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Ontario Brewer Podcast
Since 2010, I have been preparing and hosting the Ontario Brewer Podcast series for the Ontario Craft Brewers Association. These podcast feature interviews with Ontario brewers on a range of different topics.Beer News & Updates
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Not My Top 10 Picks
Posted May 28, 2014 | 10:17 am, by Mirella
…or How I picked the style examples listed in my new book Having taken the time to explain at length why I don’t make beer recommendations, in an earlier blog post, I thought I would take a moment to share how I selected the beer examples listed in the Beer Styles chapter of my first book,Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer…Even More. While the listed beers are recommendations, they are based on stylistic accuracy and geography rather than on my personal taste. For those […]
Top 10 Picks
Posted April 9, 2014 | 10:17 am, by Mirella
The only question I get more often than “what is it like being a woman in the beer industry?” is “what is yourfavourite beer?” Every media request that I receive includes questions like: Which do you think are the top 10 Canadian breweries? What are 5 recommended brands for patio season? Which new releases should we be seeking out? What do you think of X brand? Which breweries should we be keeping an eye out for? What are your top […]
Beer in New Zealand
Posted November 29, 2013 | 11:00 am, by Mirella
I was very happy to be invited down to Dunedin, New Zealand, to give a talk on ‘the science of beer’ as a part of the Science Teller Festival run by the University of Otago last month. This is only the second time I’ve been invited to give a talk outside of North America – the last one being in 2010, when I co-hosted a guided tasting in Italy with my maestro, Lorenzo Dabove. I was particularly excited to have […]
How to become a Certified Cicerone
Posted June 10, 2013 | 10:30 am, by Mirella
Two to three times a month, I’m contacted by someone who is looking for advice on how to become a Certified Cicerone®. Having fielded this question a number of times, I thought I’d take a moment to collect my thoughts in a blog post… In the spirit of full disclosure: from 2013-2015, I worked as an independent contractor for the Cicerone® Certification Program. Having said this, as I outlined above, that’s not what has motivated this post. So, how to […]
Beerology in the News
Posted May 7, 2013 | 11:00 am, by Mirella
It’s been an exciting few months since I achieved my Master CiceroneTM certification, in December, becoming the first Master CiceroneTM in Canada. I’ve been delighted to see the attention that this certification has received across a range of different media outlets and publications. I am particularly happy to note that publications outside of the beer sphere have picked up the story and am quite hopeful that these articles will reach a broader audience, exposing new people to the idea of beer appreciation. […]
The future of Ontario beer?
Posted April 9, 2013 | 1:15 am, by Mirella
Last month, I became a member of the Ontario Hop Growers Association. I also had the pleasure of attending their conference on Saturday, March 9th, where Québecois hop agronomist Julien Venne presented an advanced course in hop growing. The talk was fascinating and it was great to learn more about how to best select appropriate and relevant hop varieties to grow in Ontario. I’ve actually been following the growth of the local hop industry for a few years now, ever […]
Beer Dinner Menus
Posted March 10, 2013 | 11:00 am, by Mirella
I’ve had the pleasure of guiding a series of beer dinners in fine dining establishments over the past few months. While I’ve been pairing beer with food in a variety of contexts for years, until recently they have mostly taken place in private homes, at catered events or in pubs… It’s very exciting to me that higher-end restaurants are embracing the idea of bringing beer to the table. It opens the door for guests to see beer in a new […]
A plea for styles
Posted February 12, 2013 | 5:38 pm, by Mirella
(an open letter to breweries) I came across a beer last night and it brought to mind a concern that I’ve often shared in my beer classes but never addressed in writing… Here’s what happened: I was leaving my local bar and the bartender flagged me down. She let me know that a new beer had just come in and she was curious to hear my thoughts because it was brewed in a style that she wasn’t familiar with: India […]
I’m writing a book!
Posted February 11, 2013 | 2:25 pm, by Mirella
I’m happy to announce that I’ve started writing my first book. This book will be a natural extension of the work I’m doing. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for beer with a wider audience and I’m very much looking forward to assembling the book and seeing it published. Should everything go according to plan, my book will be released next year. I’m lucky to be working with a fantastic team on this project. The […]
Festive Beer Nog Float
Posted December 20, 2012 | 10:00 am, by Mirella
The holidays are fast approaching and so I thought it might be fun to share the recipe for one of my festive beer cocktails with you, since the traditional “beer nog” recipe that I posted last year was such a hit! This cocktail is actually more of a beer float. It was inspired by an online article I that read two years ago about the fact that it is impossible to make a beer cocktail with eggnog. The unfortunate truth is […]