Volo Cask Days 2007

The third annual Volo Cask Days festival.
October 20 ~ 21, 2007.



It was a beautiful autumn weekend for the 2007 Cask Days. The sun was shining on this sold out event. There were four sessions: (1) Saturday Breakfast with the Brewers, (2) Saturday Afternoon, (3) Saturday Evening and (4) Sunday Afternoon. Bier Goddess had been looking forward to this event for months. Of all the Toronto beer festivals and events, this is the one NOT to miss. It was the second year I had volunteered to help serve and there was no making the same mistake as last year - sensible shoes this time. I needed to pace myself since I had signed up to volunteer at two out of the four sessions. Ralph & Ina, the owners and operators, always do such a great job with all the special events they host that it's a pleasure for me to help out where I can. It also gives me a chance to talk with the brewers & get an inside look at this Toronto creme de la creme festival of All-Cask-Conditioned beers.


Biergotter's Cask Imperial Porter.
Biergotter's other beer, Hopocalypse Redux, won for Best Beer of the Festival as voted by the attendees. (www.biergotter.org)
Fog On The Tyne by Magnotta Brewery won for best beer name.


Ina and Stephen Beaumount, beer writer,chat about beer.

What an amazing turn out beers. Here is the list of special casks that were submitted to this event:
* Volo's Hopocalypse Redux (American IPA, brewed by Beirgotter)
* Volo's Casc Imperial Porter (American Imperial Porter, brewed by Beirgotter)
* Volo's Totally Bitter Ale (brewed by Robert Hughey)
* Denison's Weissbier (Denison's Brewery)
* Wind & Sail Dark Ale (Barley Days Brewery)
* Hop Bomb "S.T.F.U." Pale Ale (Black Oak Brewing)
* Bourbon Barreled 2005 Nutcracker Porter (Black Oak Brewing)
* Hopburn Ale (Camerons Brewing)
* Hop Head IPA (County Durham Brewing)
* Blak Kat Stout (County Durham Brewing)
* Taste of Ontario Harvest Ale (F&M Brewing)
* George's Herbal Mild (F&M Brewing)
* Fuller's ESB (Fuller's Brewery)
* London Pride (Fuller's Brewery)
* Mill Race Mild (Grand River)
* Plowman's Ale (Grand River)
* Best Bitter Special (Granite Brewery)
* Keefe Oak Chipped Steeped Irish Stout (Granite Brewery)
* Devil's Pale Ale (Great Lakes Brewery)
* Pumpkin Ale (Great Lakes Brewery)
* Stewart's Organic Ale (Heritage Brewery)
* Traditional English Dark Ale - Made with vanilla beans (Hockley Valley Brewery)
* Maclean's Pale Ale - Dry hopped (Maclean's & Lagers)
* Fog On The Tyne - Weizen yeast flavoured American IPA (Magnotta Brewery)
* IPA (Mill Street Brewery)
* Left Hook Barley Wine (Nickel Brook Brewery)
* Jackson Best Bitter - Michael Jackon tribute beer (Saint Andre Brewing)
* Perry's Atomic Pumpkin Ale (Scotch Irish Brewing)
* Peppermint Stout - Unconditioned (Tafalgar Ales & Meads)
* Volo's Grains Of Wrath Double IPA (brewed by Church Key)
* Arkell Best Bitter (Wellington Brewery)
* Special Pale Ale- Dry hopped (Wellington Brewery)


I had volunteered at sessions 2 & 3 but I attended session 4 with a group of friends. We had a great time tasting, sharing our favorites and mingling with the other beer fans. At these events, there always seems to be a relaxed excitement. The cost of $35 per session it's a real deal. You got ten 4 oz tasting tickets and a tasting glass. I don't know anyone who ran out of tickets. There were also four beers that were sold in to fundraise for Sick Kids Hospital. (Good on you Ralph!) My favourite beers of the festival were Biergotter's Casc Imperial Porter, for it's velety smoothness and well intergrated hops, and Perry's Atomic Pumpkin Ale, for it's good pumpkin flesh flavours and balanced drinkability.


Above, some of the brewers: (top) Adrian Popowycz (brewmaster of Black Oak), (second in column) Robert Hughey & Bruce Halstead of Durham County, (third in column) Perry Mason (founder of Scotch Irish Brewing Co)and (fourth in column) Russ Burdick & Jan Biega (brewer and brew monkey of Biergotter).

This festival benefitted from the trials & errors of the previous years. The quality of the beers submitted were a notch above past years. I think this is due to the competitive nature of the brewers and the prestige this event has garnered in the Toronto beer community. The cap on the number of attendees per session allowed for a more comfortable experience. We were not all on top of each other and the flow of traffic to get tasters was easy & quick. Also, the rotating invitees at "The Cheese Table" allowed for a fuller tasting experience, especially for those who attended more than one session. The invitees were, Julia Rogers (www.cheeseculture.ca), Cole Snell (provincialfinefoods.com), Ruth Klahsen (www.monfortedairy.com), Scott Jensen (www.jensencheese.ca) and Alli Miller (of Alli's Bread).


The two best beer t-shirts...gotta love the sense of humour that brewers have. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

2007 Golden Tap Awards

A table of Bier Gods & Goddesses enjoying their tastings.
(from left to right: Eric, Hilary, Chris, Michiho & Mark)

Once again Beer Bistro hosted the annual Golden Tap Awards on Saturday August 18. This event celebrates and honours the beer makers and beer establishments in Ontario. It was the fifth year of this event and it was packed with beer enthusiasts. Hosted by Cass Enright, the moderator of the Bar Towel website, it brings together brewers and their beers to one afternoon of casual fun and opportunity to sample, sample, sample. At $2 a tasting, it's easy to try a wide variety of beer or something from the table of finger foods.

One of the bonuses of attending is that many breweries bring one-off batches that you can try. These special brews are often only available at the event and you might not ever have a chance to taste ever again. Some at this year's event were Black Oak's Transvestites Tipple and Scotch Irish's Fire In The Hole.


Cass Enright who emceed the awards ceremony.


Michael Hancock, brewer and owner of Denison's, accepting his Editor's Circle Award for his outstanding brewing.


Adrian and Ken of Black Oak Brewing company who won the Best Beer of the Festival.

The 2007 Golden Tap winners:

Best microbrewery in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - Mill Street
Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Church-Key
Best beer brewed in the GTA - Mill Street Tankhouse
Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Beau's Lug-Tread Lagered Ale
Best bar in the GTA in terms of draught beer selection - C'est What
Best bar in the GTA in terms of bottled beer selection - beerbistro
Best bar in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Winking Judge
Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (including the GTA) - Mill Street Brewpub
Best beer of the festival - Black Oak Transvestite's Tipple

New this year were Editor's Circle awards, to recognize unique and significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. Four were handed out:

Michael Hancock
Great Lakes Brewing
Roland + Russell
Volo Cask Days

(For past winners see http://goldentap.ca/winners.html)

Victory Cafe

Victory Cafe, 581 Markham Street, Toronto (http://victorycafe.ca/)

I really wanted to get together to catch up with Bier Goddess Hilary after being away on vacation. We planned to meet at around 4 pm at Ronnie's Local 69 in Kensington Market. An unfortunate sequence of events ended up with meeting Hilary much later at a haunt closer to her house called Victory Cafe in the Annex. I'd never been there before but BG Hilary assured us that it would have some good offerings.

Beautiful Bier Goddess Hilary on a lovely Sunday evening in July.

It was cool but the summer is so short in Toronto, we sat out on the large patio anyways. The first pint I had was the Galt Knife Old Style Lager. It was sweet up front but it changed to a hoppy, dry finish. It was clear, amber in colour and had only a little head.


Some of Victory's offerings are listed here but you should always inquire about any guest taps.

I had the cod feature entree for dinner with stewed chickpeas. As my second pint, I had the Black Oak Saison. It was very good - some spice and malt flavours, refreshing and extremely satisfying. Coincidentally, just this past Friday, Cafe Volo hosted a tasting of Black Oak Saison on tap, cask conditioned and bottled. Tasting it now, I was very sorry I didn't make the effort of going. I understand that both Adrian (Head Brewer) and Ken (President)were at Volo for the tasting. I had the pleasure of meeting Adrian before (see posting on March 24, 2007). Well done Adrian! I've been spreading the word about your saison to all my friends.


This car was parked just a little down the street from Victory.

Mondial de la Biere, Day 1

Official Website, http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/

We finally got all seven of us in two cars and on our way to Montreal. The morning was early but it was well worth it. We arrived to La Belle Provence to find the Montreal beer festival well underway. This year it ran from Wednesday May 29th to Sunday June 3rd. I had been to the beer festival in Toronto a couple of times but this really blew that out of the water. I would guess that there were three or four times the beer represented in Montreal. Of course there were many Quebec microbreweries, some international representation and a very decent amount of American micros available to sample. We quickly found out that the place to position yourself was in front of one tent called "Le Petite Pub". This tent held the not so pedestrian beers. Most samples cost 2~5 coupons. Many of us got the show's glass to get a more generous pour than you would get in a plastic cup. We found out later that some vendors were selling their own glassware at a cheaper price. Well, live and learn...now on with the drinking.


Yes, notes were necessary. I am not one to remember fine details even when I'm sobber. The Titan IPA by Great Divide was hoppy, dry and crisp. (Go to http://www.greatdivide.com/index.php) A good start, but then there was Allagash's Curieux bourbon barrel-aged ale which was sweet, it had a carbonated tongue, a heavy taste of liquor and a long finish. (http://www.allagash.com/curieux.htm) Third was Brasserie Caulier Bon-Secours Brune. With beige rocky head, it appeared dark, opaque brown. It had a light raisin/date smell. It had effervescent bubbles and a long, BIG, raisiny dry after taste.


A view of the crowds in the one building which also housed exhibitors & the washrooms. Yes, very important to find them early.


A night cap at Unibroue's pub, Fourquet Fourchette. I was not going to bed early just because I was drunk and tired - that would not do for our first ever Mondial, so being as it was on the way back to our hotel, I suggested we stop for one more. I ordered a lovely pint of Chamblay Noir. Like Blanche de Chambly but dark. It was similar to Kostrister but more carbonated. Hey, look they have bottles so we can take some to go.


http://www.unibroue.com/index_eng.html

Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout

How many opportunities do you get to taste 4 versions of a rare & seasonal specialty beer side by side? Well last night Ralph of Cafe Volo offered another exciting session of lateral tastings. Available last night were the cask-conditioned, 2006 draught, 2005 draught and bottled versions. Black Oak Brewery (http://www.blackoakbeer.com/) make their dark Double Chocolate Cherry Stout with cocoa and juices extracted from real fruit grown by a local cherry farmer, explained Arian Popowycz, head brewer. It's always a treat when you can chat up the experts. He spoke in detail about the brewing process.

Although some of the technical details were difficult for me to follow, what I got out of it was this: making beer consistently is a science where many variables come into play with every batch; making good beer requires a crazy, almost obsessive attention to detail & it demands high quality ingredients. Adrian tastes every ingredient, the hops, the wort, the water. He spoke of the how important the timing & exact temperature are to the process. He said even if everything goes perfectly and the batch is just right, if the gods are not looking favourably on you on bottling day, there is the potential to spoil the product. All the hard work is really a labour of love. Like many small operations of any business, the people couldn't do it unless they had a real passion for what they do.

Opinions varied but I thought that the cask version was lightest in body & chocolate flavour but had the strongest aroma. The bottled version was more carbonated. The chocolate & sour cherry notes came through more strongly. The third 2006 draught version was very close to the bottle. I didn't get to the 2005 draught, but there's always today...

Relish a Future Visit

I met some friends for brunch last weekend at a little place on the Danforth called Relish Bar & Grill (2152 Danforth Avenue, tel.416.425.4664). It is a very pretty place seating around 25 or so with a cozy lounge area in the rear. While there I noticed their tap offerings: Stella Artois, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, Hoegaarden and Bellevue Kriek - ahh, a Belgian five-some.

It warmed my heart finding that even a small, local restaurant made an effort to offer draught selections with some character. I will have to come back for a pint soon...and maybe try their cheese plate too...mmmm...

p.s. BTW, brunch was excellent!

Volo's IPA Challenge

Cafe Volo is a favourite restaurant of the Bier Goddess. Volo has hosted many beer & wine events and won the Golden Tap Award in 2006 for Best Beer Bottle Selection. (http://www.barvolo.com/) The owner, Ralph,is a real supporter of local beer makers, wines & cheeses. There is always a rotating selection of Southern Ontario micros on tap for you to enjoy as well as one or two cask-conditioned ales.

On March 3 & 4 there was an IPA contest open to anyone who wanted to take their best guess at 6 local beers plus one 'mystery beer' not from Ontario. The results of the contest are posted on the Volo website. A member of Bier Gotter, Beer Guide and Bier Goddess Alexa all gave their best shot but alas, only 4 were accurately identified. These were the beers: 1. Tankhouse 2. West Coast Pale Ale 3. Great Eastern IPA 4. Headstrong Pale Ale 5. Hop Addict IPA 6. Sgt Major IPA 7. (The Mystery Beer!) Brooklyn Lager

Despite the low rate of the participants' accuracy, the IPA Challenge was definitely worth it. It only cost $12 to participate and whenever you get a chance to sit with other beer-minded people, it's an opportunity to learn, teach & commune. Not to mention the healthy competition that these kind of events inspire.


Some of the comments around the table were about how similar the IPA's were and why that is. As time went on and several passes were had among the 7 beers, palates got muddier - the differences between each dimished. We heard from the grapevine that the brewers were invited to take part but none did.

Another afternoon with good friends, good drink. It never fails to delight because the world of beer is so vast and varying, just like the people who seek them out!

The Walnut Fix

After enjoying a bottle of Maudite (http://www.unibroue.com/english.cfm), I took a sip of Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale (http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_nut_brown_ale.html). But something strange happened - the Nut Brown Ale tasted sour. I had another sip and again I got a very distinct sourness. I've had the Nut Brown Ale a few times before I had no memory of it tasting like this at all.

To try to 'correct' Beer Guide suggested eating walnuts. It worked perfectly. I think what happened was the bitter skin of the walnuts re-set my palate. The Nut Brown Ale had only tasted sour because my tongue had had something much sweeter in comparision just before. By eating something bitter, my tonge had a new frame of reference and the Nut Brown now tasted sweeter in comparision.

Does anyone else have any similar experiences when mixing beers in a session?

Rocky Mountain Adventure

(This is the view from Lineham Ridge)

For 17 glorious days last summer Bier Goddess also was Mountain Goddess. Her time was spread out to cover Calgary, Banff National Park, Canmore, Waterton Lakes Provincial Park and just over the US border in Glacier National Park (also called the International Peace Park) in Montana.


Now don't you think that just because she was out in all of nature's glory that there was a lack quality beer. No, just the opposite in fact. In Calgary I can recommend the following liquor stores with great beer selections: Willow Park (south end of Calgary at 10801 Bonaventure Drive S.E.), Liquor Depot (north end of Calgary at 831 Edmonton Trail North, unit 117) and Kensington Wine Market(mid-town at 1257 Kensington Road N.W.).

In Banff, there is a suprisingly descent stock of beer at the tiny liquor store on behind the main street on the north side called Liquor World at the back of Cascade Mall (202 Wolf Street). The Irish pub almost directly opposite that liquor store has excellent draught offering (and the best fish & chips I've ever had).


(A view from Canmore looking up at Three Sisters)

In the town of Canmore there is probably the best liquor store outside of Calgary. It's called Alberta Spirits (1120 Railway Avenue, located at the edge of town just off the Trans Canada Highway). The staff there have excellent product knowledge and sometimes will let you try stuff out before purchasing. Also worth a visit while in Canmore is the Grizzly Paw Pub Brewing Company (622 Main Street also called 8th Street). In the pub you can try their line of beer on tap. They can all be tasted as 2oz tasters that come on a tray so you can pick your favorite. Most of their beers are bottled so you take some to go. (website: http://www.thegrizzlypaw.com/)


When Bier Goddess was in the tiny town of Babb, Montana just outside Glacier National Park where there is steakhouse called The Cattle Baron Supper Club. It's hard to miss since it is the biggest building in town with hardly any buildings. Entering the restaurant is like stepping into a place that time forgot. The first thing you see is the big,wooden wrap-around bar where one can spy the very decent selection of bottled beers in the glass fridge (American micro o-plenty) and the variety of excellent draft they have tapped.


Continuing inside, there was lots of wood panelling on the walls, slate floors, a huge curved staircase upstairs to the dining area and mounted on high on the wall on the second floor is a replica model of ancient aborignal hunting area, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump - very cool.


(This is the view from the path up to Lake Bourgeau early in the accent.)

It was nearing the end of the mountain adventure. Bier/Mountain Goddess had enjoyed numerous hikes, plenty of wildlife sightings (the highlight was the cougar), a day of spelunking, a dip in the hot springs, concerts, an art show, miles of heart breakingly beautiful countryside, scrumptious food and of course her fill of tasty beers (both regional micros and American & European imports). There was enough time for one last hiking challenge - Lake Bourgeau/Mt. Bourgeau.


It's funny how even the most modest of accomplishments can give one a sense of wellness and joy. This hike marked my personal best - I had grunted & struggled up my first vertical mile (1400m vertical gain from the starting altitude). The day was long and dusty. By the time I got near the top, I was exhausted and my legs were really spent but I was so happy. Yes, maybe not anything really special to anyone else but for me, it was a moment I won't soon forget. I felt like I was on top of the world.

It was bitter-sweet on the last night before heading home to Toronto. To toast another great trip, a Rattlesnake E.S.B Ale was chosen as the celebratory drink. Just a note, beer foams quite a bit when pouring into a stainless steel cup. If you rinse the cup with cold water, it helps a bit but it would still be wise to pour slowly.


Written on the BC Beer's website was:

"Rattlesnake E.S.B. Ale (Bitter, 5%) - While it doesn't fit the traditional E.S.B. profile in terms of colour (too light) or alcohol content (too low), it does have a good smack of hop bitterness to it. Can have a somewhat astringent graininess, but worth it for the hops."
For More information on British Columbia microbrews see this link: http://www.bcbeer.ca/default.aspx

Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

This lovely, black stout is from Yukon Brewing Company of Whitehorse. This impressive 1 liter bottle was purchased on an adventure last summer to Banff, Alberta. It was put away upon return from the trip until it could be shared with Beer Friends (one of whom is a particular fan of stouts and porters). We thought, "This should be right up her alley." We paired it with the 'intense dark' Espresso Escape cacao chocolate bar from Ghirardelli of San Francisco.

In a tasting seminar Bier Goddess attended a year or two ago, it was suggested that all food pairings should either be a compliment or a contrast to the beer being drunk. This pairing was a near perfect compliment - the dark, velvetly dry flavour of the stout was enhanced by the bitter, espresso chocolate. Although the stout had 6.2% alcohol, the low carbonation made it go down smoothly, effortlessly and far too quickly. It was enjoyed as the dessert after a lovely dinner. It wasn't so long ago that it would have been inconceivable to think of eating dessert matched with a beer. But Bier Goddess has learned that just like with wine, there can be great pairings with all kinds of food. It's a matter of investigating suggestions from others and experimenting on your own.

Written on the label was the following:

Hearty northern people love a hearty stout beer. We've teamed up with Yukon's famous Midnight Sun Coffee Roaster to create this special blend. Originally developed for "Bean Queen" Zola Dore in a small batch kettle system by Yukoner Mitt Stehelin, we've retained the artisan qualities of this unique, unfiltered brew.

The robust taste of this hearty stout starts with the smooth glide of real espresso and finishes with a dry, chocolately malt flavour. Why the big bottle? You'll love it so much, you'll want to share it with a friend, or not!