I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by sharing another one of my beer cocktail recipes online:

Moustache

• 4.5 oz King Brewery Vienna Lager
• 1/4oz Crown Royal Rye Whisky
• 1/4oz Martini Rosso Sweet Vermouth
• 1 Orange

Blend the Rye and Vermouth in a shaker with ice. Pour into a Rocks Glass filled with ice cubes. Add the Vienna Lager and stir gently. Garnish with an orange twist.

© Mirella Amato, Beerology 2012

The cocktail is playfully called ‘Moustache’ because its elegant look & robust flavours are reminiscent of classic cocktails of the late 19th century, a time when it was fashionable for men to sport moustaches.

ENJOY!

When I heard about what Le Cheval Blanc was doing to celebrate this landmark anniversary, I absolutely had to go. Of course, the brewer made all kinds of tasty treats to celebrate (these beers are being released at the brewpub throughout the month of April, with a launch every Tuesday that includes special Cheval Blanc anniversary brews as well as guest brews supplied by other local breweries.) Although the anniversary brews were delicious, they are not what drew me to Montréal.

What drew me to Montréal was the party itself, which took place at a nearby concert venue on April 13th. It was billed as “Je sors du Cheval” – I’m stepping out of the pub. Here is the ticket:

It was, at advertised, a “Cabaret Bancal & Gros Party” – wobbly cabaret and big party. Members of the staff, including brewer Eloï Déit, formed a band called l’Orchestre équestre, and various staff members and regular customers took turns singing some of their favourite hits from the past 25 years. The atmosphere was fantastic and the energy was contagious! As it turns out, because the venue had a contract with another brewery, the beers on tap weren’t even brewed at Le Cheval Blanc. There was one offering that was brought in especially for the occasion, but otherwise customers were drinking what was available.

What I found really great about this celebration is that the party wasn’t only about the beer. It was bigger than that. It was about the community. It was about a fantastic establishment that has been supporting the local arts and music scene for 25 years and also happens to brew its own beer. As I listened to the band and watched the audience dancing and singing along, it occurred to me that this party was unlike any other brewery anniversary that I’ve attended. It wasn’t a panicked rush to try a new limited-edition anniversary beer. No one was sitting and analyzing anything. Everyone was up and dancing. It was so refreshing.

In my five years in the industry so far, this is only the second time that I’ve experienced this kind of vibe. The first time being two years ago at Lovejoy’s Tap House, in Austin Texas, where the regulars dragged me away from the bar, at which I was planning to sit to sample through the house brews, and invited me to shoot some pool instead. I hope that, as the craft beer industry evolves and the community grows, this kind of atmosphere will become increasingly common. One where the beer is delicious but incidental. Of course, seeking out limited edition brews is fun, as is sampling something new, and taking notes can be helpful. But wouldn’t it be great if some brewpubs and beer events were about more than just the beer?….

This article annoyed me for two reasons. The first is the way that the author lumped drinking in with smoking, stress, bad diet and lack of exercise, calling them all “unhealthy habits”. This is not right. Unlike smoking, stress, bad diet and lack of exercise, which are all unequivocally bad habits (that is to say that having just one cigarette is less healthy than having zero cigarettes etc…) Many studies have concluded that there are a range of health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption and, more specifically, moderate beer consumption. In fact, if you look at  the study that is being referenced in the article (which was presumably not assembled by a member of the media) it lists the five detrimental habits as: smoking, unhealthy alcohol consumption, poor diet, physical inactivity and high stress. That’s more accurate!

The second thing that annoyed me about the article is that author Andrew Moran chose to single out beer, writing: “put down that can of beer”. Why? Why beer? For some reason, the media really likes to push the notion that beer is unhealthy when it is, in fact, the lower alcohol option. If we’re talking about the health risks of alcohol, then maybe steering people to the lower alcohol option would be the responsible thing to do.

Then, of course, the photo that was chosen to accompany the piece is of a beer, re-inforcing the notion that beer is unhealthy. Ugh! I’ve included a segment of the photo on the upper left there. Doesn’t that beer look appealing and healthy? It does. You know why? Because it is healthy.  I understand that a photo of a cigarette is not aesthetically pleasing, but if the photo has to be a drink, why not go with a cooler or a rum and coke? I’m sure that the sugar content in either of those drinks makes drinking even just one of them “unhealthy”.

I don’t know why the media continues to vilify beer. It’s something that I’m fighting every day and articles like this one just make me mad.

Some of you may have noticed a new button on the top right hand corner of the Beerology website that looks a little like this:

I’m delighted to announce that the Beerology website is now available in French. I have always offered all of my services in both English and French and it’s great to, once again, have a website that reflects this. BTW: The French side of beerology  is also a great place to pick up some French brewing & beer tasting vocabulary!

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Je suis ravie d’annoncer que le site Beerology est maintenant disponible en français. J’ai toujours offert à tous mes services soit en anglais qu’en français et ça me fait vraiment plaisir d’avoir de nouveau un site web qui est, lui aussi, bilingue!

The first is a practical guide about how to throw a beer tasting at home. The fine folk at the Globe and Mail approached me about providing information for this piece and I thought it was a fantastic idea! In this article, you will find all of the information necessary to throw a fun beer tasting party at home. They’ve outlined all of the basic info that I provided, including setup, beer selection and some cheeses that you can pair with the various beers for the tasting, all in 16 easy steps!

The article does not outline specific tasting technique. If you’d like to find out more about how to taste beer, there is a detailed description on the Beer Tasting 101 page of my website. There, you will also find the Beerology Beer Evaluation Sheet which can be quite useful in the context of a beer tasting. I’ve designed the tasting sheet so that it can either be used for tasting notes (in which case you can fill one out for each beer) or it can simply be used as a reference. It outlines all of the standard descriptors for beer and details all of the different flavours and aromas to look for when tasting beer. Feel free to download and print it!

The second piece in the Globe and Mail is an article about me and my work. The writer was particularly interested in my perspective as a woman in the industry and did a great job of outlining my journey in the beer industry so far…

What is an off-flavour? An off-flavour is an aroma or flavour in beer that should not be there. Sometimes it is one that would be alright if it wasn’t as intense in the overall flavour profile of the beer. Off-flavours are often an indicator that something went wrong somewhere along the way, either during the brewing & packaging process, or later on during transportation, storage and service.

Although they can be challenging, I have always found off-flavour tastings super-fun & I’ve sought out opportunities to taste spiked beers ever since taking my first off-flavour course in Saint-Hyacinthe in 2007. I decided to set up these classes thinking that I must not be alone in feeling this way. It’s neat to smell and taste beer that has been spiked to taste exactly the way it would if it were to come out of a dirty beer line or if it had been skunked!

The article is written by Hopped-up Columnist, Crystal Luxmore, who was at the last off-flavour session that I held in February. She does a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere and explaining how the class works. I get the distinct impression when reading it that I’m not the only one who finds off-flavour tasting fun!

Curious to learn more? Join me for the next series of off-flavour workshops in March.

Join me for this fun tasting that explores the relationship of women with beer throughout history:

For more information, you can call: 506-457-9082  ext. 1

The beginning of the article is quite interesting, listing some of the other shapes of glasses that were used in the UK before the nonic pint came along. Then, McFarland goes on a bit of a rant about the nonic pint, calling it a “weapon of mass consumption that shows little love for the liquid inside” and saying it “demoralises the drinking experience.”

I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up with them, but I don’t find nonic pints particularly ugly. Just because it was designed with the publican in mind, doesn’t make it a bad glass. McFarland explains: “the (no nick) glass didn’t chip like its predecessors, was cheap, sturdy, stacked well and was easy to clean” Let’s review that list:

•    ”didn’t chip” – don’t see the problem there. I’m not into ingesting glass shards
•    ”cheap” – again, no problem. It’s likely that more expensive glassware = more expensive pints
•    ”easy to clean” – I don’t think I need to add anything here

Pubs get busy and I’m happy to use a glass that’s more practical for the wait-staff. Especially since the nonic highlights beer flavours and aromas just as well (if not better) than any other pint-size glass. So now we get the the part of the article that prompted me to write this entry:

McFarland’s second strike against the nonic pint is its size. He writes: “The pint is too much. Lovingly crafted beer should not be classified as a commodity…it’s a quality artisan product deserving of reverence equal to wine and spirits.” He later adds: “Whisky and wine drinkers never say “it’s nice but I couldn’t drink a pint of it,” and nor should beer drinkers.” and this raised alarm bells for me.

I agree these beers will benefit from the use of proper glassware and did write an article on beer glassware theory outlining why. But I don’t feel that 20oz is too much beer. It’s true that, as McFarland points out, beer on the whole is stronger in alcohol than it used to be. There are many delicious 7-9%abv beers out there and they should absolutely be consumed in smaller glasses. Having said this, the fact that beer is proportionally lower in alcohol and can be consumed in larger quantities is one of its charms. Let’s not lose sight of that.

I, for one, do not want to see beer “revered” as McFarland writes, or “raised to the status of wine” as brewer Sam Calagione is fond of saying. I want to see it enjoyed, I want to see its flavours appreciated, but I also want to see it celebrated for its specific attributes, I want to see it bought in rounds and sessioned. I very much enjoy wine and spirits but when I’m on a patio on a hot day or catching up with old friends at the pub, I want a full pint or two of 4.5-6% abv beer. The way that flavours in a beer will evolve as you make your way through a pint (especially with cask-conditioned ale) is one of my favourite things.

Of course, I am grateful to have the option of drinking a half-pint on occasion and I prefer to drink higher alcohol beers in smaller glasses. But while these bold higher-alcohol beers are delicious they are not the future of beer, they are simply one of the many facets of beer.  In all of this excitement with hops and barrel-aging and imperializing beer, let’s not lose sight of beer as a social beverage. Beer is not wine or spirits. Yes, beer should be appreciated. Yes we should be more adventurous with it. Yes, we should bring it to the table and pair it with food. But please, let’s not lift it up, and out of the simple, every-day places where it is so very much enjoyed: the patio, the pub, the sports bar and the outdoors.

Let’s embrace the pint as proper glassware for certain styles, moods, times and places. Let’s appreciate the flavours, qualities, craftsmanship and character in a pint of 3%abv cask-conditioned bitter or 4.5%abv pilsner in the same way that we appreciate these traits in a snifter of Barleywine.

Do you need an excuse to get off the couch and out to the pub this evening?

Well, guess what? It’s St. Brigid of Kildare’s Day!…

Let’s all head out to the pub and CELEBRATE!

Right now, some of you might be wondering who St. Brigid of Kildare was. Well, like St. Patrick (who we celebrate at the pub every year) she is one of the patron saints of Ireland. Here’s the difference, though. Although we know nothing of St. Paddy’s drinking habits or whether he enjoyed beer at all, St. Brigid was all about the beer! Here is the beginning of a prayers which is attributed to her. I propose it as a toast for this evening:

“I should like a great lake of ale, for the King of the Kings. I should like the family of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal.”

Isn’t that sweet of her? St Brigid of Kildare‘s life is not very well documented but her love of beer was. How’s this for a miracle: “when she sent a barrel of beer to one Christian community, it proved to satisfy 17 more”… She multiplied a barrel of beer to make sure there was enough to go around, and this is at a time when malt was scarce! There is also a story of her turning her bathwater into beer. Alternate versions have her doing so for a thirsty clergyman or a leper colony. It is a good deed, either way.

If St. Brigid were around today, I’m sure she’d want us to mark her day with beer. Since the Irish have opted for St. Paddy’s day to celebrate their culture and heritage, I propose that we use St. Brigid’s day to celebrate women in beer:

Let’s get all of our favourite women out to the pub and buy them a pint!

Let’s seek out beers that were designed and brewed by women!

Let’s give a big hug to all of the brewsters we know!

Happy St. Brigid’s Day!!!

The article is saying that: “Ultimately, you should be able to send back any beer that you are unsatisfied with…but consumers seem to have hang-ups about doing this.”

I would certainly include myself in that category. It’s always difficult to send a beer back. I was surprised by the following statement in the article: “The likely outcome of asking for a different beer would be a server who is perfectly happy to bring you a beer that you’ll appreciate and enjoy.” Ha! I would say that this is far from being my experience in Toronto. Most commonly, the response from the server will be “people have been drinking it all evening and no one has complained” at which point, I usually have to either convince the server to taste the beer, or get the bar manager involved in order to get a different beer. Even worse, I have on occasion been on the receiving end of a patronizing lecture from the server about how this is the way that beer should taste and it’s likely just too challenging a flavour for me. Not fun.

The more I learn about beer, the more confident I am in sending beer back. There are now instances when I do not hesitate to return a beer – and that is when:

• I know for sure that the beer in question is tasting very differently from what it is supposed to taste like
• I know that the problem likely occurred due to mistreatment at the pub
• I am able to provide feedback to the server.

Otherwise, if it’s just bubbles on the glass or mild oxidation, I am very hesitant to send it back for the following reasons:

• In the case of bubbles on the glass, if one glass isn’t beer clean, it’s likely that most of the glasses in the establishment aren’t because, in most cases, it’s the dishwasher that’s the issue.
• In the case of mild oxidation, it might be that this beer is moving more slowly than the other beers that are on tap, because it is unusual / a less popular beer. In this case, I would rather encourage the pub to keep this beer on draught by drinking it, than send the beer back in favour of a brand that moves more quickly.

While I do agree that “the consumer is just as responsible for blowing the whistle on bad beer …It will help ensure that the experience future craft beer enthusiasts have are never negative”, I feel that it is important to be mindful. While beer appreciation is certainly on the rise in Ontario, we still have a long way to go and raising a stink about small things like glasses not being beer clean or making a fuss over a small issue is not constructive. It’s just going to support the notion that beer appreciation is snooty and discourage others from exploring beer. When it is a minor issue, I would argue that it might be more constructive to simply point the issue out to the server and keep the pint.

Whether to send a beer back or not is often a tough call to make. In the end, I think the article sums it best  ”Strive to be a steward of beer; not a beer snob.” I wholeheartedly agree. This is one of the reasons that I set up the Off-Flavours workshops that I ran in the fall. It is helpful (and fun!) for people who love beer to learn to identify problematic beer and be able to confidently provide constructive feedback when a beer is off. The more we all learn about beer, the more we can share.