As she says:

“I wasn’t really expecting to find a lot of beers in Tokyo, much less really good beers. To be fair, most places seemed to have a number of shochu and nihonshu choices, and pretty much just one “nama” or draft beer, which was something light like Asahi. But beer is a growing industry in Japan, and Niles’s brother knew a bunch of great little beer places for us to try. It wasn’t cheap, but it was good stuff.”

The Swan Lake Porter and Iwatekura Oyster Stout in particular sound amazing.

Sarah has a book titled SHUTEYE: SIX TALES OF DREAMS AND DREAMERS that is currently available for pre-order at a reduced price. Go purchase it from the Shortpants Press store.

So the LCBO brought us a treat in the past week. With their famous one-shot program, they gave us beers from the famous Garrison Brewing Co. in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Being as they are, the LCBO has said that once these are sold off the shelves they’re gone. And it’s that which compelled me to go above my spending limit for the week and purchase three bottles from this brewery. The Spruce Beer, the Grand Baltic Porter and the Premium Black IPA. So let’s get to know our Halifax cousins, shall we? Yes. As a note, I’m writing down my first impressions of them. This post is being written as I’m drinking.

First up is the Spruce Beer.

SPRUCE BEER 7.5% ABV

One of the oldest beer styles in North America and also a favorite of the Scots. I’m so pleased to note the use of Blackstrap Molasses and Dates in this one, which is a big difference from other beers of this style I’ve had, which just added the Spruce. Let’s have at ‘er.

COLOUR: Caramel colour. Quite beautiful.

AROMA: Syrupy sweetness backed right up by the mollasses with the dates following it like a small and nervous accountant follows a mobster. I can already tell that the Molasses is going to be a force and that I’ll really love this when we actually get some snow over here.

TASTE:  SPRUCE.  Oh man, the Spruce and Fir hits me like a baseball bat. How so refreshing to have the spruce be the forerunner with flavours in a beer of this style! Slight hoppiness.  The Dates are a bit stronger here. The Molasses is as strong in the taste as it was in the aroma and adding a wonderful warmth to this beer (with a slight smokiness at the end). Wow.

VERDICT: I think I found one of my top 5 winter beers this year. A classic recipe with a warmth that gets you through the season. A wonderful, WONDERFUL version of this style. Ten points to Gryffindor (or…whatever).

Right. Now the Black IPA.

BLACK IPA 6.2% ABV

Now, ever since declaring this style as one of my favourites, I’ve been REALLY picky as to my Black IPAs. I’ve had ‘em good and I’ve had ‘em spit-back-in-the-glass horrible. I’m also a hop-head. So let’s see if this holds up to my standards.

COLOUR: Black with some ruby highlights.

AROMA: Sweet, citrusy hints in the aroma. If I were to guess, I’d say that Cascade hops were used in this. Hint of chocolate and coffee with some roasted malt tones to it. Interesting.

TASTE: …you know, if I didn’t know this was from Halifax, I would assume this was a West Coast brew. This is slightly weaker in hoppiness than my ALL-TIME favourite (Stone Brewery’s Self Righteous Black IPA) but it’s the closest I’ve had to it. Hoppiness DEFINITELY hits and I still stand by in thinking that Cascade was used to add to this grapefruit citrusy flavour that hits you first. Chocolate is definitely in the back of this with some really nice coffee notes. It’s like the hoppiness is punching you and the chocolate, coffee and malt flavours are hugging you as if to say “I’m sorry, baby. But you know how jealous I get”.

VERDICT: I would have to be in the mood for it, but definitely one of the strongest efforts I’ve seen in a Black IPA from this country so far. The hoppiness borders to the point where some people would have to send it back, but that’s just how I like my hoppy beers.

And now finally, the Grand Baltic Porter.

GRAND BALTIC PORTER 9.0% ABV

I love Porters (ESPECIALLY in this cold winter season) and this brewery already made me a lover with the other winter beer, the Spruce Beer. So let’s see how this one goes. This also seems to be their big award winner, giving them two golds and a bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards, a Gold at the World Beer Championships and an “Innovative Beer of the Year” Award at the Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards.

COLOUR: Light brown to black. Doesn’t pour like a thick soup like I’m usually accustomed to.

AROMA: Sweet aroma (almost like dried fruit) with hints of toasted malts and tailed by some molasses, which is kind of creeping in to the room like the neighbour you forgot to invite to your party.

TASTE: Very thin mouthfeel (compared to the thick-as-sludge porters I’m used to, but Baltic Porters traditionally have lager yeasts). So that sweet aroma I was smelling? I think I got the taste of it and there’s definitely a taste of berries and cherry in there. Quickly followed by chocolate and a nice hint of brown sugar. The molasses makes an appearance and finishes it off nicely with a toasty, smokey hug. The alcohol provides a nice warmth here.

VERDICT: Not the GREATEST of Baltic Porters I’ve had, but still a nice comfortable beer to have around. It might be my second or third choice of beer to have on a cold winter night.

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So there we go! I’ve learned something about this wonderful brewery. I can say beyond a doubt that I will definitely be sad once these beers go off the shelves here in Ontario for good. I would be more than happy to try the other beers they have and write about it, but sadly I don’t see myself being able to afford a trip to Halifax too soon.

Thanks for reading, folks!

I also went off to glorious Washington D.C./Virginia for a week, which was…well, just fantastic.

I’m still recovering from the nearly 24-hour train ride, but just wanted to provide you with a little teaser of what’s to come later on.

Yeah.  That happened.  Just freakin’ wait.

This is The Thirsty Wench.  Happy New Year.

We’ve all been denying it and dreading it, but it’s time to come to terms with it: the holidays are here.  I don’t know about you folks, but this week and next for me will be a chaotic haze of gift buying, office parties, secret-santaing and dinner partying.

So you need to get something.  Ideally under $20-$50 and you kind of want to avoid getting everyone the same coffee table book of “Chairs Throughout History”.  While thinking about it you grab a beer…and then it hits you.

It’s one of my favorite seasons right now…BEER GIFT BOX SEASON!  That glorious time of year where breweries decide to make a box set that samples their beer and comes with a beautiful glass.  They’re cheap, they’re pretty and they’re tasty!  They truly are good gifts for the dinner partying or office partying crowd.

The following is a list of some favourites I’ve known of.  Speak to your local Boozemonger for information on purchasing/ordering.  Of course, prices may vary and I can’t be held responsible if you spoil the gift by opening it and trying it for yourself.

1. Historic Ales From Scotland Gift Pack
William Bros. Brewery
$9.60

This is a really fun set.  Comes with four bottles of historic ales (Pine Ale, Heather Ale, Elderberry Ale and Gooseberry Ale) which all, to my surprise the first time I tried it, taste just wonderful.  The story behind them is also amazing and listed on the back of the bottle so you can learn something (The Gooseberry Ale was originally brewed by 16th century Scots monks, the Pine Ale was brought over by the Vikings and so on).  This is a nice and cheap set which brings out a sort of adventurous spirit in people with the results always being good ones.  I strongly suggest picking up this set.

Taste of Belgium Gift Pack
Anheuser-Busch InBev
$19.95

To regular readers here, SHUT UP I KNOW HEAR ME OUT. Let’s face it, you’re bound to have some friends, no matter how much you try to pour craft beer down their throats, that are going to like the simple stuff.  This pack has three beers with accompanying glasses for each one. Stella Artois, Hoegaardan and Leffe Brune.  While I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the first two, I have to acknowledge that people love them and that’s cool.  Also, Leffe Brune is truly a wonderful beer and mixes it up a little.  While a beer snob would turn his or her nose up to this, it does make an ideal gift for a friend who likes that kind of thing and ESPECIALLY for “mystery gifting” at office parties.  It IS practical.

Mill St. Organic, Tankhouse or Coffee Porter Gift Pack
Mill St. Brewery
$6.95

I actually bought one of these (The Coffee Porter one) for a Dinner Party I’m going to tonight.  Three different packs; one for their Organic, their Tankhouse Ale and their very tasty Coffee Porter.  Each beer comes with a glass that will suit the beer (The Coffee Porter comes with a Snifter Glass, for example) and they pack a HUGE punch as a present for a really cheap price.  Once again, ideal for office party Secret Santas or dinner parties and the beer is of exceptional quality!  And screw it, I may very well buy one or two of these myself.

Erdinger Weissbier Bavarian Gift Pack
Erdinger Weissbräu
$9.95

A pretty damn refreshing beer!  This pack comes with two beers, the traditional Weissbier and Erdinger’s superb Dunkel as well as a glass that goes well with this style of beer.  The beer is tasty and is sure to attract even the beer-haters of the group.  And while Weissbiers are considered by a few people to be a better drink in the summer months, I think they are still quite amazing in the winter months.  The nice maltiness of the Dunkel will add to the holiday ambience considerably.

Chimay Gift Set
Bières de Chimay
$19.95

This is a gift set for the beer lover friend of yours.

You remember my post on Trappist Beers, right? Of course you do!  Chimay is one of the seven Trappist breweries in the world and are the most aggressive with their advertising and sales.  This set comes with their three famous beers, the blue cap, red cap and white cap, as well as a BEAUTIFUL Abbey Goblet to drink it all down with.  Seriously a wonderful set that allows you to try the brews of one of the more famous breweries out there.

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So there we go!  There are more out there, of course so be sure to get down to your booze emporium and check out what’s available!  And hey, maybe pick one or two out for yourself while you’re at it.

Let’s all try and survive the holidays, folks.

My name is Robin LeBlanc.  By day (and let’s face it, most of the night) I am a mild-mannered Publicity Assistant and freelance Photographer. I live in Toronto with a bastard cat and a few people and enjoy things like Star Trek, boxing, comics and a wide-range of music from 1920s Hot String Jazz to a bunch of Angry Japanese men screaming while banging things.

But that’s not important to this blog, totally.  The big thing is that I really like beer. It wasn’t always this way.  Many years ago I loved wine and was getting to be quite a snob about it.  But then someone gave me a Trappist beer and it all just spiraled out of control.  I picked up some books, talked to some brewers and other beer bloggers, even started making my OWN beer and I found that I was really getting passionate about it.  I figured that I should set up a blog to dump the stuff that I’ve learned in the past as well as what I continue to learn (the beer world really is a deep rabbit hole of wonder).  So here I am.

I live in Ontario, Canada, which has incredibly stupid laws regarding beer and is sort of going through an interesting phase, as people are realizing that there is more to beer than lagers and cream ale.  Small breweries are popping up all over the place and getting a little wild and experimental.  For you Yankees out there, here’s some perspective:  I’ve been told by about twenty people, brewers, bloggers and pub owners alike, that Ontario, if not all of Canada, right now is going through the same thing that the US did with craft beer in 1985-1990.  Needless to say, it’s interesting being on the ground floor when all this is going on and the next five years here are going to be pretty damn interesting.

And oh, yes.  I’m a woman.  If you think that’s weird at all I suggest you look up some of the history of beer and see who primarily made it.  Also stay tuned as I plan on talking a bit in a post about women in the beer industry.

So, yes.  If you want to read me learning about beer and letting out what I know without getting industry gossip heavy (“My GOD, did you HEAR what Joel said about the grain mills he goes to? GASP! And the seasonal Doppelbock is only two weeks away! SCANDAL!” Ugh), then this is the place for you.  My posting is slightly erratic, but I’m trying my best to bang a post out at least once a week.

If you’re new to this site and don’t know where to begin, I suggest the Gateway Beers category and then go on exploring from there.

Also, if you like what I do and would like to help, please consider making a donation at the Tip Jar, as beer costs money and I don’t make too much.

Some other info:

My e-mail: robin@therobinleblanc.com

Twitter: @TheThirstyWench (links to new posts on this site)

Personal Twitter: @oldhat (BEWARE: I talk a lot of nonsense.)

Welp, for my Birthday I got it.

HUGE thanks to my parents for purchasing it, Melissa “Glukkake” Dowell for picking it up at the Brooklyn Brewery’s store and to the wonderful fella Alan Tyson for picking it up and driving all the way to Toronto to hand it off and celebrate the day I emerged from another human screaming, naked and covered in blood 27 years ago.

While I’m going to TRY and save the Companion Ale for a special occasion, I can say that the book is quite amazing and very detailed.  I love that so many experts put their experience in to this and can’t wait to actually learn more about this stuff so I can gain a deeper understanding in to the world that I love and…okay, so I can repeat it at parties.  YOU CAUGHT ME.

So until then, enjoy this BEAUTIFUL picture by Emmanuel “Mojokingbee” Hernaez of me defending my precious ales from an evil Kraken.  Click image to embiggen.

Basically, this was inspired by the friends and family I have who have said “I don’t really drink beer, but when I do I usually drink _______.  What should I have?”.   

But you know what?  Today I feel reckless.  Today I don’t think I’m going to go with the template of “I usually drink ________”.  Today I’m going to just suggest a type of beer that you HAVE TO TRY before you die.

I am talking of the holiest of them all, the Trappist Beers. Cue the music to play along while reading this!

Trappists, also known as The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, are an order of Roman Catholic contemplative monks who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict to the letter and have taken a vow of stability, fidelity to monastic life, and obedience.  While they don’t go so far as to take a vow of silence, talking too much IS discouraged.  Apparently speech disturbs a disciple’s duty for quietude and receptivity, and may tempt them to exercise their own will instead of the will of God.  A special sign language was created to further discourage speech and all meals are spent quietly listening to a reading.

There are about 175 monasteries and convents in the world and most of them make stuff! Turns out the Rule of St. Benedict encourages the monks to produce stuff with all income going to the monastery! This stuff ranges from clothing to food to toys…and BEER (which works because the monks don’t abstain from alcohol or think it’s particularly wrong).

In response to breweries, clothing companies and other non-Trappist purveyors abusing the Trappist name by calling their product Trappist, the International Trappist Association was formed which put a smackdown on the fakers and set up some strict rules to determine what is worthy of getting the “Authentic Trappist Product” sticker on their product.

Because this is a beer blog, I’ll give the rules as they relate to the making of beer:

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by or under control of Trappist monks (although this has been stretched to allow outsourcing to breweries outside of the abbey as long as the ENTIRE process is overseen by the monks).
• The brewery, the choices of brewing, and the commercial orientations must be of secondary importance within the monastery and should reflect the monastic way of life.
• Profit is not a goal.  Money received from sales goes towards the living expenses of the monks and building and maintenance of the grounds.  The rest goes to charity.
• Trappist breweries must be constantly monitored to ensure the best of quality.

And if any one of those rules are broken BAM, The sticker comes off and they are no longer considered Trappist.  But why is that considered a big deal? After all, There are thousands of Abbey breweries out there.  This is true…but there are only seven Trappist breweries in the entire world (six in Belgium and one in the Netherlands), so staying on that list packs a lot of prestige.

Now I’m going to go through the seven breweries and say what I can about them.  Keep in mind that, due to limited availability, there are several that I have not tried and therefore won’t be able to comment on them.  Though with that it should be said that trying all the Trappist beers is something that should be put on your bucket list.

Bières de Chimay: Comes in three different, wonderful colours.White, Red and Blue. Chimay Red Cap was actually the very first craft beer I ever tried and the complexities just blew my mind.  First brewed in 1862, Chimay Red Cap has  a lovely copper colour, sweet apricot aroma and a taste that reveals the fruit nuances and delicious malts.  These folks also put more in to advertising than any of the other breweries and with their easy availablity are often a gateway in to the world of Trappist beers.

Brasserie d’Orval: This brewery makes two beers; one for the public and one just for the monks (but can also be purchased at the monastery itself or the cafe near it). The public one, Orval, has a light cloudy colour, is somewhat high in carbonation and with a spicy, leathery aroma.  Taste is sweet with some citrusy tones and a distinct note of pear and apple.  Slight hoppiness due to dry-hopping during the three-week maturation period.  Also should be noted that the brewery uses a unique local wild yeast for fermenting.

Brasserie de Rochefort: Never tried the three beers from this brewery. Rochefort 6 is only brewed once a year and is very difficult to hunt down, Rochefort 8 is their most popular brew and Rochefort 10 packs a punch with an 11.3% ABV, which I imagine adds some lovely distinctions to the flavour.  A fun note about this brewery is that they obtain the water from a well within the walls of the monastery.

Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle: Westmalle makes three brews speculated to be based on the Holy Trinity. A Dubbel, a Tripel (the first golden strong pale ale to be called one) and Westmalle Extra, which is pretty rare.  Not going to lie here folks, when I first tried Westmalle Tripel I actually wept tears of joy.  The aroma is quite sweet, with hints of lemon zest, orange and sweet spices but the the taste is another matter. VERY creamy mouthfeel to it with such a complex flavour.  Really, nothing I can say about the flavour will do it justice.  Every time I try to do a tasting I’m just left dumbstruck.  Combinations of sweetness, bitterness and earthiness combine to form a holy trinity on its own.  For the love of all that is Holy (and these folks are pretty holy) try the Westmalle Tripel.

Brouwerij Westvleteren: These folks do absolutely no advertising, make just enough beer to support the monastery and the only official sell points are the brewery itself and a cafe across from the abbey.  Any other places you get it should be punished because once purchased the buyers are given their receipt with “DO NOT RESELL” on it.  No pubs have it either.  They have not changed the amount of beer they produce since 1946.  This kind of thing brings out the romantic in me and makes me want to go on a pilgrimage.

Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis: The smallest of the breweries, the building of which was assisted by the monks at Westmalle and Rochefort. They brew six beers, two of which are available only on tap at the Abbey, one available in bottles only at the abbey and the remaining are distributed worldwide but to quite limited availability. I regret to say that I haven’t tried any of these beers, though I have been told that Achel Extra Brune, which seems to be their most popular beer, is “what a strong ale should be”, with a creamy mouthfeel and hints of rye, caraway, molasses and cloves.

Brouwerij de Koningshoeven: More known as La Trappe.  The only one of the Trappist breweries not based in Belgium, but in the Netherlands.  While they make about seven beers plus one seasonal, in my experience the three most popular are the Dubbel, Tripel and Quadrupel.  As luck would have it, a pub right down the street from my office serves all three on tap.  The tripel  has a rich, bittersweet taste with hints of pears and coriander while the quadrupel would have to be the sweetest of them all, with strong tastes of molasses, cloves, bay leaf, vanilla and raisins, a sticky mouthfeel and a very slight bitterness that only comes from it’s alcohol content (10%).  A personal goal of mine is to try the oak aged batches of the quadrupel, which adds a whole new element to an already fantastic beer.

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PHEW!  So that’s all of them.  So here you have a group of breweries with a very rich history and a way of life that is so unique.  Not to mention that by buying the beer, you know the money is going towards maintaining the monastery with the rest going to charity.  In all respects Trappist beers are feel-good beers.

So now that this post is written, I’m going to get something to eat, head down to my local pub, purchase a bottle of Orval and let out a very solemn “hallelujah!”

I really got a kick out of hearing about this.  Reader Mike Townsend just graduated to a dead author “mug club” at Bukowski’s Tavern in Boston.  The Challenge? Drink 136 beers in 180 days.  You have to pay for the drinks yourself and the beers you drink will be marked down on a card.  At the end of it all he recieved a GIANT custom beer mug that will have his graduate number and the name of the dead author of his choice (in his case Alexander Dumas).

After hearing about this I looked in to mug clubs and it really is an interesting concept.  Set up by individual craft beer bars and brewpubs, the challenge basically is to drink every beer on the menu over the course of a set time (the average has been from 6-12 months) and at the end they receive a custom mug and benefits such as discounts or, in Mike’s case, the ability to have ANY beer in the giant mug at a price slightly higher than a regular pint.  Oh, and the mug stays at the bar.  So it’s always there waiting just for you.

Now, this might sound crazy.  At first glance it seems like a LOT of money to blow on beer (Mike gave the estimate of a little over $1500) and can lead to several problems (even Bukowski’s warns “Bukowski Tavern is not responsible for any excessive weigh gain, marriage annulments, black eyes, one night stands, or spur of the moment tribal tattoo arm bands that one may incur throughout the process of completing your mug.”), but if you think about it, the time limit IS pretty spaced out and if it’s a bar you plan on regularly going to you may even find that you drink that much in the course of, say, a year.  Plus in most mug clubs I’ve looked up, the waiter/bartender reserves the right to cut you off so the chance of alcohol poisoning isn’t there.

Another benefit is the obvious one: expanding your beer palette!  What better way to broaden your horizons than accept a challenge and get in to a mug club?  Even if you fail you can at least have the pleasure in knowing that you tried something new.

The other great thing about being a member of a brew club is that, well, you’re a member of the pub.  It almost ensures that you are a local to the pub and will be staying there for some time, which is good for the pubs business and, depending on the pub, helps support locally brewed beer!  And supporting pubs and local craft beer gives everyone a warm, fuzzy feeling in their hearts.

What a fantastic idea and I can’t believe I’m just learning about them now.  I mean, I think I may have been vaguely aware of mug clubs years ago, but I neve really looked in to it.

I’m hoping I can find something similar to this in Toronto.  I would LOVE to have a place like C’est What or Smokeless Joe’s start up a mug club.

(The AMAZING label done by Robert Burrows)