Drinking Beer & Supporting City (Bring me sunshine & a beer)

Bottle of Kolsch.

 

The afternoons offerings...not sure which order to go at them...

 

Mmmmmm.....Landlord.... Some years ago, when I was still living in Manitoba, the Liquor Commission brought that in for a while. Alas, they stopped importing it, and I moved out... The Ontario Commission hasn't listed it in the time I've been here. But we do get the Hobgoblin.

But, in the attempts to support the local breweries, it'll be something more local for me today:


From the Amsterdam Brewery in Toronto. Very nice, and, as they claim, very hoppy.

RCB

 

Landlord as well this afternoon and the Black Sheep Milk Stout...so far....

 

Like the look of those Rod...where did you get them?

 

Looks great RCB. Do they export at all?

 

Not a bad choice 65 but looks as tho' we are all in agreement. City drive us to drink.

 

Sorry, no idea, but probably not. Amsterdam are still an independent craft brewer, though a fairly big one, but most of what craft brewers produce over here is drunk over here. I know that there are some firms that are trying to develop out-of-country markets for Ontario craft beer, and thus do export selected beers to selected markets -- but I can't say I've ever seen an Ontario craft beer when I'm back in England, or anywhere in Europe. For this stuff, you just have to come over here! Breweries come and go like the seasons, though, so you never know just how long a favourite will last.

(Not that this is relevant, but never mind out-of-country sales, even inter-provincial sales of beer is problematic -- it used to be, that to sell beer in a province you had to have a brewery in that province. Thus everything was tilted in favour of the big industrial brewers. They used to produce good beers, but it all started going downhill quality-wise in the 1960s. Quality beers returned in the mid-1980s with the loosening of the rules and regulations for producing and selling alcohol, which amongst other things allowed craft breweries and brewpubs to start up. Amsterdam are one of the earliest, beginning in 1986; Wellington County, who specialise in English-style ales, are another, beginning in 1985.)

RCB

 

Cheers RCB. Interesting stuff there about the different provinces. I'll have a look and see if I can find anything. Failing that I'll have to make a trip...

 

I’m watching from my bar. Despite having a very long shelf life, I might have a go on the big guns lurking at the back seeing as it’s a holiday!

 

Or maybe dip into the wheat beers.

 

I'm not at home at the moment, but I could show you a White Shield that was given to me as a leaving present by head brewer Steve Wellington. I used to work at the White Shield Brewery in Burton, doing my practicals for my brewing exams. The White Shield I have, which I will never bring myself to drinking, has an BBD of 1996. I got given 12 of them, and over the years have drunk one on New Years day. Despite the age, they just keep getting better and better. Can't bring myself to drink the last one! Absolute top draw beer.

 

I was part of the branding team that did the relaunch for the beer. The marketing team provided the blurb for the back label, and completely messed up, by putting "Cape Horn" instead of "Cape of Good Hope" for the beers journey. We had to recall many thousands of bottles. Never trust marketeers who are in their 20's and who drink Carling over ale!

 

Proud to say he's had a few beers in my bar over here. Decent chap. A lot less pompous than Protz.