Quench Your Thirst

Dave & Busters

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:20:00 +0000

This week I had the great pleasure of hosting a 2 day Prud'homme Beer Certification course with The Beer Store at Dave & Busters in Vaughan and I was duly impressed with the way we were treated.

To start with, nothing was a problem. We had to change a couple of things along the way and all changes were received well. Both days were amazing! I see a lot of customer service faux pas in my everyday exploration of the hospitality industry but Dave & Busters' staff went over and above the call of duty.

I arrived at 7:50am on the Tuesday and found my way into the Showroom for our workshop. As I was setting up, the day manager Ryan Kossen arrived with a big smile and 'Can Do' attitude. He set up the AV for me and arranged for extra water jugs for each table. The two servers, Angela and Daniel, took great care of us on Day 1 and even arranged to have the lunch brought in earlier than requested. At the end of the day, my glassware was washed and stored for the next day's seminar.

Day 2 - nothing changed - Ryan again, was very accomodating and asked if I needed anything else. We were in another room and I needed a display table which was brought immediately. Without going into too much boring detail - Daniel was totally dedicated to delivering an outstanding customer service experience.

If you are looking to host a corporate meeting, get together or just a social event, I would strongly recommend Dave & Busters. They are true professionals and make an extraordinary effort to satisfy their customers. Well Done!

Toronto Wine & Cheese Show

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:36:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've been at the Toronto Wine & Cheese show at the International Centre. Last time I was there, I was working for Oland Specialty Beer Company and not as a consumer. This time, I wanted to check it out with my wife and a couple of friends. Actually, I was intrigued by an ad I saw for a Beer School at the show hosted by Mill Street. I had trademarked The Beer School quite a few years ago and was eager to see what this one was all about. More about that shortly. Overall, I was quite impressed with the show itself. We had a great time and enjoyed quite a few nice wines and some great beers.

My 3 favourite things about the show were:

Mill Streets Beer School - cohosts Joel Manning (Brew Master at Mill St.) and Joe Levesque (executive chef at the International Centre) were excellent. Joel is an excellent speaker as well as an outstanding brewer. He had some great stories which I had not known about before - so if you don't mind Joel, I will be more than happy to use them in my sessions. Joe Levesque is an excellent chef and provided us with some great food - easy to make at home. I had met Joe previously at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto when I was doing Beer events there. The cost was $15 and included samples of 5 great Mill Street beers and two substantial portions of food. Great value and tons of fun. My only comment is that the beers were poured too full for the cups and that was a lot of beer to have in such a short time
Beau's All Natural Brewing were there and I got a chance to talk to Steve Beaushene. These guys are great brewers and nice people to boot. Lugtread is a fantastic example of a Kolsch beer, something you will not get readily in Canada as it hails from Cologne, Germany. The very cool thing about Beau's was that I got to try their Belgian Imperial Stout - outstanding flavours, well balanced and 8% alcohol by volume - I actually carried it around a little and let it warm up and then had it with a dessert crepe with nutello, bananas and strawberries - OMG! Nice job on the beer gents!. I also tried their IPA which was tremendously nicely balanced and did not have the signature west coast hopping that we've become accustomed to. Beau's use New Zealand hops which are citrusy but not in your face
Amsterdam Brewery have an excellent Bock beer. Jamie Mistry,the master brewer, allowed me to sample and quite frankly am looking forward to gettting some more shorlty. Really malty, subtle sweetness and a nice finish.

Great evening was had by all and I'm already planning for next year but this time with a tasting strategy and a longer amount of time

Cheers

Denison's

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:44:00 +0000

I met Michael Hancock almost 5 years ago. Michael is a genuinely nice man who wants nothing but the best. He is a dedicated brewer and beer ambassador and has, for quite a while, been working diligently at producing a world class Hefeweissen in Toronto. Having met Michael on numerous occasions (most recently - last year at a filming of an LCBO training video), I have always been impressed with his dedication and attention to detail. He is a stickler for doing it right and refuses to compromise.

I was thrilled to find his 'Denison's Weissbier' at the LCBO the other day. I have been hoping that he would allow the folks in Toronto to share in his passion. Denison's is beautifully packaged in a 473 ml can that reeks of quality and craftsmanship. It is a blue and gold can that even has the Bavarian flag incorporated. Nice touch! The font is also old world and is fitting for such a beer. Now for the beer....

Denison's Weissbier pours with a beautiful orange, dark amber colour. It is cloudy and rich and the foam is a stunning dense white cap. The nose is definitely spicy - cloves to be more specific and there is also a hint of banana. The body of the beer is fairly crisp with some soft underlying wheat textures. The finish is clean with very little aftertaste.

Michael, did speak with me the other day as I was urging him to enter this wonderful brew into the Ontario Brewing Awards. He confided that he was not 100% satisfied with the CO2 content of the beer and wished that it would be a little more effervescent. Again, the perfectionist shows himself. In all honesty, I agree - it could use a bit more spritz and I'm sure that we will soon be treated to Mr. Hancock's perfection.

All in all, this is probably the best Hefeweissen outside of Bavaria. I really urge you to try this beer - you will not be disappointed.

Prosit

Spaten ze Deutsch?

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:48:00 +0000

The Esplanade Biermarkt has always been a favourite of mine. Right from when it opened in 2001, it has always held a special place in my heart. Great beer, great staff and great food! The General Manager, Robert Medal is totally focused on the best beer experience and he fully understand the importance of a great chef to create the food to match the great beer line up. Enter Michael Cipollo. I love the food at the Biermarkt and more than that am even more impressed with Chef Mike than ever before. Why you ask? Read on....!

On Thursday, March 4, 2010, I had the pleasure of hosting the media launch of a fantastic German beer named Spaten. Quick tasting notes - (Helles style - means it will be light golden in colour and this particular beer has a bready, malty nose with a hint of citrus, the body is crisp with a bit more malt in the form of biscuit. The finish is crisp and full with some decent bitterness to help cleanse the palate.)

Chef Mike brought out 3 courses - the first was a charcutiere which featured some pork belly, weisswurst, sauerkraut (just like my Mom made it) and some warm potato salad. The second course was a fantastic schnitzel with a side of asparagus and a yukon gold mash. The final course was Granny Smith apple fritters that were a perfect portion - single bites dusted with a bit of cinnamon. Now Mike named it an Apfelkuchen but I and the other German guests know that a Kuchen is a cake not a morsel.

Amazingly, all three courses were well matched with Spaten. I say that because I would normally not pair a lager with a dessert - just not a thing I do. But I concede and bow to Chef Mike. Excellent pairing!!! The other thing I learned that day was that we often look at the the three C's of food pairing - Cut, Complement and Contrast. Mike taught me that he has added one more - Contradict. Now this is very cool and that to me means you should always test the boundaries. Nice lesson to learn for me and a big thanks to Mike, Rob and of course Erin McHattie who put the event on. I love beer and food but more than that, I love learning from others.

Get yourselves down to the Biermarkt and enjoy Spaten - an exclusive to the Biermarkt starting in a couple of weeks. Available for a limited time, Spaten will make you want to visit Germany and enjoy the splendours of one of the great brewing nations. Also, you will be able to enjoy the mastery of culinary cuisine as directed by Chef Michael Cipollo.

Prosit

What's Next?

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:10:00 +0000

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

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:03:00 +0000

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!

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:12:00 +0000

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

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:14:00 +0000

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

German Bier ist wunderbar!

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:02:00 +0000

It's true!!!! My family joined me recently on a trip to Germany at Christmas time. For my wife and I, it was important to visit family whom I haven't seen in years. For my two sons (aged 18 and 22), their goal was entirely different. - Try as many German beers as humanly possible.

Well, I can tell you that we had lots of differnt beers and every one of them was outstanding. The Germans of course think their beers are the best in the world. That can be open to debate and that debate could last years.

One thing I can recommend is to try regional beers and not be so concerned with the 'Big' German brands we are so accustomed to over here. Here's a list of all the beers we had;

Paulaner Pilsner and Dunkelweiss
Zwickau Brauhaus Rauchbier (this one was amazing) - they even had a Bierschapps (also very good)
Hasseroeda
Radeberger
Ur-Kostritzer
Wernesgruner
Klumbacher Pils
Shussenrieder Hefeweissen and Schwarzbier
Alpersbacher Pils
Rothaus Marzenbier
Hofbrau Pils and Hefeweissen
Malteser Pils and Hefeweissen
Berg Original and Ulrichsbier
Gold Ochsen Original
Kaiser Winterbier
Stuttgarter Hofbrau Pils

A good time was had by all and truly, every beer we had was great. Could it have been the company, the country or something else? It really doesn't matter that much - it was just very memorable.

Here's a little snippet of info not normally found - in the former East Germany (you know, the one with the wall), it was common practice to not use hops in the brewing of beer. Instead, they used the gall bladders of cows to provide bitterness. Why you ask? They sold all their native hops in order to increase their GDP. Thank god for reunification.

Prosit

Festive Shrimp Feast

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:12:00 +0000

At the beginning of the holiday season, lady luck visited me and I had the good fortune to host a beer dinner for a client at Shrimp Cocktail Resto-lounge in Oshawa. Living in Durham region, I have always been a fan of this fabulous spot. Not to mention, Chris Neshovich was one of my first clients when I entered the beer industry in 1997. His GM, Wanda is wonderfully dedicated and passionate and ensures that all guests are well taken care of.

On this particular night, we were treated to something I don't normally do - we actually got a cooking demonstration along with a wonderful meal and beer pairing. Chef Michael McKay and Sous Chef Andrew were absolutely amazing in delivering an outstanding experience. The menu from start to finish was truly worthy of admiration. Here's how the night played out

We started out the night with a Pilsner Urquell journey into history and beer appreciation
Sapporo Tempura Batter Hokkaido Scallops paired with of course Sapporo
Grilled Chili Lime Marinated Tiger Shrimp, Mixed Greens tossed in Hoegaarden vinaigrette matched with Hoegaarden Witbier
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Crisp Point Neuf potatoes in a Dunkel Maple Reduction paired with Weihenstephaner Dunkelweiss
The final course was a Dark Chocolate Mousse paired with Maudite from Unibroue

The meal itself was fantastic but to me, the best part of the evening (aside from the beer) was the demonstration by these two young culinary experts.

Bravo to all at Shrimp Cocktail
for more info - check out http://www.shrimpcocktailcafe.com/

Hitting the Trifecta

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:10:00 +0000

I've had the best intentions for the last month to record some of the great events that I've had the pleasure of hosting but sometimes life gets in the way. On top of that, my family and I got the opportunity of a lifetime to visit my relatives in Germany over Christmas (that will be coming shortly).

I know I've said this in the past, but man I love what I do. Honestly, I get to travel around the country, meet wonderufl people, enjoy fastastic food, good conversation and great beer.

Here's a taste (no pun intended) of 3 great beer dinners that I hosted in the fall.

Table 17
September 22
A lovely quaint yet upscale locale at 782 Queen St. East in Toronto. This dinner was set up jointly by David Maher of Sleeman and Craig Petryniak of Brick. Just to show you that brewers do indeed work together sometime. Our hosts were owners Eric and John and manager Gavin. I was impressed with the attention to detail. The dinner was upstairs at two large square tables. This allowed everyone to intereact quite well. As always, the dinner started out quiet and soon escalated to a decent volume of conversation - a sign of jovialty brought on surely by the beer. The courses went like this:

West Coast 'Chaud Froid' - BC Virginica oyster with chorizo and paired with Okanagan Springs 1516
Moules Frites - PEI mussels steamed with herbs and served with Belgian's Palm Ale
Chili Beef Ribs - tripled glazed, slow cooked ribs served with Sapporo
Braised Lamb Shank - served on Lentils du Puy with salsa verde served with Unibroue's Maudite
Artisanal Ontario Cheeses served with Unibroue's Ephemere Pomme

I thought the oysters and 1516 were an excellent combination as were the Moules & Palm. I must admit that I was a little concerned about the Ribs and Sapporo. Traditionally, I would not match a lighter beer with a braised rib dish - but surprisingly it worked well - mainly because of the sweetness of the chili sauce . The Lamb was tender and worked perfectly with the Maudite which is a personal favourite of mine and what a great way to finish the night with a variety of cheeses and the wonderful Ephemere.

Overall - a masterful presentation of food and beer. Great company to boot.

Shutters Restaurant & Bar

September 30

A little over a week later, I had the good fortune of hosting a beer dinner in the city of Barrie. I can tell you that Shutters is stunning.....historic building overlooking Kempenfeld Bay in the fall. Wow! Dennis and the lovely Sam (not a guy) were our hosts that night and we had guests ranging from Toronto to Parry Sound. The chef, Lyndsey did a phenomenal job on creating a menu worthy of kings - speaking of Kings - Tony King, the apparent ruler of all beer in the North was the catalyst of this great dinner.

We started off with a Surf Trio - Blackened Bay Scallops with mango, papaya and pineapple sals, Creole Crab Cakes and a Lime & Grapefruit Shrimp Ceviche. We paired this with Sapporo and the match was fantastic.

The second course was Stuffed Quail with Chorizo sausage and corn bread stuffing and was accompanied by jalapeno and aged cheddar mornay sauce. The pairing was with Okanagan Springs Pale Ale - the sweetness of the beer was a delicious way to soften the heat from the peppers and the edge of the cheddar.

The main was Osso Bucco braised in Sleeman Silver Creek Lager and honey mushroom pan sauce and the side was Asiago Sweet Potato Gnocchi (which by the way were extavagant). The pairing was Silver Creek Lager. The veal shank was unbelievable and the most interesting part to me was the marrow which was incredible. In all honesty, the meal overpowered the beer but it was easily forgiven.

finally, we ended up with an Espresso Dark Chocolate Mousse and Sambuca White Chocolate Mousse in Phyllo cups with a Raspberry Coulis. To compliment the chocolate, we used John Sleeman Presents Fine Porter. I've always been a fan of this porter - it's not too bitter and has a gentle chocolate character which was a decent match with the dessert

Brussels, Halifax

November 18

I have always loved Halifax - the city, the culture, the unabashed decent into good times, the easy going nature of its inhabitants. How could I say no to an invitation to host a dinner at Brussels, a fairly new addition to the culinary map in Halifax. Ivan Nickerson put the dinner together with help from his chef Garvin. There was a wide variety of guests there including several local brewers, Greg Nash (who gave me a sample of his Simcoe Smash - thanks Greg), Daniel Girard of Garrison Brewery, Randy Lawrence of Sea Level Brewing and Lorne Romano of Rogues Roost Brewpub. I was quite honoured to be the host of the one of the first beer dinners to be held in Halifax. Ivan and his team created a wonderful evening. Service was excellent, the food was outstanding and of course the beer, exemplary. Our dinner went like this

Reception was Mussels Provencale, Mussels Congo and Mussels Beer & Bacon all paired with Garrison's Hopyard. The beer was wonderful, very hoppy with a nice essence of Cascade hopping but I must admit I think it was a bit overpowering for the mussels.
Pear and Brie Tartin with Nova Scotia Maple Syrup paired with De Koninck, a wonderful amber ale from Belgium. This was probably my favourite pairing. I thought the sweetness of the maple syrup was a nice compliment to the beer.
Belgian Harvest Tricolour Beet Salad paired with Blanche de Chambly - the Belgian style wit bier from Unibroue. Garvin came up with a very cool creation here - I've never seen some of these beets before and the pairing was solid
Chimay Grand Reserve paired with a variety of dishes - we got to choose from AAA Angus Striploin, Rotisserie Chicken or Atlantic Halibut - all topped with a Forest Mushroom Chimay Ragout, Potato gratin and vegies. I deliberately tried the Halibut wondering if the fish would be destroyed by the strength of the Chimay - I was pleasantly surprised how nicely they went together
Finally, Belgian Godiva chocolates and Neuhaus chocolate truffles paired with Mort Subite Framboise - a most delicious Belgian Lambic. To me, chocolate and a Belgian Fram are always a pleasant way to end the night.

Sadly, I had to leave early the next day. I was asked many times by the brewers if I was staying the next day - we had much to discuss and explore but I did tell them I would come back and spend more time. Next visit - February 11th.

As you can see, three very different dinners but all very interesting. In 2010, I promise to let you all know about upcoming events so that you can also experience the glory of beer.

Cheers and be well

Uptown 21

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:06:00 +0000

On June 23, I had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful beer dinner for a packed house at Uptown 21 in Waterloo. This tiny spot that is still celebrating its inaugural year in business was an absolutely fantastic setting for a epicurean delight. Affectionately known as Nick and Nat, the two owners have created a tremendous atmosphere where every desire can be met. Nick is a maestro in the kitchen and Nat delivers the best service you may find anywhere in Ontario.

Take a look below at the menu with my comments attached.

Unibroue Ephemere was the beer to start with.
Ephemere tempura of fresh tuna brushed with a horseradish mustard, wrapped in nori, served over brown butter roasted savoy cabbage finished with maple-malt gastrique

The second course required Sleeman Cream Ale matched with a salad greens tossed with aged goat milk cheese, sliced radish, candied garlic-dried cranberry compote and a cold pressed canola oil dressing (simple pairing but the Cream Ale was a great complement to the goat cheese and the cranberry compote)

Okanogan Pale Ale braised beef cheeks, chive whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus and a house pickle relish (this was truly amazing and dazzled my tastebuds - the beef cheeks just about melted when they hit my mouth)

Unibroue Trois Pistoles Chicken & Waffles: Butter milk soaked and fried chicken over wild rice waffles, maple syrup and passila chilli crème fraîche (Nick was looking for a traditional southern meal and some conservative folks may have turned up their noses but this was outstanding)

Sleeman Fine Porter Chocolate Fantasico: Chocolate and sea salt truffle, chocolate-praline cake and a mocha-caramel mousse (what an outstanding way to finish the evening - the sea salt truffle rounded out the sweetness of the mousse)

It took everything I had to just get out of the chair and waddle to the car at the end of the evening. The food was great, the beer unbelievable but the most important part to me was the hospitality shown to us by Nick, Nat and their staff.

Hats off to Uptown 21 and all the best for future success.

Reflections of a Beer Guy

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:56:00 +0000

A short time ago, I found myself on a beer junket. My travels took to me to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. As I was flying into Kelowna (for the first time), I marvelled at the incredible beauty and then immediately started to wonder about the centuries of glaciers that carved out this magnificent valley. I had the opportunity to tour the Okanagan Springs Brewery with Master Brewer, Stefan Tobler. Great brewery, great beer! The next day as I boarded the plane to Calgary for my next stop on the beer training agenda, I was hit with an epiphany.

I have had an incredible experience with beer and my love and passion for this great social drink has taken me from one coast to the other. I started to jot down cities that I've had the pleasure of conducting beer events in and the list was plentiful and expansive. Some of my favourite memories include a trip to St. John's in the dead of winter, where you could not see the houses because of the snow drifts - this little venture to the Rock also revealed that Canadian Tire money was legal tender on George St. Afterall, you can use the funny money to pick up sundries to keep the establishment running. Another recent trip took me to the Mondiale de la Biere in Montreal - something every beer lover should attend. It was an incredible experience to say the least with over 500 hundred beers available from 40 some odd brewers. Included in my 3 days, was also a tour of the Canada Malting Plant and a personalized tour of the Unibroue brewery in Chambly.

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a beer dinner on behalf of Microsoft down at the Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto. During a break in the agenda, one of the speakers from Microsoft asked me whether I ever get tired of doing these kind of events.

Are you kidding? Think of this - I get to travel the country, meet all sorts of new and interesting folks, enjoy a great meal along with fantastic beer all the while being allowed the opportunity to share my passion for beer. This can't possibly be tiring.

I love what I do and more importantly, I love helping others to gain a finer understanding of beer and all that surrounds it.

In the coming months, I will be introducing Prud'homme Beer Certification, Canada's first certification program in beer (similar to a sommelier in wine). You can read about it on this site or pick up a copy of TAPS magazine for more information.

As the most interesting man in the world says - 'Stay Thirsty My Friends'

Gimme a Break!!!

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:22:00 +0000

I like to think of myself as pretty open minded. I never tell anyone that beers are substandard because we all have the right to make decisions based on our personal preferences and overall knowledge of the styles that turn our cranks. Sometimes, a light beer hits the spot and other times, we need something with more flavour, aftertaste and overall complexity.

I am however, starting to draw the line on my open mindedness when it comes to beer advertising and marketing. One thing that drives me crazy is the assumption some brewers make; that beer drinkers are not intelligent, sophisticated consumers and that we are driven by our primal urges to get sauced.

Case in point - SAB Miller, the second largest brewer in the world has seen fit in the last two years to bring us some of the most humiliating ads that I've heard in a long time. These are radio campaigns that appeal to our lack of knowledge and basic need for a cold, refreshing beverage. Last year, we heard two separate ads for MGD (one female voice and one male) that started out very robotic and ended up very sexy. The message was that by 'cold filtering' 4 times, it created an outstanding product. In fact, the voice told us that "the third time cold filtering yields a beer of remarkable golden distinction". A couple of points need to be clarified - first of all, all beer is cold filtered - this is nothing special, no one 'warm filters'. Secondly, filtration does not add colour or create body - it actually removes it.

Now, in the past few weeks, I've been so lucky to find out that Miller is now being one of the most 'innovative' brewers by bringing us a 'environmentally friendly, recyclable' MGD plastic bottle. Well, well, well....a plastic bottle. They've been using PET bottles in Eastern Europe for well over a decade and aren't we as a society trying to get away from recyclable plastic. There are many different business that are outlawing plastic water bottles. And by the way, plastic is not the best container for beer as it loses carbonation and transfers unwanted plastic flavours into the beer.

So much for the rant. There are many brewers out there that have intelligent, canny advertisements that peak our interest and tickle our funny bone. Some of my favourites these days are:

The Most Interesting Man in the World campaign by Dos Equis -
Enjoy Responsibly by Corona
the Moosehead ad last year where the girl gets the beer and the guys on the boat are left wanting
any Stella Artois ad - always cool and very sassy
the Heineken ad where the boys let out a squeal of delight to the walk-in closet rife with beer
the new Steam Whistle ad - with the ever increasing sound of beers being uncapped which turns into a train coming over the tracks - clickety clack

Let's all raise a glass to those beer producers who make us smile and appreciate the creativity of their advertising.

And boo to all those who think we are just a bunch of idiots.

The Road to Happiness

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:15:00 +0000

The Road to Happiness.....
Is paved, not with good intentions, but rather with Beer & Food. If you’ve read this column before, you know that one of my deepest passions is the pairing of beer and food. Recently, at one of my beer events, one of my clients asked me whether this ever gets boring. Are you kidding? I have the good fortune to be able to travel the country, meet fantastic people and enjoy incredible food and beer. Man, it just doesn’t get any better!
I think a lot of people often give lip service to matching the right food with the right drink but it actually works. Case in point; I had lunch a couple of weeks ago with a local brewery representative, after we did some draught troubleshooting. We were enjoying a lovely glass of Blanche De Chambly and each of us ordered something for lunch. I ordered a Crab burger that came with a spicy salsa made with cilantro ( a perfect match, I might add) and he revelled in the locale’s Bison Burger that came fully equipped with cheese, bacon and a fried egg. We talked about food pairings and I suggested that the best match for his lunch would be an Okanagan Spring Pale Ale. The Pale Ale arrived about half way through lunch and when he chased a bite of the burger with a generous sip of Okanagan Spring, his eyes lit up and the epiphany came. “I can’t believe how much better the burger was with the right beer”, he exclaimed. This is the kind of statement that just turns my crank.
The good weather brings a lot of benefits – entertaining on the deck, grilling with friends and just an overall satisfaction of being Canadian. Summer, food and beer...... My wife, is exploring the world of healthy eating these days and I am hesitantly going along. Normally, I’m a bit of dog when it comes to eating – if it’s food, it’s good. There’s not much I don’t enjoy and I’ve never been one to watch calories or read labels, but (here comes the admission) I’m really enjoying some of the meals we’ve had lately. She found a recipe called Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Pico De Gallo. This godsend comes from a book called Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Rena and it totally blew me away. The original recipe comes from Jim Gallivan from Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah
Ingredients
Pork
6 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarse salt
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 pinches cayenne pepper
24 oz pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 3- to 4-oz pieces
1/2 cup arugula, loosely packed
Pico de gallo
2 cups cooked black beans
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preparation
For pork: Preheat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, sugar, and cayenne. Rub both sides of each tenderloin piece with spice mixture. Preheat oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and pan-sear pieces until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to oven until done (6 to 8 minutes for each inch of thickness).
To make pico de gallo, mix all ingredients. Serve 1/2 cup over tenderloin.
While this recipe calls for preparation in the oven, the grill is perfectly suited for this. Simply sear the pork tenderloin on high heat, then turn it down, transfer the pork to a aluminum pan and use indirect heat for the remainder. This meal is incredible – spicy, flavourful and satisfying. I would recommend one of the following beers; Okanagan Spring Pale Ale, Black Oak Pale Ale, Mill Street Tankhouse Ale or even Marston’s Pedigree. While these styles would be my first choice because of the more dominant hops and malt charactertics, you could also have some fun with these
· Keith’s Premium White or Rickard’s White or Blanche de Chambly– nice match with the spice
· McAuslan Apricot Wheat – the soft wheat character and fruit would complement the seared pork very nicely
Remember, don’t take for granted, those things closest to your heart – for me, it’s great food, the right beer and of course, good friends. Cheers!

TAPS Now Available Online!

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:27:00 +0000

TAPS, Canada’s National Beer Magazine, is pleased to announce that this premium magazine is now available online. There is no easier or more economical way to receive your TAPS Magazine. You can download every issue to your PC or MAC so that you can take it anywhere. With instant delivery, you get the entire issue, every page in a crisp, clean, easy to read and printable format. Foreign subscribers pay the same low cost as Canadian subscribers. You can now be anywhere in the world and enjoy a great read dedicated to beer. To subscribe you simply go to www.tapsmagazine.com. You will instantly receive your first of 4 yearly issues of TAPS for a special price of $12.00 Canadian. That is over 55 % savings off the cover price. Don’t miss this opportunity to do something good for the environment, save a tree and quench your thirst for all things beer.

About TAPS:
TAPS is an informative and entertaining look into the storied and fascinating world of beer. A bevy of beer related topics from beer styles, craft brewing, beer and food pairing, International travel, tasting notes, industry news and more delivered by Canada’s top beer writers. TAPS is a must for the seasoned or novice beer enthusiast.

Follow TAPS Magazine on Twitter or join us on Facebook!

Two-four for Two-four No more!

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Very quietly in December, something happened! The floor price of beer went from $24 to $25.60. How many people actually noticed and did they really care?

CBC radio in Sudbury surveyed some of their listeners and consumers one day in December and miraculously found that virtually no one noticed or cared. So now the question that we should all ask is WHY?

A lot of folks would like to believe that the big bad brewers suddenly decided they needed more money and therefore would unceremoniously jack the prices of our favourite beers up. Not so my friends - instead look to Mr. McGuinty and his group for our most recent increase in beer prices. So, now we now WHO and we should then move on to WHY. This is really easy - Beer delivers huge $ to the provincial government - In fact, almost 52% of the price of beer is tax. Here's the next thing to consider - beer is somewhat recession proof, not totally but our sales actually continue to grow in bad financial times mainly because it is relatively low priced in comparison with other alcohol beverages. The next item on the WHY list is that we need something to drown our sorrows in an beer is a perfect companion.

I'm not one of the consumers who is affected by this price increase - for one mainreason. 1) I spend most of my time trying to elevate the status of beer and discount brands just don't do that. However - there are tons of beer enthusiasts out there that like discount/value brands because they satisfy their needs and I'm not the guy to tell you any different. I would however make one small suggestion - have a variety of beers on hand! Not all of your friends, guests want to drink the same beer as you and as a good host, it is incumbent on you to provide some choice.

I wish you all the best in your beer endeavours and sign off with

Cheers, Prosit and Sante

Regaining our Pride as a Nation

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:07:00 +0000

On a recent trip to Germany, I found something profoundly different. People in Germany are fiercely nationalistic and proud of anything that comes out of their country. In Canada, we often are comfortable believing that anything that is produced in Europe or other countries is somehow better - better production, better ingredients - just better.

This is not a recent phenomenon. We have thought this way for a long time and 2009 should be time when we try to get back to our support of our local businesses. Now, I'm not advocating a total ban of imported items but we should at least explore the hard work and sweat from our local producers.

German beers are outstanding, well produced beers that are bound by a purity act dating back to 1516. The good folks in Germany believe wholeheartidly that this act founded in the state of Bavaria actually makes them better brewers. Better, my friends, is a subjective word. They are none the less outstanding beers....but better? Not sure about this. By the way, most of the people I spoke to in Germany love to support the local brewers, not just the big guys.

2009 should force us to look at the wonderful brewers in our local regions. Our major brewers such as Labatt, Molson and Sleeman are fantastic breweries who understand that quality and quantity aren't necessarily separate ideas. Craft brewers or micro breweries are growing in most regions and are showing the creativity and innovation that the industry desparately needs. They offer stylistically interesting beers that will open your eyes to what beer really is. Join me in exploring the world of Canadian beer this year. Canadian brewers are afterall very highly repsected around the world.

Enjoy your beer journies safely, responsibly and with your friends.

Roger

Buying beer in Ontario

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:41:00 +0000

It seems everywhere I go these days, I am followed by the same question - 'What do you think about privatizing beer in Ontario?" Until now, I have kept fairly quiet on this topic but feel the necessity to pipe in. It seems that some well meaning people believe that by opening up retail avenues such as convenience stores and gas stations to distribution by brewers will bring us both lower prices and better selection. You can kiss that thought goodbye! Approximately 52 cents of every dollar spent on beer is tax and we must be kidding ourselves if we think that the price will drop significantly with corner stores. Comparing our system to Quebec is not really a fair fight. Secondly, consider this...if we go to convenience stores as a vehicle of distribution, that will carve the way for the major brewers to buy and own this channel. All you have to do is look into the U.S.A The big brewers have tons of shelf space at gas stations and corner stores. The small brewers in Ontario do not have the ability to get their beers to thousands of vendors. This will be very expensive and time consuming and we need them to continue the great brewing industry in Ontario.

NOW - I've heard this suggestion and it makes tons of sense to me. Give the craft and micro brewers in Ontario some boutique stores similar to the wine stores (Wine Rack etc). This will expand our selection and provide a great avenue for the small brewer to showcase their stuff.

Cheers and here's to the holidays

Roger

The Best Job in the World

rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca (Roger Mittag) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:22:00 +0000

Whenever I conduct one of my beer appreciation events or beer school classes, I am inevitably told that I have the best job in the world. Do I agree? Absolutely! It really doesn't feel like work when I get to travel the country, meet a lot of interesting people in a variety of different situations, partake in some great food and obviously share my passion for beer. Aside from all of those benefits, the thing that really turns my crank happened again last night at a Beer School session at Amsterdam Brewery. It was a small group but we had a great time trying a variety of different dark beers and wheat beers. The thing that makes me smile all the way home is the knowledge that they got it. The light bulb went off and I can see in their eyes that they are truly on the way to a journey of beer epiphany. The world of beer opened up to me more than 10 years ago and it is my goal to bring passion and knowledge to the consumer who have loved beer all their life and also to those who are somewhat hesitant to take that fledgling step forward.

So, here's my challenge to you......Open your eyes, mind and throat and let beer take you on a journey of magnificent proportions.

Feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at
rmittag@thirstforknowledge.ca