Head to Head: Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale vs. St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale
Writing about pumpkin ale is always a little intimidating. They’re not held in high esteem by the snobbish, and often considered a seasonal gimmick, with little actual merit. But I’ve gone out on a limb before and I’m going to do so again — I like…
Erath Pinot Noir is a Perfect, Light, Fall Red Wine
The cold weather cometh — and while that can be a bit of a rocky transition for everyone, I don’t think anyone is hit harder than white wine drinkers. Ok that might be an exaggeration, but seriously one day you’re reaching for that bracingly cold…
Bearface Is a Weird and Welcome Canadian Whisky
Think of a Canadian whisky. I wouldn’t be surprised if Canadian Club, or Crown Royal popped into your head. The taste of those whiskies — or rather the lack thereof — is the hallmark of a dram from the true-north-strong-and-free. That is to say, boring…
Blood Brothers, Beer Delivery and A Beautiful ‘Pilsner’: Trans Human State
The point of this post isn’t just to review the lovely Trans Human State Pilsner(ish) from Blood Brothers — it’s a nod to them and all local breweries for stepping up quickly and efficiently to continue providing access to their myriad ambrosias during this global…
13th Street Premier Cuvée Is a Brilliant Vintage Bubbly
Alright, so, I realize that reviewing a sparkling wine during the apex of pandemic pandemonium might be on the odd side of decisions to make, but having recently tried the phenomenally good 13th Street Premier Cuvée, (2013), I simply had to share. And since we can’t…
Wellington Brewery’s Imperial Russian Stout is a Superb Winter Sipper
I’ve been drinking Wellington beers since almost the very first weekend I cared about craft beer. I remember my newfound love of hops lead me to their classic Special Pale Ale (SPA) that became a staple pint for me whenever I visited Guelph, where Wellington…
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Is a Bourbon Worth Tracking Down
For Americans, finding an amazing bourbon is as easy as popping down to the grocery store and grabbing a bottle for $30. For Canadians, your most basic bottle is gonna set you back a cool $50 — and that’s just for the basics. Outside of…
Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County Is a Magnificent Zinfandel Blend
My Dad is one of the reasons I fell in love with wine. Not only is it his pure and earnest enjoyment of a good glass or his devotion to St- Emilions, but it’s the fact that every once in a while he’ll get a…
Five Years of Sublime Imbibing: New Look, Same Booze + My 5 Fave Drinks
Five years ago I bought a domain. I didn’t know how to make a website, or really what to do with one. I had a blog at the time which some of you may remember “Sipping with Smoth” hosted on Blogspot and looking closer to…
Flying Monkey’s Sparklepuff Triple IPA Dazzles, Even As it Inebriates
I vividly remember the first time I tried a Flying Monkeys beer. It’s hard to forget, really, going from drinking sweet corn lagers to Smashbomb IPA. It really blew me away — it was loud, it was bitter and by god it was STRONG. I…