Behind the Beer: Kevin Freer of Wellington Brewery Talks Brewing and Podcasting
I “met” Kevin Freer through a chance encounter on Reddit. I was posting my review of Arch Brewing’s Dinner Jacket, (contract brewed at Wellington Brewery) and he commented noting it was a challenging brew. Being a huge Welly fan, I leapt at the chance to interview…
Bud Light VS. Coors Light: What’s the Worst Light Beer?
I know it’s been on your mind. Deep down, every time you see a can of light beer cracked open and (probably) shotgunned, you wonder if it’s the worst light beer out there. Well, I tried two particularly bad ones to determine which was worse,…
Head to Head (to head): Session Pale Ale Stand-off
Like a bolt of low-ABV lightning, session pale ales have struck the hearts and minds brewers and drinkers alike. Perhaps in response to towering alcohol percentages and crippling bitterness, a wave of highly drinkable session pale ales have become available for public consumption. Among these,…
Behind the Beer: Arch Brewing is Setting Up Shop in Newmarket
My relationship with Arch Brewing began like so many do these days – with a tweet. As I was perusing Twitter, I came across a new brewery announcing it was setting up a location in Newmarket (which is essentially my hometown.) A couple of years ago,…
Behind the Beer: Burdock is Brewing Up in Bloordale
With its bustle of boutiques and quaint cafes, it seems nearly impossible to make Bloordale in west Toronto any more charming – but Burdock Brewery and Music Hall (1184 Bloor St.) is going to try. Fully opened in April of 2015, Burdock is a small pub…
Start Sipping Sour Beer: The Next Big Trend
We’ve done the bitter-bomb IPAs. We’re doing the easy-to-session ales. And we’re about to do the Sour Beers. I’m calling it now – the next big trend in brewing is going to be sour beers. I know what you’re thinking: “Who the hell wants to…
Behind the Beer: Shannon Howatt is Breaking Down the Home Brewing Boy’s Club
Picture in your head a modern brewer. If the person you imagine is impressively bearded, stocky, tattooed and male — well you’ve got a pretty good sense of an average brewer. But there are some who break the mould, and one of them is Toronto’s…
Arch Brewing’s Dinner Jacket O’Red IPA is Worth Trying On
As an IPA fan, you tend to fall into a bit of a trance when tasting new ones. There’s hardly a dearth of choices, and there seems to be a new one every week. Each IPA that passes my lips has to try harder to…
Head to Head: Trappistes Rochefort 8 vs. Chimay Bleue Trappist Ale
There’s nothing quite like a Trappist ale. Boldly yeasty, intensely fruity, lushly carbonated and indulgently alcoholic, these beers are a class unto their own. Not just any brewery can call itself Trappist either – no, in fact there are numerous strict qualifiers, which leave only…
B-Side’s La Formidable is a Gigantic Success
While Beau’s and B-Side only released their latest beer project La Formidable — an American-Beligo IPA with Gigantic Brewery — in February, I’ve been looking forward to it since December. After being blown away by B-Side’s first release, Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale, I was compelled…