beer
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The Aroma Files #003: Mango
The Aroma Files #003: Mango When the juicy/hazy/NEIPA craze was in its infancy I tasted a beer that was strong with mango. Very strong. Incidentally, it contained mango pulp. Subsequently, I tasted another IPA that smelled of mango, less overtly, and not a mango was to be found. This was one of my first forays…
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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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The Aroma Files #001: Grapefruit
The Aroma Files #001: Grapefruit Along with resin, pine, dank, and floral, grapefruit seems to be one of the most common basic descriptors of American hop aroma, heavily weighted towards IPAs. Of course we know (most of the time) there is no actual grapefruit in the beer, so where does this aroma and flavour come…
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A Quick Guide to Pilsners
A Quick Guide to Pilsners A long long time ago, in a city far far away, the citizens of Plzěn were so appalled by the quality of their beer, that they dumped it all. They then built a new brewery and hired a Bavarian brewmaster by the name of Josef Groll. In 1842 Pilsner was…
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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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When Hops Fight Back: Understanding Hop Burn
When Hops Fight Back: Understanding Hop Burn It was one of those hot and humid Toronto summer days where heat radiates out of the pavement, hitting you from all sides with no relief. My wardrobe choices weren’t exactly helping the situation either, but finally I arrived at my destination, a semi shaded patio. The friend…
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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…
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Hoppy Ever After: A Guide to IPAs
Hoppy Ever After: A Guide to IPAs It wasn’t so long ago that everyone was making fruited kettle sours, and almost nothing but. It also felt like most of them were the same base beer with the fruit being the differentiator. The sours still exist but have settled into a more appropriate portion of the…