Archive for January, 2012

Good whiskies for a good cause

- January 13th, 2012

scotch

Usually, big whisky events leave you feeling pretty warm inside. But that’s mostly because of the drink.

But you can add to that a warmed heart next week with the Calgary MS Whiskey Festival next week at the Art Gallery of Calgary.

Presented by the MS Society of Canada, Calgary chapter, as well as Kensington Wine Market, the fest will give you a chance to sample more than 100 whiskies, mostly Scottish single malts, but also featuring others from Japan, India, Ireland, Canada and the U.S.

Among the distilleries represented are Macallan, Tullibardine, Bruichladdich, Gordon & MacPhail, Springbank and Bowmore, among many others.

Attendees will get a chance to meet five “distillery masters”, get to sample some fine eats, walk out with a one-of-a-kind Glencairn whisky glass and, of course, try some terrific whiskies, with proceeds benefiting the MS Society’s programs and research.

The event goes Jan. 19 at the Art Gallery of Calgary, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $95, and you can click right here for a complete list of distilleries that will be in attendance and for more information.

Cheers!

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Booze hunters

- January 9th, 2012

beergoggles

For the most part, finding your favourite beer, wine or spirit is a cinch. You know which liquor stores in your ‘hood carry your favourites.

But let’s face it, no one likes a lengthy, fruitless hunt when they’re looking for something specific. When it comes to products produced in limited quantities, if your local is out, you want an easy search to find what you’re looking for.

I’ve long been a fan of Liquor Connect, formerly known as the Alberta Liquor Guide. It’s run by Connect Logistics, the province’s liquor distributor, and gives users the ability to search where they can pick up product ordered by a store from Connect.

It’s a great resource, but it’s not a perfect system.

LiquorConnect.com looks at which liquor stores ordered from Connect Logistics. A product will show as being available at a liquor store if it has received the product in a certain time frame. Here are the criteria:

Received in the last 3 months if the wholesale price is < $30.00 per unit.

Received in the last 12 months if the wholesale price is > or = $ 30.00 and < $90.00 per unit

Received in the last 24 months if the wholesale price is = or > $90.00.

Obviously, a store could be sold out of a product listed on the site, and searches don’t always show results, like a search for Rolling Rock beer I did while typing this post.

And while it appears like the ultimate goal is to be a one-stop shop for consumers, with a “Product Notes” tab on every result and the ability to share searches through social media, the site isn’t complete. Yet. But I’m still a fan.

Beyond the big searches, I’m happy to see some breweries giving their fans the ability to search favourite products right from the companies’ websites.

Want to quaff the elusive McNally’s Reserve in downtown Calgary before grabbing some bottles of Magpie to take home in Mckenzie Lake? Big Rock’s got your Beer Goggles.

Molson-owned brewery Granville Island, maker of this scoundrel’s favourite winter beer, also offers a handy search function on its website, although it isn’t clear which varieties are available at which stores.

Tree Brewing out of Kelowna is in the process of setting this up as well.

Any others I’m missing?

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Dubbel your pleasure

- January 8th, 2012

WildroseDubbel 002

Either it’s a late Christmas gift, or Wild Rose Brewery knows my birthday is coming up this month (Jan. 23, for those who want to get their shopping out of the way), but whatever the reason, the local beer label is offering up something new for the new year.

For those of you out there who didn’t stock up on their delectable Cherry Porter — and I’m glad I still have a couple of bottles of that on hand — Wild Rose has launched another limited release to keep you warm, should we finally get the winter some were forecasting.

The Belgian-style Dubbel, while not available in stores until Jan. 12, was unveiled last Friday at the brewery’s southwest taproom.

From Wild Rose:

Inspired by the traditional beers brewed by Trappist Monks their latest Seasonal Release is a great way to ward off the Alberta winter chill. Reddish brown in colour with a rich malty sweetness, this complex brew provides new flavours with each sip.

Despite the dark appearance, the Dubbel light on the palate, even with the full flavours, provided by four malts, which give notes of raisins and plums, mixed with a “clove-like spice from the Belgian yeast used in fermentation.”

It may not be for every taste, but the Dubbel, with complex flavours and an alcohol content of 7.3%, is definitely the kind of brew you’d want to serve up when the weather gets cold with some hearty food. In the release promoting its launch, Wild Rose suggested beef stew, rib roast or even lamb, and even chocolate, but personally, I’d love a glass with my mom’s Christmas tourtiere or a nice salty ham.

The Wild Rose Belgian-style Dubbel will be available, for a limited time I’m sure, at select stores starting Jan. 12, and a handful of locations, including the brewery’s taproom and The Ship and Anchor on 17 Ave. S.W.

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Booze year resolutions

- January 4th, 2012

NewYearsBalloon
It’s that time of year again, when people start laying out how they’ll better themselves in the new year.

Lose weight, read more, eat better, stop smoking, and so on.

I’ve never been one for resolutions, at least not setting out on them at the new year, maybe because I’ve had one too many failed promises to myself to bother with more.

But for you scoundrels out there, I’ve decided to make an exception. Trust me, it’ll be more work for me, but better for you readers. But I am fallible, so don’t be surprised if I don’t follow through on everything. Maybe some of you will see something you might like to do, and take some of the load off me.

First and foremost, I hope to write more on 2012, both here and at Breaken It Down.

To accommodate that, I’ll need to follow through on at least a few of the following:

1. Try something new every time I’m at the liquor store. I have my favourites, as we all do, especially when it comes to beer and wine. I love Canadian breweries, and tend not to stray, other than my love of Guinness. Same goes with B.C. wineries. But I vow to branch out. And I’m happy for any suggestions any of you may have.

2. Reacquaint myself with my love of gin. Despite being solely a beer drinker for the first couple of years after I turned 18, gin and tonic became my drink of choice for years. Once I started working at the Sun, and started partaking in post-work drinks, beer re-entered my life through shared pitchers. I think it’s time to rediscover gin’s fragrant botanicals.

3. Give Rye and Irish whiskies more of a chance. I love, LOVE, Scotch and I’m a fan of a good bourbon too. But I’ve never really taken the time to appreciate a good Canadian whisky, or seeing what Ireland had to offer other than Jameson. And as I’ve been reading, there’s good reason to start now.

4. Learning how to make some good cocktails. I was at a whisky tasting late last year, and in advance of the sampling, there were a couple of drinks on offer, including a mojito make with scotch. And it was delicious. Being a beer and wine drinker, primarily, I’ve never given much thought to messing about with cocktail recipes. But everyone should have a couple of tricks up their sleeves, right?

5. I promise to learn more. This is for my benefit, as well as yours. I need to read more, go to more events and tastings, and learn about the processes behind the beverages. It’s not good enough just to drink and enjoy, I need more understanding.

And what do you scoundrels vow to make part of your boozy exploits this year?

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