Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Stiegl summer sippers on streets of Calgary this summer

- May 15th, 2013

Stiegl Grapefruit Radler

It is hard to resist the allure of crisp, cold, citrus-y beer on a hot summer day.

Whether it’s adding some lemon to your Grasshopper or the orange and coriander kiss of a Village Wit, Alberta beer drinkers don’t mind a little fruit flavour.

And citrus and summer are a great combination.

So I’m sure it will be good news to many that fans of Stiegl’s famous citrus beer can find their favourite summer sipper more easily this year.

Stiegl Grapefruit Radler has just been released in 500 ml cans across Canada.

Half Stiegl Goldbrau and half grapefruit juice, this 2.5% abv shandy is a light and crisp summer beverage, full of grapefruit flavour.

The beer also recently won a gold medal in the Specialty Beer category at the Calgary International Beerfest, beating out Laughing Dog’s Huckleberry Cream Ale and Brew Brothers’ Raspberry Cream Ale.

Look for Stiegl Grapefruit Radler at your local liquor store.

Another Stiegl product has landed in Calgary, for a Canadian exclusive.

Craft Beer Market, which has landed some Calgary and Alberta exclusives already, is the only place in Canada you can get Stiegl Radler Zitrone on tap.

For the first time in its 521-year history, Stiegl has shipped kegs of the Radler Zitrone overseas, to one of Calgary’s beer temples.

“To partner with a brewery that has such a rich history and then to have them agree to ship kegs out of Austria for the first time ever exclusively for us is such an honour,” Craft’s Rob Swiderski said. “We have been pouring Stiegl Radler since day one and our guests absolutely love it. When people walk through our doors and tell us they don’t like beer we pour them a Radler and nine times out of ten they are converted. We call it the gateway beer!”

Radler Zitrone (lemon, in German), is described as a light, refreshing summer sipper, made using 100% fruit juice blended with its Stiegl Goldbrau.

Stiegl agreed to produce 576 kegs of Zitrone to ship to Canada, to be poured exclusively in Calgary’s Beltline.

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Tree Brewing launches of trio of new beers to get into the summer groove

- May 14th, 2013

TREE 12pack CANS 2013 3D_sm

Kelowna’s Tree Brewing is getting groovy this summer.

Whether its in the makeover of its Character Pack, or the three new beers this summer, Tree is taking things light and breezy.

First, the Character Pack (pictured above), featuring two of the three new beers.

Alongside Tree favourites Thirsty Beaver Ale and Beach Blonde Lager, are a pair of easy going ‘Sesson Ales’: Wild Ruby Raspberry Infused Ale and Groove Session Ale.

“Our new Character pack offers our ‘discovery Craft beers’ allowing beer consumers to step into a high quality Craft Beer,” said Tod Melnyk, Tree Brewing president. “We love experimenting with new recipes and have selected these two from our recipe book to complement our award winning Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale and Beach Blonde Lager in this year’s Character Pack.”

According to the brewery:

Wild Ruby has a pronounced raspberry aroma and flavour with mild hop notes. It finishes with a pleasant hop taste and a clean finish, and pairs well with lightly dressed salads, grilled halibut and raspberry mousse. Groove Session Ale is a smooth tasting, medium bodied Ale, with subtle spicy notes and a pleasant lingering dry, hop bitterness on the finish, and is also 5% ABV. Pairings that will complement Groove well include spicy stir fries, shellfish and jalapeno jack cheese.

Not groovy enough? How about a six-pack of unadulterated mellow yellow?

Not in the character pack, but available on its on in six-packs of bottles is the Mellow Moon Pineapple Hefeweizen.

“Mellow Moon is the perfect complement to this great weather,” Melnyk said. “The first taste of pineapple each summer is a memorable experience, and now we’ve bottled that so our consumers can enjoy on any occasion.”

It’s an unfiltered beer with “pronounced pineapple aromoa with subtle spice notes.” A hazy mellow beer for the hazy days of summer? Seems fitting.

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Glenmorangie asks whisky fans to take the Cask Masters challenge

- May 14th, 2013

What goes in a whisky is important, but equally important is what the whisky goes in.

Oak aging plays such an important role in developing the character of the whisky, whether it’s wholly aged in ex-bourbon barrels, French oak, American oak, or finished in sherry, port or madeira.

Glenmorangie has an interesting line of Extra Matured whiskies in its range, using ruby port pipes, Oloroso and Ximenez sherry casks, and even barrels used to age Sauternes wine.

Fans of the Glenmorangie range have their own favourites, but now the distillery is allowing fans to pick the next unique whisky in the range.

The Glenmorangie Cask Masters allows whisky lovers to be part of the process, offering people a chance to pick the next release.

In the lead-up to July 31, events are being held, allowing fans to sample and vote for their favourite. Voting is open online as well, for those who may not be able to try the whisky, but who have a particular interest in the final product.

Glenmorangie Brand Ambassador Ruaraidh MacIntyre calls it a “choose-your-own adventure.”

“The idea was to give the public a choice in what they wanted to drink,” he said “Crowd-sourced whisky.”

“It’s for people who are into whisky, people who are the connoisseurs, people that buy our private edition, people who are Glenmorangie fanatics.”

Sounds like fun, right?

But what of the whisky?

There are three cask expressions on offer: Cask A is a Grand Cru Burgundy, Cask B is a Grand Cru Bordeaux and Cask C is Manzanilla, enthusiastically described above by Dr. Bill Lumsden, head of distilling at Glenmorangie.

After tasting all three, it’s hard to pick a favourite. They are all very complex whiskies, and while they all carry some of the trademark characteristics of Glenmorangie whisky, they are all very different.

Cask A brings to the table a lot of wine-like characteristics — the smell of summer fruits like plum and cherry (I also detected raisin), plus the definite smell of cocoa. That hint of chocolate carried over onto the palate, along with nuts and vanilla. This had a very creamy finish, as if the chocolate all melted in your mouth.

Cask B (the Bordeaux), smelled of cedar and apples, but also sweet caramel and salt. On the palate, there’s a hint of spice before coating the mouth like butter and jam on toast, or a croissant. The tasting notes also refer to marmalade. It follows with a woody finish.

Cask C was the most complex. For those who don’t know, Manzanilla is a pale, dry sherry. I found less sweetness in this whisky than the first two. On the nose, there was menthol and pepper and more salt. The salt carried over onto the palate, along with raisins and brown sugar. Cured ham is mentioned in the tasting notes, and it’s hard not to agree. Salty and sweet, followed by a mellow aftertaste. More chocolate, as with Cask A.

All of the whiskies are bottled at 46% abv. Once the winning cask is chosen, Glenmorangie will be taking votes for the name of the whisky, to be chosen from 10 options picked by Celtic and Gaelic professor Dr. Aonghas Maccoinnich from the University of Glasgow.

For those who don’t get to taste all three, the bad news is just the winning cask will be released for sale.

The good news is that there is still an opportunity to take part in the fun, and win prizes, including a trip to the origin of the winning cask.

For more information, to vote, or to watch Bill Lumsden describe the other two whiskies, register at the Glenmorangie Cask Masters website.

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Calgary Beerfest announces medal winners

- May 13th, 2013

Beerfestposter

I’m a couple of days behind getting this up, but the Calgary International Beerfest has announced its medal winners from the fest.

The winners range from local favourites Big Rock, Wild Rose and Village to International tastes like Austria’s Steigl Grapefruit Radler.

As for how the people voted, Skinners Brewery out of England took the People’s Choice Gold Medal, followed by Calgary’s Wild Rose with the silver and Village with the Bronze.

For the full winners list, check out the Calgary International Beerfest website.

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Canadian Brewing Awards handed out in Victoria — Alberta comes up (mostly) empty

- May 13th, 2013

CanadianBrewingAwards

The bad news first. Alberta breweries were not widely represented as medallists at the Canadian Brewing Awards in Victoria last weekend. Big Rock out of Calgary and Yellowhead from Edmonton both took bronze medals for their Grasshopper and Premium Lager, respectively.

The good? Canada has a schwack of great beer, even if your favourite Alberta brewer didn’t land a podium finish. We’re all winners here.

As the list below shows, Ontario breweries took home a ton of hardware. B.C. did too. Great Lakes Brewery out of Toronto was named brewery of the year, while Vancouver’s Powell Street Craft Brewery took home beer of the year for its Old Jalopy Pale Ale.

Use this as a helpful guide the next time you head out to the liquor store. Just make sure you check Liquor Connect before you head out.

North American Style Lager
Gold: Alpine Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd.(NB)
Silver: Cool Beer, Cool Beer Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Brewhouse Pilsener, Great Western Brewing Co. (SK)

North American Style Premium Lager
Gold: Okanagan Spring 1516, Okanagan Spring Brewery (BC)
Silver: Moosehead Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd. (NB)
Bronze: Yellowhead Premium Lager, Yellowhead Brewery (AB)

European Style Lager (Pilsner)
Gold: Traditional Pilsner, Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd. (ON)
Silver: Bohemian Style Pilsener, Propeller Brewing Co.(NS)
Bronze: Stone Hammer Pilsner, F & M Brewery (ON)

North American Style Amber Lager
Gold: Barking Squirrel Amber Lager, Hop City Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Premium Lager, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
Bronze: Belle Gueule Rousse, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

North American Style Dark Lager
Gold: Waterloo Dark, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Cameron’s Dark 266, Cameron’s Brewing Company (ON)
Bronze: Hermann’s Dark Lager, Vancouver Island Brewery (BC)

Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager
Gold: Alpine Light, Moosehead Breweries Ltd.(NB)
Silver: Laker Light, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Cracked Canoe Premium Light Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd. (NB)

Bock – Traditional German Style
Gold: Captivator Doppelbock, Tree Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Amsterdam Spring Bock, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: King Bock, King Brewery (ON)

Kellerbier
Gold: King Kellerbier, King Brewery (ON)
Silver: Central City Kellerbier, Central City Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Howe Sound Lager, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)

Porter
Gold: Harry Porter, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Breakfast Porter, Indie Ale House Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Black Death Porter, Russell Brewing Co. (BC)

Strong Porter (Baltic)
Gold: Pothole Porter, Half Pints Brewing Co. (MB)
Silver: Okanagan Spring Porter, Okanagan Spring Brewery (BC)
Bronze: Lost River Baltic Porter, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)

Cream Ale
Gold: Begbie Cream Ale, Mt Begbie Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Labatt 50 Ale, Labatt Breweries of Canada (ON)
Bronze: Mill Street Portage Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

Kolsch
Gold: Lug Tread Lagered Ale, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: St. James Pale Ale, Half Pints Brewing Co. (MB)
Bronze: Arctic Ale, Swans Brewpub (BC)

North American Style Amber/Red Ale
Gold: Red Racer ESB, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: Limited Release Irish Red, Granville Island Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Amber Ale, Steam Works Brewing Co. (BC)

North American Style Blonde/Golden Ale
Gold: Northumberland Ale, Church Key Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Amsterdam Natural Blonde, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Station House Blonde Ale, Shuswap Lake Brewing Co. (BC)

Brown Ale
Gold: Nut Brown Ale, The Black Oak Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Old Boy, Parallel 49 Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Nut Brown Ale, Dead Frog Brewery (BC)

American Style Black Ale
Gold: Black IPA, Brasserie Dunham, (QC)
Silver: Malevolent BIIPA, Nickel Brook Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Insidious IBA, Rockbottom Brewpub (NS)

Scotch Ale
Gold: Amsterdam Vicars Vice, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Silver: Iron Duke, Wellington County Brewery Inc. (ON)
Bronze: Stag Apple Scotch Ale, Tin Whistle Brewing Co. Ltd. (BC)

English Style Pale Ale (Bitter)
Gold: Butler’s Bitter, Niagara College Teaching Brewery (ON)
Silver: Distillery Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Pail, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)

North American Style Pale Ale (Bitter)
Gold: Old Jalopy Pale Ale, Powell Street Craft Brewery (BC)
Silver: Crazy Canuck Pale Ale, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Wizard Wolf, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)

Wheat Beer – Belgian Style (Wit)
Gold: Dominus Vobiscum Blanche, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)
Silver: Mill Street Belgian Wit, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Mons Abbey Witte, Brasserie Belgh Brasse (QC)

Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss)
Gold: King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Denison’s Weissbier, Denison’s Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Belle Gueule Hefeweizen, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

Wheat Beer – North American Style
Gold: Sun God Wheat Ale, R & B Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale, PEI Brewing Co. (PEI)
Bronze: Grasshopper Wheat Ale, Big Rock Brewery (AB)

Belgian Style Abbey Ale
Gold: Vow of Silence, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Silver: Seigneuriale, Unibroue (QC)
Bronze: Mons Abbey Dubbel, Brasserie Belgh Brasse (QC)

Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale
Gold: Blitzen, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)
Silver: New World BPA, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)

Barley Wine Style Ale
Gold: Legacy Ale, Swans Brewpub (BC)
Silver: Old Cellar Dweller, Driftwood Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Mill Street 2012 Barley Wine, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

Stout
Gold: Diamond Head Oatmeal Stout, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Stone Hammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout, F & M Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Lighthouse Keepers Stout, Lighthouse Brewing Co. (BC)

Imperial Stout
Gold: Rang 10, Microbrasserie du Lac St-Jean (QC)
Silver: Hellwoods, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Apocalypse, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

English Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Beaver River, Beau’s All Natural Brewery (ON)
Silver: Devil’s Elbow IPA, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Mill Street IPA, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

American Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Karma Citra IPA, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Lord of the Hops, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Cameron’s RPA, Cameron’s Brewing Co. (ON)

Imperial India Pale Ale
Gold: Central City Imperial IPA, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: Twice as Mad Tom, Muskoka Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Hop Therapy, Russell Brewing Co. (BC)

French and Belgian Style Saison
Gold: Le Paysan Saison, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Dominus Vobiscum Saison, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)
Bronze: La Tintamarre, Acadie-Broue Inc. (NB)

Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale
Gold: St. Ambroise Maple Beer, McAuslan Brewing Inc. (QC)
Silver: Boréale Dorée, Les Brasseurs du Nord Inc. (QC)
Bronze: Maple Stout, The Cannery Brewing Co. (BC)

Fruit Beer
Gold: Steamworks Pumpkin Ale, Steamworks Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: False Creek Raspberry Ale, Granville Island Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Blueberry Ale, Pumphouse Brewery Ltd. (NB)

Wood and Barrel Aged Beer
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Robust Porter, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Maverick and Gose, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Greener Futures Project Burnt Rock, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)

Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer
Gold: Central City Bourbon Porter, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: From East Van with Love, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Bronze: 25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)

Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beer
Gold: Yaletown Oud Bruin, Yaletown Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: La Bretteuse- Brassin Special, Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable (QC)
Bronze: Co-Hop V, À La Fût (QC)

Gluten Free Beer
Gold: Glutenberg Belge de Saison, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)
Silver: Glutenberg Blonde, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)
Bronze: Glutenberg Rousse, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)

Experimental Beer
Gold: Glutenberg Imperial Sotolon, Brasseur Sans Gluten (QC)
Silver: Série Signature Hopfenweisse, Les Trois Mousquetaires (QC)
Bronze: Winter Brewed Coffee Amber, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)

Beer of the Year
Old Jalopy Pale Ale, Powell Street Craft Brewery (BC)

Brewery of the Year
Great Lakes Brewery (ON)

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