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The Ten Rules of Beer Tasting
The Ten Rules of Beer Tasting
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For Whom the Bell Rings
For Whom the Bell Rings Bickford Brewing’s New Releases, an All Day Event, and a Great Cause It’s Saturday, and in what appears to be a rare display of kindness, the sun is shining. I’ve just walked into Bickford Brewing on Harbord Street for an all day event celebrating the release of Ring the Bell,…
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ICE COLD BEER! – Not So Fast
ICE COLD BEER! – Not So Fast Why serving temperature matters WIce cold beer might sound alluring, and I doubt anyone would salivate over “Luke warm beer!”, but the reality is that ice cold isn’t always ideal. Most fridges run around 3°C and most keg fridges run around the same. That’s 38°F, for those who…
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A Thirsty Trek through the Nation’s Capital: Ottawa’s Brewing Scene Part 1
A Thirsty Trek through the Nation’s Capital: Ottawa’s Brewing Scene Part 1 As a Toronto based beer writer, the hunt for new beers, breweries, and flavours is a never ending quest. The Ottawa region had been popping up on my radar lately, and with the constraints of distribution being what they are, a visit to…
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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 #002: Pine
The Aroma Files #002: Pine “A classic West coast IPA with prominent notes of pine and resin”. Visually, it’s easy to reconcile right? Hop cone, pine cone. Conveniently, the chemistry isn’t overly vexing either. The pine aromas mainly come from a few terpenes and terpenoids which are present across hops, conifers and rosemary. The primary…
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Some Good AdWeiss
Some Good AdWeiss: A Guide to Weissbiers Every beer has a time and a place. For Weissbier, that time and place is any time, any place. It’s refreshing in the summer, delicious in the winter, and fits seamlessly in between. It has the uncanny ability to pair with almost any dish, making it the fallback…
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IPA and Curry, a Match Made in Hell
The Bitter Pain of Spice and (some) Beer Some classic pairings just make sense. Fish n’ chips with best bitter, steamed mussels and gueuze, bratwurst and pils. Not only do they work on a sensory level, but they are so culturally linked, they really are a natural fit. This simple beauty can lead us to…
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A Festivus for the Rest of Us
The Beers of Oktoberfest As autumn settles in, the mornings turn crisp, the leaves shift to red and gold, and the sounds of clinking steins raised to “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” draw nearer. Oktoberfest is almost upon us- and with it comes the beer. But should you reach for a Festbier, an Oktoberfestbier, or a…
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The Bark, The Beaver, The Barrel, and The Beer
The Bark, The Beaver, The Barrel, and The Beer: The Story of Vanilla In Your Beer If vanilla isn’t the most popular flavour on the planet, then it’s pretty damn close. It’s everywhere too. It’s in ice cream of course, deserts, perfume, air fresheners, oh and BEER. Like most flavourings, vanilla can simply be added…