tasting
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Why I Judge Craft Breweries on Their Pale Lagers
Why I Judge Craft Breweries on Their Pale Lagers Woven into the grand sonic fabric of the orchestra, the lone violin, oboe, or clarinet enjoys the protection of the ensemble. While consistent, substandard execution would be quite audible, a few indiscretions here and there would likely be lost in the crowd. The world of beer…
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With Beer, Freshness Matters.
With Beer, Freshness Matters. While wine may get better with age, and often does, beer, with very rare exceptions, does not. Barleywines, lambics, and some imperial or barrel aged stouts may certainly benefit from longer maturation times, but most beer is meant to be consumed fresh. The moment the can is sealed, or bottle capped, the…
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Size Matters
Size Matters Why not all beer should be the same size The tallboy has become so standard that the 33cl bottles and cans now feel both small and mispriced. The 473ml (16oz) tall can is just how beer comes now. This makes some sense as the size is identical to a US pint. Dwarfed of…
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The Worst (and Best) Glasses for Beer
The Worst (and Best) Glasses for Beer Excluding paper cups, coffee mugs and plastic, the worst glass for beer is arguably the shaker pint. Unfortunately, many other beer glasses aren’t much better. First of all, the shaker was never meant for beer. This is of course slightly less relevant because a lot of things were…
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In Praise of Haze
In Praise of Haze It may seem like a misguided topic for an article. After all, everyone is brewing them and everyone is doing them. Or drinking them at least. The haze craze doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon, so what am I on about? Well, it goes by many a name, New England…
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Into the Darkness
Into the Darkness The first black lager I ever tasted was quite confusing. It looked like a stout, it kinda smelled like a stout, but it didn’t quite taste like a stout, and it sure didn’t finish like a stout. Then I never saw one again for years. To be fair, the Schwarzbier (literally “black…
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The Aroma Files #006: Coconut
The Aroma Files #006: Coconut The Aroma Files #006: Coconut WIt’s not uncommon to pick up faint notes of coconut in our beer, more so in Belgian ales or Kveik fermented beer, and even more so in barrel aged selections. But without the intentional addition of coconut flavouring, where does it come from? Lets dive…
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2025: A Beer in Review
2025: A Beer in Review My favorite three Ontario breweries for 2025. This year culminated in a lot, but likely not enough, visits to breweries and tap rooms. While I could probably list on fewer than three fingers the number of non-positive experiences, I could also regale you with all the lovely experiences in the…
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The Aroma Files #005: Banana
The Aroma Files #005: Banana Banana, the signature weissbier aroma, and a secondary player in a handful of other beer styles is really rather simple. Unlike most beer aromas that are a cocktail of molecules, the banana aroma and flavour is typified by the ester isoamyl acetate. A few other esters, namely ethyl butyrate, and…
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The Aroma Files #004: Pineapple
The Aroma Files #004: Pineapple Pineapple is one of the most intriguing beer aromas. Even more fascinating is that while fresh, canned, and dried pineapple all have different and progressive aromas, so do the pineapple aromas in beer. Lets first explore the varying components making up the pineapple aromas in the fruit and its derivatives.…