Clipper City Multi-Pak

Clipper City Brewing Company is located in Baltimore, Maryland. They make a variety of beers. This multi-pak included four of their beers from the Heavy Seas series which included the Peg Leg Imperial Stout, the Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, the Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale and the Winter Storm "Category 5" Ale.

I did not know what to expect from any of these beers. I had never heard of Clipper City before but since this multi-pak included a range of beer styles I thought what the heck. Plus this was recommended and if you don't try new stuff, you never discover what's out there. So this is how it went.

The Peg Leg Imperial Stout had the taste of molasses and sweet smoke with low carbonation. It smelled of dark malt and a hint of smoke. It was very dark black/brown and opaque, no light coming through this one at all. Over all, it lacked the balance to carry the amount sweetness it presented. I would not recommend this one.

Small Craft Warning Uber Pils is golden/dark honey in colour with 7% alcohol it also is a very sweet brew. Lightly hopped with low carbonation, it had a honey flavour and a slight orange zestiness. A bit too sweet for the style, it smelled of cantalope and citrus.

The Winter Storm "Category 5" Ale was much more satisfying. This 7.5% alcohol imperial IPA was sweet but hoppy all at once. It's juicy malt, long citrus finish ends with a mouth puckering grapefruit with a bitter after-taste. There was a medium hop oily mouth feel and a hoppy citrus aroma. There was almost no head or lace and it had a slightly cloudy copper/red colour. I wish I had another one.

Saving the best for last, the Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale is a dark golden amber. At 7.25% it had a gentle, sweet floral nose. Hoppy and citrusy, tart and crisp, it is well balanced with some maltiness. Although it is not a session beer, I could definitely have more than one. Delicious, I thought this was the best one of the pak.

For more on Clipper City, go to www.clippercitybeer.com

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!

Williamsville Adventure

It was February 24 and Bier Goddess was sick of the cold weather that had her trapped inside. She was itching for an adventure. What is far enough from Toronto to feel like you're getting out of town but not so far that a one day round trip would wear you out? Consumer's Beverage in Williamsville, NY at 8580 Transit Road.

The hour and a half car ride was well rewarded. There was a good selection of bottled American micros (Rogue, Stone, Great Divide, Avery, Victory, Bear Republic, Ommegang, Middle Ages, Clipper City, etc.) and bottled imports. The bonus was the tap station where there are 12 drafts to choose from for a take-home growler. (http://www.consumersbeverages.com/brew/new.html)

And it was at the tap station that we began chatting with a very patient gentleman named Tom who helped us navigate through the choices of beer - choices of which is not to be had in Ontario.

After a lengthy visit we checked out, giddy with excitement. Between the two of us, we agonizingly made our final choices. The cart was full and we were getting hungry so this was the result of the check out: 68 bottles (fifty 331 ml bottles and eighteen 650 ml bottles), $260 USD and $65 CAD taxes at Canadian customs). Just a sidebar about wine. We found out that there was a recent change to the duty charged on wine. I had purchased four bottles, each priced at $15 USD. The duty on these four bottles of wine was $50 CAD!! The customs agent explained that the LCBO got wind of Canadians going across to NY state to buy higher priced bottles because the duty was approximately $2 per bottle. Now the duty is calculated on the price point versus the volume. An expensive lesson to learn but at least I didn't buy a case.

With hungry stomachs we made our way down Transit Road a couple of minutes to Pizza Plant.





(http://www.pizzaplant.com/)
They are famous for their gourmet pizza & pods (calzone type stuffed pocket) and a good selection of micro drafts. I had a pint of the Rogue cask-conditioned Charlie and Beer Guide had an Avery IPA.



This was the take out...the pods are BIG. The marinara sauce that comes with it is so yummy. I should have asked for an extra for my leftover.



At home with a growler...or two...cheers to a good day out!

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?

Beer Suitcase

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. This is exactly how the Beer Suitcase came into being. Now some will argue that the need for beer is not a real necessity, and that the Beer Suitcase in not really an invention, but I will show that this is a perfect example of how ingenuity was inspired by my life's specific requirements.

Some people need a car. For the most part, I have learned to make do with public transit after someone rear ended me and totalled my car. Some people have a need to make a lot of money. I have never been inspired by money, rather, I have learned how to make my modest earnings work for me. I do however get great enjoyment from good food and good drink with friends. My appreciation for well made, thoughtful, handcrafted things gives me pleasure. Time spent working earns me the few nice things that I choose to spend my paycheque on. I do not buy souvenirs or trinkets when I travel. I do not spend a lot of time in malls & boutiques buying piles of clothes. The thing I buy when I travel is usually new & interesting beer (the variety of which I cannot get in Toronto) and very little else.

In the last few years, I've travelled as often as time and money allowed. This is why the Beer Suitcase became a kind of necessity for me. Since security and air travel regulations have become increasingly strict, we are, among many other things, not allowed to bring more than 100 ml. of liquid in our carry-on luggage. Now having to check all my precious beer requires special packing. (It was so much easier when I could take a box with me on the plane as my carry-on luggage.) With Beer Guide taking the lead, the Beer Suitcase was devised.

The task was figuring out how to pack a number of glass bottles in a regular suitcase in a way that would protect them from tough handling with light-weight, sturdy packing materials. Keeping in mind that most airlines allow 50 lbs. per piece of checked luggage, an oversized suitcase would just be too heavy when it was fully packed with bottles, so a small case with a pull out handle with wheels was choosen. Beer Guide got a typical 650 ml. and 331 ml. bottle to accurately estimate the total weight once the case was packed.

After some debate, this is what resulted:

Cardboard tubing 0.4 cm thick was cut into lengths of just longer than a 650ml bottle. Ten tubes were cut and could be placed width wise in the suitcase in 2 layers. Also included were packing foam & bubble wrap to make the interior as tightly packed as possible. Eliminating rattle inside a suitcase will almost ensure no breakage. A roll of packing tape and a pair of small sissors were also brought on the trip, just in case.

This worked perfectly when tested on it's maiden voyage. Not only was packing the beer easy & quick, all 17 bottles made it home without a single loss. Success was sweet...may Beer Suitcase have many, many more voyages to come. Amen.