What's Next?

I always find the world of beer to be an interesting place.  It is always changing, evolving and innovating.  Brands change...it's as simple as that.  Most beers shift their recipes over time.  Why?  Sometimes, it's the brewer who decides that there are some flaws that need to be ironed out.  Other times, the brewer decides to make a beer more drinkable or more relevant to a greater number of consumers.  Change is afterall the only constant.  C'est La Vie!

Here are some issues in the global beer market to make you go hmmmmmm.

• Heineken recently bought Femsa (really a share swap) - Femsa brands include Sol and Dos Equis
• Heineken is distributed in Canada by Molson who by the way also distributes Corona - a direct competitor of Sol
• Corona is brewed by Groupo Modelo.  Guess who has a 50% stake in Modelo - Anheuser Busch -InBev (the largerst brewer in the world) who also owns Labatt
• Corona is the largest import brand in Canada. Why does AB-InBev allow its major competitor to distribute and sell Corona in Canada?
• The distribution partnership in the U.S between SAB Miller (the second largest brewer in the world) and Molson-Coors (6th on a global scale) is working very well. When does SAB Miller decide that partnerships are not as good as ownership?

If you thought globalization and consolidation were over, think again.  I fully expect some fireworks in the next year or so.  It should be fun to watch where this all nets out.  On top of all this, there are some major micro brewers in Canada who are setting themselves up for purchase.  The big question is who really wants them.  If these smaller, quality brewers offer some unique value proposition or better yet, a larger, more diverse beer portfolio, then they become a good acquisition.  Otherwise, they will get bought and dismantled.  It's an easy way to narrow the playing field.

The good thing in all of this is that the beer industry continues to grow in small steps - more craft brewers than in the past 100 years. Now, if we could only convince the Ontario governent to provide a vehicle for these small Ontario brewers to showcase their goods, we would all win (and I don't mean independent variety stores).  Let's consider the same stores as some of the vintners have.  What most people lose sight of is that we need competition - we need both large and small brewers.  They make each other better and therefore, we as beer drinkers can only benefit

Cheers

Halifax Gastonomic Delights

On Thursday, February 11, I once again found myself in the wonderful city of Halifax and in Brussels Restaurant and Brasserie for yet another beer dinner.  Brussels is owned and operated by Boris and Ken and managed by Ivan Nickerson and boasts the wonderful culinary skills of Chef Garwin. I thought I share both the menu and my comments with you.

1st Course - Tri-coloured Belgian beet salad, tossed in a light Chimay honey lime dressing and served with Chimay White. Not a bad match overall.  There was some goat cheese in the salad that was cut beautifully by the Chimay but I found the bitterness of the field greens to linger just a touch too long.
2nd Course - Beer Braised duck confit crostini served with black currant Cumberland sauce served with Hobgoblin.  This to me was an outstanding pairing.  The duck was soft and not overly rich.  The crostini brought a little more malt body in the Hobgoblin and sweetness of the black currant sauce was fully complemented by the subtle sweetness of the beer.
3rd Course - Leg of Rabbit braised in Erdinger and served with Potato Squash gratin, seasonal vegie bundles topped with a smoked tomato sauce.  The rabbit was excellent and tender.  Well seasoned and complemented the Erdinger Weissbier perfectly.  There was absolutely no contrasting flavours.  The side dishes were also matched well with the beer.
4th Course - Gaufre Brussels - Homemade Belgian waffle served with a Fruli strawberry gelato and drizzled with chocolate sauce.  We paired this one with Garrison's Winter Warmer.  A beautiful way to wrap up the evening.  The waffle was fairly light and was a delight to eat.  The Garrison's Winter Ale was outstanding - a little higher in alcohol which cut the coldness of the weather.  Spiced nicely with cinnamon and nutmeg, it warmed you ever so slightly.  The finish was surprisingly smooth and easy to drink.  Well done Garrison!

Another fantastic night put on by the Hamachi Group of Restaurants.  Thanks to everyone who attended.

Cheers

Oh..What a Night!

I recently had a night to remember.  There's a fantastic spot in Pickering at the base of Liverpool Rd, called Port.  Dining there is something to behold - great ambiance, great food and drink and a fantastic staff.  But I digress... Todd and Darryl, the two fellas who reside over this great place, Chris Rendell from Sleeman and myself got together last week to celebrate our love of beer.  I brought Corne de Diable from Dieu de Ciel in Quebec and also a gift of Simco SMaSH that I received from Greg Nash, one of the great brewers from Halifax.  Chris brought two bottles of Terrible from Unibroue - one from 2009 and one from 2002.

We started with the Corne de Diable which was wonderful.  The appearance was slightly cloudy with a rosee, reddish tinge accompanied by a thick ecru foam.  The nose was citrusy and grassy and had a gentle dose of darker breads and caramel.  The body had hints of nuts (filberts), with a dash of herbs - sage and rosemary.  The finish was full with some nice lingering bitterness and just when you thought it was gone, it slowly crept back warming you on the way

The Terrrible 2009 (10.5% ABV) was extremely dark with garnet edges.  The foam unfortunately dissipated a touch to quick.  Bouquets of spice (pepper) and dark fruits (plums and prunes) were augmented by a sweet and fruity body.  The finish was smooth and warming .

The Terrible 2002 (10.5% ABV) was like angels dancing on your tongue.  Visually, we were treated to exactly the same as the 2009.  That's where the similarities ended.  Now, we had aromas of port and sherry with soft waves of malt in the form of molasses.  There was also hints of rum and pineapple.  The body even more complex than before provided us with caramel, demmarra sugar, chocolate, mocha, almonds and some nice sultana raisins.  The finish was soft and gentle providing the warmth of a great fireplace.

Our final forray that night was to give way to Greg Nash's creation.  He had given it to me back in November while I was in Halifax and I was saving it for the right occasion.  He did tell me recently that he had thought it might have lost some oomph over the winter.  Let me tell you, if it did - it was still outstanding.
Simcoe SMaSH (single malt, single hops) is a high alcohol, heavily hopped beer (rated somewhere over 200 IBU's).  The colour was beautiful - reddish orange with a nice, thick off white foam.  The aromas were perfumy - piney and sweet with some layered hints of citrus, peach and apricot.  The body was great - lots of malt and also a good portion of pine needles.  The finish was long, mouthcoating and hung around in the back of my throat for a decent length of time.  Expecting my taste buds to be overwhelmed by such a big beer, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful balance of this beer.  Well Done Greg!

I hope you too get to enjoy the splendours of beer with your friends - pick up something you don't know and explore.  The secret is take time and share your comments.

Cheers

Wintercity / Winterlicious

For the past two years, my wife and I have bundled up and checked out the festivities at Wintercity in Toronto.  It just happens to be one of my wife's best friend's birthday and it's a wonderful way to experience winter in the city.  Last year brought us a phenomenol experience with a theatrical group from the Netherlands.  It was extremely cold but the overall day was extremely memorable and we looked forward to the 2010 edition.

This year, the shows were interesting but lacked emotion and flare.  It was equally as cold but the shows made it difficult to appreciate the outdoors.

After the last show, we made haste to take in Winterlicious - the restaurant program where Prix Fixe guarantees you a great meal at a modest price.  This year, we decided to make Beer Bistro our destination.  I happen to know Brian Morin, the owner, creator and chef at Beer Bistro and was eager to share my passion for this great place with my wife and friends.

We were not disappointed!  The place was packed with a variety of young urban types.  The ambience as always was fantastic and the meal was outstanding.

I started the evening with a Hacker Pschorr Edelhell - just thought I would carry on with my German experience recently.  The beer in the proper glass was perfect -poured and served properly .  Great as a starter, it also went well with my Butternut Squash soup which was thick, rich and slightly sweet.  The next course was a Veal Cheek Tikka Misala.  I decided to try a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA but sadly, they were out.  Which prompted me to try another U.S IPA.  I settled on Avery India Pale Ale from Boulder, Colorado.  The beer was a deep golden colour, slightly hazy.  The nose was full on hop - grassy and flowery (not the typical citrus we often get with US high hopped beers) and the body was pleasantly malty (more like crusty breads).  The bitterness was substantial and was diminished nicely by the Tikka Misala.  Without the food, the beer was lingering far too long for my liking but the match was perfect.  The whole meal was finished off nicely with an amazing home-made bourbon brownie ice cream explosion.  WOW!

All in all - a great day in Toronto.  We should all take in a bit of winter in Toronto whenever possible and I applaud the city for trying to make a small difference.  Just a quick note for anyone who cares - We should check out the winter festivals in Europe for a tip on how to do it up right.

Cheers