So what's next? I'll tell you what's next. The beer list from the last 365 days. Here it is!
January '07
Belle-Vue Kriek
Wellington Brewery - Imperial Russian Stout
St. Peter's - English Ale
Heineken - Lager
Glenora Springs - Triple Chin Irish Ale
Mill St. - Tankhouse Ale
Robert Simpson - Confederation Ale
County Durham - E.S.B.
Scotch Irish - Sgt. Major I.P.A
Brick - Waterloo Dark
Macauslan's - St. Ambroise Pale Ale
Shiner - Hefeweizen
Moosehead - Lager
Molson - Canadian
Maclean's - Scotch Ale
Blue Moon - Wit
Widmer Bros - Hefeweizen
Duvel - Belgian Ale
Redhook - E.S.B
Shiner - Bock
Armadillo Restaurant - Armadillo Red
Sleeman - Bard's Ale
Upper Canada - Red Ale
Boddingtons - Cream Ale
Redhook - I.P.A
Hockley Valley - Dark Ale
February '07
Molson - Rickard's Red
Granite Brewing - Dry Hopped Best Bitter
Great Lakes Brewing - Black Jack Lager
Sam Adams - Boston Lager
Pilsner Urquell - Pilsner
Niagra Brewing - Eisbock
Headstrong - Pale Ale
Molson - Rickard's Pale Ale
Labatts - 50 Ale
Wellington Brewing - County Ale
Schneider & Sohns - Weissbier
Guiness - Stout
Tiger - Lager
DeKonink - Belgian Ale
Brick - J.R. Brickman Amber Lager
Steamwhistle - Pilsner
Staropramen - Pilsner
Fuller's - London Porter
Macauslan's - Apricot Wheat
Brooklyn Brewing - Brooklyn Lager
Okocim - Porter
Warsteiner - Pilsner
Paulaner - Salvator Bock
Upper Canada - Dark Ale
Great Lakes Brewing - Winter Ale
Schneider & Sohns - Aventinus
Wychwood - Fiddler's Elbow
Sheperd's Neame - Bishop's Finger
March '07
Wychwood - Hobgoblin
County Durham - Sweet Stout
Rogue - Dead Guy Ale
Fuller's - London Pride Ale
Sapparo - Lager
DAB - Dortmunder
Kronenbourg - 1664 Lager
Coors - Coor's Light
Faxe - Lager
Labatt's - Old Mick's Red Lager
Denison's - Dunkel
Heather;s Ale - Alba Scots Pine Ale
Heather's Ale - Fraoch Ale
Heather's Ale - Grozet Gooseberry Wheat
Tecate - Cerveza
Heather's Ale - Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale
Durham County - Signiture Ale
Newcastle - Brown Ale
Zywiec - Lager
Becks - Lager
Zlatorog - Lager
Wychwood - Black Witch Stout
Wolaver's - Organic Nut Brown
Harpoon - U.F.O. Weizen
Harpoon - I.P.A.
Ringwood - Old Thumper Extra Special Ale
Upper Canada - Lager
Otter Creek - Stove Pipe Porter
Golden Phesant - Lager
Unibrue - Blanche De Chambly
Mill St. - Helles Bock
April '07
Otter Creek - Pale Ale
Cafe Diplimatico - House Stout
Robert Simpson - Sugarbush Lager
Long Trail - Hibernator Winter Ale
Molson - Old Vienna
Trailhead - Lager
Tsing Tao - Lager
Sagres - Lager
Wellington Brewery - Strong Ale
Shipyard - Export
Otter Creek - Copper Ale
Shipyard - I.P.A
Sierra Nevada - Pale Ale
Cafe Diplimatico - House Lager
Great Lakes Brewing - Orange Peel Ale
Amsterdam Brewing - Dutch Amber
Long Trail - I.P.A
Long Trail - Hefeweizen
Molson - Canadian Light
Amsterdam Brewing - Spring Bock
Denison's - Weissbier
Trafalgar Ales & Meads - Irish Celtic Ale
Long Trail - Alt
Saporoni - Lager
Kilkenny - Irish Red Ale
Corona - Cerveza
Molson - Rickard's White
Murphy's - Irish Stout
Amstel - Amstel Light
Zubr - Lager
May '07
Lezajsk - Lager
Well's - Bombardier Ale
Cameron's - Auburn Ale
Niagra Falls Brewing - Gristone Ale
Mill St. - 175 Anniversay Ale
True North - Blonde Lager
Charles Well's - I.P.A
Saku - Original Lager
Sleeman - Honey Brown
Lech - Lager
Leffe - Blonde Ale
Rogue - Imperial Pilsner
Foggy Dew - Foggy Dew House Ale
Red Horse -Lager
Greene King - Abbot Ale
Anchor Brewing - Liberty Ale
Caledonian -80/ - Scotch Ale
Nickelbrook Brewing- Maple Porter
Stratford Brewing - I.P.A
Niagra Brewing - Angel's Lager
Brasserie Des Gabariers - Atlantic Beer au Pineau
Sheperd's Neame - Spitfire Kentishh Ale
Heritage Brewing - Maplebush Lager
San Miguel - Pale Pilsner
Black Oak Brewing - Lemon Pepper Ale
La Chouffre - Blonde
Fuller's - E.S.B
Sinha - Stout
Affligem - Blonde Ale
Creemore - Pilsner
Cooper's - Sparkling Ale
June '07
Wadworth - 6X Premium Ale
Maclean's - Pale Ale
Trafalgar Ales & Meads - Paddy's Irish Red Ale
Charles Wells - John Bull Ale
Saigon - Export
Trafalger Ales & Meads - Maple Bock
Old Credit - Amber Ale
Stonehammer - Pilsner
Old Mill Brewery - Irish Ale
Warka - Strong Lager
Fischer - Blonde
Lakes of Muskoka - Cream Ale
Hacker Pschorr - Edel Helle
Marston's - Pedigree Ale
Sierra Nevada - Summerfest Lager
Lakefront Brewing - New Grist Sorghum & Rice Beer
Brooklyn Brewing - 55' Pennant Lager
He'Brew - Massiah Blonde
Duckstien - Alt
True North - Cream Ale
Banks - Stout
Lakes Of Muskoka - Dark Ale
Lakes of Muskoka - Weissbier
Erdinger - Weissbier
Rogue - Uberfest Pilsner
Ommegang - Witt
Big Rock - Grass Hopper Wheat Ale
True North - Wunderweisse
True North - Alt
Merchant Ale House - E.S.B
July '07
Pearl Street Bar & Grille - Trainwreck Alt
Dogfish Head - 90 minute I.P.A
La Chouffre - Mc Chouffre Brown Ale
J.W. Dundee - American Pale Ale
Paulaner - Weissbier
Sarnac - Pale Ale
Pabst - Blue Ribbon
Bass - Pale Ale
Ayinger - Dopplebock
Rogue - Brutal Bitter
Magic Hat - Circus Boy weissbier
Forst - Premium Lager
Southern Tier - I.P.A
Grand River Brewing - Plowman's Ale
O'Hanlan's - Port Stout
Ommegang - Belgian Abbey Ale
Ellicotville Brewing - American Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot 2007
Magic Hat - Hocus Pocus Summerwheat Ale
Harpoon - Nut Brown
Two Brothers Brewing - Hop Juice
Labatt - Labatt Ice
Orval - Trappist Ale
Stonehammer - Dark Ale
Edelweiss - Weissbier Hefe Trub
Samuel Smith - Old Brewery Pale Ale
St. Pauli Girl - Dark Lager
Cuvee De Trull - Belgian Ale
The Ithica Brewing Co. - Cascazilla Red Ale
Chimay - White Triple
Unibrue - La Fin De Monde Triple
August '07
True North - I.P.A
True North - Strong Ale
Grand River Brewing - Old Stlyle Galt Knife Lager
St. Andre - Great Eastern I.P.A
Patagonia - Lager
Amsterdam - Nut Brown
Left Hand Brewing - Milk Stout
Mackeson - Stout
Caffery's - Irish Ale
North Coast Brewing - Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Mill St. - Belgian Wit
Red Stripe - Lager
Fuller's - Organic Honey Beer
Christoffel - Blonde Pilsner
Taps - Cream Ale
Boris - Lager
Holstein - Festbock
Hockley - Gold Premium Draught
Konings Hueven - Belgian Ale
Radeberger - Pils
Kostritzer - Schwartzbier
Holstien - Maibock
Wernesgruner - Pils
Walkerville - Lager
Yuengling - Amber Lager
Mill St. - I.P.A
Macaulan's - Scotch Ale
Mill St. - Organic Lager
Old Credit - Pale Pilsner
Okocim - Mocne
Triple Karmeliet -Triple
September '07
Elora Mills - Grand Lager
Unibrue - Maudite
Mythos - Pilsner
Tusker - Lager
Trafalger Ales & Meads - Portside Amber
Salva Vida - Lager
Great Lakes Brewing - 666 Devil's Pale Ale
Brick - J.R. Brickman Pilsner
Barena - Lager
St. Peter's - Best Bitter
Port Royal - Export Pilsner
Kozel - Pilsner
Trafalger Ales & Meads - Smoked Oatmeal Stout
Anchor Brewing - Porter
Tyskie - Lager
Zelta - Lager
Mill St. - Coffee Porter
Fuller's - 1845 Bottle Conditioned Ale
Deuchar's - I.P.A
Burton Bridge Brewery - Burton Porter
Carib - Lager
Brooklyn Brewing - Monster Ale
Jever - Pils
Scotch Irish - Black Irish Plain Porter
Pinkus - Organic UrPils
Great Divide - DPA Pale Ale
Dog Fish Head - Indian Brown Ale
Taps - Vanilla Wheat
Stone Brewing - Arrogant Bastard Ale
October '07
Sierra Nevada - Anniversay Ale
Black Sheep Brewing - Monty Python Holy Ale
Belhaven - Twisted Thistle I.P.A
Schlenkerla - Marzen Rauchbier
Pinkus - Organic Weissbier
Southern Tier - Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Great Lakes Brewing - Pumpkin Ale
Granville Island - Weizen
Steamworks Brewing - Raven Brown Ale
Canoe Brewpub - Pale Ale
Tree Brewing - Hop Head I.P.A
Tree Brewing - Spy Porter
Yale Town Brewpub - Sling Stout
Ommegang - Hennepin Saison Ale
Sam Adam's - Imperial Pilsner
Swan's Brewing - Pandora's Pale Ale
Philip's Brewing - Longboat Double Chocolate Porter
Great Divide - Tital I.P.A
Spinnaker's - Unsinkable Molly Brown, Brown Ale
Westmalle - Dubbel
Nickelbrook - Left Hook Barley Wine
Lindeman's - Lambic Gueze
Marcardles - Traditional Ale
Swan's Brewing - Riley's Scotch Ale
Spinnaker's - Mitchel's E.S.B
Spinnaker's - I.P.A
Swan's - Pumpkin Ale
O'Hara's - Wheat Ale
The Greenwich Brewery - Meantime I.P.A
O'Hara's - Molings Traditional Irish Red
Abbey de Rock - Belgian Ale
November '07
Stone Brewing - Stone I.P.A
Jenalin - Ambree Biere de Gaurde
Pirrat - Belgian Ale
Swan's Brewing - Oatmeal Stout
Liefman's - Kriek
Sleeman - Original Draught
Brookly Brewing - Nut Brown Ale
Rogue - Chocolate Stout
O'Hara's - Celtic Stout
Mill St. - Stock Ale
Holstien - Pils
Lagunitas - Maximus I.P.A
Harviestoun - Bitter & Twisted
Mayabe - Cerveza
Brakspear - Organic
Grand River Brewing - Mill Race Mild
Crystal - Cerveza
Moretti - Pilsner
Southern Tier - Unearthly Imperial I.P.A
O'Hanlan's - Thomas Hardy 2006
Great Lakes Brewing (US) - Dortmunder Gold
Harvey's - 1859 Porter
Black Oak - Nut Cracker Porter
Macaulan's - St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Bucanero - Fuente Lager
Great Lakes Brewing (US) - Burning River Pale Ale
Mill St. - Frambrozen
Lagunitas - I.P.A
Mill St. - Barley Wine 2007
Dominc's Restaurant - Amber Canadian House Lager
December '07
Lakes of Muskoka - Muskoka Lager
Faxe - Amber Lager
Stone Brewing - Smoked Porter
Warstiener - Dunkel
Brooklyn Brewing - Black Chocolate Stout
Bucenaro - Max Lager
Garrison Brewing - Imperial Pale Ale
Grand River Brewing - Jubilation Spiced Ale
Anchor Brewing - Our Special Ale
Schneider & Sohn - Aventinus Eisbock
Royal Oak - Traditional Bitter
Southern Tier - Big Red Imperial Red Ale
Mill St. - Barley Wine 2004
Hockley Valley - Irish Stout
Black Sheep - Riggwelter Yorkshire Strong Ale
St. Peter's - Winter Ale
Wychwood - Bah Humbug Christmas Ale
Trafalgar Ales & Meads - Belgian Abbey Spiced Ale
Ommegang - Rare Vos Amber Ale
Petrus - Old Bruin
Brakspear - Triple
Flying Dog - Double Dog Double Pale Ale
Real Rock - Lager
Great Divide - Yeti Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Southern Tier - Blackwater Imperial Coffee Stout
John Evan's Home Brew - Winter Ale 2007
Great Divide - Old Ruffian Barley Wine
Pearl St. Bar & Grille - Saber's Edge Double I.P.A
De Konink - Blonde Ale
Samuel Smith - Old Brewery Taddy Porter
Brooklyn Brewing - Local 1 Saison
January '08
Brooklyn Brewing - East India Pale Ale
Mahr's - Der Wiesse Bock
Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale
Red Hook - Winter Hook Winter Ale
So there it is. The beer list from my past year. Now before anyone gets all huffy about it, I know that some of the beers are actually the same. Not in name, but in brew. Amsterdam Dutch Amber is the same as Cafe Diplimatico's House Amber. Blue Moon is the same as Rickard's White. But to be fair, I didn't know this when I drank them and only learned it after. So the spirit of my quest was still there. To my knowlege I was drinking a different beer, so I'm cool with that. My main objective was to try as many beers as I could this year and I did that. There are 365 days in a year and 365 chances to try something new. I believe I held true to that.
I also realize that not all my numbers are going to add up to the ones I posted yesterday. They may be off by a few here or there, but what's the big woop. I wrote down the beers in a calander for chrissakes. I should've done what my wife said and put it in a spread sheet. But I didn't, I was lazy. This would've been way easier to do now, but you know what they say about hinde sight? And again, it's just beer people. It's no big deal. So if you got a problem with it, you can go take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!
So what did I learn from drinking 365 beers in 365 days? Well....there are certainly a lot of good beers out there. Only twice did I dump the beer out. Golden Pheasant, it was skunky and Monty's Python's Holy Ale, because it was ass. Other than that I made it through each beer.
Obviously some days were harder than others. Choking down a beer after a kick-in-the-head hangover can be tough, but sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered.
Oh, I learned that buying a beer a day starts to wear on the wallet. It can get pretty pricey. I just took a trip to Buffalo to buy a few beers....$80 for 15 beers! Ouch. But what are you going to do?
I also learned that there are lot of breweries out there doing their very best to put out some crazy ass beers just to keep us crazy ass beer drinkers happy and sated. It's wonderful. It's impossible to get bored if you just look around!
But mostly I learned that pairing beer and food is absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. I started out just having the beer by itself, but as time wore on it became more and more difficult to find the time to just drink a beer. So naturally the beer made it's way into dinner. By the end of the year, I could scarcely have dinner without a beer. Not everything went together like Bogie and Bacall, but when it did, let me tell you what! A medium rare, blue cheese burger and Irish Stout....orgasmic. Pad Thai and weissbier....outstanding. Vindaloo and I.P.A....awesome. Porter and Chocolate...get me a kleenex!
Lastly, I learned that having a beer each day makes it extremely difficult to stop drinking a beer a day. Around 3 pm in the afternoon I start thinking about what beer I'm going to have that night and what I'm going to eat it with. Sometimes I'd call my wife and ask her what we were having for dinner and then I'd just start thinking of the beers I had in my fridge and what would go best with it. Beer addicting? No way. Impossible!
Anyhoo, that's that. I hope you had fun cause I certainly did.
So what's next?
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
A Year of Beer - 365 different beers in 365 different Days
What's next? I'll tell you what's next. Drinking a different beer everyday for a full year.
Yes in 2007, (minus the first four days of 2007, which were picked up on the first four days of 2008) I drank a different beer each day. I didn't think that it would be a particularly difficult task and in some respects it wasn't, in fact it was quite a joy. But in other respects, it sucked major ball sack.
Firstly, in Ontario we are pretty much relegated to buying whatever the Beer Store and Liquor store has on stock at the time. The Beer Store may tout the fact that they have three-hundred-and-some-odd different types of beer for sale, but for the most part that's just a bunch of hogwash. Mostly because, of those three-hundred-and-some-odd "different" beers, 295 of them are the same generic-yellow-tasteless-fizzy-lager-style beers. So how much fun would it be to drink the same goddamn style of beer everyday for a year? Not too much I'm afraid. And truthfully, I despise that particular style of beer. Lagers can be great. They can be refreshing and they can be full bodied, they can be bitter and they can have a delicious whisp of hops across the nose. But sadly this is not the case for many of the lagers available at the beer store. Because many of them are the lowly "buck-a-beer" dealies that frankly taste like the under side of a donkey's cock. Now don't get into the whole, "how do you know what the under side of a donkey's cock tastes like?" argument....let's just let that one ride and we'll move on with the post.
And another thing about the Beer Store! I can't count how many times I walked into different beers stores across the city, took my time scouring the wall of labels looking for something different, something new and exciting, finally find one, only to be told that they don't have it in stock. Many times I had to revert to my third and fourth choices! What kind of way is that to run a business? Well what does it matter to the Beer Store? They are a fucking monopoly! And since they have no real competition, they don't really care. It's ridiculous. It's pathetic. It's Ontario.
Now the LCBO has done a good job this year picking up the slack. They seem genuinely interested in supplying different beers from around the world to the beer purchasers in Ontario.
Their shelves seem, more and more, to be stocked with some interesting beers from some very interesting places around the globe. With new releases seemingly popping up each month. They still have a long way to go, for evidence, just pop into any LCBO and see how many of the imports are again just lagers from other parts of the world, but at least they are trying.
The price point maybe different from the Beer Store, which maybe part of the reason that the Beer Store doesn't stock to many imports or Micros, but again that is just our wonderful government at work. Now don't quote me on this, but I've been told that on a percentage basis, Canada is the second highest taxed country in the world when it comes to beer and liquor. WTF? I can see the argument in that I would gladly pay a little more for beer and liquor if it means I get free health care, but come on. It's getting ridiculous.
Anyhoo, enough of the ranting and raving. Truth is, if you want to find good beer there are many options available to you. Especially here in Toronto.
You can visit many of the local Craft and Micros across the GTA and purchase directly from them. Mill St, Magnotta, Great Lakes Brewing, Steamwhistle, Black Oak, Cameron's, Trafalgar Ales & Meads, Old Credit Brewing...and the list goes on. There are a lot of great beers to be had if you just go out and take a look.
There are also many great beer bars across the GTA. Cafe Volo, C'est What?, The Rhino, Victory Cafe, The Beer Bistro, Michelle's Brasserie, the Mill Street Brew Pub, The Granite Brewery and Pub, just to name a few. And many of these bars offer great events throughout the year. Cafe Volo hosts a cask day each year. C'est What? has there spring and fall craft brewing festivals. The Granite has Robbie Burns day and other brewing focused dinners.
And if you really feel the need to try something different, take a drive down the QEW, pop across the border and just inside State side, there is a great little place in Buffalo called, The Premier Gourmet. They have an extensive beer list, many of which are unavailable to us in Canada. And with a strong dollar it maybe worth the trip.
So I may complain about the beer selection, but truthfully there are many options, case in point, my 365 different beers.
Now I also had many friends who just happened to be travelling last year bring me back beers from the many locals they were travelling too, and I myself picked up some great beers from my West Coast visit this year, but for the most part, the beers were purchased here in Ontario.
So with out further adieu, here is the break down of the beers I enjoyed over the past year.
Oh, and one more thing. This list is in no way the only beer I drank over the last year. Many times I would have 2 or more different beers in a day, but these are just the ones I wrote down, or at least remembered.
What were they?
Ales - 247
Lagers - 115
Lambics - 3
How did I drink them?
Bottles - 266
Draught - 55
Cans - 35
Cask - 8
Growler - 1
How many Different Countries?
37
What Countries were they from?
Canada - 137
U.S. - 80
England - 40
Germany - 25
Belgium - 18
Poland - 8
Ireland - 6
Scotland - 5
France - 5
Cuba - 4
Czech Rep - 3
Honduras - 3
Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico, Italy, Jamaica, Philippines - 2
Singapore, Japan, Slovenia, Slovakia, China, Portugal, Hungary, Estonia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Vietnam, Barbados, Austria, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Holland, Greece, Kenya & Latvia - 1
How many different Styles?
67 (If they didn't specify, I would try to decipher it myself or I just put it in a generic Lager or Ale category. There are also, many subcategories of styles.)
What styles were they?
Lager - 55
Ale - 27
I.P.A. - 20
Double or Imperial I.P.A. - 1
Pale Ale - 23
Double or Imperial Pale Ale - 3
E.S.B. - 6
Best Bitters - 3
Brown Ale (including Nut Browns) - 8
Indian Brown Ale - 1
Milds - 1
Porter (Including Smoked)- 13
Coffee Porter - 1
Double Chocolate Porter - 1
Stout (Including Irish, Oatmeal & Smoked) - 15
Russian Imperial Stout - 3
Chocolate Stout - 2
Imperial Coffee Stout - 1
Barley Wine - 7
Scotch Ale - 4
Strong Ale - 3
Winter Ale - 10
Red Ale - 6
Amber Ale - 2
Cream Ale - 6
Dark Ale - 11
Belgian Ale - 16
Triples - 3
Dubbels - 2
Saison - 2
Kriek - 2
Frambrozen - 1
Geueze - 1
Belgian Wit - 5
Weizen (German) - 8
Weizen (U.S. or North American) - 8
Weissbock - 1
Bock -4
Eisbock - 2
Dopplebock - 1
Hellesbock - 1
Maibock - 1
Festbock - 1
Vienna Lager - 1
Pilsner - 18
Imperial Pils - 2
Dortmunder - 2
Dunkel - 3
Schwatzbier - 1
Alt - 5
Export - 2
Bier Du Gaurde - 1
Dark Lager - 3
Red Lager - 1
Amber Lager - 4
Light Lager - 4
Cerveza - 7
Stock Ale - 1
Pumpkin Ale - 3
Orange Peel Ale - 1
Lemon Pepper Ale - 1
Vanilla Wheat Ale - 1
Apricot Wheat Ale - 1
Honey Brown Lager - 1
Maple Lager - 1
Sorghum & Rice Gluten Free - 1
Organic Ale or Lager - 4
So there you go. That's the break down. I know that there are many mistakes in there. The styles are kinda mixed up and aren't perfect, but you know what? Cram it with walnuts mister! It's beer! Take it easy. We aren't saving lives here.
Anyhoo, I've wasted enough time with this today. Tomorrow or possibly next week, the entire list of beers!
So what's next?
Yes in 2007, (minus the first four days of 2007, which were picked up on the first four days of 2008) I drank a different beer each day. I didn't think that it would be a particularly difficult task and in some respects it wasn't, in fact it was quite a joy. But in other respects, it sucked major ball sack.
Firstly, in Ontario we are pretty much relegated to buying whatever the Beer Store and Liquor store has on stock at the time. The Beer Store may tout the fact that they have three-hundred-and-some-odd different types of beer for sale, but for the most part that's just a bunch of hogwash. Mostly because, of those three-hundred-and-some-odd "different" beers, 295 of them are the same generic-yellow-tasteless-fizzy-lager-style beers. So how much fun would it be to drink the same goddamn style of beer everyday for a year? Not too much I'm afraid. And truthfully, I despise that particular style of beer. Lagers can be great. They can be refreshing and they can be full bodied, they can be bitter and they can have a delicious whisp of hops across the nose. But sadly this is not the case for many of the lagers available at the beer store. Because many of them are the lowly "buck-a-beer" dealies that frankly taste like the under side of a donkey's cock. Now don't get into the whole, "how do you know what the under side of a donkey's cock tastes like?" argument....let's just let that one ride and we'll move on with the post.
And another thing about the Beer Store! I can't count how many times I walked into different beers stores across the city, took my time scouring the wall of labels looking for something different, something new and exciting, finally find one, only to be told that they don't have it in stock. Many times I had to revert to my third and fourth choices! What kind of way is that to run a business? Well what does it matter to the Beer Store? They are a fucking monopoly! And since they have no real competition, they don't really care. It's ridiculous. It's pathetic. It's Ontario.
Now the LCBO has done a good job this year picking up the slack. They seem genuinely interested in supplying different beers from around the world to the beer purchasers in Ontario.
Their shelves seem, more and more, to be stocked with some interesting beers from some very interesting places around the globe. With new releases seemingly popping up each month. They still have a long way to go, for evidence, just pop into any LCBO and see how many of the imports are again just lagers from other parts of the world, but at least they are trying.
The price point maybe different from the Beer Store, which maybe part of the reason that the Beer Store doesn't stock to many imports or Micros, but again that is just our wonderful government at work. Now don't quote me on this, but I've been told that on a percentage basis, Canada is the second highest taxed country in the world when it comes to beer and liquor. WTF? I can see the argument in that I would gladly pay a little more for beer and liquor if it means I get free health care, but come on. It's getting ridiculous.
Anyhoo, enough of the ranting and raving. Truth is, if you want to find good beer there are many options available to you. Especially here in Toronto.
You can visit many of the local Craft and Micros across the GTA and purchase directly from them. Mill St, Magnotta, Great Lakes Brewing, Steamwhistle, Black Oak, Cameron's, Trafalgar Ales & Meads, Old Credit Brewing...and the list goes on. There are a lot of great beers to be had if you just go out and take a look.
There are also many great beer bars across the GTA. Cafe Volo, C'est What?, The Rhino, Victory Cafe, The Beer Bistro, Michelle's Brasserie, the Mill Street Brew Pub, The Granite Brewery and Pub, just to name a few. And many of these bars offer great events throughout the year. Cafe Volo hosts a cask day each year. C'est What? has there spring and fall craft brewing festivals. The Granite has Robbie Burns day and other brewing focused dinners.
And if you really feel the need to try something different, take a drive down the QEW, pop across the border and just inside State side, there is a great little place in Buffalo called, The Premier Gourmet. They have an extensive beer list, many of which are unavailable to us in Canada. And with a strong dollar it maybe worth the trip.
So I may complain about the beer selection, but truthfully there are many options, case in point, my 365 different beers.
Now I also had many friends who just happened to be travelling last year bring me back beers from the many locals they were travelling too, and I myself picked up some great beers from my West Coast visit this year, but for the most part, the beers were purchased here in Ontario.
So with out further adieu, here is the break down of the beers I enjoyed over the past year.
Oh, and one more thing. This list is in no way the only beer I drank over the last year. Many times I would have 2 or more different beers in a day, but these are just the ones I wrote down, or at least remembered.
What were they?
Ales - 247
Lagers - 115
Lambics - 3
How did I drink them?
Bottles - 266
Draught - 55
Cans - 35
Cask - 8
Growler - 1
How many Different Countries?
37
What Countries were they from?
Canada - 137
U.S. - 80
England - 40
Germany - 25
Belgium - 18
Poland - 8
Ireland - 6
Scotland - 5
France - 5
Cuba - 4
Czech Rep - 3
Honduras - 3
Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico, Italy, Jamaica, Philippines - 2
Singapore, Japan, Slovenia, Slovakia, China, Portugal, Hungary, Estonia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Vietnam, Barbados, Austria, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Holland, Greece, Kenya & Latvia - 1
How many different Styles?
67 (If they didn't specify, I would try to decipher it myself or I just put it in a generic Lager or Ale category. There are also, many subcategories of styles.)
What styles were they?
Lager - 55
Ale - 27
I.P.A. - 20
Double or Imperial I.P.A. - 1
Pale Ale - 23
Double or Imperial Pale Ale - 3
E.S.B. - 6
Best Bitters - 3
Brown Ale (including Nut Browns) - 8
Indian Brown Ale - 1
Milds - 1
Porter (Including Smoked)- 13
Coffee Porter - 1
Double Chocolate Porter - 1
Stout (Including Irish, Oatmeal & Smoked) - 15
Russian Imperial Stout - 3
Chocolate Stout - 2
Imperial Coffee Stout - 1
Barley Wine - 7
Scotch Ale - 4
Strong Ale - 3
Winter Ale - 10
Red Ale - 6
Amber Ale - 2
Cream Ale - 6
Dark Ale - 11
Belgian Ale - 16
Triples - 3
Dubbels - 2
Saison - 2
Kriek - 2
Frambrozen - 1
Geueze - 1
Belgian Wit - 5
Weizen (German) - 8
Weizen (U.S. or North American) - 8
Weissbock - 1
Bock -4
Eisbock - 2
Dopplebock - 1
Hellesbock - 1
Maibock - 1
Festbock - 1
Vienna Lager - 1
Pilsner - 18
Imperial Pils - 2
Dortmunder - 2
Dunkel - 3
Schwatzbier - 1
Alt - 5
Export - 2
Bier Du Gaurde - 1
Dark Lager - 3
Red Lager - 1
Amber Lager - 4
Light Lager - 4
Cerveza - 7
Stock Ale - 1
Pumpkin Ale - 3
Orange Peel Ale - 1
Lemon Pepper Ale - 1
Vanilla Wheat Ale - 1
Apricot Wheat Ale - 1
Honey Brown Lager - 1
Maple Lager - 1
Sorghum & Rice Gluten Free - 1
Organic Ale or Lager - 4
So there you go. That's the break down. I know that there are many mistakes in there. The styles are kinda mixed up and aren't perfect, but you know what? Cram it with walnuts mister! It's beer! Take it easy. We aren't saving lives here.
Anyhoo, I've wasted enough time with this today. Tomorrow or possibly next week, the entire list of beers!
So what's next?
Friday, November 16, 2007
A Year in the Life...
So what happens next? I'll tell you what happens next, I turned 31. That's what's next.
This is me at 31.
Outwardly, not much has changed in the past year. Well at least my hair colour is still the same. But underneath the costume, life moved on. A lot can happen in a year I suppose.
For example, in the past two months (since my last post),much has transpired. Most recently we welcomed a new member into the Corbeil family. Everyone meet my brand new niece Isla.
Born just two days ago, to my brother Jed and my sister in-law Shannon, this is Isla at 12 hours old. Measuring life in hours. How strange is that? If we looked at it that way I would be approximately 271,775. And old man by any standards.
But Isla, she is just so new. Her life is at it's very ultimate beginning. Her odometer is so close to zero it amazes me. I've never seen someone so brand new. It truly is astounding.
So as Isla slowly learns about life, like what her fingers are for and who those two people are that are always hanging around and fussing over her. Jed and Shannon will be slowly, or quickly rather, learning to be parents. Life moves on.
But before beautiful little Isla entered our lives, my wife Liz and I were off visiting beautiful British Columbia. It had been some time since I last visited the left coast and Liz had never been there, so we tried to pack in as much as possible into the few days we had out there. We hit Vancouver first, then off to Victoria and finally out to Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley to visit my friend Sebastian.
And there was certainly enough beauty to go around in the Okanagan. That drive along the coast of the lake was enough I tells ya. What a view. I can't believe anything gets done out there. Every time I'd look over at the lake as I drove along, I almost drove off road. Here, don't take my word for it, take a look at the lake yourself.
Amazing isn't it.
The landscapes were great and all, but it was also great to see Sebastian again. It had been a year since we last hung out in Toronto and it's been almost two since we started our Brew masters course in Berlin. Time just seems to be going so fast now. A month, used to take seemingly forever, each day was an uphill battle towards the next. Now they pass in the blink of an eye. It's like I'm going down hill now, speeding up towards the end. Life moves on.
In the last two months I also started hosting my very own Beer and Cheese classes at the Leslieville Cheese Market. For a newcomer to the hosting game, the first two classes went really well if I do say so myself. I get to talk about beer, which I love to do and learn about the wonderful world of cheese at the same time. Does it get any better than that?
For the most part those attending seemed to enjoy themselves (but how can't you with all that delicious beer and cheese?), even the guy who passed out in the middle of class only had kind words as the paramedics escorted him out of the shop.
So yeah, all in all the classes were a success. I'll be doing a few more classes in the coming months and hopefully this will turn into something I can do on a regular basis. Or maybe it won't. Who knows. Life moves on.
So that's that. Now your all caught up. And that just about does it for this blog. A year has passed and I'm still alive and brewing.
We've said goodbye to some good people in the past year, my favourite author, Kurt Vonnegut passed away. His books taught me to love reading. So it goes.
And we've welcomed some new faces into the world. Isla Corbeil, Teagan Brown, Isabella Robinson...just to name a few. Good luck. Take some advice from a man of 271,775 hours: life is great, enjoy it.
I've drifted apart from some and moved closer to others. I've traveled to a few places and missed out on some opportunities. But that's kinda how it goes. Life moves on.
So what's next?
Who knows?
P.S.
I actually have one more post on this blog. For the past year I've been drinking a different beer every day. And on January 5th of 2008 I will post each and everyone of those 365 beers right here on this blog. Yes, I know the year starts on January 1st, but it took me a few days to shake off the hangover last year and I didn't start until 4 days in. Life moves on.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Summer is starting to Fall
So what's next? I'll tell you what's next, stoking the fires of a long dead season, that's what's next.
As we stood around the dying embers of the soon dead season, we looked on mournfully. This once proud fire, which burned with such fury, who's flames once jumped up high and licked the tops of trees, which blanketed us in warmth and kept the days long, was now reduced to a few glowing coals and lifeless grey ash.
But then something happened. On the eleventh hour, when all hope was seemingly lost, we all got together, joined forces and restarted the flame.
Together at the wedding table we got down on our knees, leaned forward and breathed air into those embers. We pushed and stoked the ash with our feet and hands until those few remaining persistent glowing coals began to burn yellow. We quickly through paper, wood, leaves anything we could find onto the pit and watched in utter glee as it began to grow.
It wasn't long before the flames were jumping high again, spitting off sparks into the night. It burned high and hot as we looked on in awe. And then like joyful children we began to dance around the fire. We grabbed hands and made like idiots, drinking in the waning happiness. Knowing that this last gasp of the flame, which shot up from the earth like dragon's fire, was just that, a last gasp. So armed with this knowledge we danced and partied long into the night, leaving everything on the dance floor.
Then as we all dispersed for the evening, drunken tumbling in different directions we were happy.
The next day broke and the flame was again gone. The air was grey and cold. The fire itself was left smoldering, simmering and stinking like we had all gathered 'round and pissed it out the night before.
But still we were happy. We were happy because together as friends, we had witnessed such an exceptional evening. An evening we won't soon forget.
Shout outs to Jenn and Brian on their nuptials. It was an outstanding night and I was more than happy to be a part of your day.
So what's next?
As we stood around the dying embers of the soon dead season, we looked on mournfully. This once proud fire, which burned with such fury, who's flames once jumped up high and licked the tops of trees, which blanketed us in warmth and kept the days long, was now reduced to a few glowing coals and lifeless grey ash.
But then something happened. On the eleventh hour, when all hope was seemingly lost, we all got together, joined forces and restarted the flame.
Together at the wedding table we got down on our knees, leaned forward and breathed air into those embers. We pushed and stoked the ash with our feet and hands until those few remaining persistent glowing coals began to burn yellow. We quickly through paper, wood, leaves anything we could find onto the pit and watched in utter glee as it began to grow.
It wasn't long before the flames were jumping high again, spitting off sparks into the night. It burned high and hot as we looked on in awe. And then like joyful children we began to dance around the fire. We grabbed hands and made like idiots, drinking in the waning happiness. Knowing that this last gasp of the flame, which shot up from the earth like dragon's fire, was just that, a last gasp. So armed with this knowledge we danced and partied long into the night, leaving everything on the dance floor.
Then as we all dispersed for the evening, drunken tumbling in different directions we were happy.
The next day broke and the flame was again gone. The air was grey and cold. The fire itself was left smoldering, simmering and stinking like we had all gathered 'round and pissed it out the night before.
But still we were happy. We were happy because together as friends, we had witnessed such an exceptional evening. An evening we won't soon forget.
Shout outs to Jenn and Brian on their nuptials. It was an outstanding night and I was more than happy to be a part of your day.
So what's next?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Labours of Summer
What's next? I'll tell you what's next, Labour Day that's what's next.
Again many moons have passed since I last posted on this blog. I don't even know why it takes me so long to get up the energy to write down inane thoughts onto a blackboard that never gets erased. I actually have time now. There is no excuse. I'm off at 2pm everyday and yet I seemingly find any number of things to do other than something constructive. I hardly read. I never write. I sometimes go to the gym or run, but that's about it. And when I say "seemingly find any number of things to do"...it's only one thing. It's fucking Voyager man. A week or so ago, I watched four straight episodes. In a row. That's four hours on the couch doing nothing but watching the stranded Starfleet vessel slowly makes it's way across the Delta quadrant attempting to makes it's way home to earth. One leg on the ground the other stradeling the top of my couch, I sat there, transfixed on the screen wathching the melodrama unfold infront of me. After the third episode I was so jonesing for another fix that with one shaky, sweaty hand on the remote I desperatley scrolled through 134 channels and actually time shifted and watched CityTV Calgary. I'm an addict. That's the first step...admiting you have a problem.
But all hope is not lost. I've switched shifts and now I'll be working the 11a-7p shift. I may have found a cure to my problem. Over the last week I've been ever so gently weening myself off the Voyager. I've slowly been saying goodbye to Janeway, Tuvok, Paris, Seven of Nine, Nelix and the rest of the crew. Soon I'll even be able to make it through a day with out wondering if they ever did make it home.
Well enough of that...the joke is dead.
Since we last spoke I've bought a new car. My first ever brand new car as a matter of fact. It's a sweet little thing. A Nissan Versa. Not unlike our last car, the sturdy and dependable Volkswagon Golf, (which probably would've lasted many more years if not for me) it's a small little hatch back. I'm quite fond of the little fellow and hopefully I won't fuck this one up too badly. I just thought that it was worth mentioning and important enough to chisle into the side of the great slab of virtual granite lining the internet.
And what could the summer be with out weddings. Yes, since we last spoke we attended another wedding. This one was for our good friends, Mike and Melissa. Great venue in The Gladstone and great atmosphere too. It was so laid back and casual. None of that pomp and circumstance you get at some weddings. I think we've been very lucky this summer, in that every wedding to the last has been amazing. Each one has been so fun and unique. Wonderful. Wonderful.
The best part of this last wedding was seeing so many faces I haven't seen in quite sometime. It was like Bracebridge came to Toronto for a day. Well that and Ross's video. Brilliant. Brilliant.
And next weekend we have one more. One last wedding to end the summer.
Yes, Labour Day has passed. You can say that September 20th is the last day of summer but we all know that once Labour Day has come and gone, Summer has left the building.
That little feeling inside your stomach starts to rumble. Nostalgia grips tightly you as you start to remember all the good times past. Fall is at the door step and it's time to wipe our muddy feet off at the door and leave all those good times behind as we step inside and bunker down for another long winter. But not before we have one last great wedding! So here is to all those good times already past and to all the new memories soon to be forgotten.
So what's next?
Again many moons have passed since I last posted on this blog. I don't even know why it takes me so long to get up the energy to write down inane thoughts onto a blackboard that never gets erased. I actually have time now. There is no excuse. I'm off at 2pm everyday and yet I seemingly find any number of things to do other than something constructive. I hardly read. I never write. I sometimes go to the gym or run, but that's about it. And when I say "seemingly find any number of things to do"...it's only one thing. It's fucking Voyager man. A week or so ago, I watched four straight episodes. In a row. That's four hours on the couch doing nothing but watching the stranded Starfleet vessel slowly makes it's way across the Delta quadrant attempting to makes it's way home to earth. One leg on the ground the other stradeling the top of my couch, I sat there, transfixed on the screen wathching the melodrama unfold infront of me. After the third episode I was so jonesing for another fix that with one shaky, sweaty hand on the remote I desperatley scrolled through 134 channels and actually time shifted and watched CityTV Calgary. I'm an addict. That's the first step...admiting you have a problem.
But all hope is not lost. I've switched shifts and now I'll be working the 11a-7p shift. I may have found a cure to my problem. Over the last week I've been ever so gently weening myself off the Voyager. I've slowly been saying goodbye to Janeway, Tuvok, Paris, Seven of Nine, Nelix and the rest of the crew. Soon I'll even be able to make it through a day with out wondering if they ever did make it home.
Well enough of that...the joke is dead.
Since we last spoke I've bought a new car. My first ever brand new car as a matter of fact. It's a sweet little thing. A Nissan Versa. Not unlike our last car, the sturdy and dependable Volkswagon Golf, (which probably would've lasted many more years if not for me) it's a small little hatch back. I'm quite fond of the little fellow and hopefully I won't fuck this one up too badly. I just thought that it was worth mentioning and important enough to chisle into the side of the great slab of virtual granite lining the internet.
And what could the summer be with out weddings. Yes, since we last spoke we attended another wedding. This one was for our good friends, Mike and Melissa. Great venue in The Gladstone and great atmosphere too. It was so laid back and casual. None of that pomp and circumstance you get at some weddings. I think we've been very lucky this summer, in that every wedding to the last has been amazing. Each one has been so fun and unique. Wonderful. Wonderful.
The best part of this last wedding was seeing so many faces I haven't seen in quite sometime. It was like Bracebridge came to Toronto for a day. Well that and Ross's video. Brilliant. Brilliant.
And next weekend we have one more. One last wedding to end the summer.
Yes, Labour Day has passed. You can say that September 20th is the last day of summer but we all know that once Labour Day has come and gone, Summer has left the building.
That little feeling inside your stomach starts to rumble. Nostalgia grips tightly you as you start to remember all the good times past. Fall is at the door step and it's time to wipe our muddy feet off at the door and leave all those good times behind as we step inside and bunker down for another long winter. But not before we have one last great wedding! So here is to all those good times already past and to all the new memories soon to be forgotten.
So what's next?
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Decisions, decisions, decisions....and Voyager!
So what's next? I'll tell you what's next, a new job and three back to back episodes of Star Trek: Voyager...every day! That's what's next.
Well the decision has been made and a new job has been found. Yesterday, I turned down an offer at The Amsterdam Brewery and elected to take a position as one of the brewers at The Mill Street Brewery.
It wasn't an easy decision, I flip flopped back and forth between the two offers for two solid days. Writing down the pros and cons of both places, looking at commute times, reading up on the different beers each brewery made. I'm sure by the end of it, Liz was pretty tired of me asking her what I should do. Both brewery's are great and are big brands in the Toronto area. But more than that both companies are populated with wonderful people. And it made it tough to make that final choice.
Making a decisions is like dropping a pebble in a lake. You make a choice and little ripples form across the top of the water. Some decisions aren't that big and the ripples slowly fade away and the lake returns to it's natural state. But some decisions are huge and those little ripples quickly become a fuckin' force of nature. Sure they may start off as small ripples, but as each subsequent decision follows after that initial one, those ripples quietly become waves. Then those waves eventually become white caps and the next thing you know you have a GD tsunami on your hands that threatens to wipe out your entire life!
This giant 25 foot wave looms over the shoreline of your life. It casts a dark and ominous shadow over you. And all those little imaginary people that populate the coastal city that is your life and dreams are threatened with complete inialation.
Imagine if you will a quiet and serene day on that remote lake side village. Flowers adorn the windows of it's beautiful and peaceful main street. And as the warm and soothing sun shines down on all of them, the towns folk are going about their day in the usual way. Friendly neighbours waving to hello to each other as they pass on the street. An elderly postman makes his rounds delivering the mail with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face. John the baker puts his pie in the window of his tiny little bakeshop that he retired to just last year after leaving the city behind.
The Rat Race had become to much for him and after his wife passed away last year, he packed it all in, sold all his stocks and moved to this quiet little lake side village to run out his days in the bake shop he and his wife had been dreaming about for years. He had always said, "Maybe next year honey, maybe next year". But next year came too late for his beloved wife and now she was gone. Now she may not have been there to share this with him, but with each pie he made, it brought him a little closer to her. They had designed all the recipies together in their old kitchen back in the city. And to him, her heart was in each of those creations and he could almost see her smiling up at him from the pie pan.
And now today as he leans out his shop window and places his pie on the sill a shadow creeps across the street in front of him. He looks up and sees this menace. The giant wave coming at him. He knows then and there, in an instant, that everything he'd done in his life is about to be destroyed. He doesn't mind though, in fact a small smile gently drifts across his face. Cause he knows that soon he will be back with his beloved wife baking pies in the sweet here after.
Where the hell was I going with this? Oh yeah, decisions shouldn't be made lightly! Take your time, do it right. Think it over, sleep on it, ask for help from your friends. Life is long and the future is a big place so no need to rush. But for godssakes make the decision already! If there is something that you want to do and you've been thinking about it for years make the decision. Maybe the townsfolk in your little village need a shake up, cuase you never know when it will be too late.
Anyhoo, I start next Tuesday so my days of sitting on the couch and waiting for Voyager to come on are over. Seriously, I'm hooked on that show. Three episodes, back to back to back every day from 4 until 7. Could you ask for anything more? I don't think so.
So what's next?
Well the decision has been made and a new job has been found. Yesterday, I turned down an offer at The Amsterdam Brewery and elected to take a position as one of the brewers at The Mill Street Brewery.
It wasn't an easy decision, I flip flopped back and forth between the two offers for two solid days. Writing down the pros and cons of both places, looking at commute times, reading up on the different beers each brewery made. I'm sure by the end of it, Liz was pretty tired of me asking her what I should do. Both brewery's are great and are big brands in the Toronto area. But more than that both companies are populated with wonderful people. And it made it tough to make that final choice.
Making a decisions is like dropping a pebble in a lake. You make a choice and little ripples form across the top of the water. Some decisions aren't that big and the ripples slowly fade away and the lake returns to it's natural state. But some decisions are huge and those little ripples quickly become a fuckin' force of nature. Sure they may start off as small ripples, but as each subsequent decision follows after that initial one, those ripples quietly become waves. Then those waves eventually become white caps and the next thing you know you have a GD tsunami on your hands that threatens to wipe out your entire life!
This giant 25 foot wave looms over the shoreline of your life. It casts a dark and ominous shadow over you. And all those little imaginary people that populate the coastal city that is your life and dreams are threatened with complete inialation.
Imagine if you will a quiet and serene day on that remote lake side village. Flowers adorn the windows of it's beautiful and peaceful main street. And as the warm and soothing sun shines down on all of them, the towns folk are going about their day in the usual way. Friendly neighbours waving to hello to each other as they pass on the street. An elderly postman makes his rounds delivering the mail with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face. John the baker puts his pie in the window of his tiny little bakeshop that he retired to just last year after leaving the city behind.
The Rat Race had become to much for him and after his wife passed away last year, he packed it all in, sold all his stocks and moved to this quiet little lake side village to run out his days in the bake shop he and his wife had been dreaming about for years. He had always said, "Maybe next year honey, maybe next year". But next year came too late for his beloved wife and now she was gone. Now she may not have been there to share this with him, but with each pie he made, it brought him a little closer to her. They had designed all the recipies together in their old kitchen back in the city. And to him, her heart was in each of those creations and he could almost see her smiling up at him from the pie pan.
And now today as he leans out his shop window and places his pie on the sill a shadow creeps across the street in front of him. He looks up and sees this menace. The giant wave coming at him. He knows then and there, in an instant, that everything he'd done in his life is about to be destroyed. He doesn't mind though, in fact a small smile gently drifts across his face. Cause he knows that soon he will be back with his beloved wife baking pies in the sweet here after.
Where the hell was I going with this? Oh yeah, decisions shouldn't be made lightly! Take your time, do it right. Think it over, sleep on it, ask for help from your friends. Life is long and the future is a big place so no need to rush. But for godssakes make the decision already! If there is something that you want to do and you've been thinking about it for years make the decision. Maybe the townsfolk in your little village need a shake up, cuase you never know when it will be too late.
Anyhoo, I start next Tuesday so my days of sitting on the couch and waiting for Voyager to come on are over. Seriously, I'm hooked on that show. Three episodes, back to back to back every day from 4 until 7. Could you ask for anything more? I don't think so.
So what's next?
Monday, July 23, 2007
White Water Rafting on Water Street
What's next. I'll tell you what's next. 2 bachelor parties and 1 job hunt. That's what's next.
So a lot has conspired since I last dropped in on the ol' blogosphere.
And to kick it off, yes it's official, I've left my post as Assistant Brew master at The Robert Simpson Brewing Co. The drive finally got the better of me. Last Wednesday was my last day. I'm still going to be making the trip up there two or three times a week or until the new brewers are fully trained on the brew house, but my capacity there is only as a consultant and not as an employee of the Robert Simpson Brewing Co.
I learned a lot in my almost nine months there, not just about brewing but also about what is important to me personally. Working 12 hour days, plus driving for 2 hours each day doesn't leave one with much time to live and living is pretty much on the top of my "to do list".
I can spout cliches like, "working to live, not living to work" and they'd all be true. But I'm just going to move right on past this and leave it all where it should be, behind me.
On more pleasant news, I've been jamming up those few meager hours I get each week with road trippin' good times.
First it was off to Ottawa for Mike Brown's bachelor weekend. After a morning of jetting around Toronto in a Porche Twin-Turbo (you'll have to excuse me, what I know about cars can fill a thimble) it was off to Ottawa for some binge drinking and BBQ, before we awoke with the sun and headed up the Ottawa River towards the Belle Province for some White Water Rafting.
This was my first White Water Rafting experience and to be honest I didn't really know what to expect. There was a twinge of nervousness but deep down I knew I was going to like it. And like it I did. If for nothing else than to see my buddy James' face every time we came up from a big rapid. Panting deeply and with complete disorientation in his eyes, each tortured look on his water soaked face was pure agony mixed with absolute elation. You have to understand that James is also the single most uncoordinated person on the planet. He poses only the most minuscule amounts of athletic ability and when forced into a situation such as holding a paddle and trying to sit at the same time, his motor skills suddenly abandon him. His flailing arms begin to wave violently in the air and his knees buckle, sending him straight down onto his ass in the middle of the raft. Seeing this first hand made almost every minute of the 7 hour drive worth it. Well that and the complete awesomeness of White Water rafting. Definitely something I'll be doing again in my life.
After we dragged our wet and weakened bodies out of the Ottawa River, we loaded back into the car and drove as far as the next gaz (yes, I spelled it like that on purpose) station and loaded up on beers for the long trip back into Ottawa.
Which of course we got lost on.
That night we tore a strip off the Market and made the rounds from bar to bar. Ottawa never disappoints.
As fun as all of this was, it's always the drives that define these trips. For me, whenever I look back at all the road trips I've ever been on, the first thing I remember is the journey there and the journey back.
The journey there is filled with excitement and anticipation of the weekend to come. With new adventures on the horizon and a tank full of liquor to fuel the trip, everyone is giddy with the thoughts of new adventures.
The ride home is usually a little less rowdy but it's the bonding over the recounting of the seemingly endless stream stupid and many times embarrassing events of the weekend just past that make it so memorable. That and the fact that almost everyone in the car is giddy from the complete lack of sleep over the past three days and everything that comes out of any ones mouth is pretty much the funniest thing they've heard in there entire life.
I think the ride home is always my favourite part.
The ride home from Ottawa did not disappoint either. It was 5 hours of rehashing, that probably would only have been better if we infact had hash. But I digress. It was another successful stag weekend.
Not two weeks later it was time for another stag. This time it was my good friend Brian's and we were off to Boston, to see the sights and catch a ball game.
Again we did our best to keep the location and time of the trip a secret from Brian, and this is no easy task mind you, but we managed to do it. Well the time was a secret and Brian was thoroughly suprised but the location was only held a secret for the amount of time it took us to drive from Brian's house to the Lakeshore. Approximately 10 mintues. We aren't pointing any fingers here....giant, hulk like stubby fingers.
The trip took a little longer than we expected, so we got a little drunker in the car than we expected but that's okay. We rolled into Boston about 3-330am only to be awakened by Fuss at about 630am beer and hand ready to hit the town. He entertained us for about 30 minutes with a rambling monologue about "gussets" and intermitent vomiting and by the end of it we were ready to roll. By 1030am we were at the bar and sampling some of the fine beers and food stuffs the city had to offer.
But you have to imagine that a day that starts at 1030am after only 3 hours sleep probably doesn't last that long. We managed to get in a few sights, get drunk and take our pants off at a restaurant but by 1130pm the city and the booze had got the better of us and we were back home. Which was probably for the best cause the next day we were heading to Fenway to catch a Sox game.
After a full nights sleep and a morning of pinting at The Boston Beer Works and Bukowski, a few wonderful beer bars just a short jaunt from the stadium we were ready for the game. And with the sun shining down on us and our shirts off, we enjoyed the game from the friendly seats in the right field bleachers at Fenway.
The atmosphere was great, everyone was totally into the game. The Sox in Boston are like the Leafs in Toronto, more a religion than a sport. Truly a great place to catch a game. I think the Sox won, but I'm not sure what the score was.
After the game we headed out to the Fenway neighbourhood and made our rounds of the bars. Again, the atmosphere was electric and the whole place was jammed with drunken fans and party seekers. Luckily we got enough sleep the night before and we were able to make it a little longer into the night.
We managed to get home alright but some how between a trip to IHOP at 330 am and a walk along the river we managed to lock our selves out of our room with the deadbolt from the outside. Don't ask, cause I don't know how. We did get back in at around 6am but it left us a little tired for the long ride home.
But like I said before, with a little less sleep sometimes the ride home can be that much more fun. And fun it was. I don't think I will be forgetting this weekend for a long time to come.
So what's next.
So a lot has conspired since I last dropped in on the ol' blogosphere.
And to kick it off, yes it's official, I've left my post as Assistant Brew master at The Robert Simpson Brewing Co. The drive finally got the better of me. Last Wednesday was my last day. I'm still going to be making the trip up there two or three times a week or until the new brewers are fully trained on the brew house, but my capacity there is only as a consultant and not as an employee of the Robert Simpson Brewing Co.
I learned a lot in my almost nine months there, not just about brewing but also about what is important to me personally. Working 12 hour days, plus driving for 2 hours each day doesn't leave one with much time to live and living is pretty much on the top of my "to do list".
I can spout cliches like, "working to live, not living to work" and they'd all be true. But I'm just going to move right on past this and leave it all where it should be, behind me.
On more pleasant news, I've been jamming up those few meager hours I get each week with road trippin' good times.
First it was off to Ottawa for Mike Brown's bachelor weekend. After a morning of jetting around Toronto in a Porche Twin-Turbo (you'll have to excuse me, what I know about cars can fill a thimble) it was off to Ottawa for some binge drinking and BBQ, before we awoke with the sun and headed up the Ottawa River towards the Belle Province for some White Water Rafting.
This was my first White Water Rafting experience and to be honest I didn't really know what to expect. There was a twinge of nervousness but deep down I knew I was going to like it. And like it I did. If for nothing else than to see my buddy James' face every time we came up from a big rapid. Panting deeply and with complete disorientation in his eyes, each tortured look on his water soaked face was pure agony mixed with absolute elation. You have to understand that James is also the single most uncoordinated person on the planet. He poses only the most minuscule amounts of athletic ability and when forced into a situation such as holding a paddle and trying to sit at the same time, his motor skills suddenly abandon him. His flailing arms begin to wave violently in the air and his knees buckle, sending him straight down onto his ass in the middle of the raft. Seeing this first hand made almost every minute of the 7 hour drive worth it. Well that and the complete awesomeness of White Water rafting. Definitely something I'll be doing again in my life.
After we dragged our wet and weakened bodies out of the Ottawa River, we loaded back into the car and drove as far as the next gaz (yes, I spelled it like that on purpose) station and loaded up on beers for the long trip back into Ottawa.
Which of course we got lost on.
That night we tore a strip off the Market and made the rounds from bar to bar. Ottawa never disappoints.
As fun as all of this was, it's always the drives that define these trips. For me, whenever I look back at all the road trips I've ever been on, the first thing I remember is the journey there and the journey back.
The journey there is filled with excitement and anticipation of the weekend to come. With new adventures on the horizon and a tank full of liquor to fuel the trip, everyone is giddy with the thoughts of new adventures.
The ride home is usually a little less rowdy but it's the bonding over the recounting of the seemingly endless stream stupid and many times embarrassing events of the weekend just past that make it so memorable. That and the fact that almost everyone in the car is giddy from the complete lack of sleep over the past three days and everything that comes out of any ones mouth is pretty much the funniest thing they've heard in there entire life.
I think the ride home is always my favourite part.
The ride home from Ottawa did not disappoint either. It was 5 hours of rehashing, that probably would only have been better if we infact had hash. But I digress. It was another successful stag weekend.
Not two weeks later it was time for another stag. This time it was my good friend Brian's and we were off to Boston, to see the sights and catch a ball game.
Again we did our best to keep the location and time of the trip a secret from Brian, and this is no easy task mind you, but we managed to do it. Well the time was a secret and Brian was thoroughly suprised but the location was only held a secret for the amount of time it took us to drive from Brian's house to the Lakeshore. Approximately 10 mintues. We aren't pointing any fingers here....giant, hulk like stubby fingers.
The trip took a little longer than we expected, so we got a little drunker in the car than we expected but that's okay. We rolled into Boston about 3-330am only to be awakened by Fuss at about 630am beer and hand ready to hit the town. He entertained us for about 30 minutes with a rambling monologue about "gussets" and intermitent vomiting and by the end of it we were ready to roll. By 1030am we were at the bar and sampling some of the fine beers and food stuffs the city had to offer.
But you have to imagine that a day that starts at 1030am after only 3 hours sleep probably doesn't last that long. We managed to get in a few sights, get drunk and take our pants off at a restaurant but by 1130pm the city and the booze had got the better of us and we were back home. Which was probably for the best cause the next day we were heading to Fenway to catch a Sox game.
After a full nights sleep and a morning of pinting at The Boston Beer Works and Bukowski, a few wonderful beer bars just a short jaunt from the stadium we were ready for the game. And with the sun shining down on us and our shirts off, we enjoyed the game from the friendly seats in the right field bleachers at Fenway.
The atmosphere was great, everyone was totally into the game. The Sox in Boston are like the Leafs in Toronto, more a religion than a sport. Truly a great place to catch a game. I think the Sox won, but I'm not sure what the score was.
After the game we headed out to the Fenway neighbourhood and made our rounds of the bars. Again, the atmosphere was electric and the whole place was jammed with drunken fans and party seekers. Luckily we got enough sleep the night before and we were able to make it a little longer into the night.
We managed to get home alright but some how between a trip to IHOP at 330 am and a walk along the river we managed to lock our selves out of our room with the deadbolt from the outside. Don't ask, cause I don't know how. We did get back in at around 6am but it left us a little tired for the long ride home.
But like I said before, with a little less sleep sometimes the ride home can be that much more fun. And fun it was. I don't think I will be forgetting this weekend for a long time to come.
So what's next.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)