It pours a very pale yellow and honestly tastes like fabric (hempish hippie fabric). Nothing to write home about..... Hippies...pft!

Greetings from Vancouver!!!!!!

Vancouver is awesome! I'm in town during the Stanley Cup Finals, which has been great! The whole city looks like its painted blue and green and comprised entirely of orcas!

Of course, while in Vancouver I visited the Granville Island Brewery, which was the first microbrewery in Canada (opened in 1984). It was a fun little tour of their 'experiment' brewery (their main one is in Kelowna now). Got to taste three of their brews including their new Raspberry Ale. It's a tasty light bodied ale with a real tart raspberry kick. If you dig fruit beers that don't get crazy with the sweetness and stay true to their down home hops and malt roots, you'll dig this!

The best part of the tour, however, were the super cool people I met. Jackie, her husband Scott, and her brother Dave invited me out with them to watch the hockey game at their other brothers apartment and then party on Granville Street with them and several of their friends.... it was a blast! Some of the nicest and funnest people I've met! They made me feel right at home. Thanks for the great time guys!

Picture time!

Here's one of how crazy Granville Street was:

Also, they SPRING BREAK!!!!!! as readily in Vancouver as anywhere else!

Well that's it for now...... In a couple days I'll be off to Victoria to tour the Vancouver Island Brewery as well as several brew pubs on the island.... Winning!

Day One: Kelowna June 2, 2011

Hey Hey everybody! I made it to Kelowna in one piece! 13 hours on a bus is a long time but I got to drive through three national parks (Banff, Yoho, and Glacier), I saw some shanty barns, and I saw a giant trailer tipped over on its side! What a day! I got into Kelowna at 10pm on the 1st and waited for my hostel shuttle to come get me: It was a thin German dude who picked me up in his car (the windshield wiper blade flew off while we were driving in the rain!)

This morning I woke up, got myself together and took an epic walk to Tree Brewing at 1083 Richler St.

Out of the beers I tasted: Beach Blonde, Cutthroat Pale Ale, Cider, and Hop Head IPA, the best one for me was the Hop Head IPA. In my opinion its got a great amount of bitterness that's mellowed out my the sweetness of the malt. Of course, I like IPAs soooo, yeah. The Beach Blonde is a really good  lager type beer for sippin on a hot day... I'd recommend it for sure!

Here's a pic of the spot I enjoyed my beer this afternoon:

Off to Vancouver tomorrow, where I'm sure it'll be crazy due to the second game of the Stanley Cup final! Lots more beer to be had!